Grrr!!!!

As previously posted I had another seizure last Wednesday.   I think I missed a dosage of my pills but still, something isn’t right.  I miss one dosage and only 3 hours later I have a seizure?  They said that stress may had an effect on it too.  I asked my parents and they said duh, you are totally overstressed and the at work they forced me to take time off for the exact same reason.  But they don’t get it.  They send me home and all it does is make it harder for me when I come back because no one can do what I do there, GRRR!!!  Even when I was forced ‘off’ they would call me at home or email me to handle things.  Its like, this would be way easier if you just let me come to work instead of guessing or trying to direct you through my office!!  So I go back work tomorrow with no doctor’s note or anything and dependent on mommy or daddy to drive to and from work again.  It will be interestin if they me in or not.  They seemed pretty adament about me not coming back without a note but with their depedency on me now, and deadlines approaching I am willing to bet they will ‘forget’ to ask me for the note.

Congratulations Mr. Raed Jarrar

NEW YORK (AFP) – An airline passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded 240,000 dollars in compensation, campaigners said Monday.

Raed Jarrar received the pay out on Friday from two US Transportation Security Authority officials and from JetBlue Airways following the August 2006 incident at New York’s JFK Airport, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced.

“The outcome of this case is a victory for free speech and a blow to the discriminatory practice of racial profiling,” said Aden Fine, a lawyer with ACLU.

Jarrar, a US resident, was apprehended as he waited to board a JetBlue flight from New York to Oakland, California, and told to remove his shirt, which had written on it in Arabic: “We will not be silent.”

He was told other passengers felt uncomfortable because an Arabic-inscribed T-shirt in an airport was like “wearing a T-shirt at a bank stating, I am a robber,’” the ACLU said.

Jarrar eventually agreed to cover his shirt with another provided by JetBlue. He was allowed aboard but his seat was changed from the front to the back of the aircraft.

Alhamdulillah!! Finally.  It’s amazing how afraid people are of us and how much they hate us.  The above incident is ridiculous.  I am so happy that he got something for what he went through.  Although you can never put a dollar amount on publically humiliating someone like that, at least the company got punished in the only manner that they understand, in the cheque book.  You know it’s a good thing he didn’t have a rock in his hand otherwise they would have bombed the shit out of him like are doing to us in Palestine.  Israeli’s are claiming that we are the agressors and that we are the ones that are the terrorists.  Our main defensive weapon is the good ol’ rock.  They have all kinds military machinery and equipment and are able to drop one ton bombs on peoples homes and we have rocks.  Yet somehow we are the agressors in the area.  Figure that one out.  I do feel this time however that the world will wake up and see this conflict for what it really is.  Genocide.  This small victory over here by Mr. Jarrar is a step in the right direction.

Israel’s Genocide Has To Stop

As I write this my Palestinian brothers and sisters are being murdered en mass and the fact that no one has decided to step in is baffling on a level that I cannot comprehend.  Everyone in the world is literally just watching.  It is on every news channel, in every language and no one has done a thing.  All they do is talk, I condemn this and I condemn that, but no sanctions are ever put in place and no other actions either.  You know when Saddam did his thing (no need to rehash that), he was punished, as were the people of his country.  There were all kinds of sanctions placed on Iraq.  What Israel is doing now is the EXACT same thing that Saddam did and no one is doing anything.

This behaviour has been going on for over 60 years now and I don’t know why the world hates Palestine so much.  What did we do to deserve this kind of treatment?  Even if we did something wrong, like really, really messed up, I think we have paid our dues.  I mean the Americans get away with murder (literally) daily and besides the Middle East and the French, no one says anything.  Even the Germans have been forgiven for the disgusting things they did in World War II.

The thing I love the most, is all the neighbouring Arab countries that are just watching like everyone else.  Arabs are the worst kind of people.  Instead of helping each other out, we always put each other down and do whatever we can to hurt each other.  Arabs are one of the wealthiest races on the planet and if we would just stick together and help each other out we probably wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place but hey, we do build really tall buildings!

The only thing that we have hope for is the beleif that one day we will all stand before Allah on Judgement Day and we will be asked what we did and what we didn’t do in our lifetime and He will be fair and just and reward and punish as necessary.

