Every day we face something that moves us away or closer to our safety zone, comfort zone, box, whatever people call it, in my book its just what we are used to. Like sitting in a boat in the middle of the ocean, one wave pushes you out, and another pulls you back, without an oar, your sitting duck.

Life has many aspects to it that we seem to handle flawlessly, in many cases, we don’t know what to do, so we either move towards this new feeling or threat, in the same thinking pattern as “ the best defense is offense” or we hide and wait for the storm to pass, the problem with this one is, some storms seem to hover over your head, until you make your move.

As you grow younger, your internal guidance system handles most of your responses in auto pilot mode, if auto pilot was that good, why do we still need captains?

Change in lifestyle and atmospheres means adaptation,maneuverability, and change to the wise, and to the others, it means disaster. Comfort zone expansion is a relatively new idea to many, but let me share with you today my take on the subject.

We have to learn how to Smile n wave, at least for a while.

• If someone threatens you by their looks or power and you have nothing to do, smile n wave. Everyone gets his time, and everyone is special in his own way.
• If your boss manages to humiliate you for the day, smile n wave. The tables always turn on the idiots, its only a matter of time.
• If you lose it all on Wall street or main street, smile n wave, as my Idol Virgin records creator & serial entrepreneur & visionary Sir Richard Branson puts it” business ideas are like buses, there’s always another one coming soon”.
• If someone hurts your feelings intentionally and shatters your heart, smile n wave, hearts are meant to be broken, and their heart will face the same in some distant time, what goes around, comes around.
• If someone takes away their kids from their mom and makes her crumble, smile n wave. In the end your kids have a certain feel and pull towards their moms heart, no one can stop.
• If your lover or wanna be lover makes it hard to understand them, makes it hard to break in, smile n wave, you are what you are, and me and you know how great you are, their loss, your gain, you get to explore more.
• If your parents treat you bad when you are young, and don’t understand that you too have a personality, just do what I would do, smile n wave, you eventually show them how great you are, by becoming you, and welcoming them in with unconditional love.
• If he took you for granted and handled your feelings with total chaos, look him in the eye, and smile n wave. You know what? nothing kills a guy or girl more than losing the best thing that ever happened to them to a total stranger who gets to enjoy a more ripe individual and indulges in their love.
• If you get abused for your race, face, or place in the world, smile n wave and please tell me of a thing that stood the test of time? or did all the dictators of the world, every single one of them face his destiny and crumble to their knees? keep waving! ok you can stop now, stop! ok if you insist let’s do it one more time, this time high in the air, like morons, but instead of smiling and waving, this time wave and smile!
• If the pressures of your days tries to break you and presses even harder, push it away for a second and squeeze a smile n wave in its face, pressures make you stronger and if you manage them will make you softer in the right places.
• If you think that my talk is totally whack and crazy, do what I just did, smile n wave, wave n smile

Life is a bunch of Islands, if you like where you live, then OK, if you don’t and think the bigger Island promises more of everything, then hop on, but never, never let them captivate your soul, and if you catch my wave, then Islands are living ideas, feelings, people, things, places and most of all temporary parking spaces, only turn off your switch when you feel the feel is right, otherwise, hit the road Jack! oh and one for the road

• & wave, & wave!

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

He: HI honey how was your day?

She: Well it was OK I can say, not too great though.

He: Why baby, you just got promoted last week to regional manager, and the challenges were more, you love that don’t you?

She: its not that, its…

He: Yes?

She: Its about me and you, I think we should schedule a nice long talk soon.

He: Now. What is on your mind honey? please let me know, I know I have been traveling too much lately, but I do miss you, you know that.

She: Yes…but..

He: Talk baby, what’s bothering you, I insist to know it all, just let it out.

She: Are you sure you want to know everything? I mean all the issues and things, now? today?

He: OK this sounds serious, please stop it and tell me.

She: Only if you insist, and will try to understand my point.

He: Sure.

She: There’s another man in my life, actually many more men in my life. I tried to find what I was looking for, and now there is someone who wants me for who I am, wants to be with me forever, sorry, but I share feelings for him, and I want a divorce as soon as possible. Do not worry about our three children, we are both grown ups, and we can handle it. Please understand where I’m coming from.

He: Silence.

She: Please don’t do that, talk to me, you always stay quite when I say something, always have neglected my thoughts and feelings, you always do this,I hate it, over the last 5 years you have been only nice to me, never for me, never close to me, all gone with the wind.

