catching up!

it's been a long time since I was able to update anything... things have been hectic, and there's been a lot going on. here's an attempt at summarizing the past 4 weeks or so:

eilat
almost four weeks ago, we went to eilat over the weekend. it was a very relaxing weekend, where we basically didn't do much at all. we arrived at around 1 am on thursday night (or well, friday morning), and it was somewhere around 40 degrees. ridiculous :)
I got to go on a camel ride and it was quite an exciting thing. first time I've actually gone riding (never done horses), and it was a cool experience. and driving home through the desert watching the sunset was really nice. took a lot of pictures, they'll come up later.

tiberias, sea of galilee and around
two weekends ago, we went to a small camping trip as a kind of farewell for one of my friends who's leaving soon. we went to places around the sea of galilee, which has its historical importance, especially from the time of Jesus. we brought some excellent food (ribs, chicken, etc etc) for a lovely bbq, had a beautiful night, and took something like 1500+ shots. in about 24h. we were 10 people in 4 tents (3 + 2 + 1 + 1), and me and a friend slept outside under bare skies. it was the first time I'd ever done it (it's too cold to do it in sweden - even during summer!) so it was a really nice experience :)
we also coined a new phrase: someone having high "hopes and dreams and aspirations", said in a very indian accent :) it just turned into something that was constantly repeated... with a lot of laughter following.
we also made some visits to historical sites such as bethsaida (at least the one of galilee, didn't know there were two); the jordan river, where Jesus was baptized; and also a Baha'i cemetary where Mirza Muhammad-Quli, Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother, is buried with his family. it was a really beautiful end to a really fun camping trip.

maintenance of the Holy Places
well back here, there was a presentation on how the Holy Places are maintained and restored. it was a really amazing presentation, that showed what amounts of care and effort go into taking care of our Holy Places. there were some beautiful pictures, and a lot of "before and after"-shots, and definitely not fake! I think all of us present got a completely new idea and connection to the Holy Places, just the understanding of what really goes into it all was absolutely breathtaking.

Ruhi
with a group of friends, we decided to go through the entire sequence of Ruhi courses. the concepts in book 1 are fairly simple, understanding the Bahá'í writings, prayer and life and death, and despite having been through the book a number of times, there are always things that strike a chord in my mind. this time around it's specifically been two quotations that have sort of caught my mind and attention. the first one is one that I've had up before, and again it's made me think of what I say:

A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning. It is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding...

the second one:

Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.

here's how I explained this thought to a friend:
"it just hit a note with me that even though we are saying our prayers late at night and are just really, really tired and want to get over with it, we should still say our prayers in a way that will attract their hearts! to me it made me focus a lot more on what I say, even though I'm just by myself in my room at night and no one is really hearing what I'm saying. I should *still* say it in a way as if there are people around, and also that there will be others who can be affected by my prayers. interesting note..."

besides that, the group is utterly hilarious to be with. we talk a lot, we have a lot of fun, but we're still quite efficient and learning a lot.

tropic thunder
I saw the trailer of tropic thunder, and wasn't too impressed. nevertheless, a bunch of friends said they were going to watch it, and I decided to tag along. and I don't regret it at all! I was laughing so much during pretty much the entire movie, and just loved it so much! unfortunately there was quite a fair amount of foul language and dirty jokes, but it was still sooooo much fun!


I think that'll be it for my summary of recent events. I will try to post a bit more thoughtful stuff soon, and a bit more pictures. there're a few thoughts and ideas more that I want to share...

and my parents are coming in a week! :)

got an idea to help the world?

check out project 10 to the 100th, a project sponsored by google for ideas that will benefit mankind. if you have an idea, it might be worth submitting it.

kabuki quantum fighter

bye nine five two

about a month ago, we got up early in the morning, to walk up the terraces. one of us was leaving, two of us wanted to say a last good bye. we met up at terrace 15 at 5.30, walked up to the top, said prayers and enjoyed each other's company. watching the sunset was really amazing, and we took some really beautiful pictures. this is not the most beautiful one, but it is still a favorite:

and here's a really beautiful picture of her:

we miss you maryam...

click here for the album.

notes on leadership and management

I recently read a magazine from harvard business review about leadership and management. since I didn't have all that much time to properly read it through (pretty much just an evening), I wrote down a few quick notes. thought I'd share them here. not the best of formatting, I might change it later on...

manager's roles:
- formal
authority and status

- interpersonal roles
figurehead: ceremonial duties
leader: responsible for the work of the unit (hiring, training, motivate, encourage)
liaison: contacts outside the vertical chain of command

- informational role
monitor: scanning for information
disseminator: pass privileged information to subordinate
spokesperson: send information to outside the unit

- decisional role
entrepreneur: improve unit/adapt to change
disturbance handler: involuntarily responding to pressures
resource allocator: who gets what
negotiator: commit resources based on information



five components of emotional intelligence at work:
self-awareness
definition:
the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others
hallmarks:
self-confidence
realistic self-assessment
self-deprecating sense of humor
"self-aware candidates will be frank in admitting to failure - and will often tell their tales with a smile."

