Jordan Planet East Coast Congress

by | Jan 7, 2006 | Metro Daze, Shutterbug, Weblogs

A moment in Paolo's
While the Jameeds were in town, we had our first official East Coast Jordan Planet meeting. Attendants included the Jameeds, Beisan and yours truly (along with the husband). The venue was Paolo’s Ristorante in beautiful Georgetown, rumored to have been a favorite of the late King Hussein. We discussed blogging issues, Jordanian politics, life in the US and the development of Jordan Planet.Continuing debate at Kramer's

I found it fascinating that all of us were able to converse non-stop for hours on end like long-time best friends. I guess, in a way, we were all connected by the love for our country and our passion for blogging. One thing that Jordan Planet has created — in addition to its serving as a platform for self-expression — are these mini-Jordanian communities that are scattered across the globe. So once again, kudos to the man who created our wonderful Planet.

After a delicious feast at Paolo’s, we made our way to another favorite of mine — Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe — for continuing discussions. Oh, and here’s a link to a previous "non-official" East Coast congress, where Laith, Besian and I enjoyed a brief encounter.

Jordanian podcasts

by | Dec 13, 2005 | Weblogs

I spent a good chunk of this morning listening to Jordanian podcasts found on this new podcast blog: www.ninish.com. I have to admit, they were highly entertaining. There was an interview with a taxi driver, an ATM operator, a lifeguard, among others. However, these podcasts made me extremely homesick. They made realize how much I yearn to be in Amman amongst my family and friends. Sigh!

Ninish is still a brand new initiative created by a group of young Jordanians and, in my humble opinion, I think the site has great potential. I also liked their choice of music that accompanies the podcasts. Great job guys! Keep it up!

Updating the blog

by | Jun 25, 2005 | Weblogs

I guess it is about time to update the blog. There are many things that need modification, including the profile, and most importantly the blog tagline. As one reader said, I no longer live in the Middle East thus the title on top of the page does not fit my current circumstances.

I have a number of ideas for a new tagline. Here they are:

  • Jordanian scribbles in a foreign land
  • Jordanian on the loose
  • Ramblings of a Jordanian mind

Which one is more appealing? If you have any suggestions, they would be highly appreciated.

Jordanian bloggers meet-up

by | May 19, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Weblogs

Last night we had our 3rd Jordanian bloggers meet-up and, according to Roba, the meeting was "serious." Well, I guess it was serious in a way, as we are in the process of reshaping and improving the community of Jordanian bloggers featured on Jordan Planet. We discussed various ideas for revamping the planet to make it even more appealing to outside readers. After all, it is a window on our lovely Jordan.

It was fun chatting face-to-face with Isam, Nader, Roba, Ahmad and Ammar. I was also thrilled to meet Lina for the first time since I enjoy reading her blog such a great deal. Unfortunately, I had to leave the gathering early due to some pressing social obligations, but overall I think the meeting was productive. We, as Jordanian bloggers, are on the right path to enhance our community.

Make sure to check Roba’s blog for pictures and her take on the meeting that was held at the Jordan Wild Café in Jabal Amman.

Jordanian blogger feature out

by | Mar 22, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch, Weblogs

Finally, the feature I wrote about the Jordanian blogging community has seen the light of day, published over this past weekend (the Fri-Sat print edition) and available online here.

The original plan was to publish it in Jo magazine, but they kept delaying, so I got upset and asked them not to run it anymore! I sent it to the Jordan Times and they were interested. Here it is for the next week or so, then perhaps I’ll archive it.