He: More silence, slight redness to the face. Temperature & pressure rising. Steam off.

She: Come on! say something! I need to know anything, talk to me.

He: And…what else?

She: What do you mean what else? much more… If you insist since its our last confrontation… All my travels were with boyfriends, I told the world I was divorced, I respected who you were and they never knew you..

He: Haahaaahahaaaaaaaaaa thank you!

She: There goes that sarcastic tone of yours again! And most of the times we never slept together I was afraid you might catch something, as I had many mild infections, but that’s too much details for you, sorry.

He: Thank you again, I am astonished at your classy manners and well being, your bringing up was of the finest high class standards we all dream of having, continue darling, please continue… I am intrigued..

She: Sarcasm will get you no where! And don’t you dare talk about my family! you know who they are and what they can do to you, unlike people I know..

He: Well honey, I have something to tell you too.

She: What now? you wanna divorce me? I asked for it anyway, what you are shocked at he news? what? what?

He: I have a wife and a kid, I do not have any girlfriends, I do not sleep with you because you don’t want me to, thats all no diseases, I respect your family, but disagree with their product that’s all, I never stopped loving you, I gave you my full respect and believed in you, I tried many times to warn you of your friends and lifestyle, I made myself so I know the pitfalls of this life we live, I never inherited anything, I worked hard to make us happy, now its someone else’s fate to be happy with me. In my attempt to watch over you for safety reasons, I stumbled upon your escapades and was devastated years ago, if you remember I took a long 30 day vacation to our Island beach house, but that was ages ago, I have been asked to get rid of you, but I couldn’t, you were the world to me, I trusted you unconditionally, now I can’t, sorry, but I have learnt that we need to move on, you chose to move on today, I have moved on 3 years ago darling.

She: On her knees fainting, disillusioned, confused, petrified, stabbed in the heart.

He: I have all arrangements in place for you and my children, my lawyers have taken all actions, you took so long to come out of your closet. Oh! and my wife says I need to stand by your side till you get better, I think you know her, your best friend Sheila, the one that always warned you about what you were doing, but you told her to get a life…she took your advice.

They say the truth is best unsaid…is it?

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

In a world of change and fast pace we tend to get carried away with it waves and oceans on a daily basis, before long you look back to check how far away you sailed, only to find you are in uncharted waters.As we humans tend to be the best habitants of this earth of ours, and also have the ability to change like chameleons to match our surroundings, we can manage. if you slow down a bit and look around you and above you and under you, you can see what you missed on your fast pace run to nowhere.

We have this tendency to be harsh on our self, we behave in a socially acceptable manner which is not exactly what we want, except for the fantastic few. This group of people have learnt at an early age to make tough decisions, to take risks, to handle their choices with utter bravery. If I was to categorize myself I would pretty much say I belong to the wanderer risk taker, accept no bull person.

But I, like many others, have many defaults and mistakes, I have also taken forever to reach such relief and total control of what I want in my life. You too have this embedded in you somewhere depending on your upbringing and reading and teachings, you just have to dig for it and make it surface.This is not a joking matter, it is dead serious. Everyday you hear gossip and talk about so & so, everyday you pretend that you do not like gossip but lend an ear, and ask some questions.

What you are doing when you listen to gossip is basically check how better you are than the hero of this gossip session, she is the benchmark that you want to run away from. When you accept to be treated badly, you chose, when you are betrayed and stayed for the ride, you chose. When your gut feeling tells you something, and you refuse to listen to that FM station, you shut it off, and you are held accountable.

From my humble and small experience I can say that people fall into two categories, those who accept and live along, and those who refuse and live happy. People come in all flavors, different colors and looks, many scales of beauty, and in all sizes and two sexes. We cannot continue to say females are weaker, or men are aggressive apes, things have changed.

Here you have miss sunshine with Mr. Ego male, she knows he has his defaults that will end their relationship someday, but she accepts because he is the talk of the town. On the other corner you have Mr. perfect man with his drop dead gorgeous wife that only loves him for his bling and prestige, he to knows the end is close, but drags on his bitter winter days, all year long.

Both examples are real, they come in many mixes and combinations, in all civilizations and nations across the globe. I used to accept my relationships with all the hassles and baggage, emotional and garbage, and say it is my destiny. Then one day I woke up and said what does the other side look like like? Nothing was the same from that moment on. I tend to have this message hovering over my head that reads” My gain, your loss” You see I have control over my life now, not you anymore, you dragged me down, now I have to move on.

