NourSpot

Featured in Annahar Newspaper

2012-01-17T21:13:00.005+02:00

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

2012-01-13T20:25:00.007+02:00

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

2012-01-12T21:33:00.005+02:00

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

2012-01-04T23:06:00.002+02:00

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

I'll Be There

2011-12-25T20:39:00.002+02:00

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

2011-12-25T20:03:00.004+02:00

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! :-)

Tis The Season To Be Jolly!

2011-12-07T21:11:00.001+02:00

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Beirut with two of my closest friends from AUB, Dan and Nadz. They both flew in from Kuwait and Jordan respectively and I took the weekend off to spend it with them. I haven’t been to Beirut in a while, and though I don’t appreciate the capital as much as I do Tripoli (shocker!), it was a good getaway and the Christmas spirit was in the air:

Thank You For The “Likes” :-)

2011-11-22T20:19:00.006+02:00

I’d like to start this post by saying Thank You. Thank You to the best and most wonderful family, relatives, friends, and even acquaintances in supporting me in my campaign to get the most “Likes” on the below photo:

Official Link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=641407498342&set=o.296675003692929&type=1&ref=nf

As of this moment, I have 455 “Likes”, which is way over 300 “Likes” away from me winning… But, due to some Facebook error (I’d like to believe it’s a Facebook error and not an intentional bump in the road), my photo, along with several other competing photos, lost their “Like” feature. And many people, even after “Liking” the “Tripoli Carfree City” Page, were still unable to “Like” those misfortunate photos…

I (along with my support group) tried to do everything in our power to fix it, to find a loophole, to get more votes, but it was all to no avail. After a steady increase in votes for my picture over the past few days, several other contestants have been able to surpass me by quite a fair amount. And since I've gotten most of my friends to “Like”, and exhausted my resources, as of this moment, I have no other choice but to leave my picture there, with little chance of it picking up more “Likes” than it already has, and smile … :-)

I want to smile because of you, sincerely, I want to thank each and every person who voted, shared, and supported me. Your support has been overwhelming, you wanted to move mountains for me, and you did, and I am forever grateful! THANK YOU! EACH "LIKE" WAS APPRECIATED! :-)

Tripoli's Car-Free Day Photo Competition!

2011-11-18T21:13:00.004+02:00

Dear Friends & Readers,

I need your help! About my last post, “Tripoli’s Car-Free Day”, there’s this photography competition, and there’s this photo that I submitted for the competition:

I really need your help! Please, Please, Please, go to this link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=641407498342&set=o.296675003692929&type=1&ref=notif&notif_t=like&theater

and click “like” on the photo. I need to get the most amount of likes among the other contestants (from now till the end of the month) in order to win, the prize being a spanking brand new Canon 500D (more advanced than my current camera!) PLEASE, "LIKE" IT! :-)

Pictures from Tripoli’s Car Free Day!

2011-11-18T20:48:00.006+02:00

So, I know this is a few days overdue, but as I’d posted last week, last Sunday was “Tripoli and Mina’s Car-Free Day”, and what a day it was! I spent most of it at our BankMed stand, handing out gapples (organic apples), which were, all bias aside, the best tasting apples I've ever had!

I also got the chance to see Mr. President Michel Suleiman up close in the VIP section, and I got these two shots of him:

All in all it was a wonderful day, and it was beyond wonderful seeing Tripoli actually car-free! And instead of it being an annual event, I really hope it’s done a lot more often than that… :-)

THE NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE...

2011-11-12T15:13:00.006+02:00

So, The New Seven Wonders of Nature are out, and no, Jeita is not one of them. But, have you taken a look at the 7? In alphabetical order, they are:

1- AMAZON (BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, FRENCH GUIANA, GUYANA, PERU, SURINAME, VENEZUELA)

The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), though the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres), located within nine nations. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total flow greater than the top ten rivers worldwide combined. It accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total world river flow and has the biggest drainage basin on the planet. Not a single bridge crosses the Amazon.

2- HALONG BAY (VIETNAM)

Halong Bay is located in Quáng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

3- IGUAZU FALLS (ARGENTINA, BRAZIL)

Iguazu Falls, in Iguazu River, are one of the world's largest waterfalls. They extend over 2,700 m (nearly 2 miles) in a semi-circular shape. Of the 275 falls that collectively make up Iguassu Falls, "Devil's Throat" is the tallest at 80 m in height. Iguazu Falls are on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, and are surrounded by two National Parks (BR/ARG). Both are subtropical rainforests that are host to hundreds of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

4- JEJU ISLAND (SOUTH KOREA)

Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 sqkm. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.

5- KOMODO (INDONESIA)

Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.

6- PUERTI PRINCESA UNDERGROUND RIVER (PHILIPPINES)

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

7- TABLE MOUNTAIN (SOUTH AFRICA)

Table Mountain is a South African icon and the only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it - Mensa, meaning “the table.” The flat-topped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion and hosts the richest, yet smallest floral kingdom on earth with over 1,470 floral species. Table Mountain boasts numerous rare and endangered species. It is the most recognized site in Cape Town, the gateway to Africa, owing to its unique flat-topped peaks which reach 1,086 m above sea level.

TRIPOLI & MINA'S CAR-FREE DAY!

2011-11-11T19:57:00.006+02:00

Description Of The Project:

The Mina-Tripoli Carfree Day is an initiative of the Tripoli Youth Network, and supported by BankMed, and Maurice Fadel Prize. It aims at promoting an environmentally friendly culture in Tripoli and Lebanon by banning cars in 2 major axes of Tripoli and Mina and organizing, within this track, sports, cultural and entertaining events, to which all inhabitants of Tripoli and beyond would be invited to participate.

The Tripoli Youth Network is a coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations operating in Tripoli and run by young active citizens driven by a common mission to positively contribute to the city of Tripoli as well as the nation of Lebanon as a whole. The Network and its constituencies have thus joined forces for organizing their first initiative: “A Carfree Day in Tripoli Mega-Event” promoting a better environment and responsible citizenship.

During this Mega Green Event we aim at: raising awareness about the environment and the environmental challenges confronting Lebanon in general and the North in particular, educating people on how they can become eco-friendly, and demonstrating in particular ways in which they can enjoy their city without necessarily being dependent on their cars, which is a major cause of air, noise, and visual pollution, giving local citizens the opportunity to enjoy the space freed from cars and rediscover their city and the treasures within it, while remaining a politically neutral event!

Program Of The Day:

Carfree Day in Tripoli and Mina Cities is on Sunday the 13th of November 2011. Super shiny sun or shy sun hidden under tiny water drops, BOOK your calendar and plan for a FULLY BOOKED day from 12 PM till 6 PM!

Our program is simple! 6 hours of nonstop environmental, sports, artistic, urban arts, musical, cultural, entertainment activities for everyone!

At 12:00 p.m. – The Inauguration Ceremony Under the High Patronage of His Excellency The President of the Republic of Lebanon General Michel SLEIMAN. From 1:00 pm till 6:00 pm – The Launching of all the Activities…

Competition And Activities:

Have you ever thought that a huge stage will be placed in the middle of the cross roads near Dar el Chimal with famous bands and singers playing and performing for 6-8 hours nonstop and another humungous stage standing in Cornish El Mina sparkling with Lebanese star bands and rocking the place with the sea breeze playing with your hair and your heart pounding from joy? Did you ever think that BENETTON’s side walk will be altered to become a kid’s zone? Did it ever come across your mind that you can bring your couch and use the asphalt roads as your rug? Have you ever dreamed of exploring your city, walking, jogging, skateboarding, “scootering”, cycling without worrying about the horns howling and damaging your serenity and peace of mind or a crazy car or truck careless about your escapade hunting your path? Don’t you just simply wish to take a nice long walk with your friends and family, shopping, exploring, learning, enjoying and that’s in two major road axes in Tripoli and Mina when seeing them “Carfree” was only a far, far, far impossible day dream?

Unlimited activities, nonstop artistic performances, 6 basketball playgrounds, urban arts, graffiti, awareness stands, food, beverages, 10 km race, solar car race, bike promenades, air blown games, paint ball, and so much more; Tripoli and Mina Cities will be as never seen before!

Saturday Night - 12 November 2011: Performance by the Superstar Ragheb Alama, Ambassador of the United Nations campaign for the Environment Program. (Tickets sold at Virgin Megastores for $10, $30, $50, $200)

Sunday All Day Long - 13 November 2011: Drawings exhibitions, kids’ zone, photo competition, 6 basketball playgrounds, 4 football playgrounds, Grafitti, urban arts by Gilbert Extreme, more than 100 stands distributed among reputable green NGOs, your favorite foods and drinks and entertaining activities, scouts parades, 4 bus stations to pick interested participants from one location to another, 10 Km Race (in association with Ma’an Loubnan),

On Mina Stage Performances: Mr. Vergo (Arabic rap, Tripoli Band), Killer Muffin(Grunge and Garage, Tripoli Band), Toxic Trash(Punk, Tripoli Band), Venemy (Metal, Beirut Band), Kristen Hope (Folk, US Band), Hezb L Taleta (Electro, Beirut Band), Adonis (Arabic pop fusion, Beirut Band), The Incompetents (Indie, Beirut Band), Lazzy Lung (Indie, Rock, Canada, Beirut Band), Belime

On Tripoli Stage Performances: Demons (Rock, Tripoli Band), Mohamad Cha’ar, 7 Ta2aT (Rap, Tripoli Band), Capoera Howl (English Pop, Tripoli Band), Tirashrash, and many, many more…

Jack's Mannequin

2011-11-03T20:52:00.006+02:00

There’s a lot of good music out there, but it’s not always easy to find. And when you do, it’s more often than not, that it’s only one or two good songs off the same artist or band. But to have a good artist or band with several good songs, that is rare. Yet a couple of years ago, I discovered one of those exceptional two-in-one music makers: Jack’s Mannequin, lead by an artist on all levels, Andrew McMahon.

