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

Have you ever wondered if you are part of the blog circle or out of it? I do wonder sometimes. You see, if I was part of the Arab blog groups or anything like that then I would have a lot more people commenting on my blog just to get noticed. That’s why people join groups, to find each other and get noticed by their fellow peers. Believe me, it is nice to be recognized sometimes, and what is good about writing is that I am not being recognized for the way I look or act, but the written words on my site.

Fortunately, I got out of the whole group thing a long time ago. I do not participate in any. I don’t even advertise my blog anymore. I have not done so in years! I was in many Arab blog group sites in the past, and some contacted me later to join, but I just don’t want to deal with being part of any clan anymore. If I am part of one, I will get people saying, “You are only doing it to get people to come to your blog and your blog sucks!” If I don’t join, people will say, “Why are you not part of one, who do you think you are!”

Honestly, who cares about the above. Who needs groups to get noticed now a days.

Strangely enough, because I don’t advertise and I don’t go around marketing my self in any way or form, I get people saying that I write this way to just get more and more visitors. I ignite fires just to get noticed. So, explain this to me logically so I can make sense of it all, I do nothing at all but write in my private blog whatever the hell comes into my head, and I do not go around advertising just to get noticed, but my writing is the big NO NO!

Hmm. Yah, that makes sense. Hell, last time I checked this friggen site was a blog where I write run on sentences and have several syntax error. I do not use Microsoft Word to type my blog essays or an English editor to make sure everything is perfect before I click on that damn blue Publish button.

You know what I despise about certain people’s personality? I despise fake people. I despise people that are too anal about other people’s words and like to correct them to just prove how articulate they are. Finally, I despise people that think they can come here and freely insult me, and I know for a fact that they are scared shitless to do it to my face in real life.

I rather stay out of every circle, out of any association with certain people, and just be my SELF: a stubborn, egotistical, selfish blogger who only writes crap on her blog without thinking twice who reads it.

There, I got it out of my chest. I can sleep now.

This is part three of the year end manifestation of the life of my blog.

My blog this year won so many awards, that I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count them! NOT!! (Didn’t I sound cheesy and dorky like the rest of the bloggers out there?) But yes, my blog won a lot of invisible mind boggling awards. I won people’s readerships. That’s the biggest award I can get as a blogger. I don’t care about best blog, or best writer, or best anything. Who cares? It’s like winning a virtual banner to advertise someone else’s bright idea that started the campaign.

Really, if the prize was money based, then people will be all over it! I would be so all over it!

So, I am gonna list the top blog posts this year by comments, my favorites, and ones that I should have never published, but found their way online cause of my insomnia or excessive amounts of coffee!

Top Blog Posts 2009 | Comments & Reactions

1. April 28, 2009 | It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a conspiracy theory!
2. June 7, 2009 | The Arab Blogorette
3. June 16, 2009 | I think it is time for change!
4. August 25, 2009 | Why are Muslims turning Atheists?
5. August 30, 2009 | Analysis: It is much harder to get rid of her
6. September 7, 2009 | Arabs marrying non-Arabs
7. September 18, 2009 | Window shopping for a bride
8. October 27, 2009 | Symbols of being different

Top Blog Posts 2009 | Monaism & Love

1. January 15, 2009 | Are good people always the victims of life?
2. March 31, 2009 | How accurate is this?
3. April 20, 2009 | Airports think I am a perv!
4. May 21, 2009 | A way to relieve stress
5. July 15, 2009 | Teaching a child the basics of the internet world
6. September 6, 2009 | No Comment
7. September 24, 2009 | I am sick and tired of looking for work!!! NO MORE!
8. December 4, 2009 | The typicals
9. December 26, 2009 | I am the master of my choices

Top Blog Pots 2009 | Those That Should Have Never Been

1. January 28, 2009 | The blogging world is run by monkeys
2. May 4, 2009 | I thought I held the title of taking things too seriously
3. June 20, 2009 | The media has been following me for over two decades
4. September 26, 2009 | I don’t like talking about sex in public

I was sitting on the chair today staring at the monitor for over 10 minutes, and wondering how routine my life has become. I feel like I am a robot of my own making. I really wanted to do something different, but I needed encouragement. I wanted not only me, but everyone else to have that feeling. The feeling of doing something that you are not used to doing at all, or haven’t done in a long time.