I make mistakes as I type, so imagine my life. I accept my rough mistakes and bury them with the daily dust we go through, with its good and bad moments. Over my two relationships( marriages) on a span of 15 years I can say this” you owe it to yourself to find tranquility, even if it means getting rid of your partners” tough talk, I know, but I did it. Many can argue with me, you were dumped, or I dumped the partner, I can assure you that I had a massive hand in it for it to happen. And after that my life was like a yo-yo, we all love yo-yo’s you know then you get sick and slow down, but you are always happy.

When a girl or woman says get lost, I obey. You say in a cute way, what about love? I say love comes and goes, the good one comes when its least expected, who told you that the one you are in love with is the best thing for you?forever?and ever? check it out every once and a while for comfort and to make sure it is. So what do you do when a boy says its over, I don’t find myself in you? you accept and move on, no questions asked, like an original guarantee. You can call me heartless, I can defend my case till the last drop that I am full of heart and live in heart land. The only problem I face with the subject is how it is taken lightly and wrongly, and eventually given a bad rap.

To be happy you need to stay happy, day in, day out, for in the end its the totals that count. For instance if you have 360 days in the year and you are happy for 30 days in the year, sorry dear lovebird, you ain’t got a clue about happiness. Its when you can remember more laughs than fights, more excitement than fear, more joy than frowns, more hugs than slaps, that’s when you can say you are a happy go lucky individual.

Nothing deserves you more than you, so when you say good bye my love, I say hello stranger. No one should have control over your visions, dreams, happiness but you. You are the most special person in the world to you, if the other partner cannot see that, move on. When you combine two peoples lives you should have a stronger, more lovable, more powerful person made, not a stronger one and weaker lost other! I hate the people that suck the living daylight out of beautiful young souls and throw them bones to the dogs, then come back complaining that they are not up-to their standards.

Next time you call someone and say its over, you better mean it, it is not a joke, or game you can play. Letting go of a loved one is almost impossible, but please remember an important fact regarding this issue; Is she the one? is he the last lover? why did this happen? should I fix it or bust it? Should I pump more life into it? or let it dry & die? Is it worth my most valuable assets, my heart & life? or is it a liability that only seems to grow?

In the end its your call. Love is wonderful, love is magic in the making, love is the most talked and seeked feeling on earth, love can move mountains and create fresh water springs in our imagination that quench our love thirst, love makes the world go round, love ensures us of a better tomorrow, love mends and heals, love brings sweet tears to ones eyes, loves brings you to your knees willingly and happily, loves makes you smile unconditionally when you walk alone in your mind at night, love is the air we breath, without it I can imagine all of Solomon’s mines worthless, for who shall I give it to when I find it?

Just before I sign out, don’t forget to check your happy levels, and trust me on this one, you are the most precious person that ever lived, that needs to be loved unconditionally, and with no strings attached, and you can be very greedy, yes you can, you can have it all, leave nothing for the others, its all yours for the taking.

One condition though! if no one wants to be with you for whatever reason, do what I do, look the other way and move on. Its all good

Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

He bumped into her on a casual friday at about lunch time. He was away from the office for a meeting and then decided to have lunch with his friends for a change, especially with all that junk food they bring to the office. Change is good, the food is great, the bunch of idiots he calls friends complete his day. She was with her cousins and friends. She stood out. her smile was breath taking, Her eyes, well they were inviting and held stories. She made eye contact with him half an hour into their meal. She knew he was something, not in a dollar kind of way, although he was a stand out himself, laid back and all. It was his charismatic appeal and feel from a distance.

The rest was history.

Their fast paced tango was here and there in a blink. They were madly, deeply, fanatically in love. He saw in her his completeness and softness. She saw in him her dreams and childhood knight in shining armor. It was magical, yet logical and real. They uttered in one another’s ears what no one could make any sense of, yet to them it sent love vibes and ticklish playful caresses down their spines. Their days were full of activities and combined fun. There was no me in them, it was all an act of self contained love and happiness. Agendas were not apparent nor hidden. They came to a point where they could feel one another miles apart. It was love at first bite.

