For “Father and Son”…

I think I was too young to remember “music” back when we were living in Canada. But I distinctly remember growing fond of it after we had moved back to Lebanon in 1996, when I was almost 10, especially during our family road trips in the car. We’d sometimes turn on the radio, but more often than not, Dad would like to put in some of his own music, most of which was Cat Stevens, and trip after trip, I grew a liking to him and his songs and I slowly began memorizing the lyrics…

But there was this one song in particular, that always gave me this strange feeling, especially when we were driving home on Sunday afternoons. I guess it’s the words of the song like, “Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away. I know I have to go…” That line always sent shivers through me. Yet listening to it I felt safe, and I always remember my father when I listen to it. And so, that was the song I came here for…

Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam as he likes to be called, was a brilliant concert for me. The audience was mostly old, and I think that’s one of the things I liked best about it. It brought back memories; it brought me back to roots. But most of all, it was a blessing to be watching it with my father… :-)

A lot of Cat’s old and familiar songs were played, especially my favorites like “Where Do the Children Play?”, “Wild World”, and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”. But I also discovered a new favorite of mine that night, “Tuesday’s Dead” which was played right before the intermission. I think for a title that’s got the word “dead” in it, it’s got one of the most upbeat tempos I've ever heard! Definitely another one of my new top Cat Stevens songs!

That night, Cat said that there are only two kinds of stories in life: those about leaving home, and those about coming home… That couldn't be truer! And a little towards the end of his stage time, a couple of youngsters at the back started screaming for him. He pulled up and chair, quite tired, and told them to “take it easy… which brings me to my next song”. I instantly knew it was not time to make a change, and set my phone to video mode, for “Father and Son”, my ultimate favorite song of his:

A Remembrance...

Lately I've been posting a lot of anti-Valentine’s statuses on Facebook and BBM: “Valentine's Day is cancelled, here's the mathematical proof: 14-02-12 = 0”, “Some call it Valentine's Day ... I call it Tuesday”, and to all my friends who are committed: "Happy Valentine's Day" ... and to all my friends who are single, "Happy Independence Day". And though I couldn't help but chuckle at the posts, there’s a little part of me that thinks there’s something sweet about this holiday…

Mich called me and A last night, asking if we’d want to go to Beirut with him today. Since we didn't have any prior plans, we were on the way there by 10 AM this morning. Our first and foremost stop was Hariri’s memorial site…

It wasn't too crowded yet there were a good amount of people there. As soon as I stepped in, I had a flashback… It’s been 7 years since the assassination. 7 years since I was sitting in our AUB dorm room with Nadine, when a deafening explosion shook us both. We looked up at the sky to see dark black smoke from the distance, and so we ran out of our rooms, trying to find out what had happened. The TV in the common room was already turned on with live footage, and more than half the residents were gathered around it. Moments later, we somberly learned that Hariri’s life had been claimed. And that all hell had broken loose…

I can’t believe that it’s already been 7 years. A lot has changed, yet in a way, nothing has changed at all. But if I could sum up the entire present day, it would be in this picture I took, this heart shaped arrangement of roses that his wife had placed on his grave this morning:

I took these two pictures at the memorial as well before we each said a prayer and went back to spend the rest of our work-free day in Beirut… HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY <3

Titanic Valentine’s Day Messages

If you asked me what my favorite movie was, I would without hesitation say “Titanic”, and no, not only because my favorite actor stars in it. Oh Leo, you’re so dreamy! :-P Anyway, I found these three “Titanic Valentine’s Day Messages” on Facebook this morning, and I couldn't help but post them, they’re so sweet:

I am also bucket loads exited for Titanic 3D to come out in April! So I’ll leave my Titanic love for when the movie comes out in two months… till then, here's the trailer:

I Will Always Love You...

In Memory of Whitney Houston ... (Aug 9, 1963 - Feb 11, 2012)

Featured in Annahar Newspaper

I just got a call from one of Nawfal Palace’s “Winter Cultural Season” organizers, Khaled Merheb, telling me that there was an article about my exhibition (written by Souhaib Ayoub) in Annahar Newspaper! :-)

Click images to enlarge or click here to read the full article on Annahar

"Uncommon Pictures" Photo Exhibition

Well, it’s officially over. The “Uncommon Pictures” photo exhibition I had at Nawfal Palace with a fellow amateur photographer, Noor Fattal. It was a pretty hectic, yet rewarding week. I got to develop twenty of my photos for the first time, in three different sizes: 2 A4s, 16 A3s, and 2 50*70. Here are two of my prized photos of the exhibition:

I first want to thank Mr. Elias Khlat and Khaled Merheb for giving me the opportunity to showcase my work. I then want to thank Taha Baba and Omar Bakkour for taking the time to help me hang up the pictures last week. The boards aren't very practical for displaying your work and so Taha came up with a creative way to display the pics. And a big thanks goes out to everybody from my family, friends, colleagues, and other visitors who came and showed their support and encouragement. It really means a lot to me when someone says that they admire my work. Thank You! :-)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I've never read the book, nor do I know what it talks about. But the title fits this post, for reasons I prefer to keep to myself…

I first met him at the bank where he was our client, a regular. I’d see him at least several times a week and I’d often take care of his customary banking transactions. He’d always thank me, ending with “God bless you, dear” and inside I’d smile for having satisfied a customer…

He wasn't that old, but he wasn’t young either. He was 73, with the spirit of a man twenty years younger than that. He was accurate and well-organized, always jotting down notes and numbers in his big black notebook. He was a rare gentleman, and sincerely I liked him…

And then I read his name, and the news of his passing. A heart attack…

I shivered. I had just seen him less than 24 hours ago, and he seemed absolutely fine. And now, just like that, I was never going to see him again…

I suddenly became more aware of my own heart beating in my chest cavity. I could feel the blood flowing through my veins and arteries, and all the other organs and vessels inside the human body, how they all function in perfect symmetry with each other… until one day, they stop…

But there’s something soothing about the Quranic verse, “إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون” which translates into “We belong to God, and to Him we shall return…”

Rest in Peace, K.M.A. 1939 - 2012

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Nour Kabbara on Helwi Beirut - Tripoli Photography

Here it is, my TV interview on LBC's "Helwi Beirut" from last night:

I'll Be There

So I was enjoying some of the gifts my brother got me for the holidays, one of which was Michael Jackson’s “Immortal” album. Wait, let me give you a little background info on that…

Over the summer when we were Canada, we booked seats for Cirque du Soleil’s “Totem”. It was a spectacular performance indeed and in October, well after we had traveled back home, they had a tributary show for “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour”. And my brother decided to go. He said it was brilliant, and here’s a YouTube segment:

Now back to the commemoration album. I reached the eighteenth track “I’ll Be There”, which I hadn't listened to in a long time, and I remembered how it’s one of the best tracks off any MJ CD, even if its from his childhood days as The Jackson 5. The lyrics, the meaning, the emotion. The words need to be posted, and then listen to the song:

You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back. Where there is love, I’ll be there (I’ll be there…) I’ll reach out my hand to you, I’ll have faith in all you do, just call my name and I’ll be there (I’ll be there…) And oh – I’ll be there to comfort you, build my world of dreams around you, I’m so glad that I found you. I’ll be there with a love that’s strong, I’ll be your strength, I’ll keep holding on – (Yes I will, Yes I will). Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter. Togetherness, well that’s all I’m after. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there (I’ll be there…) I’ll be there to protect you, with an unselfish love I respect you. Just call my name and I’ll be there (I’ll be there…)

Home For Christmas '11

Yesterday after I got off work at 1:00pm, my parents picked me up and we drove down to Beirut to pick my brother up from the airport, his flight was due at 4:00pm.

We arrived just as his plane was landing and as we walked in to the arrivals section, I was quite overwhelmed with all the people there, waiting. The atmosphere was just full of airport love and longing: parents waiting for their student sons or daughters, little children waiting for their working fathers or mothers, lovers waiting for their loves… in every person I looked at, my mind would come up with a story of whom that person could be, and who he/she could be waiting for…

Add to that the festive songs of the holiday season playing in the background; add to it being December 24th, Christmas Eve, I genuinely felt happy for all the passengers who had just come home for the holidays!

And then the phone rang. It was my brother, he had arrived, but his bags had not. He said there had been a delay in the take off from Montreal and so he had barely made his connecting flight from Paris. But he was told that his luggage should arrive in the next plane from Paris which was due to land at 7:00pm. And he was a little ticked off...

So to kill time, we drove to Beirut Souks for dinner at The Met. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and as we were dining, little icicles began falling down from the ceiling. A white Christmas indeed! And in the spirit, I couldn’t help but snap this picture of The Christmas Tree under the pouring rain and hail:

Christmas Trees make me feel warm inside. I think it’s their flickering lights, their secure stance, as if they’re saying "I’ll always shine a light for you". Peace.

We finished dinner and drove back to the airport where thankfully, the suitcases had indeed arrived. We loaded them into the trunk and drove back home…

It definitely wasn't the Christmas Eve I had planned, but it’ll go down as one of the best Christmas Eves I’ve had till date ... Happy Holidays! :-)