I first heard of the band Jack’s Mannequin through my favorite television series, OTH (which, FYI, is an amazing music source for starter bands, check: OTH-MUSIC. In fact, each episode is titled after a different song in time). Their first single, “The Mixed Tape” was featured on the show, with the actual band performing it live and my ears pricked up at their music and lyrics…

I looked them up online and at the time (in late 2008), I found out they had only two albums: “Everything In Transit” (2005) and “The Glass Passenger” (2008). I downloaded both their albums and kept playing and replaying their songs over a thousand times (proof on last.fm ;-)

It wasn’t until a couple of days ago (during my sick leave) when I noticed a friend was listening to a song called “My Racing Thoughts” for… Jack’s Mannequin! And I thought whoa, a song I don’t know! I looked it up and was pleasantly surprised to see that just last month; they had released a third new album, “People and Things”! :-)

I of course downloaded their eleven brilliant new tracks, with my favorite being “Casting Lines”. Just read these opening lyrics:

“You learn to run, you learn to race, through life, it’s unforgiving pace… these lines we’re tracing to the truth… and stepping over endless cracks, I navigate these crooked paths… BUT ALL MY ROADS LEAD BACK TO YOU…” :-)

Life In A Day

2011-11-02T19:44:00.002+02:00

Its amazing how one thing leads to another, how everything’s connected. I was just reading Sietske’s inspired post “Blogging” and I was about to write her a comment when I noticed another blogger, Nicolien had left her a comment with a link. I clicked on it and it led me to the trailer of “Life In A Day”:

I too sometimes wonder how at this moment, at this very moment, how many people are doing the same thing we are? How many are going to bed right now? How many are waking up right now? How many are going to work, working, taking time off, or travelling? At this exact moment, how many people are arguing? Fighting? Sharing or spreading happiness? Having dreams come true? How many are preparing food? Eating? Talking on the phone? How many are holding hands? Proposing? Getting married? Having children?

Every day, every single day, all that, and more, happens! All the actions of the world, all the people living in different houses, in different areas in different parts of the world…. over 6 billion souls, and somehow, we’re all connected… (click here to watch the full 1 hour version:-)

So Sick

2011-11-01T11:07:00.003+02:00

Hei blog, it’s me. I know, it’s not like me to post at 11:00am on a Tuesday morning (when I should be at work!), especially at the start of the month (when work needs me the most!) but I finally caught the flu, the kind sucks the life out of you! :-(

I think I began feeling a little queasy a couple of days ago. Typical me, I ignored the symptoms and I went out and about this weekend until I got quite sick on Sunday and spent most of the day in bed. But, I had my cousin’s wedding that night which I couldn't miss for the world, so I ended up feeling sick as a dog…

And, to add insult to injury, I actually woke up and went to work on Monday morning in the dire condition I was in!

Of course I’d overworked myself to the limit by then so I was forced to take off early and headed straight to the doctor’s, who told me that I’d got a combination of a bacterial and viral infection in my trachea (thus the seriously sore throat) and prescribed three different medicines for me and told me its best I take two days off...

So, fast forward from 12 hours of nonstop sleep since 9:00pm last night, I got up this morning, with less pain and less cough, had a light breakfast, and peacefully sipped tea for fifteen minutes (as opposed to gulping it down in 5 minutes at 7:00am as I’m rushing to work). It feels odd though, doing all the things in slow motion… but God, how my body needed a rest!

Vote For Jeita Grotto

2011-10-21T18:51:00.006+03:00

Two days ago, I received this text message: ‘Vote for Jeita. Send the word “Jeita” to 1070. The Ministry of Tourism is offering this SMS free of charge, however a cost of 10 cents will be charged by the organizers of the New Seven Wonders Competition.’

And since then, there’s been a lot of online buzz about it. I got BBM broadcasts, Facebook posts, and I’ve read several blog posts about the matter (some for, and shockingly, some against!). So I thought I’d step in with my two cents: Vote for Jeita!

Because by voting for Jeita, you’re voting for Lebanon! You’re not voting for a person or a political party or anything that has a possibility of disappointing you. No, you’re voting for a piece of your country, for a piece that belongs to you! And voting means giving your approval and your appreciation. And I do, and that’s why I vote for Jeita Grotto! Don’t You?

Only 20 more days remain till 11/11/11, the date of the winning announcement, so come on people, VOTE FOR JEITA as one of the the New7Wonders of Nature!

81% Full Moon over Tripoli, Lebanon tonight...

2011-10-16T22:16:00.000+03:00

Good Night, Sweet Dreams! :-)

Blog Action Day 2011: Let’s Talk About Food

2011-10-16T20:40:00.004+03:00

When I got up this morning, with it being a Sunday, I had pancakes for breakfast of course! And then for lunch, my family and I went up to the beautiful mountains of Aito for lunch in a cozy restaurant, La Roche. We first ordered mezza, and as most of you know nothing tastes better than Lebanese mezza, which is comprised of tabboule, fattush, salad, hummus, baba ghanouj, meat and cheese pastries, kebbe naye, fries, etc… we then had kibbe mishwieh as the main dish and of course, ended our meal with a serving fresh fruits. When I got home that afternoon, I was craving the cheesecake from Zest that we had sitting in our fridge. So as you can see, it was a very good food filled day!

But as I sit at my laptop tonight, I find an unread email from Karina Brisby from Blog Action Day. And I remember, today’s Blog Action Day! I remember writing about Water last year, as that was the topic. And come to think of it, this year’s topic is compatibly, Food!

Food is a number one blessing. Just the fact that we can afford it, make it, order it, or get served it, having food at your hands, in your mouths, in your stomachs, is a blessing.

While up there at La Roche today, a group of people who had just finished from Sunday Mass came in to have lunch at the restaurant, and with them was a priest. Before the group sat down, they asked the priest to bless their table. And they all stood up as he recited biblical lines to them before they ate. They know food is a blessing...

“Dear God, thank you for this food. Bless the hands that prepared it. Bless it to our use and us to your service, and make us ever mindful of the needs of others…”

:-) So the next time you count your blessings, make sure you count food with them. Amen. :-)

Happy Birthday To... Me!

2011-10-11T20:38:00.000+03:00

24 :-)

حملة لتنظيف نهر أبو علي

2011-10-09T21:25:00.003+03:00

Here are some pics from today's حملة لتنظيف نهر أبو علي event:

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T18:20:00.005+03:00

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently - they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do..."

- Steve Jobs, RIP (1955 - 2011)

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" :-)

BankMed Project "Cleaning the Lebanese Rivers"

2011-10-05T19:13:00.004+03:00

BankMed, as part of their continuous effort towards the environment, recently announced the launch of their latest environmental project: “Cleaning the Lebanese Rivers” in cooperation with the Operation Big Blue Association (OBBA), which will take place over the duration of the year.

BankMed will start cleaning the first river on Sunday, October 9, 2011…

The launch will take place at the Abu Ali River in Tripoli, starting from 8:30AM till 12:00PM. All the needed materials for the cleaning process (gloves, t-shirts, caps, etc…) will be provided.

All are welcome to join! Spread the word! :-)

Shoot As You Walk 24

2011-10-02T17:24:00.005+03:00

Finally, its October, my favorite month of the year! Apart from it being my birth month, it also marks the beginnings of autumn (though I’m still counting on at least one last trip to the beach for a proper goodbye, maybe next week?) and better photo ops. Take today for example; I joined We Love Tripoli for their 24th Shoot As You Walk adventure alongside my photo take inspirer, Ymn! :-)

As usual, we met up in front of Nawfal Palace and headed off to the depths of old Tripoli. For some reason I can never memorize the names or places we go to and Ymn, even though better at names than I am, also began mixing up. So, she came up with this good idea of writing them all down on a piece of paper, and as soon as she’s posted the latest entry on her blog (of course related to today’s walk), I’ll share the link with you and maybe we can all get some of those names stuck in our heads (apart from Taha Naji, who is a walking, talking, Tripoli dictionary, God bless you boy! :-)

Hmm, I’d really like to think I got some good shots today, but I’ll let you be the judges (click pictures to enlarge):

The First Rains Of September…

2011-09-25T11:40:00.004+03:00

Last week, Nada from work mentioned that the first official day of autumn was this week, on Friday September 23rd to be exact. And as if autumn had heard her speak its name, on Friday morning, the skies changed color and the leaves on the trees outside our window at work began to rustle. Not a lot of customers came in that day, and the streets were unusually empty. I guess the first rain was something most people preferred to experience from inside looking out. Despite the calm, I was immersed in a lot of office work and so I didn't get many chances to look outside that day, until it was time to go home at around 4:30pm. That night, the downpour began…

Till Saturday morning it rained, and, for the second day in a row, I didn't get to be outside while it was raining. I heard it rained a lot, and I heard there was a rainbow. But again, being inside, I didn't get to personally experience either. Until I noticed a picture Ymn had posted on Facebook:

“I felt like going down and walking in that field” she posted. And looking at her photo, I felt like I wanted to do the same thing too! And I still can’t believe I missed seeing a rainbow that big in Tripoli! God, I need to look up at the skies more often…

There’s something magical about the first rain. Especially for another work colleague of mine, who recounted to me a story of when she and her then boyfriend (now husband) first started going out. She was alone at home and her mother had asked her to take watch of the cooking pot she had on the stove. Her boyfriend called her and they spent well over an hour on the phone, and she forgot all about her mother’s cooking pot and ended up burning their lunch for that day. And so, every first rain of the season, her husband calls her at work and reminds her of the time she burnt lunch…

In other news, the price of gold in the market also fell with the rain (yes, I like to throw in financials :-P) Though I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of the first rain, as it usually marks the end of summer and the end of beaching, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for brighter skies next weekend, where I’ll hopefully get one last chance to visit and say goodbye to the warm sea waters of summer… :-)

Pigeon's Photoshoot

2011-09-24T17:26:00.004+03:00

When I got home from work yesterday afternoon, I found a pigeon perched outside my bedroom windowsill. And though it was close enough to capture using a standard camera, I decided to get in extra close on it with my zoom lens. It was a fun lil’ photo shoot (click on each picture to enlarge :-)

Where Do We Go Now?

