Time is never time at all.

"I am about to make a decision that will change my life." 

We all hear and say those statements, but do we actually believe them? Do we actually believe that a 'decision' would change someone's life? Changing one's life is such a strong impactful word and it is not really a life/death situation, especially in today's connected world. In the past, if someone packed their bags and moved to another continent, writing letters to their family back home, letters that they would read months after they were written, and respond back, etc. I think these were times when 'decisions' such as these were, rightfully so, changing peoples' lives. 

When I moved back to Cairo a couple of years ago, I thought I was changing my life, but in reality, I was coming back home, to the place where I grew up and lived more than 60% Of my life, being around family and friends, working with familiar people and speaking a language of my own. I was changing environments, changing jobs, changing cars and lifestyles, but I wasn't changing 'lives'. 

So many things have been written and said about the value of decision-making and the correct timing. A phone call could change your life, they say. I remember a few days after my dad passed away in January 2010, I received a phone call from Khaled Elghandour, one of Egypt's best football TV presenters at the time, who I used to appear as a guest speaker on his show the year before. A week before that, he invited me to join him in the studio to cover the African Cup of Nations 2010 and I politely declined because I was busy with my dad, who was in a coma at the time, and mentally I could not have taken that role. He understood my decision, wished my dad well and that was it. The next day my dad passed away and a week later he called me. I still remember the day. I was sitting at home, on the sofa, doing nothing, and my phone rang. I looked at the screen and it was him. I didn't answer. I didn't know if he was calling me to check on my dad or if he - through the newspapers, maybe, knew my dad had passed away - wanted to pay his condolences. I don't know. And I never will, because I never returned his call. Do I regret not picking up that call? No. But I do regret not calling him back in the days and weeks that followed. 

I regret not being consistent. 

After achieving major goals (major by 'my standards') in life, I could assure everyone that there is no easy way to succeed. It is all compound interest. I train hard for months and years, follow a good diet, etc, and changes happen. There is no overnight success. When I had my fifteen minutes of fame on the radio and TV, analysing the sport I love, it was after years and years of spending so much time reading, writing about the topic itself, in magazines, on football forums, and talking with friends about it, every single day. When the chance came on, to be on the radio, I grasped it. People called me a 'natural', but I wasn't. It was just the culmination of a daily habit I've been doing. When I got the chance to go on TV, I was again called a natural. But it was just me talking about the topic I talk about every day. If I go on TV now, I would probably stutter and not have the same levels of confidence I once showed, almost two decades ago, despite the fact that I am now older, wiser and more knowledgeable. 

Khaled Said, the legend, gave me, or in other words, devised, a simple recipe on a piece of paper, during our last meeting together, where he explained to me in his own magical words, the theory of compound interest. A theory we all know, but very few of us follow. When I look back at my life and every single task I was happy to achieve, I can see how compound interest played a pivotal role in that success. 

As Steven Barlett said, 'Becoming great is being good every single day.' 

Consistency. That's the keyword here, and that's what I am trying to be. Consistent, proactive and optimistic. The rest will surely follow.

I saw the morning...it was shattered by a gun.

One doesn't value health unless they fall ill. We all need nudges every now and then to realise the blessings of our lives. Today, while working out at F45, and when I thought I was actually 'killing it', I got a cramp in my left calf. Excruciating pain, all of a sudden, pain that I am used to, and accustomed to. All my life I got cramps, from running, playing football, squash, you name it. The moment I got the cramp, I stopped and couldn't jump or press hard on my foot anymore. Six hours passed and I am still in pain. I walk with a limp, carrying my left leg like a mop. We need to appreciate the fortunes we are given; simple fortunes just like health, just like being able to walk properly, without pain - this is the true blessing of life.

My wife has been in tears every day since the situation in Palestine unfolded. Almost one month now and she is watching videos and crying. I am trying to avoid watching anything but when I come across a video, on LinkedIn, which is the only social media tool I use, it breaks my heart. As humans, we worry too much about fickle things; would this person like me, or would my boss promote me, or what car should I buy, etc. and we keep forgetting that there are others out there, in another country, living in conditions that no person would survive. 

