I was surprised to come across this research, there was a research done on countires who had the fastest walkers in the world..
Singapore topped the charts followed by:
2. Copenhagan
3. Madrid
4. Guangzhou
5. Dublin
6. Curitiba
7. Berlin
8. New York
9. Utrecht
10. Vienna
http://paceoflife.co.uk/
I wonder the what are the health implication of living in a fast city? IF there is a correlation of living in a fast city and stress?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Hello Hollywood..
This weekend I gained insight in the filming industry when I got to star my brother film project. I always thought acting was easy, you either can or can not do it, and was in latter group because of nature of laughing at inappropriate times.
I was pleasantly suprised by the experience, as much as it was challenging I have grown a new found respect for actors and actresses, for their ability to re-do scenes countless times and are able to express the same emotions is really gift.
Looking forward to see the final outcome...
Friday, January 9, 2009
2008 Signing Off
Looking back at 2008, with all the ups and downs it has never-the-less been a fantastic year. Recaping the year..
Jan:
Start of the year with Susu, Omar, Selma and Marcus at the lovely surreal red sea in Dahab. Then spending it with my favorite girls on the slopes of the Alps and having a near to death experience, but discovering Hundertwasser and Sacher cake.... Falling in love with Prague and visiting Linda and Leyla in Budapest.
Feb:
Making my daddy proud finally a graduate! The best graduation outing..... :P You know it Naz and Raz
March:
Birthday Month, not much of a celebration, but visiting Tunisia and enjoying my last AIESEC conference.... Reunion time with Siwar and Ameni...Gannat, Captain Hariri, Cosmo Boy, Dolly and the rest of the faci team and delegates you totally rocked
April:
Wow... badabing, badabom... life is tough, family comes first.. I am in Singapore... WTF... I found a job...
May:
IQPC experience begins... I cant believe I have entered the corporate world.... Energy Market on a bomb... early signs of recession...
June:
My baby brother is graduating high school... Menna has tied the knot, lovely reunion with Salma and baby Lina... Jou jou first bday.. he turns one...
July:
Rainforest music forest in Borneo... partying in the rainforest knees into mudd.... and seeing the orangutan reserves... One year has gone by since my father... God rest his soul.. finally finished FPSO Asia... first conference ever...
August:
Reunion with Farah, Sarah, Rhea and Ingrida... Partying it up.... WOW Reunion.... Akino ties the knot and we travel across the globe to see her big day...
October:
Reunion with Xiaomin, China, Hong Kong, massage, and disney land
November:
End of my Life in IQPC, HSE Risk Management is over, go on a magical get a way in Perhentian Islands, Mai comes to visit, Vimal and I embark on our first travel adventure to Vietnam....
December:
Back to Cairo, seeing my top three loves and family, friends and loved ones...... Operation Success, Malak and Shereif got engaged..
What a lovely way to spend the rest of the year...In Tajikistan they believe the way you spend your new years is the way your year will turn out.. and I am sure that 2009 will be FABULOUS..... Live life as if its your last day...Remember that at the beginning of every year we open up a new book, with empty pages and as we are the authors of our books strive to create beautiful opportunities for yourself... Be kind to those around you and never underestimate the power of a smile...
Be FABULOUS in 2009 and may all your dreams comes through, but if they dont just remember that something better will come along.. I look forward to many more reunions and adventures in the year to come..
Jan:
Start of the year with Susu, Omar, Selma and Marcus at the lovely surreal red sea in Dahab. Then spending it with my favorite girls on the slopes of the Alps and having a near to death experience, but discovering Hundertwasser and Sacher cake.... Falling in love with Prague and visiting Linda and Leyla in Budapest.
Feb:
Making my daddy proud finally a graduate! The best graduation outing..... :P You know it Naz and Raz
March:
Birthday Month, not much of a celebration, but visiting Tunisia and enjoying my last AIESEC conference.... Reunion time with Siwar and Ameni...Gannat, Captain Hariri, Cosmo Boy, Dolly and the rest of the faci team and delegates you totally rocked
April:
Wow... badabing, badabom... life is tough, family comes first.. I am in Singapore... WTF... I found a job...
May:
IQPC experience begins... I cant believe I have entered the corporate world.... Energy Market on a bomb... early signs of recession...
June:
My baby brother is graduating high school... Menna has tied the knot, lovely reunion with Salma and baby Lina... Jou jou first bday.. he turns one...
