A beautiful Attribute

Yesterday a deep discussion took place between myself and my new work colleague.

Quiet-Guy belongs to the Muslim faith and has recently tied the knot with his long standing girlfriend.

So, me being the nosy person that I am, demanded details of how they met, how they fell in love, how did she style her hair etc.

Their story is quite a sweet one. They met four years ago while they were both studying. They became quick friends and fell in-love (awww).

Like every good love story, the main characters faced a few obstacles. The main problem with their relationship was that her parents didn't approve of the way the couple had met. Their beliefs and traditions were the same, but the issue was that they hadn't been properly introduced as potential partners.

Being a confident and respectful person, Quiet-Guy politely spoke with her father and asked for her hand in the traditional sense. He promised to take care of her and love her like no other.

So far so good right?

Well Quiet-Guy casually mentioned in passing that his wife had decided to wear a hijab (a hijab is a headscarf that covers only the hair not the face).

I immediately jumped to the conclusion that her decision was really his.

Talk about media influenced!

He smiled and said "I knew you'd think that!"

So I felt guilty, and decided to probe a little more.

Quiet-Guy's wife took the decision to cover her hair as a form of worship to their lord, not as a compliance with his wishes. He, of course supports her decision.

He then said something very deep "I believe a woman's hair is her most beautiful attribute, even more so after meeting my wife. I didn't ask her to wear a hijab but I'm happy that she does. It makes me proud to think that her most beautiful asset is for my eyes only."

So when I got home, I casually asked Solicitor what he thought was a woman's most beautiful physical attribute.

He sighed and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Are you writing a romantic novel again? Because the last time you did that it turned in to an unfinished thriller."

I flushed with annoyance. I worked hard for two days on that novel. And so what if I went off subject? It's not like I was planning on being an international best seller or anything!

I pushed him again for an answer. And this is what he said:

"Probably your hair. It just smells and feels nice. Or your skin. Why?"

"What about eye's and smile?"

"Yeah, very beautiful, but you said physical. Eyes and smiles are to do with personality and emotion. Why? Are you fishing for compliments?"

Of course I wasn't!

Well, it wasn't my main aim but a few compliments wouldn't hurt.

I told him about Quiet-Guy and his wife's decision to wear a hijab. We talked a little about it and explored the extremism of wearing the garment.

I'm not one to normally look for a sociological discussion, but any thoughts?

The Return of Elise

Well... I'm not too sure how to start. I'm assuming that most of you have also gone AWOL but if not... HELLO AGAIN!

I haven't blogged in over a year, and I've just realised how much I missed it.

I recently started a new job. The starting my own business thing? Long story. Not over. I'll cover it one day. But for now I'd like to introduce you to my new colleagues (now the new subject of gossip)

Doing the same job as I am but with a different brand we have a hardass blond european. When I first met her she must have been going though some kind of breakdown. We shook hands and the conversation went a little like this:

"Hi, nice to meet you I'm Elise."

"I'm Euro-Girl."

Then she slipped into a low whisper

"If you want my advice Elise, I'd leave. I'd leave right now. These people are fucking bastards!"

Then her large brown eyes filled with tears and she fled in the direction of the loos.

What a great start. I supressed a groan. I had no wish to spend the major part of my day with an emotional woman, but I soon found out that I'd just caught her on a bad day.

Euro-Girl has three others in her team: Quiet-Guy, Diva and The-Invisible-One.

Quiet-Guy is, well, quiet. But don't let the lack of talk fool you. You don't have to be a blabber mouth to be confident. You don't have to shout about what your doing to be good at it.

Quiet-Guy gave one nod when he met me. About half an hour later he added me on office communicator. We have a lot in common. Apart from my dramatics. And my chatty nature. And our views of the work place.

Actually scrap that. We don't have much in common, but we get along.

Diva is a larger than life woman. When I first met her she'd limped in to work an hour late carrying a shoe with a broken heal. She was in a bad mood.

Not because she'd broken a heal and spent an hour limping miles down the road. No, she was late and moody because she'd spent an hour in Aldo complaining that they didn't have the exact same pair of shoes to replace her ruined ones.

She flicked her long impracticle nails in frustration and complained that the shop managers didn't even sound apologetic when they said sorry.

Lastly on the other team is The-Invisible-One. I met her once. In passing. She pulls slot of sickies and takes alot of holidays.

My team also consists of a quiet guy. At least I thought he was. The more I get to know him the more I see a playful side. Indian-Guy is from India. He has the best scientific brain. Worked for years in research and has recently taken a job with this company to be "the science behind the product". Indian-Guy is cool. I think I'm going to enjoy working with him

And last but not least there's Sweetie. Sweetie is, in awful terms, a doormat. There's nothing she wouldn't do out of the goodness of her heart. When I first met Sweetie she insisted on helping me carry my bag. She fetches coffee and tea and anything else the team would like. It's hard not to take up on those offers... I have to control myself. She's not my PA!

So ther you have it. A new start and a new post. I hope your all still out there!