We were taught to always look at those who are not privileged like us, and not to those who own more and live a lavish life. We should always be thankful to God and never compare ourselves to others. I feel sorry for the children who lost their parents and for the parents who lost their children. I really wish we could all live under one peaceful sun. 

I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt.

Choices. The choices you make. The life you want to live. The road you want to take. These are all choices that you have to make for yourself. No one can do it for you. People can come into your life, guide you, tell you, try to intercept, but they will always come to you from a position of their own; their lives, and their choices, their way of thinking and their life experiences. 

I am now living a different life than how I used to live two years ago. I care about things I didn't really care about five years ago. I stopped doing things I used to live by. I changed, not to 'your' better, but to the 'better' of my perspective. To the better of my plethora of experiences. To the better version of the way I see myself, not the way that you see me. 

People will always judge you according to the way they view the world, and they will compare you to others who are in the same position that you are in or to your old version of yourself; both scenarios have nothing to do with today's version of you, and that's why, it will always be an unfair comparison. It will always portray you as different, inadequate, not the same, etc. 

If you're happy, then block those voices. Ignore the criticism. Keep going. Make sure you're happy. Make sure you're healthy. Make sure you're compassionate and loving, and make sure you are not hurting anyone, physically, or emotionally with that change. If someone is unhappy you changed, that's not them being hurt, that's them being drama queens, and they should help themselves. It's not your job to help people or make them understand why you are changing. If no one is on board with what you're trying to do, or who you are trying to be, then that's OK. 

As Oasis said, 'Today is gonna be the day that they are gonna throw it back to you, and by now, you should've somehow realised what you gotta do.'

You are your own Wonderwall. 

Jai Ho.

Khaled Said. Or Khaled Fathi as he likes to call himself. Kito, K2K, or a legend, as I like to call him.

Khaled is the smartest person I know, by far. 

He was never an A-class student, far from it, but he is a genius. This post is 17 years late. In 2006, I penned one of my favourite posts, here, and Khaled, at the time, was still a newbie. He was frustrated that he wasn't part of it, and I told him back that he needed to 'earn' his place amongst us and become a constant. Khaled delivered and was a regular at the ahwa, and a year later (or two - I am not so sure), he moved to Dubai and has been there, ever since. There is no specific reason why I am writing this now.

The truth is, I've been wanting to write about Khaled ever since, but as usual, life came on the way, and maybe, rightly so, he deserves a more fitting blogpost, over just a paragraph in a post that contains tens more. Khaled joined our gang in the year 2005 to be exact, after he came to the ahwa with Wael. Wael was taking a post-grad course in the AUC and Khaled was his instructor. When Khaled came, he automatically recognised Heema and other people who were part of the gang, as he used to go to school with them. He was our age. It struck me back then how can someone our age, be a 'teacher' to others our age, or older. Khaled was a different character. He used to dress smart, coming to the ahwa in a suit, while the rest of us were in shorts, trainers or even our pyjamas. I remember he was dating a girl at the time, and soon was getting engaged, and he only invited Wael and Heema to his engagement. I wasn't annoyed that I didn't get invited back then, but of course, a little part of me felt rejected. We used to tell him he needed to cool down his stubbornness; stories like one day racing the girl's father on the highway just to prove that he is not inferior to him (driving a cheaper car). There were situations when I felt that Khaled was trying 'hard' just to prove a point. A point to himself, to those around him, and to the world. Later on, I realised that we are all trying hard to prove something. It wasn't just him. We all felt and still feel inferior in a way, but Khaled was a couple of steps ahead already in how he figured out how the world operates. 