He had been saving before he met her, he was an active lively person, wild by nature, saving to him was a burden. Although he has intense financial knowledge and business interactions, he was a slave to his ambitions and desires. He was well travelled and carried a dream wherever he went. He wanted to find a far away place and steal someone’s heart one day and live there forever. Finally! he thought as he talked his lover into it. It took him a while until he managed, especially with a 5 year old son. She accepted willingly and wholeheartedly to his fantasy. Just to see his eyes in the morning, every morning while he is living it would be a thing to die for. It was mad love at its best, sometimes your belief of what love really is can be misguiding.

She was feeling the strangest of feelings taking over her, lifting her to higher grounds, bypassing all known love boundaries.

They move away and leave it all behind, promising to stay in touch with their loved ones. Their loved ones cry in happiness and sadness to see them leave. The son is extremely psyched up, for he is the combination of two great people, how great is this kid?

On a tropical island in some ocean and some natives working on the many plantations they find their nest. In a dream come true story they rule the scene and each continues to blossom. The boy is a crazy little one, so bright and intelligent he scares his parents. His mind would be a fascinating place to explore. The father lover makes use of his knowledge and starts to make more money to feed and please his small family. The Mrs.Love is so in to her hubby and son she completes them and has her own gig going on, love is in the air.

Splashing and playing around daily was a ritual, for here the fun was 80% and the work was less than 10% they never could figure out the other 10%? the island visitors would envy them for their courage and lifestyle, and then a doubtful BUT at the end of each conversation, the couple laughed back and continued swimming. When you’re that much in love, you start to wonder how great can it get? but when you don’t have an ending point, you go on loving. The sad things in life never matter, and when they do, they hurt.

At a party the two are dancing away and suddenly, out of no where, she collapses, she faints, she is moved to a hospital, at the ER waiting area, a young male doctor hands him her diamond wedding bands to keep for safety.

Cancer he is told, and its spreading fast, too fast, days are all she’s got. in a single moment all his life crumbles, confusion fills his rooms, frustration that nothing can be done takes its toll on him, he looks at his son in the other room and breaks to pieces. She dies that night in her sleep while he has her in his arms. He loves to cuddle up, she adores it, her last breaths were swift and fast like an angel departing to an unknown place in the skies above us. His son walked in and asked him if she is dead, and his father looks at him in total despair and broken heart manner, what can he say? the son awaits the answer and asks one more time, yes, he answers, and off the boy runs.

After the funeral the fact keeps coming back at him, the facts that seem to expand as he breathes, he is faced with a bitter reality, he is tragically in a state of shock and disbelief for every waking hour. He cannot let go. What will he do now? where will he go? how can he manage? so many questions need immediate answers, he chooses to cry. As he cries his child gives him that last blow in the face:

“Daddy… I want to die. How can I do it? please help me”. “Why son?” he screams in tears…

“I want to be with mommy”, replies the little voice.

When you say “I Love you darling” do you really mean it? and do you know what it really is?

Love triangles are a rare breed, when you find one, cherish every waking hour and day, live your dreams together, make new years look like a normal day, go ahead and spoil yourself and indulge in the only real thing left on this planet.

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

In the corners of the red sea, a school of fish is swimming doing what they do best, swim around. They play and feed on the smaller fish and whatever seems to be available. Boys and girls in total harmony, they have had their formal education at community colleges and the lucky few at the hall of fame upscale schools.

Survival is the key to their success, the fittest and leanest will see another day, every day is a new and enjoyable experience and chance to do all that you can do in your life. One hour in fish time is treated like a lifetime.

They give new meaning to “ a life time experience”.A new couple are introduced to one another by the reef, they chuckle and acknowledge one another, cheers they wave their glasses high in the air, and exchange winks.

They can see the humans at the surface on top of a cruise liner celebrating this one year thing they call new year, every year, same time they see the sky above light up to the sight of firecrackers and extravaganza shows. They know it ends when they see the drunken humans bottles hitting the seas floors with a thump and the big ship moves away with its annoying engine sounds.

The new kids start seeing each other at the local hidden seaweed cafe, they sit and chat, bubbles every where with their messages appearing inside like some cartoon. “You have your mothers eyes, I like the way you move, your fast and sexy” she looks down in a shy manner. “ what do you do for a living?” she asks. “ I’m a scout, we patrol the area making sure no predators are too close” with a sign of proudness he declared. “I know this place by the reef which is very romantic at dusk, wanna come check it out?” and off they go.