2011-09-23T21:15:00.001+03:00

I’ve been looking forward to watching this Lebanese movie (Where Do We Go Now?) for quite a while now. Ever since Caramel, Nadine Labaki has been one of my favorite Lebanese idols…

A couple of days ago, my brother shared a link with me on Facebook: “Lebanese filmmaker wins top TIFF prize”. And after watching the movie this afternoon, I can say that she more than deserved it! In fact, I came out of that theater feeling so inspired, that I too had this desire to make a meaningful contribution to the world. I’ve always dreamt of writing and publishing my own book, but that’s a different post for a different day...

Back to the film, here’s the trailer (watch it, then watch the movie! ;-):

Tom Waits...

2011-09-23T20:51:00.001+03:00

I took this picture last Tuesday, and I called the boy Tom... :-)

COMEDY NIGHT SEASON 5 - NORTH:

2011-09-12T18:39:00.002+03:00

It was May 9th, 2010 when COMEDY NIGHT (SEASON 4) last came to the North, which was a little over a year ago. And last night, thanks to Saly Aswad, COMEDY NIGHT (SEASON 5) came to the North (to Las Salinas) again! Like last year, the arena was jam-packed with people, and it was hilarious as ever!

We had Mario Bassil and Junaid Zein-El-Dine, along with three newcomers Tony Abou Jaoude, Tatiana Mereeb, and Hisham Haddad (LOL). And even though I especially missed Fadi Raidy and Michel Abou-Sleiman from last year, those three newcomers lit up the stage with laughs! :-P

Kudos to the gang, and to Saly Aswad for bringing them back! Looking forward to season 6 next year! :-D

I’ve Been Watching Your World From Afar…

2011-09-04T19:47:00.004+03:00

Looking out my bedroom window, I rarely see anything other than pigeons or the stillness of the surrounding buildings. But as I looked outside this afternoon, I noticed two boys playing soccer. I watched them for a while, from 9 floors up. They looked like they were having fun, so I grabbed my camera to take pictures of them. Only at a 400x zoom did I realize that the soccer ball was actually a water bottle…

Ah, the simple pleasures of being a kid... :-)

The First and Last Dance of The Summer

2011-09-02T17:53:00.003+03:00

Last night, it was the wedding of Maya and Amro. Or, MayAmro if you join their names together. And when two names can be joined together like that, you know it’s a perfect match! ;-) It was unexpected, a couple of weeks ago, Maya (who I hadn't seen or spoken to in quite a while) came over to personally hand me her wedding invitation. I was delighted, and as I greeted her, I had a flashback to the time we first met…

Maya, we've shared a lot of great moments together, both in and out of Toastmasters. You were like a big sister to me during those years, and I’m thankful for all the wonderful times we've spent. But as I look back I guess I finally see that there was a little part missing in you, a part that not anybody could fill… until you met Amro. He touched that special place in your heart, and I see how much happiness you both bring to each other’s lives… :-)

And so, from all the weddings I've been to this summer, from my friend’s sister’s wedding, to another friend’s wedding, to a colleague’s wedding, this was the wedding that meant most to me. And as many of you know, there is one moment that I look forward to in every wedding: The First Dance. The moment the bride and groom are on the dance floor, with everyone looking at them but them looking only at each other, taking in the music, the feelings, the beautiful moment:

It was a beautiful night, surrounded by beautiful people, beautiful family and beautiful friends, sharing beautiful moments. Smiles in hearts and smiles on faces, I could feel all the love in that room, and love, is really all you need…

With that, dearest Maya and Amro, I wish you the best. I wish the two of you a lifetime of love and happiness together, one that can only keep growing… CONGRATULATIONS!!! xoxo

The Best Mix Tapes

2011-08-31T18:56:00.005+03:00

This morning, I got up at 7:00AM. I think ever since I started working, my biological clock’s been ticking especially loud at 7:00AM for me to get on up out of bed and head off to work. So even when I don’t have work on rare mornings (like today!), I still have to hear that alarm in my head!

Mum (the early bird) was already up before me but Dad and my brother were still asleep. And since it was too early to greet the online world just yet, I decided to tidy up my room and as usual, find some old stuff that I’d forgotten about. This time, I found Tapes. Cassette Tapes to be exact. Now for those who grew up in my generation (90’s kids), do you remember this music? This used to be my most treasured musical collection…

I smiled, sighed, and put them all in my “giveaway” plastic bag. I already had all that music either on CDs or in MP3 format, and I’m over 99% sure that I won’t be listening to cassette tapes in the future…

But, just for the sake of remembering, remember when we used to record mix tapes? These are two tapes that two friends recorded for me back in the day. As you can tell, each has a different style of music, with the first leaning towards slower oldies and the second is a combination of the punk band Blink 182’s “Enema of the State” and “Take off Your Pants and Jacket”.

I also came across a couple of old recordings I’d made, from the radio, and an interview. I decided to get rid of that stuff, and took the ribbons out. As I pulled out the seemingly endless ribbons, I remembered Bruno Mars’ video clip for “Just the Way You Are” in which he makes images out of those ribbons. I tried two write “Bye” out of them but to no avail, and all I was left with was this mess on the floor…

I spent a good half hour getting rid of those tapes, but as I put the last of them away, I couldn't help but smile again at the musical means of the time, and how no matter how many years pass by, some music will always remain in our hearts. So this one’s for the music, and the songs we’re singing… (8)

Capture the Spirit of Ramadan

2011-08-28T13:19:00.006+03:00

I know I’m a little late in posting this, but it was a little less than a week ago when I first heard about the “International Ramadan Photography Competition 2011” From their website:

“The International Ramadan Photography Competition will showcase the skills and imagination of professional photographers around the world as they share their techniques and personal anecdotes about cultural and religious traditions during Ramadan.

Ramadan is not only considered to be the most spiritual month in the Islamic calendar but is also a time for families and friends to reunite in peace, prayer and piety. Fasting from sunrise to sunset as a form of spiritual cleansing, self-discipline and empathy for the less fortunate, Muslims during Ramadan practice tolerance, forgiveness and perform good deeds. It is in this spirit that all talented photographers are invited to share their best photography in a unique and unprecedented 30-day visual celebration that will educate and enlighten thousands of viewers around the world.

The competition is open to talented photographers around the world over the age of 18. Cash prizes will be awarded and winners will have their photos published online and in print. Subject categories include: Spiritual, Social & Everything Else. Participants are encouraged to photograph people in prayer, holy places, mosques, iftar and suhoor foods, family gatherings, or even an inspiring shot of natural beauty and landscape taken during the month of Ramadan.

To enter the competition please send your photos to ramadanphotos2011@gmail.com along with a caption and the technical information as defined in the FAQs found on our official website."

Some of the pictures are just breathtaking, and if I were on the panel of judges, I’d have these as finalists:

But I’d give the photographer of this little cutie the grand prize... BEAUTIFUL!

Shoot As You Walk (Ramadaniat 4)

2011-08-27T12:56:00.002+03:00

I’m guessing this is this year’s finale of the “Shoot As You Walk” Ramadaniat series. And as I’ve been informed, the path is going to include Azmi & Kadisha streets...

Truth be told, I’m not that interested in going this time, mainly because of the overcrowded streets that become so as the end of Ramadan nears, making taking pictures a little more difficult than usual. But if you’re interested, tonight’s the night to shoot! Meet the We Love Tripoli gang in front of Nawfal Palace at 10:00PM and let me know how it goes! :-)

Shoot As You Walk (Ramadaniat 3)

2011-08-21T15:17:00.004+03:00

For the third week in a row, we go to go on another “Shoot As You Walk” adventure. Now I can’t say it was the best I’ve been on because the streets were too overcrowded with people, making it quite difficult to stop and take good photos. I don’t have a story, nor do I have good photos this time, but I’ll share with you this group photo that Taha took for us, followed by a couple of shots I was able to take that night (enjoy! :-)

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Shoot As You Walk (Ramadaniat 2)

2011-08-14T14:17:00.005+03:00

From last night, I have a story to tell. It’s not very often (in fact, it’s the first time) that I come back from a “Shoot As You Walk” adventure with more words than pictures. I’ll be honest, I’m not as satisfied with the pictures I took last night (damn you, night mode! :-P) as I was with the pictures I took last time. But in terms of the path we took, our encounters, and meaning, it was one of my favorite...

I took my brother along, who was surprisingly quite enthusiastic to join us in Shoot As You Walk Ramadaniyat 2 (and I’m really glad he did, as you’ll soon read). We even ended up being the first to arrive! But, to keep our wait entertaining, these nearby dudes (who apparently own a music shop) blasted us some Lebanese Rap Music which I could help but laugh so hard at! It’s a song called “Ashta W 3assal” which I heard for the first time last night. And as vulgar as the song is, it’s quite catchy (click on the name of the song to listen to it in YouTube).