I could write tales about Khaled's determination, will to succeed, and never-say-never attitude, and it still won't do him justice. Khaled was always (still is), the most successful person I know. I call him the 'millionaire' friend of mine but jokes aside, it is not material things that Khaled possesses. It's his mindset. I believe that if I had a mindset like him, I would accomplish the impossible. As I said in the beginning, he is the smartest person I know. Khaled can sit and listen to me for hours, and will never interrupt me. Not once. And when he talks, he will tackle every point, not bypassing anything. He will fix me. He always does. Whenever I am down, whenever I need someone to talk to, whenever I feel helpless, very few people can get me out of the state I am in and reposition or reset my mindset, and Khaled is at the top of that list. Khaled could be an HR professional, but he did everything. He worked in sales, and not just any sales, but door-to-door sales promoting videogames, he is a standup comedian, an aspiring author who doesn't want to publish a book, a great storyteller, a licensed sailor, a corporate trainer, an impeccable linguist, a coffee addict, a life coach, an entrepreneur, a computer science lecturer, and above all, a human, with a heart of gold. 

Almost a year ago, I had a nice one-on-one with Khaled, where I was hoping he would fix me - and he did, as he always does, but on that night, Khaled, for the first time, opened up to me, and what he told me that night, made me realise that the person I am sitting with, my friend and mentor, is not only a true master of the craft, but he is the most compassionate, genuine and kind-hearted person I will ever meet. We all have our own personal struggles, but some of the stuff he had to go through in life, really, no man I know would ever be able to conquer. 

Just like my post back in 2006, I will end this one in the same way. The first time I met Khaled was at Ya Hala Cafe when Wael brought him, however, many years later, I think in 2011 or 2012, I was watching one of my mom's old camcorder tapes, when she came to my nursery - this was circa 1987/1988, and while watching that hazy blurry video, I came across Khaled. Who would have thought?

Life's a journey, not a destination.

This new book I am listening to, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, is pretty interesting. It's not a book per se, just thoughts being said out loud. It makes you think. Sometimes I find myself agreeing with what is being said and sometimes I am in disagreement, just like everything in life, we don't have to agree on everything. 

Lately, I've been trying not to pass any judgments, not to question why something is being said or done in a specific way; I think the realisation that we are all different, gets stronger every day. I am in no position to pass judgment or to feel superior/inferior. I shouldn't allow society to label me and, I, for one, shouldn't be able to label anyone. Why should I? We are all unique, and we are all on a quest for something. 

I think the strongest weapon in the world is one's words, and how someone uses their words shouldn't be taken lightly. We should think before we talk, but we should not stop ourselves from talking or voicing an opinion. Does this make sense? It does for me. I know how my words can have a deep impact on someone, whether negative or positive and sometimes, even if I don't want to hurt someone, I still need to speak up. I need to confront a colleague for instance if work is not being done/delayed. I need to stay away from negativity. I need to avoid social situations that will never benefit me, and on the contrary, harm my soul, and time - the two things that I am working hard to enrich and fulfil. 

I need to stop getting distracted and I need to stop trying to be someone else. I need to keep doing me and continue spreading love to those around me. I need to be happy, physically and mentally, and I need to find that silver lining in any bad or uncomfortable situation, even if it doesn't exist, but I will always look for it, and I will make sure that looking for it doesn't take away from my own happiness. I need to keep driving that car to all the destinations I want to go; eyes on the road, but at the same time, conscious of everything happening around me; the conversations, the music, the horns, the mountains, the speed bumps, the traffic lights, etc, literally, the entire environment around me. That's life and it would be a shame to miss out on something on your way because you only go forward, and if you miss something, it's impossible to make a U-turn.

Not all those who wander are lost.

I change my mind all the time. People think I am fixated and opinionated but in reality, I change my mind all the time. I don't know if that's good or bad. In the Quran, Abraham's quest to find God took several turns; at first, he looked up to the huge statuses his father and tribe worshipped. When he left, he looked at the stars, then the moon and thought he found the Creator, then when the dawn came to close, he saw the sun, bigger and brighter, and he thought he finally found what he was looking for until he realised that God created all this. That story resonates a lot with my everyday life but in other ways. I go to work and see people, speak with some of them and think I am in the right place, then I sit with others and feel I should change jobs. I talk to someone about work (my current job, a previous role or a future prospect) and get convinced that I made the right decision, then sit with someone else who rightfully challenges my thoughts and puts me back to square one. 

