Memories

It is cool to have an aunt who is a published author. A Nun without a Convent is the first part of an autobiography of my maternal aunt Ms. Nuha Batchone, written in Arabic and published by Dar Ward for Publishing and Distribution. I read the book on a flight back from Amman, I just could not put it down.

Reading about her chilodhood and early adulthood life and by extension my mom's and the rest of their family in Yaffa (Jaffa), Palestine brought tears, smiles, laughs and revelations.

It is nice to know that they were as mischievous as us, even though their ways differed.

The book brought memories of family members who have passed away decades ago, those who I knew when I was very very young, during my teenage years and beyond. It brought memories of gatherings at my grand parent's house and of great aunts and uncles that were in the back of my memory

Their lives were a part of a tragic episode in Arab History, the start of the Palestinian Diaspora and learning how they coped with the difficulties of being uprooted and starting again and what they have endured and how events shaped their lives and eventually mine brought an insight and answers to questions I never knew existed.

I look forward to the second part, her life and work in Bahrain, that is when I come in.

Thanks Nona

AMMAN

I never knew how much I have missed AMMAN until this visit. No work , no meetings and no audits, just visiting.

AMMAN has changed new buildings, new areas were developed yet it is still the same.

I remembered what I actually was missing. The weather is warmer than usual, windows were open to allow a gentle cool breeze, no rumbling of air conditioning as yet and in the early morning one wakes up when the sun filters in along with the sound of birds. The chirping of birds is what I missed most. Throughout the day, as long as the window is open, you hear that natural twittering.

I grew up in AMMAN, a chaotic city with underlying order. The streets that resemble village roads, no lane dividers yet there is some kind of an insane order. I fell in love here and raised a family.

AMMAN is where I lived my formative years, both as a child and as an adult and a professional.

I will never forget these hills, the houses surrounded with trees and most of all the quietness accompanied with the songs of birds.

Balance

Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2010

It has been almost a week since the start of 2010 and this is the first blog of the year. I am on holiday and hence a little lazy to write but then I was not sure what to write about. So Tuesday I sat down and wrote my first guest column (click here to read) at SimpliFlying the premier blog in Aviation Branding and Technology.

That actually brought a full circle back to July 2009 when I started this blog. Do I want this to be an aviation blog or a life related blog. Well I am not starting a new blog. This one will serve both.

I suppose it will be a matter of Balance.

Most problems we face are caused by the lack of checks and balances. This has been most evident living in the Gulf, where things are done at extremes. This does not mean it is a regional problem, the global banking system drove the world into recession when they elected to take things to the extreme. Individuals also have the tendency to lose their balance, between family and work and end up with shattered careers and families.

Having balance does not mean being indecisive or weak, it actually means getting one's priorities right.

May 2010 be a prosperous and successful life for all of us.

YES.... WE SHALL

One more day left and 2009 will be over, it is not just another year gone by, but the end of the first decade of the 21st Century. We are at the dawn of another decade and another year, 2010.

2009 has been a bad year for a lot of people, a year of uncertainty for most of us. A year that brought the best and the worst in all of us including corporate bodies. Companies that had to let go people, some acted generously with good end of service benefits, help in trying to find work and assisted in visa arrangements. Others acted pettily not only with people that were let go but also with people that stayed to run their business.

2010 is a year of recovery on all aspects. The global economy is said to be improving and green shoots may turn into fledgling branches. More importantly it is a year of recovery for each and every one of us.

We need to look forward to a better tomorrow, to a tomorrow that we help shape and not lie down and hope for the best. The future is not in our control but we can help make it better for ourselves and those around us, family, friends and strangers. We have to be proactive and forthcoming and if something does not work or someone wants to be petty and obstructive, just move on and leave them behind. Yes, move on, way outside our comfort zone.

It is no more Yes We Can...... it is Yes We Shall

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 2010, Live Long and Prosperous

GLORIA

It is Christmas Eve and my friends in UAE and Jordan must be getting down to some serious get togethers, while us in the western hemisphere are still running around doing last minute shopping (between bouts of jet lag napping).

So, what did you get for Christmas? Were you good, must be or Santa would not visit. It is nice to get presents, makes us feel good and appreciated.

Well Christmas is about giving? right? Sure, it is about giving to family and friends, giving love and friendship. It is about getting together (physically or virtually, does not matter) with family, friends and acquaintances and showing them you care.

It is about being kind, being forgiving and willing to start all over again. Yes, about telling people that all is good, forgiven and forgotten.

It is about living to that angelic hymn "Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis (Glory be to God on high and in earth peace,and goodwill towards men)"

Yesss, Goodwill towards men (and women), life is too short, so Merry Christmas

Reflections

End of the year, a time for reflection. A time of remembrance of loved ones, those who are with us or far away and those who have left us but their memory and love remains in our heart.

It is a time to take stock of our actions and/or inactions of the previous 12 months. A time for looking inward and really have a hard and honest look at our inner selves. Are we proud of what we have achieved? Are we proud of the person we have become? Can we look ourselves in the eye every morning and like what we see? No deception, no self delusion but the real us.

Time, to chart our path for the future or try to write down our wish lists. Resolutions are made only to be discarded in a few weeks. However deep down we know what we want or think we know the path to follow. A mixture of hope, apprehension, uncertainty, fear and confusion. And, if we are lucky we have someone special to share with.

