The Amman Smiley Awards

November 11, 2006 at 3:02 pm · Filed under Amman, Roba

I was walking out of a restaurant and my eye caught someone’s eye. Three years ago I would have smiled. Today, my face remained blank.

A minute later, I felt terrible. I am the person who used to win the annual Smiley Awards (awarded to the person who smiles the most) at my high school every single year. Today, I have a hard time smiling randomly. I guess I’ve been in Amman for too long.

Anyway, after some thought and some rather unsuccessful attempts at smiling randomly, I decided to create the Amman Smiley Award. Whether you win the award or not is completely your choice. All you have to do is to make it a point to smile whenever you can; at the Burger King drive-thru guy, at people when you’re in the car, at the cashier man at the grocery store, at your friends, at me if you ever see me, just smile randomly.

Let’s make this city a happier, smileyier place.

At the end, when we feel like we’ve started smiling more often, we can all go and have some ice cream. Who wants to join the self-enforced Amman Smiley Awards? :)






  • http://www.hindtrumpet.blogspot.com hind sabanekh

    interesting!!! count me in :)
    everybody asks me how could i do that but i cant stop smiling no matter what!! hehehe but i like the idea i’m smiling already!

  • http://iman-a.com Iman

    You’re right, that’s a nice reminder!
    Though I’m a smiley person, I’m still somewhat selective of who I smile at…Sometimes, and to some, it could be interpreted in many wrong ways! ;)
    :D

    :) :) ;) :) :) :) :) :)

  • http://rebecca-jordan.livejournal.com/ Rebecca

    So who’s going to design the “Bloggers for a Smileyer Amman” Banner for us all to add to our web sites? ;)

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Lol Rebecca, check out the shirt version of a sidebar banner. Would that work?

  • http://thesugarcubes.net Shaden

    You know I’m one of those people who should probably smile less, for I feel silly sometimes smiling without a reason :P not to mention laughing at the silliest things but seriously, it gets to me when people don’t smile back, sometimes it’s funny, for it sounds like they just can’t! as if they have a problem in the nerves system or something.

    A smile costs nothing but it really does a lot, and if you’re religious (whatever religious means to you) you are encouraged to smile because smiling is like giving charity, and if you’re not religious smiling is good for your health and it puts others at ease when they deal with you. I don’t know I personally appreciate it when someone smiles at me, it is really comforting especially if I was having a bad day.

    So I’m already in Roba :-)

    P.S Iman, tell me about interpreting a smile in a wrong way :-D

  • http://omernos.com/blog omar

    I think it’s a great idea
    they used to call me happy kid since I was all happy and smiling! LOL
    Even in school, nafs el gossa ma3aki

    YAY! Roba’s making a change! :D
    I love smiling into people’s faces
    but I get afraid they won’t! HEHEHE

    omar

  • http://www.taniatwal.com Monty

    yeah count me in :) :) :)
    I hate it when ppl keep talking about the Jordanian KASAHRA , but my question is who are the Jordanian? its all of us who live in Jordan , so keep smiling Jordanians :)

  • http://www.my-deep-ocean.blogspot.com Ghaith Al-Amaireh

    with you all the way, and look to the bright side we do have smiling Jordanians! it’s just that we need more of them ;-P

  • http://moeys.net Moey

    quoting borat:
    I Like.. HIGH FIVE!!!!!!

  • Zvi

    If you smile a lot, you will find that you feel happier too. There are apparently links between brain chemistry and facial expression that work in both directions. So if you smile a lot, it is good for YOU too :-)

    Go for it.

  • Bibi

    Have been in Cairo for 3 months now. At first I thought the women here were rather grim-looking. Until I just started flashing me sweetest smile at them (in elevators, shops…).
    Oops!
    I forgot!
    What you give out in this world is gonna come right back at you.

  • mohammad

    well , reading your topic made me smile, i used to smile alot , but not anymore , the reason : i smile at ppl and they look at me in a weird way like i did something wrong , i mean last week i was going to wait for the university bus , and when i got to the bus stop there were like 2 girls and a guy , so when i got there i said saba7 al 5air , and they looked at me like ebser sho 7akeet, i don’t know what’s wrong with ppl ,