I returned to Egypt two years ago, full of excitement about coming back to my hometown, being closer to family and friends, and visualising a 'perfect' life for my wife, son (only one kid at the time) and myself. Two years forward and I still don't know if coming back was the right decision or not. Every day, and I mean every day, I am thinking about it. I have more work/life balance here, I see my family more often, and so, I feel I made the right choice. On the other hand, I am not challenged at work, I am being judged for lacking an 'Egyptian social life', and so, I ask myself if I made the right choice or not. I see my kids growing up playing with their grandparents every day, speaking Arabic, and learning more about our religion and culture, and I am over the moon about it, and then my mind plays tricks on me by asking me, would they have been deprived of those had we stayed in Dubai? I really don't know. The answer is, I don't know. 

I pray to God every day to choose the right path for me. To make it clearer, to not have any self-doubts about my decisions. People with options in life (options on where to live, where to work, where to study, etc.) will always find it harder. They will always wonder if they are making the right decisions for themselves and their families or if they should have chosen another path. When I was a kid, I was a follower of my parents. I changed countries when they did, I came back when they did, I ate what they fed me and I read whatever we had in the house. I played with the toys they gave me or the ones I told them to get me. My life, even if I had little control over it, was directed and guided by them. Now, as a forty-year-old, I am expected to do the same for my family (wife and kids). Every decision matters. Every decision counts. Every decision will shape a future. 

I remember when I first moved to the UAE, I was asking myself every day, 'Did I make the right choice? Was I right to leave a stable reputable job in Cairo and leave my family and wife (then fiancee) in Egypt to start a new life in another country? There wasn't a day when I didn't miss Egypt when I was away. 

I don't know what's right and what's wrong, but even Abraham was confused, and that's why it's normal to get confused. After all, I am human. I am strong yet fragile. I am wrong more than right. I try to do better and be better. I work hard but I am not a robot. I am always training my mind to feel good, however, a phone call could take me to the lowest of all lows. I breathe in and breathe out. I am human, and sometimes I wish I was young again so decisions could be taken on my behalf. 

C U When U Get There.

Ten days since my last blogpost but I have a very valid reason for this. After I drafted my last post, 10 days ago, I started off my weekend as a happy man, then halfway through it, I got to know that I had an important work task waiting for me when I set foot in the office, on Sunday. From the moment I entered the office last week, I was working day and night on that task, until I finally finished it on Thursday morning. To be honest, I could have blogged on Thursday itself, but I felt that I deserved a 'screen-break'. 

Here I am, it's the beginning of a new week, and I have the office by myself. I love empty offices and I love coming to the office knowing that I will be the first in my team to come. We have flexible working hours, but I am always the first to come in. It feels good to start the day way before everyone else. 

I just finished Steven Bartlett's book, The Diary of a CEO, and it was an absolute treasure, to the extent that I messaged a couple of my friends who are 'entrepreneurs' to tell them that they must listen to it (or read it). Steven is one of the guys that when I listen to, I am all in. There are so many people out there who are great speakers, but Steven is one guy I wish I could talk like. It feels that he has the power to keep on going, full force, non-stop for hours, keeping the same level of engagement and an excellent tone of voice, and he just doesn't need to stop/pause or take a break. You can never get bored of him. I did, however, get bored several times during his podcast, which goes by the same name, The Diary of a CEO, but it was usually because his guest wasn't as entertaining as him, or due to the topic - being out of interest, but listening to him reading out his book was pure gold. I was about to download his first book, Happy Sexy Millionaire, today, and listen to it, but instead, I opted for The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which has been screaming out my name to download it for a while now. Let's see what the hype is about. 

Again, reitrating my love for Audible; 5 books finished in less than 3 months, that's a new book every 2 weeks. I am so happy about my progress really. If I kept the same pace, that would mean completing 20 books in one year. I never read that amount of books in one year. There were books that I finished in one day, but the habit of continuously reading every day was never there, especially with so many things going on in my life. That's why Audible solved the solution, by linking driving and listening to books. Thank you once again, James Clear and BJ Fogg. 

