lunch time

I was in the mood for Humos today during the lunch hour.

The above statement conveys two pieces of information;the first is the trivial fact that I was craving Humos, and the other is the fact that there is a lunch hour in my life. Not interesting, nor important. In fact, nothing to write about! (btw, after all these years, I still have to think when I use the word "write", cuz frequently I get it mixed up with "right"). More relevant to the post is the fact that our lunch hour is from 2 to 3 pm.

At around 2:13 we were passing through Gardens Str. and thought that we might as well indulge in a lavish portion of humos topped with hot sauce soaked in olive oil with a round of falafel and mint tea at Kalha. After the ordinary challenge, we found parking and headed into the restaurant, only to find Kalhas do not serve between 2 and 3 pm; you can take sandwiches (safari style). I was stunt, immobilized, and for a moment, almost speechless, then felt stupid. For the longest time, we must have picked the wrong time slot for the lunch hour. How can it be right when it does not coincide with the time set by those whose main business activity is to offer lunch for us.

Things must have changed around me, while I was left in total stagnation. When do Jordanians have their lunch?

P.S. After the moment of astonishment and anguish passed by, I was able to ask the question of whether the situation was just an intermittent and temporally loss of service, but the answer was that every day during this time slot, they cleaned up the place

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

What is the appropriate lunch time

I was in the mood for Humos today during the lunch hour.

The above statement

On the Road again

I have been on the road lately and pretty actively. What I mean here is traveling and not bike riding. Just before Eid, I had to spend a couple of days a Kuwait for the Kuwait University Admission software, then during Eid Vacation, we spent a splendid five days vacation in Istanbul (during which the Turkish people turned out to cast their votes in a referendum for constitutional changes which went in favor of the Current PM Erdogan,, who incidentally, currently sees his country's interest leaning towards amicable relationships with the Islamic world). Then Today I am in a very short trip to Tripoli, Libya. I have arrived this afternoon, will have a meeting, and will be heading back to Amman tomorrow. The story does not end here, I have other planned trips to both KSA and Yemen soon. The short-term outlook seems to include moderate on-the-road activities.

ammar

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

Eid Saeed

I wish every body a warm Eid holiday and many happy returns
Me and other family will spend the Eid holiday in Istanbul

ammar

Cylcing for Gaza - Funds needed

It is now official

In solidarity with the people of Gaza, I am particiapting in a fund raising cycling event.

Cycling 4 Gaza aims to raise awareness about the ongoing suffering in Gaza by bringing together a group of people from all over the world each year to cycle across continents, with the ultimate aim of reaching Gaza. (www.cycle4gaza.com).

Last year, Cycling 4 Gaza brought together 27 people of all ages and backgrounds to take part
in the challenge of cycling from London to Paris. We covered over 300 km in 3 days, and raised
over £90,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians in support of their healthcare projects in Gaza.
These included emergency maternal and newborn healthcare, specialist burns care training, and training staff in primary trauma care. This year, and
Between the 29th of September and the 2nd of October, we will be embarking on a tough hysical and mental challenge, cycling from Pisa to Rome in just 4 days.

If you can provide financial help kindly email me at ammar.sajdi@gmail.com

Sudoku

Like me, you are most likely inclined to believing Sudoku is some kind of an ancient Japanese game. In fact it was created by an American architect Howard Garns.
Garns was born in Connersville, Indiana, and by his teens had moved to Indianapolis with his father, W. H. Garns, an architect. He attended Indianapolis Technical High School (now known as Arsenal Technical High School or Tech High School) and graduated in 1922. He entered the University of Illinois, and received a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering in 1926.
The game was initially called Number Place and. Number Place gained popularity in Japan in the eighties. Garns dies before Su Doku became popular on the global realm

Android -- Cannot afford not to learn

It is enough to know that Android mobile platform sales have overtaken that of iPhone, coupled with the ubiquity of cell phones, the backing of the corporate giant "Google", the excitement of open source, and the support of Open Handset Alliance members like Intel, TI, T-Mobile, and NTT DoCoMo makes a perfect recipe for this OS to rule supreme.
That was enough to spark my curiosity to explore my new toy; Android development
Download Eclipse, Android SDK, and a few tutorials from the net, and you are all set to prepare yourself for a new generation of mobile computing. Trust me on this one

Ammar Sajdi

Ammar Sajdi

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

The Vessel Effect

It is unlawful for a state to intercept a ship belonging to another country over high seas as dictated by the Permanent Court of international justice in the SS Lotus case (1927):

"... Vessels on the high seas are subject to no authority except that of the state whose flag they fly. In virtue of the principle of the freedom of the seas, that is to say, the absence of any territorial sovereignty upon the high seas, no state may exercise any kind of jurisdiction over foreign vessels upon them."