Anyway, after about five or six replays of the song, the entire group had gathered and we took off. But soon enough, we found ourselves being led up a building staircase. Where on earth were we going?! No later than we had reached the first floor, there was an open door which led outside, to the parking lot of another building. “Nour!” exclaimed my brother, “do you know where we are?” The place looked familiar, it was white and relatively new, and then, I looked over towards the building behind the garage, and that’s when it hit me! My paternal grandparents’ (may they RIP) house! I felt a flush of old memories coming back to me and balcony I was looking at was the balcony I used to stand on and look out from, the balcony Gran used to stand on and wave to us from. We exited the garage and I found myself back on the familiar street. I crossed over and took a snapshot of the old entrance. It’s too dark to see, but just looking at that old wall reminded me of good times…

As we walked on to “Bab El Ramel” the streets were starting to get overcrowded with people. Remember the picture I took of the old street with Musa Café? Well, this is the heart of it, alive on Ramadan Nights:

After making our way through the crowd of cars and people, towards the end of the street, a little boy came up to us, asking if we wanted to buy ka3ek. I looked at him and couldn’t help but smile, it was the familiar little souk boy I had seen once and twice before! I asked if I could take a picture of him and he gladly agreed, striking his menacing bad boy pose next to my brother (who asked me to crop him out of the picture, but no can do bro!) :-P

I’ve never had such a meaningful “Shoot As You Walk” adventure. And even if I had taken zero photos, I still would have come back quite satisfied, because to me it’s not just “Shoot As You Walk”, it’s also “Admire As You Walk” :-)

Shoot As You Walk (Ramadaniat 1)

2011-08-07T15:19:00.005+03:00

Is it just me, or do most of you who are fasting this Ramadan feel absolutely drained after Iftar? The only thing I can think of is flopping myself on the couch and tuning in to the Ramadan series they've got on TV, or snoozing. True that many of you stay up during most of the night and sleep during most of the day, but I don’t have that option as I've got to be at work by 8:00AM each day…

But magically last Friday night, I felt quite energetic, I felt refreshed and recharged, and I guess that had to do with We Love Tripoli’s Shoot As You Walk’s first “Ramadaniyat” series of the year! Yup, we’re back in action! This time, the path was in El Mina, and here’s our group shot (taken by Karim Zock) that kicked off our evening:

We met up at 10:00PM in front of the El Mina Municipality Building (the one in the picture above), and we got quite a good turn up (as you can see! :-). The only thing I was fretting was how my photos were going to turn out, because night photography never turns out right with me, I usually end up with disappointing blurry or dark pictures. So as we were gathered, I asked Karim which mode to use on my camera. For some reason I've been preferring the TV mode, but he advised the AV mode, with a low F-Stop and a high ISO. I've still got some more photo mode researching to do, but I thank him for the good shots I ended up taking because of his advice:

I’m quite satisfied with the above pictures I took, especially because I've been able to capture an essence of Ramadan in them, and also, I see a real improvement in my photography over the year. True, I've still got a lot of practice to do, but comparing and contrasting between this year’s and last year’s shots, I can only say "GO NOUR"! haha, looking forward to our next Ramadaniyat adventure! :-)

My Magnetic Collection!

2011-08-01T17:41:00.007+03:00

It was Nadine who gave me the idea, a couple of years ago, to start this collection:

“Woah,” I remember saying when I looked at hers, “you’ve got a lot of magnets on your fridge!” “I know,” she proudly smiled, “I collect them, from every city in the world that I've been”. And ever since, I've thought the idea was inspired!

I've travelled a lot, but I never thought of getting myself magnets as souvenirs. I’d usually pick a desk memento or so, but ever since she told me the magnet story, I've started collecting them as well. What’s more, every time a family member or friend travels and asks me if I’d like something, I’d say yes, a magnet from the country or city!

And so, my collection began to grow… what I especially like about the collection on my fridge is the sense of happiness I get from looking at it, as each magnet reminds me of the country or city I've been to, and all the good memories I've had there. And if I haven’t been there, the magnet would remind me of the person. And so, having a combination of all these magnets is like having a combination of all these memories in one place, that remind me on a daily basis, of all the good places and people I've been blessed to go to and meet in life. And I can only hope that they all keep growing… :-)

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"You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you..."

Ramadan Karim 2011

2011-07-31T22:26:00.000+03:00

اللهم بلغنا رمضان واعنا على الصيام والقيام وقراءة القرآن

Open Your Heart, There’s Room ... (Marvin’s Room)

2011-07-31T22:13:00.005+03:00

I’ve had the 1996 movie “Marvin’s Room” for quite a while now, and I’ve been meaning to watch it ever since I got it… quite a while ago (that is, until tonight)! Now I’ll admit, I mainly got it because it stars my favorite actor, Leonardo DiCaprio (L). Here is the plot:

Estranged since their father's first stroke some 17 years earlier, Lee and Bessie lead separate lives in separate states. Lee's son, Hank, finds himself committed to a mental institution after setting fire to his mother's house. His younger brother, Charlie, seems unfazed by his brother's eccentricities or his mother's seeming disinterest. When Lee comes to the asylum to spring Hank for a week in Florida so that he can be tested as a possible bone marrow donor for Bessie, Hank is incredulous. "I didn't even know you had a sister," he says. "Remember, every Christmas, when I used to say 'Well, looks like Aunt Bessie didn't send us a card again this year?'" "Oh yeah," Hank says. Meanwhile, Marvin, the two women's bedridden father, has "been dying for the past twenty years." "He's doing it real slow so I don't miss anything," Bessie tells Dr. Wally. In Bessie's regular doctor's absence, it has fallen to Dr. Wally to inform Bessie that she has Leukemia and will die without a bone marrow transplant. This precipitates the two sisters’ uneasy reunion. In Marvin's room, Bessie cares for her father's every need. In Lee's eyes, the sacrifice Bessie has made is too great and realizing the old man's welfare will fall to her if Bessie dies, Lee's first instinct is to look for a nursing home. "In a few months, I'll have my cosmetology degree," she says. "My life is just coming together; I'm not going to give it all up, now!" As first Lee is tested and then the boys for the compatibility of their marrow with Bessie's, the women take stock of their lives and rediscover the meaning of "family."

All bias aside, it was quite an inspirational film. It was one of those movies that makes you think, and both laugh and cry. And the acting is brilliant, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and of course Leo all pull some of their best performances in this little film…

And as in every film I love, it comes with great lines, among my favorite of which was near the end of the movie, with the two sisters:

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Bessie: “I've been so lucky... I've been so lucky to have Dad and Ruth... I've had such love in my life... and I've had such... such love...”

Lee: “They love you very much…”

Bessie: “That's not what I mean, no, I mean that I love them… I have been so lucky to be able to love someone so much...”

---

And that’s where it got me thinking, people underestimate the power of love that comes from within, the love that we feel for other people, and how great it can be. That last line, “I have been so lucky to be able to love someone so much…” that line just warmed my heart. Because to know, to have, so much love for another person, that in itself truly is a beautiful, priceless blessing… :-)

Happy Birthday Jinane, + Silkor

2011-07-31T11:44:00.005+03:00

It’s my friend Jinane’s birthday today and as a celebration, me and two other friends from work, Jinane’s sister, and her cousin all took her out for a surprise dinner at Chocho’s in Batroun last night. I've only been to Chocho’s once before, and I remember having ordered a chocolate chicken combo of some sort (which tasted as weird as it sounds), but this time I played it safe with a chicken sub sandwich, which definitely made up for the last time! BM Friends, keep smiling! :-)

The Trio: Me, Lara, and Jinane! :-)

While we were dining, The Silkor Team burst in to distribute wet towels, which were delightfully refreshing. And as we found our last night, they’re holding a “One Million Competition” for a chance to win a trip for 2 to the country of your choice! (All you have to do is log in to www.facebook.com/silkorholding and participate!)

All in all it was a fun filled night, best wishes to Jinane, and good luck in the Silkor Competition! :-)

GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS:

2011-07-27T22:39:00.003+03:00

"You ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many strangers have pictures of you. How many moments of other peoples lives have we been in. Were we a part of someone's life when their dream came true? Or were we there when their dreams died? Did we keep trying to get in? As if we were somehow destined to be there? Or did the shock take us by surprise? Just think, you could be a big part of someone else's life, and not even know it..."

- Lucas Scott, OTH

Shoot As You Walk 18

2011-07-24T19:12:00.007+03:00

Gosh, its been quite a while, or just a little over three months to be exact, since I've been on a Shoot As You Walk trip, and since I've got my new 70-250mm lens from Canada a couple of weeks ago, I've been dying to use it again since the vacation!

Now I’ll admit, the heat was unbearable but I had three surprises on my side: my brother and two relatives, Nadine and Khaled, who were going to be joining us for the first time. So, at 9:00AM we all met up and drove over to Nawfal Palace, for Shoot As You Walk 18!

“You've been EVERYWHERE in Tripoli,” my brother asked, “haven’t you shot everything there is to shoot?” “No,” I said, “each time there’s something different to photograph”. “How? They’re all the same buildings, they all stay in the same place!” he joked. And that’s when I realized…

My passion in photography is in people. I love nothing more than I love photographing people. They’re what change in every Shoot As You Walk trip, and they’re the main reason I go every time, because I know they’ll be there. And sometimes, like I did in Shoot As You Walk 14, I end up photographing people I’d coincidentally photographed before...