To all that read this post, please act, talk to your local MPs and let them know that this cannot continue.

Happy Holidays My A$$!!

Me sooooo tired.

Our office was shut down from noon December 24, 2008 to 8:00 am January 5, 2009.  I was looking forward to this break since like October.  I have needed a break but I have been so busy that I couldn’t take any vacation time.  The only time I had away from the office was for a week long seminar and when I got back from the seminar all my projects had gone to hell.  No one did anything right.  I had my Blackberry during the seminar, on silent of course and during the breaks I would check my emails and messages.  I would have like 10 messages everytime.  On a 5 minute break, away from the office, you can only put out so many fires.  That week long seminar set me back two weeks.  One week for being ‘absent’ and one week fixing everyone else’s mistakes.  Hence, working through the ‘Holidays’.

Moreover, the catalytic convereter on my car got a hole in it, $1,400.  God owning a car is both a blessing a curse.

The other thing with the Holidays is that it really sticks it to you if you’re still single like I am.  I mean I don’t celebrate Christmas and I don’t go out and party for New Year’s, but as another year ends and new one begins its like here we go again, same shit, different year.  I don’t get it either.  I mean, I just don’t understand why I have such a hard time finding someone.  My friends have told me that I am far too picky.  But why shouldn’t I be.  I am a great guy and I plan on only doing this one time and  being with the one I truly love and the one that loves me in return, not needs me, but actually wants to be with me.  I am not about to settle for some broad just to be with someone, it wouldn’t be fair to her or to me for that matter.  I mean I am not depressed, but I know I could be happier, you know.  I don’t know maybe I am just a little a more agitated than normal because I didn’t get to have a vacation after all and because of the stupid car.

The Internet

I don’t know how people sleep at night.  I am referring to that asshole that ran that beijingticketing.com website that scammed all those people out of probably millions of dollars.  And he didn’t just scam regular people like you and I, he scammed the families of the athletes too.  Imagine being a parent of an amateur athlete and having him reach that Olympic level and then not be able to see him/her perform.  To not be able to see him/her enter the stadium during the opening ceremonies.  What a fucking asshole.  I hope they catch this guy, and I’m pretty sure it will end up being a guy.  When they catch him, they shouldn’t treat it as fraud either.  It should be treated as murder as he killed the dreams of many people and worst of all the parents of those athletes and even the athletes themselves who after they perform will not be able to look up into the stands and see their loved ones.

The internet has brought about some really awesome stuff, but unfortunately it also brought about some new kind of fuck-up like the one mentioned above and all those porn loving perves and worse, child porn loving perves that are able to get away with it much more easily now then in the past.

I mean the internet has even eliminated our ability to communicate with each other.  I am a shy guy to begin with, but now, talking to a ‘real’ girl is even harder.  I am not even talking about trying to hook-up or meet a  girl I mean even when we hire a new secretary, it takes me a few days just to approach her, and thats if she’s normal looking.  If she’s pretty, forget about it.  I read an article a few months ago where they surveyed and conducted an experiment (and don’t ask me how) where they had a bunch of college males in US and tested how … ummm … they were able to perform, sexually.  I think the rate was like only 50% could get it up with a ‘real’ girl in the room and those that could, couldn’t perform for very long.  Good ol’ internet porn!!  The reasoning was, well the girls in porn are prettier and you have a wider selection.

As I understand it the internet was first created as a military tool for the US Army and although I spend way too much time on it, I sometimes wonder if the world would have better off if it was left that way.

You Fake!

The inspection and testing department hired a new technician this month and it turns out he is a Muslim Arab from Iraq.  I saw him around the office and the next thing I know this guy is hanging around in my office while I am trying to get my work done.  I am very ambitious and as such I never turn down therefore making me busy all day.

So this guy comes in and starts up the chatter.  At first I was OK with it, I mean I am not an ass.  We introduced ourselves to each other and so on, but then he ended up sitting in my office.  I was like dude kinda busy here, but nothing.  He is new to Hamilton and was wondering what there was to do here.  I was like sorry man, right now I have a one track mind and that’s work, wrong guy to ask.  I usually spend most of my nights at home doing whatever there.  So he answers with oh, uh, ya me too.  He played off this really wholesome image.  Using religious terms and quotes and such.  The next question was about clubbing and where are the hot spots around here.  Hmm.  This was then followed by him asking me how many girls, or broads as he put it, have I slept with, were they white, Arabs, Spanish, etc.  He then went on to tell about his encounters.  It bears noting here that I never asked him about his sleeping habits and, FYI, for those who read my posts,  I don’t care who you sleep with.  That’s shit you can keep to yourself.