On the way they share a ipod swinging to the beats of 50 bones new album, the most notorious rapper in the red sea, known for his in your face raps and controversial lyrics, his latest hit “ mermaids want me” was on WTV’s top charts for 6 weeks( unheard of in the under water world) earning him Platinum status. All the teens love him for his out of the water attitude and way of life. Fish live and move in schools, he is their one way ticket to bad boy land.

They get to the reef and the sights and sounds are just irresistibly romantic. The silence and view is gill blocking. They look into each others eyes, they have no time to waste, this is the time, this is our time, we know it, its that feeling you get when you see someone and think you know them. They tango. The music has changed to more romantic chill-out lounge moods, they dance and romance the stone. He tells her to close her eyes, she smiles.

He runs away looking for those oysters in danger land, he tickles them open, he steals the pearls one after the other, he finds a small human fishing line, bites it right, drills the pearls and one after the other makes way for the most amazing necklace fit for a queen and swims back.” open your eyes” he bubbles, “what took you so long? OH MY GOD!” she screams.

In our lifetime days are numbers, in fish lifetimes days are lifetimes. They embrace the moments and move fast, they are the talk of the town, they love it. They have contained the issue and it is theirs, they don’t mind the hollywood gossip, let them fish off! they think, its our life, and we do what we do best, make babies.

They marry and leave to make their home in the anemone area, an upscale area where only the rich and famous clownfish reside, clownfish make people happy, so they make the most money, fish need to laugh you sea, living with the daily dangers the face. These fish got it right you sea, only what matters counts. The listen to the customer, and deliver, and the customer in return pays top dollar.

The babies arrive, all cute and adorable. Boys and girls in a 50/50 split. The children grow up and are soon on their own to discover the sea world on their own. The personalities are very different than the parents, the parents are proud of their produce( remember this word).

The children escape their surroundings, swimming here and their, fast and furious best describes them, they are fat yet nimble, nice and juicy catch as we humans call them. The no swimming area is where the deadly fish swim and lethal humans come to catch. The reason for the crowd is simple,food! the fish can’t seem to remember anything, or who their deadly others are from time to time, everything is based on today, what happened yesterday or last hour is history.

If it was one thing i can say that is the deadliest thing that fish have its their memory, what memory?

Anyway, the young ones are all heading home as they notice their missing adventurer brother? the time is getting late for our games and fun, and he has been missing for hours.

“ How would you like to have it sir?” politely asked the waiter to some family at some fancy sea food restaurant in some 5 star hotel. “ Have it baked and add some herbs to it only, this fish tastes good like that”. replied the mother on the table.

Two families, two tales ;P

Enjoy the moments.

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

She lives a lonely life, He wonders what went wrong, they share the same goodnights, only oceans apart. He rushes out in the morning, grabbing his bag and coffee on the way out, no one in sight to say good morning to. She bids her cats farewell, the smell of her home has a missing ingredient, its that belong feeling.

She washes up her plates, after a candlelight dinner, she always had an extra plate just in case. He parks the car, walks out with a small bag of groceries in one hand, and a fast food bag in the other, he misses home cooked food.

Another great weekend he thinks, as he drives back home after a weekend at the beach, his sound system is playing oldies.She hangs up her phone, after a long talk with her mom, she misses those hugs, but she must move on with her life.

She pampers herself in the finest of creams and aromatic oils, she compliments it with a spray of some light french perfume and goes to bed. His passion for laughter keeps him alive, he always has a laugh or two, then calls it a night.

He wonders and wonders what if & why? all the time, the chime comes back with no answers to his calling. She thinks of a better day, and find its today, she had to pay and pray, just to end up like this… in total dismay.

They both look at their ceilings, as if in total synergy, at the exact moments and across many distant lands. They all join hands without touching one another, they don’t know that every night, as they switch off the lights and call it a day, thousands and millions of others are  all looking at their ceilings. They don’t have to close their eyes, for when its total darkness, what good is an eye?

Its pay back time! the sounds come crawling in at night. “Its time me and you had a little talk and face the truth, just you and me”, the little voice uttered in a shallow and eerie voice. They all adhere to this close encounter with their own thinking, no cheating or hiding now, only simple facts. As much as they try to shoo this voice away, as much as they need to relieve themselves, they struggle.

Depending on the level of these poor souls at night, some may take a few minutes and give in, and some may take a whole hour of dodging to break. The voice is sure it will get an answer, it has nothing to lose and nowhere else to be.

In one voice, in one shattering moment, in one heart beat and in total harmony, they all breath out the words:

“Yes I am lonely”, now leave me alone!