So today, as we walked the familiar path, I couldn't help but remember that little souk boy, who’d met us at that exact location, and look for him… Unfortunately I didn't find him, but what I did find were these beautiful people:

And who knows, maybe I'll photograph them all again at another point in time?

The First Dance (Part 3/3)

2011-07-23T17:14:00.004+03:00

It feels like only yesterday I was writing about A Friend’s Engagement. And now, 10 months later, she got married. The wedding was last night at the same venue the engagement had been at, only this time it was outdoors, and it was as beautiful as I’d imagined it’d be: the lights, the tables, the decorations, it was all in the romantic night...

For some reason though, I got too emotional. It was all in the moments, like when the bride first appeared with her father at her arm, and when the groom went up to greet the father and take the bride from his arm, and when the two newlyweds walked down the stairs to the dance floor with the guests all getting up to cheer and dance with them, and then the moment I’d come for: the first dance…

It was a song I’d never heard before, and one night later, I still can’t remember the lyrics nor tune they’d danced to, but like I said, it was all in the moments. And because she's a close friend of mine, I guess that's why I'd been so taken in by those "moments"...

Unfortunately, I wasn't having that great a night (health wise). That afternoon, I had come home from work with a horrible headache and I was feeling a bit queasy. Add to that the fact that when I went over to my friend’s house to leave together to the wedding, her dog charged at me and bit my leg. It was a little dog, thus a little bite, which turned out to be a minor scratch, but he scared the living daylights out of me! Yet despite my mishapps, I still had a great night…

Congratulations, N&A! You were the wedding of the summer, and I hope that same bright sun and full moon you had that night shine on in the rest of your days and nights! :-)

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go ...

2011-06-29T15:03:00.001+03:00

It's Time! Yalla, Bye-Bye Lebanon, see you after 2 weeks! :-)
Let the Canadian adventure begin!!! :-D

The First Dance (Part 2/3)

2011-06-26T13:40:00.006+03:00

hehehe, I’m starting this post off laughing because I did the unimaginable! Ok, so as I’d previously mentioned, today was wedding two out of three for the summer. It was the wedding for one of our colleagues at work and so I went with two of my work friends. We arrived, walked in through the main entrance and were politely welcomed in. I have to admit I was a little shocked when I first stepped in the room. It was… chaotic shall we say…

I quietly whispered to my friend, “is this what you were expecting?” because frankly, I was still not believing my eyes. All the tables and chairs were plastic, little children were running around, women and men in jeans, hubble bubbles, loud country music. “We’re from the bank,” my other friend told the hostess and she said “welcome, welcome!” and led us to an empty table. And I sat there, feeling so out of place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging but it was a first “country wedding” experience for me…

About half an hour later, while sitting there, eating nuts and trying to make myself comfortable, my friend asked, “Where are all our friends from the bank? We can’t possibly be the only ones here” … OMG! What if we’re in the wrong wedding?! And believe it or not, we were!!!

We quietly slipped out and asked one of the guests outside, who’s wedding was this? And sure enough, he gave us two names we’d never heard of. “But there’s another wedding over there in that ballroom”, he said, pointing outside. And we ran!

When I stepped in that other room, everything fell into place, a real wedding, or at least a wedding I was expecting! People were dressed up, great tables, chairs, and decorations, and though we were late, our seats were saved and as we told our story, everyone laughed at us. It was after all, pretty hilarious!

Thankfully, we had made it just in time for the first dance, an Arabic song for Carole Samaha, and here’s my snapshot of their first dance:

Congratulations M&M! Best Wishes for a beautiful couple! :-)

TRIPOLI RAILWAY STATION

2011-06-26T12:42:00.008+03:00

When I first heard about the event “Tripoli Railway Station: Open Door”, the event was still due three weeks from then. But because I was so excited, I’d misread the date and assumed it was on that Saturday, three weeks ago, until Taha told me no, it was on the 25th. For some reason, I misunderstood again and thought that the event was the Saturday after that, on the 19th of June, but again I was wrong. That’s just how excited I was! And finally, after three weeks of waiting, the event finally arrived!

But I was swamped! :-( I got a big stomach ache that afternoon and I had a wedding that night, but against the odds, I took some medicine and toughened up for the event I’ve been looking forwards to for the past three weeks! I picked up Diala, Ymn, and Farah and drove over to the train station, which I’ve passed several times before but had never stopped to investigate. Of course I’d have loved to, but it being deserted, I never had the guts to explore it alone. And so, with this local event, I finally got my chance!

When we arrived, we were greeted by the ever energetic We Love Tripoli crew and of course the master of it all, Mr. Elias Khlat. We got free “BankMed” caps (Yes, I have to squeeze in the name of my treasured bank each chance I get ;-) and free souvenir postcards. Then, we took a half hour guided tour of the trains and their tracks, learning about the history of the station. Here are some of the pictures that I took (more on Flickr):

About an hour after that, the Open Air Concert started. We watched the first half hour of it before we had to leave, as I had to get ready for the wedding that night (next post!). But here are a couple of pics I snapped from the concert before we left:

The event is still on today, Sunday June 26th, so if you didn't make it, you still have a chance to go! :-)

And Then There Were Two…

2011-06-23T21:08:00.006+03:00

This afternoon, when I got home from work, I quickly had lunch and flopped on the couch to watch a DVD, Spud (not a recommendation!). Halfway through the film, Mum walked across the room to go outside on the balcony, and suddenly I heard her shriek. I immediately paused the film and went out to see what was wrong. She was pointing at the turtles. One of the turtles, I couldn't recognize which, was sitting in the corner with little worms crawling all over it. I bent down to take a closer look as this horrendous smell began to fill my nostrils. And to my horror, I realized that its entire head was missing! The little worms had eaten it off and were still eating the remains of its inside, as it was as dead as could be…

I’m still disgusted at the sight and smell I saw, but I also can’t help but remember when they were three beautiful turtles:

And what’s sad is that at first, I couldn't recognize who was gone! I had three turtles: Franklin, Angie, and Maggie (and at one time I had four, with baby TJ: Turtle Junior, who left us too soon…) But from what I could make of the two left, I think it’s Angie, my first turtle, that has left us. Dad got her as a gift for me back in 2005. Six Years, RIP. I remember you when you were a wee turt (this is my fav pic of you):

A Happy Father’s Day?

2011-06-21T22:47:00.005+03:00

Let me start this off on a positive note, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, especially to my dad who is the best dad in the world, I love you so much more than words can say! Family First! :-)

But on a different note, a much sadder one, one of my closest friend’s dad was diagnosed with liver cancer a couple of months ago, and on the day of Y&H’s wedding, she called me, in tears. Her father had unfortunately been rushed to the hospital as the cancer had spread to his spine, and he was quickly slipping away. I tried my best to keep her positive, telling her that it was going to be okay. But this morning, she messaged me with the unfortunate news that he hadn't made it, and that he had left the world and gone to a hopefully better place…

My heart sank; it’s so cruel how life can sometimes be, especially to a wonderful family like her's. And losing a father on father's day, I’m at a loss for words; I don’t know what to say :-( But to keep a little hope in the air, I’m going to end with this quote:

“If you were once connected with someone, does it make sense that the connection is broken just because of physical death? No, the connection stays. You may just have to listen differently. You may just have to talk differently. The truth is: the connection is never broken. It’s quite impossible to break the most powerful connection in the universe. As long as you exist, the connection stays…”

Our Loss Is Heaven’s Gain…

The First Dance (Part 1/3)

2011-06-20T22:14:00.004+03:00

I’m entitling this post with an (enter parentheses) because so far this summer, I’ve been invited to three weddings; one was last night, the wedding of my best friend’s sister, one is this Saturday, and the third is July 22nd. And from the three weddings, there is one moment that I go for: The First Dance…

I don’t really remember when or how I developed a fascination in first dances, but I guess it’s a mix of the slowness of the song, the closeness, the feeling; it’s a beautiful, beautiful moment. And what I love most in those dances, is finding out which song the couple chose to dance to…

Usually, the cliché would be to go for “I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You”. But it’s been so overplayed at weddings that I think both the couples and the audience want to listen to and watch something different. I remember the first different song I heard was at my uncle Moe’s wedding almost three summers ago, where he and his wife danced to Anastasia’s “Once Upon A December”. I've also heard some romantic Italian and Arabic music, but for me to connect to a song, or at least a first dance song, it’s got to be in English. And so, I was delighted to discover that Y&H had chosen a combination of Majida Roumi’s "Habibi", and Marc Terenzi’s “Love To Be Loved”:

As they were dancing, fireworks lit up around the dance floor, as smoke and sparks surrounded them, disappearing from our view, in their own private moment on the dance floor. Sigh… Congratulations, Y&H! All The Best! :-)

Tripoli Railway Station: Open Door

2011-06-19T12:34:00.006+03:00

This Saturday June 25th & Sunday June 26th, Friends of Tripoli Railway Station in collaboration with “Office des Chemins de Fer et du Transport en Commun” in the Ministry of Transportation) is proud to invite you to the event “Tripoli Railway Station: Open Door”

For its 100th anniversary (1911-2011), Tripoli Railway Station will reveal its treasures and will open its doors to the public for two consecutive days for the first time since 1975!

Guided tours will be organized for free (in the morning at 9AM, 9:30AM, 10AM, & 10:30AM, and in the afternoon at 4PM, 4:30PM, 5PM, & 5:30PM) followed by an Open Air Concert: So The Train Whistles Again, featuring: Lazzy Lung (Indie), Moe Kabbara (Indie Folk), Toxic Trash (Old School Punk), Mr. VeRg0 (Rap), and Demons (Metal)

It's going to be a great event! Here are some pictures of the preparations taking place for the event (taken by my friend Taha Baba):

The event is sponsored by BankMed :-) SEE YOU ALL THERE!