July:
Rainforest music forest in Borneo... partying in the rainforest knees into mudd.... and seeing the orangutan reserves... One year has gone by since my father... God rest his soul.. finally finished FPSO Asia... first conference ever...
August:
Reunion with Farah, Sarah, Rhea and Ingrida... Partying it up.... WOW Reunion.... Akino ties the knot and we travel across the globe to see her big day...
October:
Reunion with Xiaomin, China, Hong Kong, massage, and disney land
November:
End of my Life in IQPC, HSE Risk Management is over, go on a magical get a way in Perhentian Islands, Mai comes to visit, Vimal and I embark on our first travel adventure to Vietnam....
December:
Back to Cairo, seeing my top three loves and family, friends and loved ones...... Operation Success, Malak and Shereif got engaged..
What a lovely way to spend the rest of the year...In Tajikistan they believe the way you spend your new years is the way your year will turn out.. and I am sure that 2009 will be FABULOUS..... Live life as if its your last day...Remember that at the beginning of every year we open up a new book, with empty pages and as we are the authors of our books strive to create beautiful opportunities for yourself... Be kind to those around you and never underestimate the power of a smile...
Be FABULOUS in 2009 and may all your dreams comes through, but if they dont just remember that something better will come along.. I look forward to many more reunions and adventures in the year to come..
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Pearl of Indochina-Vietnam
A couple of weeks ago a dear friend Vimal calls me up to ask if I want to go on a trip with her, I suggested she come to Egypt with me but because she was limited by her dates we decided to go to Vietnam instead. The irony was 3 months ago when I first met Vimal we actually talked about going together. We had had an awesome vacation singing Vietnamese songs.... Viettttnaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmm.. Ho Chi Minnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.......
The journey began at the South's of Vietnam in Ho Chi Min City, formerly known as Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh after he led the Viet Cong communist region...we were convinced by cyclo driver that he was the best in Vietnam... we couldnt refuse.. we were cycled around from parks and museums throughout the city.. as much as i enjoyed the day one of the main highlights was our driver, he was so pro globalization and was glad for the foreign intervention saying "Got mouth to eat, Got no mouth to speak".... Coming to Vietnam I didnt know much about the country it was eye opening because it gave me a lot of understanding of the situation of the French Indochina and the harshness of the war...a must see is the war remnant museum... We visited the Tai Chi main city park, the Mussoleum, the Notre Dam cathedral beside the Post Office and Reunification palace. We chilled by a roadside cafe taking in the sights and smells of the cities before treating ourselves by a massage by the blind association... we then met up with Nhu to eat a lovely VIetnamese dinner....
We had signed up for a tour to visit the Cao Dai temple. Cao Daism is a very Vietnam specific religion and one of the three most practiced religions in Vietnam. The temple was like going through some mad alice in wonderland dream... so much modern art and detail everywhere.. The architecture was like nothing I have ever seen before, but when we watched the prayers it gave me a peaceful feeling which reminded me of a masjid. The religion was quite intriguing because the lead its founder, Ngo Minh Chieu (or Ngo Van Chieu), was a French civil servant and was also a mystic who was well-versed in western and eastern religions, he began receiving revelations about the truth of religions from God (Caodai) that told him to combine the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam and other religions into one religion to promote peace.
We then went to the Cu Chi Tunnels which was were the VietCong controlled underground because the Americans controlled the sky and land... I found the tunnels extremely genius... our tour guide was an actual Viet Cong fighter which gave us a new perspective on how Vietnamese perceived the west.... we watched videos at the beginning where Viet Cong rewarded people for being brave fighters against the evil americans.... it also made me realize how nationalism went along way in the sixties and seventies, i doubt it would be the same now...... that night we had another lovely dinner and partied vietnamese expat style... music scene is not the most happening, but we had a quite a good night... hearing the fussion of francophone culture..
we then took an internal flight to Danang... it was like taking a busy public bus, people were flying with huge plastic bags.. the flight was noisy and for three girls who got less than three hours of sleep it was not the most fun especially when we were harassed when we arrived to find cabs to take us to Hoi Ann.. We eventually found a cab, and after five minutes of driving, he stops the cab, opens the trunk and there was a black car behind us. Once we realize what happened, Vimal tried to open her door, and it was locked. My immediate reaction is like I am not going to have my things robbed from me. It wasnt going to happen. I jumped to the passenger seat of the car, rushed to the trunk and pushed the driver aside, not sure what I was yelling. We all took our bags and walked back to the airport. The driver kept saying it was cheaper to take a private car but after hearing the horror stories of backpackers in Vietnam we werent going to find out.