Last week, my wife and I, completed 9 years together. Angie hates my driving and the fact that I never use Google Maps, unless, I really, really have to. She always instructs me to do things 'properly' and we still argue about irrational things, but she is still the woman I fell in love with and if time goes back I wouldn't change a thing - except, maybe, listening to her earlier. 💗

Affirmation.

Savage Garden would have probably went on to become one of the greatest pop-rock bands of all time had they not disbanded after just two albums. There is plenty on my mind, and yes, I haven't posted a blogpost yesterday, but I still blogged. It's saved in my drafts, however it wasn't a blogpost per se. I had a full day prepping some talking points for work and instead of using Microsoft as I normally do with a new document, I opened a new blogpost and started writing. Keeping up with the habit and the interface of Blogger is much more nicer than Word, and it also felt like blogging, even if I wasn't actually blogging. :) I still have a lot of work to do, and we have a long weekend in the country starting tomorrow. I was supposed to travel tomorrow to Saudi Arabia; not really supposed to - as it was an idea my family and I explored yesterday, but, unfortuantely, I am unable to fly because I needed a specific visa. I am planning to go watch the new Paw Patrol movie, enjoy my F45 workouts, relax, schedule a facial session and try to spread extra happiness in the world. Stay safe, be kind and speak to you on Sunday.

Goodbye, Omar Bakier.

I am still trying to digest the shocking news, all whilst resuming my normal day-to-day life. Yesterday was a bit weird after finding out the news, right before I entered a team meeting. I was sitting in the meeting, listening to what people were saying and my head was blank. I was revisiting memories of Omar back in school. On the drive back home, my co-worker was talking about her weekend, what she did, who she saw, and I was faking listening to her. I went home and played with my kids, put my son to sleep, and slept beside him, again, remembering school days with Omar. I woke up several times during the night, just thinking of him. I didn't cry. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I went to the gym this morning, worked out, joked with those around me, drove to work, and here I am writing this. 

Omar came to El Alsson School in Prep 1, a year after I had been there. Together, we were in the 'International' section of the school, which was in the form of two classes. Most of the kids who joined the International section were all new joiners like Omar, and together (those 2 classes) were always together, kind of inseparable. Our classes were beside each other, in a different building from our friends in the 'National' section. We sat together during breaks and had the same PE and Music classes. Omar wasn't with me in class during his first year, but in the two years that followed, they shuffled our classes and he became with me in class. He left school, like many others, after Prep 3 to do his IGCSE in another school and later on went to the US to finish his high school before returning back to Cairo for university and eventually moving to Canada, where he was living till he passed away a few days ago. 

Omar was the tallest kid in class, or probably the entire year group. He was well-built, thin, but strong. He used to box. I think he was the first kid I knew who did boxing as a sport. He wasn't a bully, but he always cracked jokes about everyone, kids and teachers alike. I remember at first I didn't get along with Omar, maybe because he cracked jokes or I thought he was a bully, but he wasn't, at all, and I along with everyone in the class loved him. He used to stand up in the middle of the class and talk back to the teacher - a rebellious act - that none of us dared to do back then. He used to get dismissed from class a lot, either because he was talking to someone in class, or making jokes at the teacher, but we knew he had our backs, and we loved him for it. I remember one incident when he arm wrestled our Arabic/Religion teacher, Mr. Rasmy, and he probably won, I can't really remember, but it was a heroic moment, still planted in my memory. He used to call me, along with Mohamed Hedayet, his best friend at the time, 'Ghaby' which is the opposite of my father's name, 'Zaki'. Ghaby means dumb in Arabic. At first, it annoyed me, and maybe that's one of the reasons why I didn't get along with him, but later on, I learned to accept these types of jokes, and it never bothered me. Omar coined the greatest nickname of all time, in Prep 2, when Ahmed Tarek Abdelrahman, aka Farf, joined our class. Ahmed used to live in Maadi, just like Omar, and share the same bus with him. Ahmed used to get bullied a lot in school during his first year, coming fresh from Qatar and barely spoke any Arabic, unfortunately, sometimes people called him, 'Farfour,' which means 'delicate' in Arabic and kids call others that when they want to make fun of them, i.e. you're not man enough. Omar, shortened the nickname to Farf, and Ahmed, just like me, was annoyed at first, but then he embraced this nickname and until this day he is saved as 'Farf' on my phone. 