A Special Pancake Sunday!

2011-06-19T10:22:00.005+03:00

This morning I woke up to a hilarious offline message from Ymn. I’d share it here but it’s one of our inside jokes so none of you would get it :-P Anyway, she ended up scolding me for not blogging much, and I concur, I've been offline. So, today being Sunday, I decided to refresh this blog with a special post about my traditional “Pancake Sunday”(dedicated to Ymn, of course!:-)

See from past “Pancake Sunday” posts (which I just realized were only two: here and here), I've always resorted to Betty Crocker’s Pancake Mix, and it hasn't failed me so far! But a couple of months ago, Mum’s students had a bake sale at school and she tried out one of her student’s pancakes and she loved them! She asked her for the recipe and sure enough, it was d-lish! BUT! Not to betray Betty, I’d classify the pancakes I had as “Crepes” not as “Pancakes”, because they’re a lot thinner and bigger, but they’re still little bites of heaven that give me Sunday boosts:

:-) What’s your favorite Sunday Breakfast?

طرابلس ... الله يحميكِ

2011-06-17T22:21:00.001+03:00

BankMed's Baby Trees

2011-06-10T18:47:00.009+03:00

This week for World Environment Day (which took place on June 5th) and as a part of BankMed’s Happy Planet Lebanon initiative, and in partnership with Plant For The Planet, we’ve been giving out these cute baby trees:

They’re actual living plants, about 5cm high and 2cm wide, contained in recyclable plastic capsules that you can carry around. They only need to be placed in water for about two minutes twice a month (they suck in water from their corked bottom). And they remain in this environment roughly for 6 months to 2 years until they become too big to be contained there. Of course then, they can be moved out of their capsule for a larger house…

I thought the idea was quite neat, and so I logged on to the official baby tree website, www.babytree.eu, where I was glad to find a lot more information on the baby trees. I especially liked how they were described: created for us to become more aware of nature’s beauty and fragility, hoping it would lead us to having more respect towards other living things, and to allow everyone to carry a little part of nature with them…

On the site, there’s a wide collection of plants to choose from, but from what I could identify, I think mine is MIMI, the cactus:

I’ll keep sharing MIMI’s growth progress on this blog, and if you’d like a baby tree as well, head over to your nearest BankMed branch and ask for your free baby tree too! :-)

The Kindness of Strangers

2011-06-08T21:34:00.004+03:00

I’m free! Well, almost. I finally finished the seminar in Beirut that I had registered for two and half months ago, all that’s left is the exam on the 15th. But what I’m celebrating about today is NO MORE DIS-CONNEX-ION BUS!!!:-)

I've had a bunch of adventures on the bus over the past few months, I could almost write a book about my mishaps: like a moving truck screeching the side of the bus, bus door accidently opening into a street pole, breaking the glass and yanking the door off (both events of which happened on the same day!), arguing with one of the drivers who used to insist on taking us to Barbeer before Charles Helou, the weirdo passengers on the bus who tried to Bluetooth me, one man chocked on his cough and almost puked in my lap, the chatterboxes, the Connex-ion love, and of course the ultimate killer: arriving to the station just as the bus is driving away, forcing us to wait for the next bus for another half hour…

But today, as I was walking in to the station, I found a girl about my age crying hysterically on the phone. Our eyes met, and she just made my heart tinge with sadness. What could be so wrong that had her crying her eyes out? I wanted to go up to her and tell her that it was all going to be alright, but I couldn't. For some reason, the situation reminded me of a book I once heard about called “The Kindness of Strangers” it got me thinking about how people sometimes really do care, but just don’t do anything... it's an interesting topic, but one that I'll leave for another post...

Till then, ciao Connex-ion! Even though I hate you, I can't help but love you too :-)

P.S. I won't be checking in to Connex-ion on Foursquare for quite a while, so my Mayorship is up for grabs to whoever would like to accept it! :-P

Solitaire

2011-05-30T22:30:00.004+03:00

I was messing around with my iPad last night, downloading apps and organizing folders, when I came across Solitaire. I've always thought that Solitaire was for old grandmas and grandpas, but I thought it'd make a good addition to my “Classic Games” folder, along with Chess, Checkers, and Tic-Tac-Toe. I opened the game and the view popped up just as I'd always remembered:

Then, I started playing. As usual, I got stumped after about two minutes. I noticed a little hint button at the bottom right of the screen, so I clicked it. And to my surprise, it told me to drag a 2 above an Ace… Woah! Was I allowed to do that?! And suddenly, I learned a new rule in Solitaire, that as I was organizing the bottom cards in descending order, I was also supposed to be stacking up the upper cards by suit in ascending order! And then, I couldn't stop playing (and finally, winning! :-P)

Today, I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything...

2011-05-29T16:48:00.009+03:00

As Bruno Mars sings in The Lazy Song, “Today I don’t feel like doing anything, I just wanna lay in my bed. Don’t feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I’m not doing anything…” it’s been a lazy Sunday indeed, but a much needed lazy Sunday. And I’m sorry for not having kept this blog updated for the past couple of weeks but I've been exhausted…

See (two months ago) at work, I voluntarily signed up for a two and a half month seminar at the Head Office in Beirut, which has been brilliant so far. But, because it’s in the Capital and I’m in Tripoli, the transit time is against me, and its wearing me out. It’s been since April in which the routine of my life has been going like this:

07:00AM – 07:45AM: wake up, quick breakfast, get dressed, off to work

08:00AM – 11:30AM: work, work, work

11:30AM – 01:30PM: dis-Connex-ion bus (this is the biggest @$$ pain!)

01:30PM – 02:00PM: cab to HO + quick lunch

02:00PM – 04:45PM: seminar

04:45PM – 05:00PM: back to dis-Connex-ion station (rush hour!)

05:00PM – 07:00PM: dis-Connex-ion bus, home.

I’m frustrated! I’m not complaining about any of it except the four hours of dead time in the dis-Connex-ion bus! I’ve done everything to keep myself entertained; I’ve listened to the radio and memorized all the songs Mix FM, NRJ, and Radio One play, I’ve listened to all 827 tracks on my iPod at least a dozen times, I've memorized all the outdoor advertising billboards on the road from Tripoli to Beirut and back, I've read magazines, I’ve read Paulo Coelho’s latest book “The Winner Stands Alone” (great read!), and I've even caught up on my sleep… but come on, four spare hours a day is just too long a time to kill! (Yes, that was all a vent ;-)

So, “today I swear I’m not doing anything… no, I ain't gonna comb my hair, cause I ain’t going anywhere… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Really, it’s lazy Sundays like these that give me the recharge I need to restart the work week again on Mondays. So to all my friends and distant family members whom I've shamefully been out of touch with, apologies…

On the bright side, it’s almost over. I still have three more days next week, five more days the week after that, and then the big exam on the 15th of June (which I’d better do well in!). Thankfully, the biggest motivation that’s keeping me pumped during all this is the two week vacation in Canada that I’m going to be taking at the end of June! I’ll be back in the blogging scene again soon, so stay tuned! ;-)

God, Make Me A TV

2011-05-08T21:40:00.006+03:00

I was cleaning out my inbox a while ago when I came across this forward Ymn sent me about six months ago. I remember when reading it, it touched me and while reading it again, it touched me again. So I thought I’d share it:

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A teacher from Primary School asked her students to write an essay about what they would like God to do for them... At the end of the day, while marking the essays, she read one that made her very emotional. Her husband, who had just walked in, saw her crying and asked her: 'What happened?' She answered: 'Read this. It is one of my students' essays…'

'Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special… Make me into a television. I want to take its place and live like the TV in my house… Have my own special place, and have my family around ME... To be taken seriously when I talk... I want to be the center of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions… I want to receive the same special care that the TV receives even when it is not working… Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired… And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring me... And I want my brothers to fight to be with me... I want to feel that family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend some time with me… And last but not least, ensure that I can make them all happy and entertain them... Lord I don't ask you for much... I just want to live like a TV…'

At that moment the husband said: 'My God, poor kid. What horrible parents!' The wife looked up at him and said: 'That essay is our son's!'

---

Now I know people are resorting less and less to TVs nowadays, but in a way, they aren’t. Just replace TV with cellular phones (BB mania, anyone?), laptops (I’m guilty :-(, or any other gadget or gizmo that’s been taking most of our time…

Don’t get me wrong, connecting with technology is important, but connecting with real people in real life is more important. Just remember that! ;-)

The Tripoli International Half Marathon

2011-05-08T13:31:00.002+03:00

I just got back from The Tripoli International Half Marathon, EXHAUSTED! It was pretty good, I’ll let these pictures my friend Taha Baba took do the talking:

What I loved most about the marathon was the entertainment! There were a bunch of bands and artists playing and singing, I only managed to catch three of them, the best of which was this new Lebanese artist Belime, who sang his hit song (which you all might have heard on local radio stations) “This Is Reality”

Also, as we were nearing the finish line, we noticed a sleek white Mercedes with a girl in pink and a crowd of people around it. From afar we couldn't recognize who it was. Then, we saw her on stage; it was the infamous Sabine (“b3atli e-mail”).