An hour later, we eventually made it to Hoi Ann.. It was one of UNESCO Heritage Sights, we spent the day with out rented bicycles seeing the city drinking lots of Vietnamese coffee and tea in the pouring rain.. The city is magical, no wonder it was soo loved by all the foreigners who colonized Vietnam, and thank god it was not touched during the Vietnames war... The pagados, the old houses, and the atmosphere.. We also had loads of fun singing at the top of our lungs.... nothing beats the tailored clothes... We wondered the city for days before taking our next adventure to the Hue another world Heritage sight on the sleeping bus... This bus is hilarious, they actually have beds, three rows of beds in a regular bus unfortunately it is customized for the Asian body...
Hue was stunning unlike Hoi Ann there are less tourists and city seemed more real, we cycled around visiting the old fortress, temples, and played football with a group of young Vietnamese girls... it was hilarious realizing how bad we sucked...
The bus driver was hilarious... on the bus to Hanoi, he stops on the way walks into a shop to try on jackets... I have never seen anything like this.. he made us all wait for a good 20 minutes so he could try on jackets which in the end he didnt even buy...
My final stop was to Hanoi.. the second biggest city in Vietnam, which was a bit overwhelming after enjoying the peaceful countryside... we met up with Vimals friend and her mom, where we wondered the city. The highlight was the water puppet show.. a must see for anyone going to Hanoi... it shows the imprint of Chinese arts in Vietnam...
The journey began at the South's of Vietnam in Ho Chi Min City, formerly known as Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh after he led the Viet Cong communist region...we were convinced by cyclo driver that he was the best in Vietnam... we couldnt refuse.. we were cycled around from parks and museums throughout the city.. as much as i enjoyed the day one of the main highlights was our driver, he was so pro globalization and was glad for the foreign intervention saying "Got mouth to eat, Got no mouth to speak".... Coming to Vietnam I didnt know much about the country it was eye opening because it gave me a lot of understanding of the situation of the French Indochina and the harshness of the war...a must see is the war remnant museum... We visited the Tai Chi main city park, the Mussoleum, the Notre Dam cathedral beside the Post Office and Reunification palace. We chilled by a roadside cafe taking in the sights and smells of the cities before treating ourselves by a massage by the blind association... we then met up with Nhu to eat a lovely VIetnamese dinner....
We had signed up for a tour to visit the Cao Dai temple. Cao Daism is a very Vietnam specific religion and one of the three most practiced religions in Vietnam. The temple was like going through some mad alice in wonderland dream... so much modern art and detail everywhere.. The architecture was like nothing I have ever seen before, but when we watched the prayers it gave me a peaceful feeling which reminded me of a masjid. The religion was quite intriguing because the lead its founder, Ngo Minh Chieu (or Ngo Van Chieu), was a French civil servant and was also a mystic who was well-versed in western and eastern religions, he began receiving revelations about the truth of religions from God (Caodai) that told him to combine the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam and other religions into one religion to promote peace.
We then went to the Cu Chi Tunnels which was were the VietCong controlled underground because the Americans controlled the sky and land... I found the tunnels extremely genius... our tour guide was an actual Viet Cong fighter which gave us a new perspective on how Vietnamese perceived the west.... we watched videos at the beginning where Viet Cong rewarded people for being brave fighters against the evil americans.... it also made me realize how nationalism went along way in the sixties and seventies, i doubt it would be the same now...... that night we had another lovely dinner and partied vietnamese expat style... music scene is not the most happening, but we had a quite a good night... hearing the fussion of francophone culture..
we then took an internal flight to Danang... it was like taking a busy public bus, people were flying with huge plastic bags.. the flight was noisy and for three girls who got less than three hours of sleep it was not the most fun especially when we were harassed when we arrived to find cabs to take us to Hoi Ann.. We eventually found a cab, and after five minutes of driving, he stops the cab, opens the trunk and there was a black car behind us. Once we realize what happened, Vimal tried to open her door, and it was locked. My immediate reaction is like I am not going to have my things robbed from me. It wasnt going to happen. I jumped to the passenger seat of the car, rushed to the trunk and pushed the driver aside, not sure what I was yelling. We all took our bags and walked back to the airport. The driver kept saying it was cheaper to take a private car but after hearing the horror stories of backpackers in Vietnam we werent going to find out.