Its never too late to change the facts, or the facts will change you, search, but when you search, keep an open mind, and focus on the real things you want in life, choose wisely and precisely, and ride out the storms together, I guess you’re saying “ Look who’s talking” and I would reply

“ Yes I am lonely”.

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”~ Mother Teresa

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

The noise, the movement, the speed, the survival, the routines, the must do’s, the must not’s, the action, the competition, the money, the greed, the need, the faces, the fakes, the nosey, the brilliant, the magnificent, the dull, the wonderful, the sexy, the challenges, the race, the heat, the shivers down your spine, the pollution.

Press mute.

Love it, feel and breath that in. Its called silence, nothing but you and the surround system in your head. The little voices, the peace, the smooth slow motion action, its soothing and comforting, just like southern fried chicken. Relax those overworked sensors all over you, take a break, take a pause, silence.

Its good every once in a while to get away into your own contained world, when you do this, you get the chance to go back and forth to see what and where you stand in the today. People will not let you practice this amazing mute button we have, force it. Imagine your on a beach and are slowly getting further from shore into the skies above with a half hour parasailing joy ride. As you rise, the volume goes lower.

Nothing but the sound of distant seagulls and wind, silence.

We deprive ourselves of the simplest pleasures and rejuvenating experiences we can have anytime and wait till vacation time. You can do it now, silence. There are many additions to this mute button once you get used to it. You can start to mute the thoughts and ideas in your head, let the fun ones at the beach or on holiday rule your thinking cap for a few moments. Nice smile you got there! Hold it, and every once in a while, silence.

Take yourself on a long drive in a top down ride on any open highway. Let the wind and the sounds of the long road ahead wipe out all that tension building up, relax, breath it all in, close your eyes, its ok the car is on auto drive, to relieve your drive. You wish sometimes to place your finger on that chatter boxes mouth and go “shhhhh” don’t bring what your partner threw on you round here friend. Silence.

Soft music playing in the background, a mix of waves and a spanish guitar would brush away the mighty pollution we live in, people tend to go into pollute overdrive if you give them a chance. it comes in 3 sizes: Small, Medium and extremely heavy doses of social blah blah. Silence.

I seem to be taken as a person on the rude side of manners in some areas. Those areas include personal space and me time, call me selfish, guilty as jack the Ripper, silence.

Being able to read people is an art, you can’t expect to excel and thrive in a world of rising competition and changing attitudes while staying illiterate. You need to speak the lingo to be understood and accepted, silence is a good start. People should be polite to the polite, what happens is politeness is greeted with more aggressive space invasions and reckless manners. Oh how I sometimes miss silence.

You don’t have to travel to the furthest tropical paradise to find peace. You can find it in your living room, your car, your shower, your space, your time.

And now its time to place a finger on my fingers and go”shhhhh” Good night everyone.

mamdooh.alradadi/ me@mamdohalradadi.com

Im looking in my rear view mirror and I see a rather normal sight of a couple sitting in silence. Total silence. Faces look like they just heard some really bad news, news that would make you sick! for as long as I stared in my mirror, their lips remained silent except for that fish like open & close thing old people tend to do.

He looks around him in total disgust, she shows no signs of life, oh! wait! she moved her shades and still has her head in front direction for the last 30 minutes. You can feel the hate and disbelief that they are next to each other for the last 30 years, all the possibilities he thinks? What a waste she thinks!

The kids are grown now and we’re back alone again, back to square one, except for a few decades or more of aging and attitude building. She tried to seduce him a couple of years back, she put in the effort and lost those years of fat, had a tummy tuck, gallons of botox, some nose job, boob job, tanned a bit, then threw on one of those luscious nighties and came to him in his office, he kicked her out.

She knows younger men see her sexy. He knows younger girls find him like wine, gets better with age. She has her own quarters at home. He has his. They meet on a bump to know basis in the long mornings, or at lunch, sometimes dinner. She leads a well networked social lifestyle, he matches her. They travel yearly with the family, on an urgent request basis. He has his apartment in Beirut. She enjoys the beach cabin in Jeddah.

You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave. Till death do us part. If they looked closely at the mirror, they would know death has passed them by ages ago. They thought they were alive yet life has no place for poor people like this. Why continue?

They say that after several years of living together you get to look like your partner. I hope my partner is a happy, smiling, cheerful, witty,adventurous, peaceful, lovable creature.