But this is hilarious (I wasn't there when it happened but Taha told me), while she was singing (or lip syncing as most of them were) she asked a guy from the crowd to get up and dance with her. I think it was a slower song as they did a little dance-de-salon and she put her head on his shoulder as he turned tomato red! After realizing this is reality (no pun intended ;-) he kissed her! She was little startled at first, then she began giggling. Several people from the crowd got excited and tried to get on stage and that’s when security came and took him off the stage as Sabine wrapped up her act. I wish I could have seen all that! I mean no offence, but this is Tripoli, look at some of the people we've got:

After that, Super Star’s Brigitte Yaghi was up and then we went home, exhausted! Yalla, looking forward to next year’s marathon! :-)

Our Losses are Heaven’s Gains…

2011-04-22T11:25:00.004+03:00

April has been quite sad this year, well, at least in terms of deaths. A little over two weeks ago, the young wife of one our youngest Branch Managers suddenly passed away. She was 21 at the time and she had just given birth to a baby girl only a week before she died. There’s an old Arabic saying (which I honestly heard for the first time on that tragic day) that goes: a woman’s grave remains open for 40 days after she gives birth, and if she dies during that period, she goes straight to heaven. I heard she had had a stoke, and when I went to pay my respects at their house, their newly built house for that matter, I couldn't bare to look at the smiling photographs of the newly weds (married in July of 2010, less than a year ago!) that decorated the house…

Since then, my ex-boss’s cousin’s mum, my colleague’s grandma’s sister, and a bunch of other people I never knew have left this world…

But then last night, just before I was about to log off Facebook and go sleep, I noticed that an old friend I hadn't spoken to in months had changed his profile picture to one of him and his brothers when they were kids. I clicked on it and thought, oh how cute. I then clicked on his wall which was flooded with posts of condolences. I couldn't understand at first, “we’re sorry for your family’s loss…” I kept scrolling down until I read a word that made my heart sink: “Mom”. His mother had passed away. And then, for the first time since I've been hearing of all these latest deaths, I began to cry…

I’ll admit I don’t know them that well, I didn't even know their mother personally, but I’ve spent quite a good time with the boys during the summer of 2009, during their visit to Lebanon (they live in Florida). The three of them are wonderful individuals, I've always believed that. And such a loss, well, I can’t find the words to say at a time like this…

But for most of last night, I spent it in bed looking up at the ceiling, thinking about life and the people in it, and how we take most of them for granted. I thought about a hundred things, I couldn't sleep well but it made me count some blessings I hadn’t counted in a long time… RIP L.M. “Our Losses are Heaven’s Gains…”

---

* I have heard of two more losses since the writing of this post.Black April :(

OB for Boss Orange

2011-04-19T21:34:00.003+03:00

So I was on my way back from Beirut this afternoon, when I noticed this big poster for Hugo Boss Cologne next to C&F. The model looked attractive, and familiar… then it hit me, Orlando Bloom!

I used to be desperately in love with him since the early 2000s. Then, somewhere along the line, I began to lose interest and my fascination with him eventually disappeared. But when I saw him again in this ad, wow! o.O (L)

AUB Outdoors 2011 Samsung Photo Competition

2011-04-19T20:53:00.003+03:00

Hello Readers! Can you do me a favor? There’s this competition on Facebook, “AUB Outdoors 2011 Samsung Photo Competition” and I decided to participate, with this picture! If you'd like to support me:

All you have to do it “Like” this page. Then “Like” this photo:

And, if you’re interested in participating, here are the rules:

1- Take photos of old-looking monuments, buildings, and icons in Black and White or Sepia.

2- Submit one or more photo with your full name under it by uploading it on this page (i.e. multiple submissions are allowed)

3- Get the highest number of Likes.

You need to LIKE the page before Liking the photos, so remind your friends to do so in order to win!

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Submission starts: April 18th, 2011

Submission deadline: April 25th, 2011

Voting starts on April 18th, it ends on May 2nd... GO! :-)

Tripoli International Half Marathon 2011 (Registration):

2011-04-16T21:45:00.009+03:00

(From The Official Website: http://tripolihalfmarathon.org/)

Tripoli is the Heart of North Lebanon, the Capital of the North and the second [most] popular city in Lebanon after Beirut. Tripoli is a leading city in terms of social, cultural & sports activities. Tripoli will be hosting for the second time an international running event under the name of: Tripoli International Half Marathon, under the sponsorship of BankMed...

Tripoli International Half Marathon will take place on May 8th, 2011 and is a combination of three different races. 21k, 5k and 2k Children’s Race. The above race will be attracting lots of organizations, institutions, corporations, NGO’s and media firms for being the biggest sports event in the north...

Course Details:

The Tripoli International Half Marathon course winds through diverse neighborhoods and city highlights throughout Tripoli. The majority of the race is run on paved asphalt and concrete streets... The course is a certified IMC (International Measurement Certificate) and your time may be used as a qualifier for Olympic Marathons... The Tripoli Half Marathon course is officially open for six hour pace. The finish line, aid stations and fluid stations will remain open for a six-hour pace and close on schedule...

Event Details:

21,097 Km Wheel Chair - Start Time: 7:15 a.m

21,097 Km (17 years and older) - Start Time: 7:30 a.m

5 km Elite (12 years and older) - Start Time: 9:30 a.m

5 Km Fun (all ages) - Start Time:10:30 a.m

2 Km (12 years and below) - Start Time:11:30 a.m

Course Support:

Km Markers & Clocks: will be highly visible at each km to assist runners in gauging their progress. Kilometer markers are located every 5K, from 5K – 21K will also be placed on the race course.

Medical Aid Stations: There will be five aid stations available to runners throughout the race course. Additionally, there will be an aid tent at the start and finish lines. Red Cross will provide all medical assistance during this event. For your safety, it is important to print any specific medical needs on the reverse side of your race bib. Medical stations will be equipped to assist runners with any basic medical needs and will also have a supply of band-aids. For medical emergencies, an ambulance will be called to transport the runner to a local hospital. Cell operators will be available approximately every one km if you need to alert someone that you need immediate medical assistance while on the course.

Fluid Stations: There will be five fluid stations throughout the race course supplying PowerAde and non-carbonated, water to runners. Additionally, there will be a fluid station at the start and finish lines.

Restroom Facilities: Five men/woman identified portable restrooms equipped with hand cleaner at various locations throughout the course, including the start and finish lines and relay exchange points.

Course Entertainment: The local “kachaff” will cheer runners along the course. There will be course entertainment throughout the race course. Watch for live bands, pep bands, exciting themed water stations.

Registration & Packet Pick-Up:

Runners must pick up their race packet from Maarad Rachid Karame from May 4th, to May 7th, 2011 between 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. This is the only place to get your race bib, t-shirt and goodie bag. Runners must pick up their own packet. There will be NO pick up the day of the race.

Shoot As You Walk 14

2011-04-10T16:38:00.006+03:00

As exhausted as I've been all week, and as much as I’d have loved nothing more than to sleep till noon today, I forced myself to get out of bed at 8:00 AM, have breakfast, get dressed, and head off to Shoot As You Walk 14…

As usual, we all met up at Nawfal Palace at 9:00 AM, but this time the path was different, this time the path was around the Citadel of Raymond de Saint Gilles:

But on the way there, something incredible happened! This little souk boy found us and tagged along, and he looked so familiar. Then it hit me, I had photographed this kid before, a little over six months ago, during one of our walks! (Look how he’s grown! :-)

In October 2010:

In April 2011:

He looks like a little troublemaker, and he kind of is, look at some of the stunts he pulled off! His name is Omar and he said that he’s 14 years old though I doubt it, I give him 12 tops, what do you think?

Overall it was one of the best walks yet! I’m really glad I forced myself to get out of bed this morning, and though still tired, I’m looking forward to the week ahead! :-)

Nemr Abou Nassar LIVE in EPIC

2011-04-10T15:14:00.005+03:00

Last night, I went to see Nemr Abou Nassar’s EPIC at the Casino Du Liban! I’d been looking forward to the event ever since it was announced a little less than two months ago. I went with Jana, Maya B, Diala A, and Farah, and we laughed so hard!

I have to admit it was a little too short, roughly an hour long from 9:00 till 10:00PM and a lot of the material I had heard before. But despite that, I still laughed! Nemr is a genius when it comes to stand up comedy, and he brings down the house!

Halfway through the show, he introduced us to a Lebanese band I’d heard of but never heard, Slutter House. They were pretty good as well:

Lost Negatives From A South African Wedding

2011-03-30T19:07:00.004+03:00

This is the strangest story that’s happened to me in a while! Let me start with the present: A couple of months ago, Dad decided that he wanted to digitalize all of our negative films that we’ve had since we were little up until the early 2000s when we switched to digital cameras. Now for those of you that know me and the considerable amounts of pictures I take, I get it all from Dad. He’s the picture pro and he’s taken tons of pictures of us in the past…

Today, after about a month since his decision, we had developed films from the year 2000. In the summer of that year, we had traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the best vacation of my life and I’ll never forget the awesome experiences we had, and thanks to Dad and his professional camera, we got it all on film. I remember while we were there, we were so excited to see the pictures that we had taken so we decided to get them developed in one of the local photo shops, and they turned out to be just as great as we’d expected…

Flash forward eleven years since then, to when we had gotten them all digitalized on CD. We were just watching a slideshow preview of the pictures, when a South African couple showed up. “Who are they?” we all asked in union. Turns out we've got about 50 pictures of a South African couple and their wedding!