Since my treatments were over I feel like I am on second wind here and have decided to change a few things in my life and take some more chances.  I don’t have many Arab friends.  There is no real reason why, I just don’t.  So as a new thing I thought I would make an effort to make new Arab friends and thought well, here’s a good start.  We already work together, different department, but still.  I was told by the few Arabs friends that I have that I should be careful when meeting Arabs as they are, umm, I believe the term was “soooo FUCKING FAKE!!”.  After spending like 10 minutes with this guy.  Ya, I’d say so. 

The thing that kills me more than anything is not the fact that he was fake.  It’s the fact that my friends were right.  That Arabs are fake.  In addition to this tool, we have one client whose name is Muhammad.  The most popular name in the world.  You know what he goes by.  Terry.  Terry!!  What the Fuck!  That’s not even close!!  Not Mo or Moe or whatever.  TERRY!!  I take pride in being an Arab.  I mean I don’t have the Palestinian flag tattooed all over me or anything, but I don’t hide it either and unless its a really close friend, they use my full name.  I learned your stupid white people names, you can learn mine. 

Arabs.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat Hamilton!!

Last Saturday I given free tickets to a Ti-Cat game here in Hamilton as a reward for finishing up my treatments. For those of you who don’t know, the Tiger Cats are Hamilton’s football team in the CFL (Canadian Football League). I usually don’t go to any games, it’s not that I don’t like football, but the stadium is in a really sketch part of the city so I kinda avoid it if I can. Plus Canadian football drives me nuts, the coaches do not take enough risks in my view and a potentially awesome game can be boring.

Anyways, I was born in Hamilton, raised in Hamilton, educated in Hamilton, the whole nine yards so I always defend it against others who put it down (you hear me Burlington!! Fuck You!!). But after going to the game on Saturday, I understand why people put it down. I was surrounded by the most disgusting people I have seen ever in my life. Gross. Just gross. Thank God it rained that day because that was the closest thing these people got to a shower. Had I known I going to be surrounded by such filth, I wouldn’t have watched to the game but I would have used my ticket to get to the upper deck and spray soap onto them when it was raining so these people could be introduced the concept of showering.

The only thing more disturbing than their appearance and odour was the filth that was coming out of their mouths and I’m not just talking about the teenagers and adults, I mean little kids too. And the mascot. I swear this guy is a rapist. He is all over any female between the ages of 13 and 18. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Groping them and everything. People just laughing and taking pictures with this guy.

The game was an afternoon game so it ended in the early evening and on drive away from the stadium we saw 4 hookers, hooking, like in the middle of a pick-up. One guy had his child with him.

In one freakin’ night my faith in Hamilton was shattered and it looks like I am going to be another one of ‘those people’ that goes to Burlington and says, “Look at me I made it out of Hamilton!!” (even though its like a 10 minute drive out of the city on the QEW)

Hamilton

I live in Hamilton, Ontario and recently an issue came up that the municipality felt it had to deal with immediately. For those of you who are not familiar with Hamilton, we have an expressway that travels east-west then north-south that is basically around the southern and eastern perimeter of the city. Anyways, the expressway has 2 lanes traveling in each direction that are separated by a sodded section.

The grass in this section grows a few feet high each year and no one really thinks anything of it. Well this year, after increasing property taxes for the umpteenth time, and voting on it in council, they decided that they have extra money to throw around and decided to cut said grass and make it an additional maintenance issue for the city. Last winter we went over our snow moving budget and used up some of this years budget just so we had clean roads to drive on. It’s funny how when the sun comes out, people forget how bad our winters can get here. In all fairness I will stick up for our Mayor Fred Eisenberger has he thought this was a stupid idea as well.