Before marriage, many couples are very much like people rushing to catch an airplane; once aboard, they turn into passengers. They just sit there. Paul Getty.

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

Back in the early days of my Banking career my Bank which was an affiliate of citibank introduced me to an amazing audit feature called whistle blowing. The main objective of this practice is to ensure everyone, including senior management hold a high level of ethics and morale towards work.

By this I mean not taking advantage of their seniority and the power they hold within their hands. It also is a means of making sure the lower people in the organization are not afraid of their seniors if they are committing a crime or taking advantage of a situation.

Whistle blowing can be used for big and small issues, it is done in a secretive way so as to not harm the blower. It strikes through all management layers one way, to the most senior powers, sometimes jumping them and reporting to the board. This was an amazing tool that helped save the Banks around the world Millions of peoples hard earned money. It was a workers dream come true against corporate crime.

This system does not work when it is taken lightly, and you can guess what happened in Citibank over the past 5 years, not to mention regional Banks. yes the big picture says mortgage backed securities, but look underneath the fat to uncover years of conspiring and bad doings, the end.

Governments have taken this approach in many forms and systems, sometimes whole ministries are formed for the sole purpose of checking on its spending and other related matters. The people are the ones that make it happen, choice is based on knowing the person in charge or simply a friend or family friend, and here we find the root of the problem.

Lets take a walk around the happenings from macro to micro levels and see where this whistle could have stopped the game. On a world level we can tell that many Bankers had a dirty hand in the so called economic melt down. They say too much easy money teaches stealing, hence the famous Billionaire Murdoch and his scam that passed by the commissions and securities like a thunder bolt making them look like preschoolers on a mission. The domino effect of the mortgage & financial over the counter products still haunts us till today after many months of government bailouts and buyouts.

What if they listened to the unpaid piper and his whistles? could have saved them a Trillion or so dollars, but why worry when its tax payers money anyway?

On country levels, we find governments like Nigeria still fighting to make it,The UNited Nations estimates that the population in 2005 was at 141 million, and predicted that it would reach 289 million by 2050.Nigeria has just recently undergone the start of the population explosion due to higher fertility rates.The UNited States census bureau projects that population of Nigeria will reach 264 million by 2050. Nigeria will then be the 8th most populous country in the world. Now that is a serious major explosive problem, the country is rich in oil, but say the word Nigeria and scandal pops up in your face!

Did they kill the people that whistle in that country? seriously?

Take it lower to city levels and look at my city Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the city that’s different in KSA. The city by the sea, the center and major airport to the two holy cities that millions of people visit every year. We have the worst airports, services, roads, municipalities, the city was usually up for grabs.

The latest disaster that left the city officials paralyzed with shame and disgust on their predecessors and some of their friends and officials. The drowning of innocent 3 year olds and 70 year olds under bridges, is a shocking and shameful truth which we will be all held accountable in front of our maker.

They drowned because someone stole. They perished like cattle on a rampage. They died holding each others hands praying for the great Allah to save them, for they have been betrayed by their officials. They did not have to learn to swim, for swimming is done in a pool or the sea, not on dry land surrounded by mountains. They died because someone chose to build with sewage and drainage money a palace by the beach. While he and his beloved family sunbathed, they sank deeper and deeper into the drainage system he never built.

As my tears form with every part of this paragraph I can’t help but try to figure out what the last thought was on that little girl holding on to her mother who was trying to save her child and drowned in the process, and then the little girl swallows the last water before giving way for her soul to depart her 3 year old body, how can they do this?! animals have more pity for weaker ones, have mercy.

Here the whistle blower got fed up, as he witnessed the people listening dancing to his tunes in harmony and making fun of him, passing remarks like” it only rains once in this country” relax, chill…I wish you chill in hell I say.

Transparency is not for the weak hearted, face your mistakes and punish the bad, give way to the people that really love you, do not play with peoples lives. Next time a whistle is blown I am sure they will all jump up to action, I hope, I wish, I pray.

Going down the micro level, lets look at companies and organizations with thousands of employees. Here the whistler is taken lightly, and his tunes are muted for a while, please let us focus on the business he is told. He whistles some more, then decides to relax and chill. Then when the problem arises, they remove the source of the trouble after the stealing and power advantage is abused.

Here’s the funny part, management knows its mistake, so how does it play it? it continues to make the matters worse. They compensate the senior manager for the remaining time he would have stayed with the company, so he does not make any PR campaign against them! i am actually laughing my ass off! And he is given a letter that states he was a great employee, so another company gets burnt.