An hour later, we eventually made it to Hoi Ann.. It was one of UNESCO Heritage Sights, we spent the day with out rented bicycles seeing the city drinking lots of Vietnamese coffee and tea in the pouring rain.. The city is magical, no wonder it was soo loved by all the foreigners who colonized Vietnam, and thank god it was not touched during the Vietnames war... The pagados, the old houses, and the atmosphere.. We also had loads of fun singing at the top of our lungs.... nothing beats the tailored clothes... We wondered the city for days before taking our next adventure to the Hue another world Heritage sight on the sleeping bus... This bus is hilarious, they actually have beds, three rows of beds in a regular bus unfortunately it is customized for the Asian body...
Hue was stunning unlike Hoi Ann there are less tourists and city seemed more real, we cycled around visiting the old fortress, temples, and played football with a group of young Vietnamese girls... it was hilarious realizing how bad we sucked...
The bus driver was hilarious... on the bus to Hanoi, he stops on the way walks into a shop to try on jackets... I have never seen anything like this.. he made us all wait for a good 20 minutes so he could try on jackets which in the end he didnt even buy...
My final stop was to Hanoi.. the second biggest city in Vietnam, which was a bit overwhelming after enjoying the peaceful countryside... we met up with Vimals friend and her mom, where we wondered the city. The highlight was the water puppet show.. a must see for anyone going to Hanoi... it shows the imprint of Chinese arts in Vietnam...
Monday, February 11, 2008
"Suppaa" Austria
Feb has dawned upon us, and I cant imagine another way of expressing how "Suppaa" this past month has been. The trip was born after Dr Rostom and I concluded that the Silk route would need to wait till after Jan, as the harsh weather conditions would require alot more than just warm clothes. We decided to try skiing, and found the Austrian Alps. Neither of us had much experience, mine was one day in Whistler where I learnt about pizza and French fries, and attempting snowboarding in Queenstown when I was 14.
In the end after much talk, our ski trip comprised on myself, Dr Raz, Naz and Radwa. After random online searches we decided to spend a week in a small town called Saint Johann. Our pick was based on our understanding, that we would have 24 hours delivery of hot buns. We never did see the hot buns, but we all fell in love with the town, the mountains, skiing and of course tobaggoning.
Highlights of skiing, was an accident I had on the second day where I skied into barb wire and into the trees to eventually cry out of frustration because I knew the only way down was on skis. That didnt stop me from actually enjoying skiing, after I changed my instructor to someone I found more comfortable, and was able to regain my confidence to actually enjoy the blue slopes. The view was stunning, and the people were so nice, and the applestrudel was sinful, but overall things were as they say in St Johann "Suppaa".
The pain from skiing was ridiculous, and that pain very much accompanied how horrible it was leave this little paradise. Radwa flew home, and we were on our next destination, Salzburg, or better known as the place where the "Sound of Music" was filmed. This tour is a must have, and I came aware of it, after Reina shared her experience. For all fans, imagine your own a bus hearing and singing to Sound of Music songs, and going to places where the film was filmed. We had a treat by having a real live descendant of the Van Troup family lead the tour for us. After that, we were off to Vienna, where Mai also joined us.
Impressions of Vienna, it's really hard to start, I knew from the moment I saw it the day I arrived it was something magical. Not only is it a place of great history, its also a cultural capital where many great artists, musicians have come from. The streets, the architecture, watching Queen's "We will rock you", seeing my first real Opera "L'eliser L'amor" and of course seeing Klimt's painting "The Kiss" is breathtaking. Of course also being able to spend some time with Kaisa, and remember all the wonderful times spent with my crazy "World on Wheels" family three and a half years ago. We will also lucky enough to get exposed to artist, philosopher, ecologist and architect Frederick Hundertwasser. His work is phenomenal. Vienna is a place where you can get lost in it's countless museums because of it's huge diversity. In short Vienna has something for everyone. Next post will be on Prague, Budapest and of course my graduation :P
In the end after much talk, our ski trip comprised on myself, Dr Raz, Naz and Radwa. After random online searches we decided to spend a week in a small town called Saint Johann. Our pick was based on our understanding, that we would have 24 hours delivery of hot buns. We never did see the hot buns, but we all fell in love with the town, the mountains, skiing and of course tobaggoning.