Sometimes life just runs by so fast, that we start forgetting our selves. We forget what we want, what we are able to do, and what we are supposed to do.

Therefore, this week, try to do something different. Pick up the phone and call an old friend. Clean behind your desk. Run around the block. Give money to a charity. Ask your friends if you would like to go out for dinner and a movie. Go out of your way and visit a friend or relative at their home without their knowledge just to say hi. Tell someone how you really feel about them instead of wondering why the sudden distance. Clean out your garage. Clean out your closet. Etc.

After you have done that odd thing you are not used to doing or never done before this week, ask your self this, “Shouldn’t I do this more often? Shouldn’t I try to do something different all the time and get out of this routine?

Tell me or tell others what you have done this week. Try to encourage them as well. You can comment about it here on my site, or blog about it on your own site.

Let’s all participate in this activity, and see what are the outcomes by next Sunday. I hope we can all learn from this, and try new things all the time.

Code for the banner:
<a href="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/2009/11/01/lets-do-something-different/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/pictures/2009/11/something_different_day.jpg"/></a>

Code for the banner:
<a href="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/2009/11/01/lets-do-something-different/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/pictures/2009/11/something_different_day2.jpg"/></a>

Code for the banner:
<a href="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/2009/11/01/lets-do-something-different/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/pictures/2009/11/something_different_day_small.jpg"/></a>

Code for the banner:
<a href="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/2009/11/01/lets-do-something-different/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rebelliousarabgirl.net/pictures/2009/11/something_different_day2_small.jpg"/></a>

The social networking scene around the world is dramatically reacting to the Nobel Peace Prize that US President Barrack Obama received a couple of days ago. So many people are ecstatic about it, and not asking themselves, “why?” I find it hilarious that he won the Prize based only on his campaign and future visions of peace, and better political ties with other nations. You know what would be even funnier? That everything he promised he would not be able to accomplish fully during his presidency!

If that happens, would they revoke the prize?

Anyways, so you can win a Nobel Peace Prize for only having a vision of a good future. Wow, well then. I need to get started on mine. Let me continue my campaign that I started a few months back.

Vote for the Rebellious Arab Girl today!

1. She promises you peace in the middle east!

2. She promises you democracy in each Arab country with 4 – 6 year election time frames with citizens voting new leaderships!

3. She promises you a separation between religion and the state!

4. She promises you no more visa requirements for Arabs to visit other Arab countries!

5. She promises you Palestine to return to its rightful owners!

6. She promises you government funding for each Arab University to allow and contribute their scientific research to the world!

7. She promises you equality in the work force between the sexes!

Well, after I wrote all these promises out, I slapped my self silly and told my self, “Mona, are you on crack?”

Some people in the past have asked me why I have advertisements on my site. I replied that I was poor and I needed money from writing such mundane things on my blog. Since I have been finally employed by the good people who realized that maybe I do have a talent, then people will now question why I am still monetizing my blog.

I know advertisements are annoying, and they make pennies a day. However, I am going to leave them for two reasons:

1) I have a significant number of lovely daily readers.

2) I am going to use the money for something more than my self and to help others.

Therefore, I have decided that the money I make from my site will be sent to an online Palestinian Children’s Charity. It has absolutely no political affiliation. It is just money to buy medicine, etc. I could care less about politics or any stupid organization, and I support no one.

The rest of the money will be used for hosting my websites and domain renewals, and any other miscellaneous online purchase I need for my sites.

Random Thoughts

Well, I have been on a shopping frenzy lately. I had to go buy new clothes for work. And this is no ordinary work. I can’t dress like I just got out of bed and put on the first thing I saw in the closet that is still not ironed. Oh no. No more! I have to look like I am actually going to work! Not only that, all my clothes are too big on me. I lost so much weight from sitting at home eating my self up from anger and depression, that I was in desperate need of a new wardrobe! So, I am slowly picking up new clothes and will get a lot more later and throw out the old. I only go for sales. I don’t like spending money on clothes. I find it a waste!

Also, it is so much fun walking in downtown and looking like I a little career girl! Hehehe! I look so sophisticated for a programmer. But hey! I get treated well! I get a kick ass view (click to view), free hot drinks, and free lunch every Thursdays. Now that’s the life!