Whistle till you can’t take it no more. Don’t fall victim to the corporate bullies in your life, they live wild and fly high, but soon come crashing down, its one end for them, they know it.

Let’s go down to medicine and all its blunders and mistakes on peoples lives. How many hospitals have had their license withdrawn in the last 25 years in Saudi Arabia? Zero! please don’t go telling me about some small clinic on the outskirts of nowhere! Major hospitals continue to use their power and connections to save their own lives while poor people come in for a normal anesthesia for some minor issue, and leave in a coffin! Wrong medicine prescriptions, laid back attitude, wrong diagnoses, many fatal incidents, and still they advertise.

When a doctor whistled once, he was told to mind his own business. Multiply that on a daily basis by one hundred and you can get the picture. Keep it up new doctors, don’t stop till you get enough.

The grapevine is where you hear the stories and rumors of people stealing and others lobbying against someone for his bravery and in your face comments of what goes wrong. You can tell if a guy is stealing by his living standards, he get paid an average salary and lives a Sheiks life! come on people, and here I must say forget the inheritance and lottery winnings, and when the @#*! hits the fan, you say I thought he was living beyond his capabilities.

The obvious is obvious. The truth is always naked. The sight never appealing.

Now for your personal standards, do you check on your actions and their viability daily before you go to sleep? Do you know that what goes around comes all the way back around? let’s make sure our younger generation has a great example to take us through the next millennium without us splattering the books of history with shame and greed instead of honesty and growth.

Sorry for the long note, I had to, and now I feel relieved.

mamdooh.alradadi.com

me@mamdoohalradadi.com

Where did I put that manual on life again, I can’t seem to find it when I need it most? OH! I forgot I don’t have one. They never told us that we could do it again after falling down, they never gave us permission for another go, they never gave us the rules of engagement in this oh so ever exciting life. If you were to sum up all the various directions we got when we were young and wild, it would have to be GO!

If the only direction is forward, with some back momentum for push, then GO! would be it.

We seem to have a never ending supply of “Go, bump, move away, continue, go some more, walk,run, slow down, stop, look around, GO!” we know that one, but what happens when we have a head on collision and seem to be a bit dizzy and have a loss of direction and start to just walk on, in any direction, then we find that the road travelled has unfamiliar terrain, and is getting more and more harder to cover. We stop, analyze, think about the situation and sometimes get lost in the analysis.

We stall. Don’t! just GO!

Don’t take too long to uncover the bleeding and suffering, don’t take too much time analyzing the hurt, the betrayal, the shocks, the losses.. you need to keep moving, you need to think and move, we had a laid back life, now its faster and only the fit can survive or be left in the rubble, get up and move. Go!

People will not forgive you under any circumstances. They will laugh at you on your way down, and envy you on your way up, at least give them a hard time. This is the real exam in life to move on to the next level, you change course in due course, you take the first step up, you wave and smile, you GO!

When you concave upon yourself, you start the manifestation of a nation of negative village people, burn the village down, it will not be a criminal act, on the contrary you will be helping yourself and remember they are all temporary useless friendships based on that energy sucking I talked to you about in the past. They will suck you dry to the last drop, use whatever it takes to keep at least one spark of positivity and ignite yourself, GO!

Travel light. Dump the luggage. Use minimal tools. GO! back to basics. Reveal your true potential. Get close and personal with success. Fake it till you make it. Find laughter in your mishaps. Seek energy from food and sports, read, watch uplifters. Shy away from sad, explore happiness. Enroll in life’s bounties. Watch what you hear. Be clear and definitive on your goals. Unleash the beast within you. GO! back to age 4 if you have to. Pull on your wonderful memory. Hold that thought, GO!

When down, lower your negative intake. Claim the victory and celebrate your small wins. Strike evil between the eyes. Push and shove for your smiles. When you smile the whole world smiles back. Powerful emotions and eruptions take place when you strike X that marks the spot. GO!

NIKE says Just do it! we can do that, we can do it, we did it so far, we do it day in day out, doing is believing, just did it was what you did, you know how its done, you can move faster than before, doing it over and over again means you can, why not do it again?

Nothing beats a good days GO!

When we know, we grow, we show, we flow, we glow, we always GO!

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path. Khalil Gibran

mamdooh.alradadi

me@mamdoohalradadi.com