Omar was the type of kid who would smirk in class photos. He was always standing in the back row because he was the tallest - I used to stand back too, but I am short in comparison to him. I think we stood beside each other in his last year during the school photo - I will have to look it up. He had a noticeable dimple in his cheeks. I remember one time during a computer class he asked me how many siblings I have and when I told him I have two brothers and one sister, he told me, 'Sherif, your dad must have a gigantic penis.' He always cracked jokes like that, jokes that I never heard before, he always spoke way ahead of his age, and at school, he also used to hang with the senior kids. At birthday parties, Omar was always the first to hit the dance floor. I remember one time, he was slow-dancing with this girl, and he looked at me and winked - which was a boys' code back then, indirectly telling us, 'I've won the lottery.'

Omar left school after Prep 3 which was in May 1996. I think I saw him a handful of times in the few years that followed at house parties where he, and others who left our school, were still invited, but, my last two memories of him were in that summer itself, the last week of school in 1996. A couple of days before the last day of school, Omar, Hedayet and a couple of guys and girls from the National section, who were the coolest boys and girls back then, told me that they were planning to take a day-use at the Movenpick Hotel (one of the finest hotels back then) after school and asked me to join them. They told me to keep it on the down-low as they would not tell the other boys in class. I felt privileged and that I was suddenly part of the 'coolest' gang in school. I was upgraded. It's like being asked to get in a limo with celebs that no one has access to. I packed my bag the night before, with the swimsuit, and my best clothes, I took money from my parents, and I was all ready for that day-use. I've always heard about day-uses at hotels from my elder brothers who used to do it all the time with their friends; going to spend the day at a hotel, renting a couple of rooms, swimming and dining - 'I am now ready to become a 'Senior', I said to myself.' We had an Art exam on the last day, and up until this day, I remember what I drew. Sun, sea, a shark and a man. I finished the exam in 5 minutes and left the class. Everyone looked at me wondering how come I was leaving a 2-hour exam after just 5 mins! Omar, Hedayet and the rest had already left and were waiting at the car park. One of the National boys had his dad's car and a driver. We drove off to the hotel, and since we were all under the age of 16, the hotel didn't allow us to check-in. We even tried to use the driver's ID and book the room under his name but the hotel refused. We were let down, but we had promised ourselves to have a blast regardless, and one of the boys told us his villa was empty and we could all go and just chill there. We all agreed and had the entire house for ourselves. It was a great day and again, Omar, was the heart of that small private party. On our way home, we took separate cars because some of us lived on one side and the others lived on the other side of town. I wasn't riding with Omar, but on the way back home, I was introduced to the album, Face the Heat, by Scorpions, and in particular, their song, Lonely Nights. I had never listened to that song or album before, and it took me years - thanks to the internet, to know the name of the song - which has been a favourite of mine ever since. Going back home and for the days that followed I was reminiscing about that party and the lovely day we all had. A few days later, Omar and I, along with the rest of our International class, were reunited at Yasmine Khalil's (Jessie) house in Maadi. Jessie had planned to host an end-of-year party at her house in Maadi and also to bid farewell to Omar and those who were leaving school. It was my first, and last time, to go to Jessie's house, and again, Omar was at the heart of the party. We all had a blast that night. Basem, one of my closest friends at the time, who lived on the other side of town, told his mom that he would spend the night over at my place. It was the first time I had a friend of mine come sleep over. We got home really late that night. Basem slept with my brothers and me in our room, we had an extra bed and he slept on it. Basem had a wet dream that night; he was so happy because he was the only boy in our group who had still not experienced the final and main step in the puberty cycle, ejaculation! It was a joke back then and for years that followed that my house was Basem's lucky charm. 

