I wake up whenever I want. I indulge in a long breakfast. Read my book for an hour. Head for the shower…no rush… I shower. I get dressed and sit at my computer. My workday begins. Yes I am one of those “lucky ones” who gets to work from home. I don’t spend time or money commuting to work, my hours are flexible and I can take holidays whenever I want… Well that’s part of it. The truth is it’s not all that glamorous. Distractions and boredom quickly get the better of you when you’re working from home. When you work freelance or from home, one of the biggest problems…

Tomorrow, I’m going on holiday! Every holiday, I promise myself that I would draw up a list of items to pack but I always forget. I always begin my packing thinking everything is under control, I have plenty of time. Now time management is not my forte, and having spoken to a couple of my girlfriends about their packing dilemmas, they seem to agree that they just can’t organize packing without panicking. I can just picture Thursday night’s scene. I find a suitcase of a suitable size. Place it on my bed. Open the closet and the packing begins. I start off by picking some trousers, some tops, a few…

There are no absolute criteria for beauty, and there is no absolute rule for personal taste, notwithstanding superficial standards ‘set’ by the fashion and media industries. No matter how you feel about your looks, there are people out there who WILL find you physically attractive. In any case, no one is beautiful because of the way they look. It is true that looks often play a part in inspiring attraction, but it is not physical appearance which makes for a serious and long-lasting relationship and successful careers. Each person has his or her own unique characteristics which define them as a beautiful person. It is up to all of us…

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing the expression “women drivers”. I am. The term “woman driver” is typically used as part of a negative stereotype of female driving skills. It is difficult to say that women are better drivers than men or vice-versa. There are simply good drivers and bad drivers. I believe that it comes from a person’s attitude towards driving and not their gender. What does come to mind however, is men’s attitudes to women’s driving. I feel that women are under such pressure when they are behind the wheel due to the negative attitude men have towards their driving. Take parking for example. If a woman squeezes…

WARNING: When you get married, things will change! You will have problems adjusting to your new routines! Your habits will get in the way of each other! He will leave the toilet seat up and it will really irritate you. He will leave socks lying around the house! You will fight over remote control ownership! He will get irritated if he doesn’t find space by the sink to put his shaving kit! It won’t be easy… All these warnings came a month or so before I got married, a long list enough to put me off marriage for good. So when I started living with my husband, I was ready…

You must have caught yourself at least once staring at another woman. Yes ladies, I am talking to you! Why do we give every new female acquaintance the eye drop, the near imperceptible once over up and down glance, when we’re being introduced. We crane our necks to watch an immaculately dressed woman climb out of a car, or buy a magazine because we like the look of the cover girl. It’s because women love to look at other women. This isn’t a sexual thing at all. I prefer to think of it as educational. When men stare at women, it’s purely and simply a question of sex—they normally want…

We’re all lazy, we try not to be, but you know and I know that if you can, you’d sleep right through the day. Being lazy is an art form that not a lot of people know how to pull off, for some people being lazy is a full time job, a 24/7 full time job. Waking up every morning is the first step to being lazy, wake up early, get out of bed and have a hearty breakfast, being lazy on an empty stomach takes away from energy better spent on laziness. Now the first thing you do after waking and eating your breakfast, is get your ass on…

There is a period of time when you separate from your significant other that you feel remorse  for leaving them, you look at their pictures and feel the regret, you think you will never find that connection again with anyone else and  when you see them, they seem to be having more fun without you. You think of calling them and begging them to take you back. You know it’s bad for you, the relationship never worked out and yet we look back at the good old days, always thinking that maybe we would be better off with them. Maybe just maybe they would take you back. But in reality, you know…

A conversation with girlfriends about 4 years ago would have sounded something like this: “Oh I definitely don’t want to get married yet, it’s still too early for me. I still want a career and travel and there’s a lot I need to get out of my system before I make such a huge commitment”. Today, things may sound a little different. It is not that I have changed my mind about my career, or the travel I want to do, or the “things” that I need to get out of my system, it’s just that now I (and most other women of my age) am on a biological stopwatch.…

I am a paranoid woman. Many male friends have told me so. Maybe you, the reader, are paranoid too. Maybe most women in Cairo are paranoid. Most women that is, who have had to deal with the sexual harassment that occurs perpetually on Cairo’s streets. PARANOIA: 1) mental disorder in which a person has delusions of grandeur or persecution. 2) abnormal tendency to mistrust others. (Oxford Dictionary) Do you often think to yourself about how pleasant it would be to go for a walk, get some fresh air, get some exercise, admire the scenery and feel refreshed. Well, think again. For most women going for a walk, the experience is…