Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

Happy Halloween!! I was told today that my carved pumpkin at our front door was the best in the neighborhood! One guy who came at the door with his kids even video taped it! I took pictures too to share with the world. I haven’t carved a pumpkin for a few years now, and today my creative carving techniques came into play!

Dad went everywhere to find medium sized pumpkins because he wanted my sister and I to carve some this year.

Cool eh? What do you guys think?

Also, for those that know Arabic, this is my dad’s new phrase to try to scare my sister and I: “Trick or treat, abooky 3afreet!” Hahaha!!

P.S. For those of you over the years that keep telling me that Halloween is haram, then save your self the preaching. I like to give candy to kids. If I can do it every day, I will! I love seeing 3 or 4 year old dressed up and asking for candy! It is the cutest thing ever!

Yesterday on Twitter, I asked my fellow lovely adorable friends “What will happen to the world if everyone was open minded?” I got some great answers! However, one person @leeroyglinchy wanted to know my opinion instead by asking me, “what’s my definition of open mindedness?”

I thought long and hard, and I so wanted to come up with a well thought of response, then I decided that I rather sum it up to this:

Being open minded: Willingness to listen to others, engage in various thought provoking conversations, and explore other options in life that satisfy you in the end.

That’s it. Simple as A B C.

Cell phone earpieces … I hate them! I find them to be purely stupid, and people who wear them will seriously have a major wax buildup in only ONE ear! Also, people who drive with them are likely to cause an accident as a person holding a cell phone or using the head piece! Same thing! You are in a state of disruption and your brain is focused somewhere else!

That’s really not my problem. That’s just a rant about reckless drivers and inevitable wax buildups. My real rant is about people who walk around in the malls or grocery stores with that earpiece on. They look like lunatics talking to them selves. Not only that, they look like they are talking to me cause they are next to me and no one else is around!

Today, I was at the grocery store with my dad, and we obviously talk in Arabic only. Then all of a sudden, a guy near by was talking in Arabic to a female. I didn’t see anyone around. And this guy was talking in Arabic so loud! I was trying to find the person who he was talking to, because I had no idea how he knew me otherwise. Then he turns a bit around, and I see that stupid cellphone earpiece on his ear. I was like ARGH!! Stupid thing!

If you wear one and talk so loud with barely anyone around you or only one person around you, then expect a stare back with utter confusion! Those earpieces are misleading and annoying! I don’t like them, and I never did. I like my old technological ways of holding a phone in my hand. I am old school and proud!

All you Matrix wannabees!

The title of this post should be the title of my new book. Although it was on my life’s pursuits, I don’t have time to write a book right now. Luckily, I have time for my blog writing until my work load at my job winds down a bit hopefully, and I am no longer lazy as a sloth when I get home to do anything else.

So, what to talk about today? Well, someone commented on one of my posts today saying that I am treated respectfully at my work because I don’t wear a head veil. An Islamic religious symbol for females. I somewhat agreed to it to an extent. I will tell you why though. You have to understand though where I live, and why I say the things I say. My observations are not against any religion, but a general observation from my years of living in North America. Which is many many many many years!

Racism

There will always be the never ending trend of racism everywhere you go. People who are racist, are just afraid of what’s different than the norm. Although life has changed drastically, and various immigrants from all over the world live here, the idea of accepting what is different is still implanted in people’s small heads. So what to do?

I am not going to argue with a racist idiot, or bother to explain my view points. All I can do is be my self, and not show others that I am different by any symbol. Who I am is different, and I am proud of being an Arab and Muslim, but I don’t need to wear anything that secludes me from the norm.

Religion is in You

I think I discussed this many times, but I believe that religion, any religion, should be something that you need to follow on your own. You should perfect it and be capable to talk about it, instead of preaching to people for the sake of preaching. I have met many Muslims that love to discuss Islam, yet, their knowledge of the religion is so limited and naive. I knew more things about Islam than them, but they wore religious symbols, and wanted to be different, say they are different, and not accept others, but expect others to accept them.

This Side of the World

Now, this is where it gets to be debatable, and I may get some negative comments. I am not gonna tell others what to wear, or bother. Everyone has the freedom to do whatever they want. However, when some people wonder why they can’t get a job, or are not treated the same as “others”, then there are various reasons why. Look at what you are wearing.

Stories

I knew many Arab-Muslim girls who studied the same thing in University as I did, Computer Science. However, not many of them got a job. You see, they were very smart, top of the class, bright talented individuals. They were 10 times smarter than me, and I was purely jealous of their brains. Unfortunately, they were not able to get any job in their fields because of their head veils.

My field is a very male oriented field. (Technology Field) Finding a female programmer in a small business is rare. Not only that, the female programmers, like the male programmers, are always interacting with each other. Working in specific professions such as mine, really depend on how you look and act with other people. When you seclude your self from them, and appear different than what they are used to, you will not be able to work in a group like environment such as that. It’s just a fact. It’s a racist stupid fact, but this is reality. However, in larger business, it’s a bit more flexible and they are looking for diversity, but in mine, not so much.

So, what happened to those girls? Well, they all got married, sat at home, and popped out babies. This goes for many Arab females who earn a University degree just for show and to get married. However, that’s another story for later that I need to discuss.

What to Do?

I honestly don’t care what any one does. You want to wear a head veil, huge crosses, etc, that’s your choice! I am not stopping you, and no one has the right to. However, when you start questioning why people don’t hire you, or others don’t respect you when they should, then you have to understand the culture that you LIVE IN NOW! Where do you live? How are the people around you act? What can you do to blend in, but still keep your morals and religious beliefs?

That’s my only advice really. Otherwise, pop babies! I could have popped some babies like 10 years ago and married some Arab man who wanted a live in baby popping maid, but I chose to blend in to my current society. To make something out of my self, and make everyone around me respect me for who I am, and what I have become. Also, I had to make use of that piece of paper with higher education that I paid over 35,000 dollars for. I invested in something, and I want the return value that I was promised!

I was asked a few days ago for an online interview with a Canadian blog network called: Canada Blog Friends. It is always nice to be recognized by the place that I live in. Oh Canada!!! Mwaaah!!

I thought the post written about me was so cute and true, that I had to share it with everyone. I love it when people thoroughly go through my site and try to understand my personality, and come up with intriguing analysis. This is my favorite part:

Mona is the living manifestation of her rebellious blog; she’s a strong female personality in the Arab world, and that’s rare. Although core values are slowly changing, Middle Eastern culture still seems to discourage female participation; Mona’s blog is rebellious, because it exists.

Love it!!

What do you think?