The report card was ready the following week and I had failed Art. It was the only final that I failed, in my school and university life. Like I failed normal tests or mid-year exams before and after, but it was the only time in my life that I ever failed an end-of-year final exam. I scored 5 out of 100. I will never forget the laugh I had back then. Still, going on that after-school adventure that day was worth it. Omar's family owns 'Bakier Stores,' which is the most famous high-end stationary store in Egypt with its network of branches spread across the country. My wife, my sister and probably all teachers and students shop from there. I come across a 'Bakier Stationary' store at least once a day on my commute to work. 

I blogged about Omar before, here, 10 years ago, saying that I miss him, and little did I know, that 10 years after, I will be blogging about him, saying that I will miss him, but this time, it's different. 

Rest in peace my childhood friend, and till we meet again, I will always pray for you. 😢💓🙏

Fantasy Premier League.

Oh to the madness!

I can't remember the first time I played FPL but I think circa 2005-2006. I played Yahoo Fantasy a couple of years before then, but I don't remember much about it. The FPL on the official Premier League website was something else. I don't recall much about that year in specific, but I remember clearly the season 2007/2008 when I suddenly became a regular football analyst on the radio and had my 15 minutes when that extended to TV. I used to analyse Premier League (and other European football) games, but the core of my show was EPL-focused and a part of my segment involved FPL analysis too. 

I was so hyped back then - being on radio and TV, sounding like an expert - i.e. offering something that no one else was talking about, it felt good. I used to play FPL with some weird rules, that I had created for myself, which were; never choosing a player from Arsenal, Liverpool, City or Chelsea - the teams I hated, or to be more accurate, those who were also competing with United at the time. I knew I could never win the Fantasy league I was in, because of depriving myself of so many assets and points, but it gave me peace of mind. I could never support a rival to win. That trend stayed for a few seasons, and then I wanted to prove to the world (in that case, my friends who rivalled me in the league) that I could win the league itself if I played without those rules. I created two accounts, my original account, under my name, which played with those rules, and then I created a mysterious account and used a girl's name as the team owner. I wanted to create some spice around it. None of my friends knew who was 'THAT' girl who joined our league. I even said I don't know her - she is a friend of a friend. I named her Hana El Alfy. I don't know why Hana, and why El Alfy. But that was the name I chose. Hana went on to win the FPL season 2010/2011 and Sherif Zaki went on to finish 2nd. I proved to everyone that I could win, and by finishing 2nd with my own team, I proved that I could also win it without having premium players from rivals. My love for FPL died a little after that season - it's like I had already accomplished the impossible. It was then that I decided to stop playing Fantasy Football and enjoy the games as a spectator. I became an 'advisor' to some friends who sought my knowledge on who to buy, but this eventually faded over time, which is usually the case with everything; 'those who are away from the eyes, far from the heart.'

After nearly a decade away, some of my friends, not the ones I used to play with/against, convinced me to come back and play. That year also coincided with COVID and it was fun to be back and fill a void of free time. I remember getting all happy like a little kid every week while preparing my team. Of course, I didn't expect to win the league, and I didn't, but it was good to be back. Our Fantasy community grew year by year with more people joining to play the game. For the past two seasons, I have also joined a private community with a subscription fee and weekly awards. The game makes me happy, and sad, it makes me go crazy at times. Sometimes I try not to look at my phone on Saturdays and check the scores, and of course, I cave in at the end - like a rollercoaster ride, you want to shut your eyes and scream your lungs out but you also want to open your eyes and raise your arms in joy at the same time! My wife keeps catching me smiling while I am staring at my phone and she asks me why I have a stupid smile on my face. Just yesterday, she asked me the same, and she didn't believe me when I told her it was all fantasy football related. I think boys (men, in our case) get amused easily and just like that hot lady told Pierce Brosnan in my favourite Bond movie, GoldenEye, 'You're like boys with toys.'

The difference now is that I don't play by my own weird rules. I do pick players from rival teams. I think what also helps is that my team (Manchester United) is not competing. 

I just received some bad news, someone who went to school with me, has passed away in Canada. I will forever remember him fondly, one of the funniest and most pleasant people I shared a classroom with. RIP Omar Bakeer. 

Stay safe, be kind, and pray for Omar.