Ahh, that special time of the year where hope and happiness coexist side by side with apprehension and sadness.

May the LORD bless you and all your family and friends and keep you healthy, wealthy and above all loving and happy.

THANKSGIVING

This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the USA and the start of the rites leading to Eid Al Adha (The festival of Sacrifice) and the end of the Pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims.

It is an occasion for us to collectively and individually give thanks to the Lord for his graces and gifts throughout the past year. The last 12 months have been very difficult for the whole world. A global recession is not an easy thing to cope with, for those who have lost their jobs and means of livelihood goes our prayers. Even for those who did not lose their jobs it has been a stressful time of uncertainty.

For me on a personal level it has been a stressful time professionally with being involved in a start up airline in such a recession and dealing with people, who may mean well, but have no idea of what they are involved in.

I am sure all of us have things to be thankful for, the love and support of our families and friends, our health and that of our beloved ones, for the ability to maintain friendships and make new ones, for being able to contribute in a small way to the improvement of the planet or an act of kindness that improves some one's life in this world, and many many others.

My sincere wishes to all for Eid and Thanksgiving regardless of religion or nationality, it is time to celebrate.

Live Long and Prosper

Autumn

I grew up in Jordan and Autumn was not the colourful season, Spring was the great colourful season. I went to college in Southern California (LA) and there was not an Autumn country either. Then of course the UAE where Autumn is remembered for the cooling down of the weather.

There is nothing like a North American Autumn. My first one was in 1977, I graduated and my sister was going to Bryn Mawr. The whole family was in Philadelphia, it was late September and for the first time I saw the colours of Autumn, such an overwhelming cacophony (I like this word, I know it has to do with sound and not sure it is the right one) of colours.

There were the few remaining greens but then the yellows, browns, oranges, reds and everything in between. I was so thrilled, it has left an everlasting impression, even though I am a colour blue person.

It was not until we moved to Michigan in 2004 that I had the time to take in all these colours, I remember walking with my son from school one after noon, a distance of no more than a mile and a half, and we collected more than 20 leaves of different shades and colours. Imagine, all of that in a mile and half.

Nothing compares to Fall in Michigan it is an experience in the beauty of nature, a true feast for the eyes.

On the Balcony

As Summer inches on and friends and family leave (physically) on vacation.

I find myself lounging on the Balcony (well not literally). Social Media has provided us with a Balcony to sit back and watch life unfolding in front of us, giving us the option to just stay back or jump in and participate.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others give us this luxury. Sometimes it is enough to just lazily monitor tweets, blogs and other entries watching life unfolding and yet allows us, at a whim or moment's notice, to jump in and participate. Allowing us to help out a friend with a problem, to discuss current affairs and breaking news or simply gossip and have a virtual visit sharing our latest news and activities with friends regardless of time and place.

Social Media will never and should not replace the intimacy and warmth of physical interaction with people. In a way we are lucky to have this opportunity and facility as long as we keep it in perspective.

Lounging on the Balcony watching the river of life lazily unfolding or examining the rapids as life boils over is a real luxury and privilege.

A sign of the times

Anniversaries

Anniversaries are milestones and vista points on the ever changing and bumpy road map of life. They are occasions to celebrate life (life together), to celebrate the joy, the love and yes sometimes the sad moments of life. It is time to celebrate with life partners, with family what makes one and with friends, the bonds that tie us together, the things we take for granted and then forget about to our own detriment. Anniversaries are the time to slow down and catch our breath as life overwhelms and pushes us around. They are times for us to look back and if we are lucky draw life lessons from our mistakes.
But, most importantly the time to affirm our love and commitments to our loved ones and look ahead to the future and resolve on how to continue together on this bumpy road we call life.

And in case anyone thinks I am a stick in the mud, yes have a great party to manifest our joy.

To those who are celebrating, Happy Anniversaries, may GOD bless us all.

Transitions

Life is about Transitions and how we handle and react to them. Looking back (with 20/20 hind sight) I don't think I was ready for any of the many transitions in my life whether personal or professional. Some I eased into like adulthood and others took me by storm like parenthood. Professionally, my transitions have been mixed but all great fun.
It is these transitions that shape, transform and polish/tarnish our characters, turns us into what we are now.
The most important transitions have been professional but they had the greatest impact on my personal life. These are the transitions that came with failures and successes, advancement and set back, that eventually crystallised my beliefs, core values and my passions in life. With them came the realisation that life (personal and professional) is all about People and not the technical aspects of a profession.
My passion for aviation transcends airplanes and the technical aspects of flying, into the people that make it happen, into the quality and safety aspects of the profession and industry, into the global human interaction that makes a 2 hours or a 15 hours flight a safe and great experience both in the air and on the ground and from its beginning until its end.

After all, life is all about people as we transition through it

Oussama's Take

Well finally I created my own blog, wow never thought it will happen, but we are here. It took a while to make up my mind on what will I blog about, and I am still not sure. I think a balance between the soft and personal (family and friends) and my other passion aviation and what is related to it.
Your comments and feedback will help me along the way I am still a novice at this and I will always learn a new thing. Most of all please feel at home and post your own blogs here.

After all life is about people