Israel's attack on flotilla is clearly a violation of international laws; and as such, Turkey has all the rights in the world to demand judiciary actions against Israel. Israel has violated human rights and international laws in many previous incidences, but this time, it could be a bit different. The crime has been committed arrogantly against vessels flying the Turkish flag with over 600 people from 30 different countries on board, thus, jeopardizing its relationship with just about its only ally in the Middle East.
The Turkish people on board, on the other hand, have shown examples of bravery, sacrifice, and courage that touched the hearts of the "emotionally inclined" living species of the Middle East - me not being an exception.

Needless to say, Turkey is now gaining enormous popularity, appreciation, and support from the frustrated people of the region. This is hardly surprising as the Turkish regime has in the past few years transformed into a sovereign state with a viable economy and influential leadership.

What can we do from here?

Well, buy Turkish products, and make Turkey grow stronger both politically and economically. Next, imagine what could happen if more campaigns to break the blockade of Gaza were organized by sending tens of vessels with more international supporters. Then if Israel stops them in the same manner, it would have so much to lose, and if it did not, the blockage of gaze would be broken. In either case, it is a win-win situation.

In the meanwhile, all Arab countries are busy condemning the Crime and sending the Israeli government gestures of discontent as they have been doing for the last sixty-something years, obviously, to no avail

By the way, my Grandfather is of Turkish descent

Ammar Sajdi

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

بدون هز

بدون هز

اصطلاح يستخدم احيانا لوصف حالة من حالات النوم السريع. في ناس بنامو كل يوم بدون هز بس مش انا!
بالامس استمتعت بظاهرة النوم بدون هز وهي بصراحة ظاهرة اعجبتني ولكن لن يكون بالامكان الاستمتاع بها دائما بسب المتطلبات التي يجب ان تتوفر لها

المهم وبدون كتر كلام او طول سيرة, بالامس شاركت مع الصديق محمد ابو غربية في رحلة على الدرجات الهوائية في ربوع الاغوار قرب البحر الميت مع مجموعة Bike Rush. نزلنا بالسيارات على منطقة البحر الميت حوالي الساعة 2:30 وكان المفروض ننزل بالباص ، بس يمكن غيرو رايهم لانة ما كان في كتير ناس , يعني حوالي عشرة يغلبهم الجنس اللطيف. محجبات وخلافة

من زمان انا ما ركبت بوسوكليت , من ايام ما كنت العب بالحارة بنابلس , لأ واللة تزكرت , كان عندي بوسوكليت مهم جدا عندم كنت طالبا جامعيا في الولايات المتحدة ...
طلعت سواقة البسكليت زي اللغات , يعني لازم تمارس , بس اسهل , اولها حاسس حالي مش مسيطر , بس بعد الشوي
كرجت، وصرت اسوق وانا مفلت ايدي. بس الجو كان بديع والدنيا ربيع وريحة اللحمة المشوية فايعة والمصطافين فوق بعض ,وكانهم مش مصدقين انة في اردنين بسوقو بسكليت , طول الوقت بأشرو وبركظو وبحكو معي بالانجليزي هالو هالو واتسز يور نيم ؟ مع انو شكلي ما بوحي اني اجنبي بلمرة ، بس يمكن لاني لابس خوذة السلامة ونظارة شمس. بس كنت افقسهم ايما فقسة حين اجاوبهم بالعربي اسمي عمار. بس روحت، ضميري أنبني بسب لؤمي, كان لازم اخليهم مبسوطين واسوق عليهم انو اسمي جاك مثلا. بس هذا كلة لا يمت بصلة لموضوع النوم بدون هز. بدأنا المسيرة على شارع مستوي – الشارع الرئيسي للبحر الميت ودخلنا بعدها المزارع القريبة من المغطس. مع شوية طلوع بسيط وميول للتشبيح انة يعني اللياقة منيحة ومش مهمه فارق العمر وصرت بدي اقارع اولاد العشرين. وقتها بدأ مضخة القلب تخابط والشراين يا دوبها ملحقة, يعني باختصار الماكينة من زمان ما اشتغلت ولازم اعمال صيانة ومع هيك قطعت حوالي 15 كيلو وثم توقفت علما بان المسافة المبرمجة كانت 25 كم . الموضوع التاني اللي مش حابب اخوض فيه هو الكرسي. بصراحة كرسي البسكليت ما كان متل العشم (عارفين اصدي ،، بالمشربحي العصعوص ما ساعد، يمكن المشكلة مش بالكرسي باعتبار وزني قارب على الثلاث خانات)
انتهى المشوار مع الغروب وتجمع الاخوة وذهبنا الى منطقة بانوراما البحر الميت حيث اضرمنا النار على قارعة الطريق واحتسينا الشاي المغلي بالميرمية وتجاذبنا اطراف الحديث واكلنا مخالفة سير قبل ان تجهة عائدين ادراجنا حيث اتينا وكان الجو قد اصبح مائلا للبرودة حينها.