Highlights of skiing, was an accident I had on the second day where I skied into barb wire and into the trees to eventually cry out of frustration because I knew the only way down was on skis. That didnt stop me from actually enjoying skiing, after I changed my instructor to someone I found more comfortable, and was able to regain my confidence to actually enjoy the blue slopes. The view was stunning, and the people were so nice, and the applestrudel was sinful, but overall things were as they say in St Johann "Suppaa".
The pain from skiing was ridiculous, and that pain very much accompanied how horrible it was leave this little paradise. Radwa flew home, and we were on our next destination, Salzburg, or better known as the place where the "Sound of Music" was filmed. This tour is a must have, and I came aware of it, after Reina shared her experience. For all fans, imagine your own a bus hearing and singing to Sound of Music songs, and going to places where the film was filmed. We had a treat by having a real live descendant of the Van Troup family lead the tour for us. After that, we were off to Vienna, where Mai also joined us.
Impressions of Vienna, it's really hard to start, I knew from the moment I saw it the day I arrived it was something magical. Not only is it a place of great history, its also a cultural capital where many great artists, musicians have come from. The streets, the architecture, watching Queen's "We will rock you", seeing my first real Opera "L'eliser L'amor" and of course seeing Klimt's painting "The Kiss" is breathtaking. Of course also being able to spend some time with Kaisa, and remember all the wonderful times spent with my crazy "World on Wheels" family three and a half years ago. We will also lucky enough to get exposed to artist, philosopher, ecologist and architect Frederick Hundertwasser. His work is phenomenal. Vienna is a place where you can get lost in it's countless museums because of it's huge diversity. In short Vienna has something for everyone. Next post will be on Prague, Budapest and of course my graduation :P
Saturday, January 12, 2008
2008 The Year of New Beginnings!
Nothing beats starting a New Years by the beach with the company of good friends! Looking back at 2007, it has been by far the toughest year of my life. Balancing University, AIESEC, and family stress was unimaginable. But nevertheless no matter how hard the experience, in the end its all part of must do's of life.
Professional ending my term on the National Board of AIESEC in Egypt, facilitating in the first regional conference for MENA, and then representing AUC at SIFE National competition and winning third place. And not evening stopping there, then moving to the regional board and facilitating at International Congress, the largest conference I have ever be part of. When I type it I feel already overwhelmed! But in the wise words of Voltaire: "If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new".
Personally, watching my father's health deteriorate and finally losing him, made me realize the importance of prioritize what and who is important to you, and letting them how much they mean to you!
Enjoy my beautiful mountains of Sinai and the coast of the Red Sea, and make sure that for 2008, you all put visiting me and Egypt as one of your resolutions!
Best of luck in this year adventures and hardships!
Professional ending my term on the National Board of AIESEC in Egypt, facilitating in the first regional conference for MENA, and then representing AUC at SIFE National competition and winning third place. And not evening stopping there, then moving to the regional board and facilitating at International Congress, the largest conference I have ever be part of. When I type it I feel already overwhelmed! But in the wise words of Voltaire: "If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new".
Personally, watching my father's health deteriorate and finally losing him, made me realize the importance of prioritize what and who is important to you, and letting them how much they mean to you!
Enjoy my beautiful mountains of Sinai and the coast of the Red Sea, and make sure that for 2008, you all put visiting me and Egypt as one of your resolutions!
Best of luck in this year adventures and hardships!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Village Boys are back in town!
I had an interesting night last Wednesday, my good friend brother was getting married! And the wedding was beautiful, the bride and groom looked lovely, everyone looked so beautiful. Mai was super ecstatic and it was great to be there sharing her joy!
At the same time, the wedding had a lot of first times for me, I choose to get to the point, and pinpoint straight to what I found bizarre. From a quiet peaceful hall, all a sudden I felt I was in a scene of one of the village boys videos, because all at once there was 50 guys in cowboy hats line dancing. I really didnt know what to think of it, or how I felt about it, it was just a strange sight to see in a wedding!
Just so you can enjoy! Check out the guy's video, you can catch glimpses of his team!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoGhXUm5e5Y
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