If only there were more of him..
final whisper: Happy birthday Saif x
I have received this email with questions for me from Asma a while back but never got round it (sorry Asma!).. I know I should have earlier, but its better late than never.. no? 
So here goes:
1) Sum up 2008 in one word
Short!
2) How many of your 2008 resolutions did you achieve?
I didn’t actually 08 resolution-ed this, it was a ‘go-with-the-flow’ year lol
3) What are your 2009 resolutions?
This year, I want to:
1) More benefit of the doubt (its light on the head AND heart) & SMILE (genuinely inside & out)
2) Break a personal record
3) Finalize a fully independent, 90% Emaraty office & empower them more!
4) VOLUNTEER! (yes, as much as my time is TIGHT, I really REALLY have this huge urge to volunteer at something this year!)
5) Spring clean (& donate the stuff to charity when applicable):
a) My room & walk-in closet
b) My offices!
c) My office laptop (arrgh)
6) READ 2 Arabic books (2 is minimum)
7) Finish the graffiti wall in my room
8 ) Buy LESS SHOES! (or at least less super expensive shoes.. =/ or you know what.. LESS SHOES in general.. much less! period)
9) Buy a house!! (Yes, you heard me, I must think BIG, plus I need to direct my spending in something more worthy than just shoes!) *gulp*
10) TRAVEL:
a) Fun road trip in a totally different continent
b) London, Paris, Italy & LA! (at least one of them this year!)
11) Take more photographs! (My cameras are getting dusty!)
12) CALL instead of txting, emailing, msning..etc (Let my huskiness be heard!) lol
4) What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
1) Met the most hated man in the world & had a 40 minute one-to-one conversation with him over a dinner of grilled fish & rice (& a chair away from my favorite idol ever in this whole wide world) <3
2) Made my first snowman! (LoLo I wish we can do it again this year, but so far, its unlikely) =/
3) Go through the WHOLE year without eating any wheat.. because of my gluten (wheat) intolerance.. No McDonalds, No Fastfood, No donuts, pizza, pasta, cakes…etc (& so on for the rest of my life) *el7amdella 3ala kil 7al*
4) Meet Alicia Keys (very beautiful woman – inside & out & up close too)
5) Flew solo.. most of the time (& learnt alot..)
5) Did you travel anywhere? If yes, where?
Yes: New York, Washington, Singapore, Thailand, Oman.
6) How did you spend your 2008 birthday?
Started with a morning tour in a horse-ridden carriage down Central Park in New York with my fav bro and an amazingly delicious gluten free red velvet cupcake topped with a candle. Followed by a lunch in a festive Brazilian restaurant surrounded by Valentine couples lol.. bumping into the Naked Cowboy & a red valentine Elmo in Time Square lol Finally ending the day laughing our stomachs off a series of standup comedies in the Broadway Comedy Club.
Truly unforgettable. =)
7) What new things have you discovered about yourself in 2008?
I don’t do ‘alone time’ too well
8 ) Tell us about:
a) Your greatest regret?
Taking it for granted
b) Best advice?
Life is too short.. be spontaneous!
c) Greatest lesson learnt?
At the end of the day, its always your family who will be there for you.
d) Achievement of the year?
Total independence!
e) Failure of the year?
Updating this blog the least times ever in a year
f) Any life-altering changes?
Living my 1st full year Gluten (wheat) free.. I never expected I would be able to even accept it, but now el7amdella it is a piece of cake lol
g) Guilty pleasures?
Too many new shoes.. expensive shoes & never enough =/ (I dont know how the hell I got this addiction!)
9) Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? HAPPIER!
thinner or fatter? Thinner
richer or poorer? Richer.. in everything.
10) What do you wish you’d done more of?
Be MORE appreciative
11) What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry about every single detail.. sometimes its ok to let things be less perfect
12) Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes, LABBA 09! (& yes, with myself too) lol
13) Did you hate anyone in 2008?
My heart has a no hating policy coz it takes up so much emotional space.. in other words, if we don’t get along, then they simply don’t exist. =)
14) What was the best book you read?
Unfortunately I only had time to read one book “The Secret”, & it became a new ‘adjective’ in my dictionary lol (those who talked to me will know what I mean)
15) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having them by my side
16) What kept you sane?
My mum, Saj & NAK x
17) What drove you crazy?
My brain (it has a mind of its own)
18) Any unforgettable moments?
Being continuously touched by how AMAZINGLY sweet & SUPER thoughtful my friends are with my gluten-intolerance! & going out of their way every time for this.. *hugs.. TIGHT hugs*
19) Who was the best new person you met?
My ‘labba 09′.. whom I re-met & got to know in a totally different light! xo
20) Any last words?
lol no.. Are you going to shoot me? =p