بس روحت على البيت , مش بس عشت ظاهرة النوم بدون هز ألا ان صباح اليوم، القيام من النوم كان مع هز يعني نمت بدون هز وما عرفت اقوم بدون الهز

نجرب الماكينة الاسبوع الجاي

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me

I am skeptical about the benefits of repairing my car with the manufacturer-appointed agency. However, I sent my BMW 525 Car to the BMW dealer in Amman for what they call Inspection II. There is nothing wrong with the car, this is just a preventive maintenance measure. It is

a pretty standard inspection where Some specified parts have to be replaced like Spark Plugs, Air Condition Filters, Oil and Gear filters etc.

They gave me an appointment at 9 AM last Wednesday. I arrived on time only to find that the person i was supposed to be had not yet arrived. Another supervisor was kind enough to check in my car. The body inspection revealed that the lining of the front bumper is missing and a decorative metal element on the door side is loose.

My first shock was when the guy told me that it was highly unlikely to finish with the car by the end of the day. The second day, I received a call from the supervisor who informed me that the engine check they conducted revealed that additional parts needed to be changed, like the gasoline filter and Power Steering hose. I approved the part replacement, but the other shock was when the guy informed me that the car might not be ready by the end of the working day (which ends at 4 pm). Anyway, Friday is off, Nobody called till Saturday noon, so, I gave them a call. the supervisor told me that he will make sure that the car is ready by 2:30 after the team comes back from lunch (if they go to lunch at 1:30 and at the same time finish office hours at 4.00, then no wonder the car takes three days for Normal preventive inspection). I went to pick up the car at 3.00. The bill was 600 JD, yes SIX HUNDRED JD's for a few filter elements and OIL replacement. But this hefty price tag got me excited to meet my car again, thinking that they really wanted to surprise me with a drastic cosmetic BOTOX like makeup, or a NEW Look silhouette, or nose job if you like. There was really a surprise. The missing lining was installed, the Small metallic element was not even fixed. The supervisor told me that they would hand over a report to me, and then they told me that the report was not ready, and it would be by the next morning. To add to my surprise, the supervisor told me that the missing part of the Car body was not available, something they did not mention when they called me on Thursday.

I am not even sure, now, that the internal part they claimed to have changed was really replaced. I also made it clear to the gentlemen that I was not satisfied with this kind of service I received, and the gentlemen told me that there were job cuts and the staff was overloaded.

Sending my car to Ole was a conspicuous mistake and now I am no longer skeptical about not sending the Car to the Agency again. They cannot fool me again

Ammar Sajdi

Feb 21, 2010

Ammar Sajdi

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

weather wise

I will be on a plane and will be leaving Kuwait back to Amman within the coming 30 minutes.
I know that most of you are disappointed by the level of exaggeration that normally accompanies this kind of event (snowstorm). But wait till I arrive safely home, and then let us hope the media is right

Ammar Sajdi
Kuwait Feb 4, 2010 Thursday

Also, note that all public holidays for 2010 are expected to be on Friday, even this snowstorm won't let you take the day off