I don’t know why I am surprised by this, this City is one of the worst cities to deal with. Their logic is so screwed up. I have my run ins with their logic in trying to get a building permit and helping them budget capital repairs. I have dealt with other cities on similar issues and do get half the headaches I do with Hamilton. I may not agree with them, but I at least understand the logic.

The only thing worse than trying to get a permit is maybe the City Planning Division. These guys are such morons. They will re-build a road from gravel base on up to the top coat of asphalt one year, and then the following year they will cut up the brand new road with service cuts or with main sewer line upgrades. If you had half a brain, you would think that you would do all that work at once. First of all you are ruining brand new road way, and second, you are not pissing off the same people that use the road for back to back summers.

Don’t get me wrong here, I love Hamilton and I always defend it to those who put it down, but sometimes, they really do make it difficult.

Commercials!!

I have been really disappointed in commercials these days. Most of the commercials these days suck, and I mean SUCK. It’s like they don’t even try anymore.

The main commercial that has pissed me off, is the stupid KIA commercial. If you admit to liking this commercial, I will find you and I will hurt you. It is the shittiest commercial I have ever seen. If I was ever going to buy a KIA, there is no way in hell, I would do it now. Honourable mention however goes to the Swiss Chalet commercial, the one with the ‘kick’. WTF, if I was to kick my dad like that he would have beat my ass so bad, public or not. Honourable mention also goes to the stupid Yellow Pages commercials and every Tim Horton’s commercial ever made.

Things maybe turning around though, a few months ago, Shreddies came out with a great marketing campaign: New Diamond Shreddies. That was fantastic! And now recently, I saw a KFC Commercial for some wrap that cost $1.79. And the dude finishes his wrap and the price thing goes home with him, he plays soccer with it, rough-houses in the park with it, skips along the street with it. Me Likie!

The Hook Up – Part Three

This guy is officially useless.  I tried.  God knows I tried because well if I didn’t, my career would have taken a hit already.

In our firm, we are required to fill out time sheets to show how our activities and how much time we are spending on that particular activity for a given project.  The goal for the the firm, obviously is for every employee to be complete chargeable to a client for an entire 40 hour week.  Thankfully, I have one of the highest chargeable percentages in the company.  The only time when I am not chargeable is when I am preparing a proposal for potential work, and that goes under sales, which the company doesn’t mind, especially if we get awarded the project.

The other day he was talking to me (notice how I said he was talking to me, not we were having a conversation) and says this was a good week for me, I almost had 50% of time chargeable.  He has been with the company for some time now but he should have beyond the 50% marker months ago.  Not that I should really be surprised or anything, he knows nothing and spends half the day chatting with this other tub of shit we have in our department. These two were made for other.  This tub of shit also is also uneducated and knows nothing, including personal hygiene.  I love the summer, just not around him.  SOAP and WATER!!  Or at least deodorant.  This tub of shit quit the firm a little while ago because he thought he was too good for it.  He went to work somewhere else, he got canned after 10 days.  10 days.  What does our company do, hire him back!!

While I am busting my ass meeting deadlines, keeping clients happy and such, these two play solitaire on the PC all day.  The tub of shit even has the guts to stay late because he’s so busy and then charge overtime.  Overtime!!  Today I walked by the new guy’s cubicle and noticed he was on the phone and no solitaire on the screen.  I thought to myself finally.  NOPES!!  He was talking to a Ford dealership trying to get a good deal on a trade in.  Fuck me.

Our department should be the most profitable in the firm, but we are so inefficient its ridiculous, as noted above.  Our reputation is horrendous.  On top of that, we had an outside consultant come in and assess our middle managers.  Each manager had to evaluate the biggest strength and weakness of each of the departments in our office including their own.

The brainiac middle managers left the meeting with everything still written in the white board in the board room.  This is how I know all of this information.  The meeting was supposed to be confidential, but when you have moron managers like that, well hey.  So I read the comments for our department.  There were as follows:

• unmotivated
• inefficient
• lazy
• uneducated
• missed deadlines

I was like durrrr, you need an outside consultant to tell you that.  Just open your eyes!  And don’t forget some of those points even came from our own manager.  Ya, you wanna correct that, STOP HIRING YOUR FUCKING UNEDUCATED DRINKING BUDDIES AND GET RID OF THE DEAD FUCKING WEIGHT!!!