self-regulation
definition:
the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods
the propensity to suspend judgment - to think before acting
hallmarks:
trustworthiness and integrity
comfort with ambiguity
openness to change
"people who have mastered their emotions are able to roll with the changes. they don't panic."

motivation
definition:
a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status
a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence
hallmarks:
strong drive to achieve
optimism, even in the face of failure
organizational commitment
"driven to achieve beyond expectations."

empathy
definition:
the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people
skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions
hallmarks:
expertise in building and retaining talent
cross-cultural sensitivity
service to clients and customers
"the very word empathy seems unbusinesslike, out of place amid the tough realities of the marketplace."

social skill
definition:
proficiency in managing relationships and building networks
an ability to find common ground and build rapport
hallmarks:
effectiveness in leading change
persuasiveness
expertise in building and leading teams
"social skill is friendliness with a purpose: moving people in the direction you desire."

"emotional intelligence can be learned. the process is not easy. it takes time and commitment."


inspirational leaders:
- selectively show their weaknesses
by exposing some vulnerability, they reveal their approachibility and humanity
- rely heavily on intuition to gauge the appropriate timing and course of their actions
their ability to collect and interpret soft data helps them know just when and how to act
- manage employees with something we call tough empathy
inspirational leaders empathize passionately - and realistically - with people, and they care intensely about the work employees do
- they reveal their differences
they capitalize on what's unique about themselves


four popular myths about leaders:
1. everyone can be a leader - not true
2. leaders deliver business results - not always
3. people who get to the top are leaders - not necessarily
4. leaders are great coaches - rarely


operation instructions in ethical problems
put things off till tomorrow - buy yourself time, let the turbulent waters calm
pick your battles - political capital is the hard currency of organizational life, hard to accumulate and devilishly easy to dissipate
bend the rules, don't break them - own up to the deeper responsibilites, bend the rules imaginatively
find a (responsible, workable) compromise - find the uncovered middle that is "good enough", both responsible enough and workable enough, to satisfy the customer, company and yourself

sneaking up behind the trees

procrastination flowchart

how to avoid work in the best way:

and I'm off to eilat

wwwwwooooooohhhhhhhhhhoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

people leaving

yesterday the first person from my orientation left, and another one is leaving tonight. I must say it feels really strange, especially as there will be more people leaving quite soon.

to make ourselves happy about it, we arranged a barbeque:


it was a little bit last minute, so not everyone was able to show up. but we had a lot of fun, the food was delicious, and I think we all at least went home happy and full! :)

to see the rest of the album, click here.

atonement

I recently finished another book, atonement (don't read too far if you haven't read the book or seen the movie):


I had only heard about the movie, never seen it, and so luckily again I had no expectations. because it was really, really good. from wikipedia: "It is widely regarded as one of McEwan's best works and was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize for fiction... In addition, Time magazine named it the best fiction novel of the year and included it in its All-TIME 100 Greatest Novels, and The Observer cites it as one of the 100 best novels written, calling it 'a contemporary classic of mesmerising narrative conviction.'"

the book poses a very interesting question: how much can the actions of one person affect the lives of people close to them? briony, a young girl at the age of 13 accuses the son of their housekeeper for rape, an act that leads to quite changes in the life of the both of them, as well as their entire family and also their cousins who are visiting. we get to follow the story from the perspectives of each of the characters. it's a really interesting piece of writing, where we get to read what's going on in their heads all the time, which is also how the book progresses.

I'm not going to write more about it, you should read the book. but reading the review got me to these links:
time top 100: the complete list in alphabetical order
guardian top 100: greatest novels of all time
new classics top 100: the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008

interesting stuff!

not everything looks better in black and white

beautiful prayer

last thursday I was asked to say a prayer in class. thinking it would be a nice idea to say a prayer in swedish. last thing before going, I printed the paper out and folded it, and put it in my bag...

I thought. when the class was almost over, 5-10 minutes before it was time for me to say the prayer, I looked into my bag to take out the paper and prepare myself. to my great surprise, it wasn't there. the very last thing I had done before leaving was to print it, and somehow I managed to forget to put it down in my bag. (later on I found it neatly folded on my desk...)

luckily I was given a prayer book in due time, and managed to find a prayer that not only was suitable, but also very beautiful. I had never heard or seen it before:

O Thou beloved of my heart and soul! I have no refuge save Thee. I raise no voice at dawn save in Thy commemoration and praise. Thy love encompasseth me and Thy grace is perfect. My hope is in Thee.
O God, give me a new life at every instant and bestow upon me the breaths of the Holy Spirit at every moment, in order that I may remain steadfast in Thy love, attain unto great felicity, perceive the manifest light and be in the state of utmost tranquillity and submissiveness.
Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver, the Compassionate.

'Abdu'l-Bahá

I guess it all worked out well in the end!