Trying to piece the puzzle together, we guessed that the shop where we had gotten the pictures developed had accidentally switched our negatives with theirs and we ended up taking the right photos with the wrong negatives and never even knew it until today! It’s not that big of a problem to us but I felt bad for the couple. These were two complete films of their wedding day, and by the looks of it, it didn't seem like they had a professional photographer or anyone else to be taking their photos that day and all they had were these exclusive shots for their big day. And they were with us and we have no idea who they are! :-(

I know it’s a long shot, but if by any chance that couple or friends or relatives of this couple find this post and their pictures, we can DHL them over. This is their wedding, I don’t know what I’d do if pictures of my wedding got lost with another person from another country, let alone another continent! I wish, by some lucky chance, something or someone will lead them to this post to get in contact with me. Because in the end, pictures mean the world… :-)

Never Say Never 3D

2011-03-28T19:39:00.000+03:00

I honestly have no recollection of how I first heard of the kid sensation Justin Bieber. All I remember was hearing a couple of his songs, watching a couple of his videos on YouTube about a year and a half ago, and loving them. The kid is adorable; he reminded me of a young Aaron Carter who I used to be in love with as a teen. Only difference is that JB sounds better, and is Canadian, like me! :-)

He’s not that well known here in Lebanon, well at least not among those of us above sixteen, let alone twenty-three :-P But he’s such a cute kid, with such good songs of which my top three are: Never Say Never, Down To Earth, and Baby…

So, when his movie Never Say Never 3D was released in early February in the States, I couldn't wait to watch it! Unfortunately, it took well over a month to bring the movie to Lebanon. It just came out last Thursday and today, I went to watch it. I was literally the only person in the theater, with over sized 3D glasses, but it was cool to have the entire theater and 3D experience to myself. They did a pretty good job with the 3D effects; I could almost see him jumping out of the screen and the music just made me want to just get up and dance with him! And all that online hype for the movie from Twitter, it all lives up to its expectations. It was emotional, just the massiveness of his success, so inspiring!

I don’t care how much ridicule I’m going to get out of posting this, I’m a Belieber! ;-)

Purple Day In Tripoli!

2011-03-26T19:31:00.003+02:00

Today is Wear Purple Day, the International Day of Epilepsy Awareness! On March 26 annually, people from around the world wear purple in support of epilepsy awareness. And guess what? We Love Tripoli are the official Lebanese partners of Purple Day!

So, in an effort dedicated to promoting Epilepsy Awareness in the community, We Love Tripoli held a Purple Day for Epilepsy in Tripoli event, featuring a short documentary followed by a Q & A session at Ahwak Coffee Shop in Dam & Farez…

Fayhaa Choir Advance To The Finals On AGT!

2011-03-26T07:03:00.005+02:00

Last night, I went to watch the Live shooting of Arab’s Got Talent! The event is held at the ex Ice-Skating Arena in Zouk and to tell the truth, the whole setup was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but it filled a lot more than I thought it could:

The ticket said that we had to be there an hour earlier, at 7:00PM, and so by the time we got there at 6:45PM there was a huge crowd at the entrance. And by the time they opened the doors and the audience rushed inside, we were lucky to find a couple of good seats at the top right, right beside the camera. Unfortunately, we didn't take into consideration the fact that sitting next to the camera would mean that we wouldn't show in the filming; though I could almost swear there were parts I could see my hands clapping at the far right end of the stage while I was re-watching the show!

The audience was on fire, and there was a huge support group with signs for Fayhaa Choir who we were lucky to end up sitting next to. The entire time I felt so excited, it was after all my first experience with live television shooting! There was a stage manager who would stand on the side and tell us when to stand up, cheer on, and keep cheering on! I have to admit by the time the show was over, my arms and hands were aching from all the clapping but it was worth it! My friends and I were also hoping to get a photo op with the awesome judges, or at least two of the awesome judges: Najwa Karam and Ali Jaber. But during the breaks we couldn’t go near them as security stood around their area, and right after we went off the air, they were led back inside before the audience could jump to them. That’s my luck with celebrities, LoL!

But on a much brighter note, Fayhaa Choir did us proud, they actually won second place and moved on to the finals, they're our local heroes now! I mean, how can you not love them after this breathtaking performance?:

Fayhaa Choir On Arab’s Got Talent

2011-03-24T14:34:00.010+02:00

Let me start this post off by reminding you of this, the amazing performance of Tripoli’s famous Fayhaa Choir (led by Maestro Barkev Taslakian) during their winning audition to Arab’s Got Talent about a month ago:

Rami, a colleague at work, and several other acquaintances are all part of the choir and tomorrow, they’re going to be performing for the semi-finals knockout stage. Only two out of eight performers are going to advance to the finals: one picked by the audiences’ voting, and one (from the audiences’ remaining top two favorites) picked by the judges (Najwa Karam, Ali Jaber, and Amr Adib).

I asked Rami how I could get tickets to watch them live, and he told me to call MBC Studio’s Office in Gefinor Hamra. I called them last week to reserve five tickets for this Friday, and I was told I could pick them up between Monday and Tuesday. But, their office being in Beirut and me in Tripoli, I asked my friend TJ (who was kind enough) to pick the tickets up for me and mail them over. And I just received them this morning, here they are:

So tomorrow, between 8:00PM & 10:00PM Beirut time tune in to MBC4 for Arab’s Got Talent and VOTE FOR FAYHAA CHOIR! :-)

Happy Mother’s Day 2011!

2011-03-21T22:38:00.002+02:00

It’s officially Mother’s Day in Lebanon! Two days ago, on Saturday, we celebrated the event at my grandma’s house with the entire family. Grandma made the most scrumptious food, and we had ordered a strawberry tart from Zest, which tasted AMAZING:

I always like to support my family and friends’ businesses and so like I did last year, I headed over to ENJOY (my friend Nada’s Mum’s shop) to pick out a gift for Mum. She showed me a cute offer she had made for the occasion:

It’s a double-pot, one side is planted with artificial flowers (which look so real!), and the other side is filled with neatly wrapped chocolate, a very original idea! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! :-)

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2011-03-20T12:53:00.002+02:00

A Super Full Moon

2011-03-19T21:41:00.005+02:00

This evening, my TM Friends Jana, Diala, Farah, and I went to congratulate our friend Rami for the birth of his new baby girl. On the drive there, Jana pointed up at the sky and said, “Look, it’s a super full moon tonight!”

When I got home, I did a little online research and found that it’s true! It’s called a Super Full Moon and it’s the first time in almost 20 years since the moon’s been this close to earth. It’s also 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal. So I thought I’d enjoy giving it a photo shoot and to be honest, I’m surprised I could get this close of a shot:

Saad Hariri In Tripoli

2011-03-18T19:31:00.007+02:00

Saad Hariri is in town! And I love the energy and chaos he brings when he comes to visit Tripoli! The entire city wakes up and goes crazy, it’s so refreshing. And yesterday, I got the lucky chance of seeing him in person for the first time ever! He’s awesome in real life, he’s so charismatic, jokes with the crowd, completely down to earth. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a chance for a photo op with him because of the crowds of people and tight security, but this was the best picture I could get of him:

Then this afternoon, there was a huge festival for him in Maarad. I’ll let these pictures I took do the talking:

Rebecca Black – FRIDAY

2011-03-16T22:22:00.002+02:00

It’s Friday, Friday! Gotta get down on Friday! Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend! Friday, Friday! Getting’ down on Friday! Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend…

If you don’t recognize those lyrics then what planet are you living on?! It’s youtube sensation Rebecca Black with her debut song FRIDAY!!! :-P I discovered this song/video through several links that some friends were sharing on Facebook and when I heard it, I was blown away! And now, it’s your turn:

(8) Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday! Toay i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin’) … Tomorrow is Saturday! And Sunday comes after…wards! I don’t want this weekend to end! (8)

Who Keyed My Car?! :-|

2011-03-11T16:06:00.003+02:00

As I was getting in my car to drive back home from work yesterday afternoon, I noticed that a thin white line had been scraped along both doors of the driver’s seat. It was raining and I thought it was just a simple scrape that could get washed off. But after the rain had subsided and I got out to take a closer look, I realized that it had actually been keyed. And when I turned to check on the opposite side of the car, my heart sank as I noticed an ever thicker line had been scraped across the passenger side as well :’-(

I don’t get it, why? Why do people do that? I mean I can understand keying me if I had been parked like an asshole or if I had done anything to upset anyone but I’m pretty sure that I've been on good car conduct. So why the hurt? I tell you, I was in tears…

I've had my car for about five months now, and not a dent, not a scratch, nothing. But on 10/03/2011, my car got keyed. I told some colleagues at work and they made me feel a bit better by telling me similar stories that had happened to their cars. But to all the keyers of the world, !@#$ YOU! :-|

It's The Lebanon Blues

2011-03-10T18:58:00.002+02:00

For all you Lebanese homesick folks out there, you’re not alone. It’s called “The Lebanon Blues”, a great new set of ads by IMPACT BBDO for The Lebanese Ministry of Tourism…

“For the first time, the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism decided to communicate to the potential tourists and more specifically to the Europeans. The emotional TV ads portrayed a young man in a pub in London and a woman in a café at the heart of Paris, two of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world. Instead of highlighting Lebanese touristic sights, we decided to focus on their feelings once back from their holiday. Since only Lebanon offers the ultimate holiday experience, it generates in them feelings of Lebanon blues.” – IMPACT BBDO

Our New Lebanese Banknotes

2011-03-02T17:21:00.004+02:00

I finally got my hands on the new Lebanese banknotes (1,000 LBP, 50,000 LBP, and 100,000 LBP) which were issued on 24/02/11. They’re signed by The Central Bank governor Riad Salameh and the first deputy governor Raed Sharaf El Din.

What I especially liked about the new notes is that they’re also in marked in Braille (for the blind) on the bottom left of the Arabic sides:

Unlike blogger Najib and many others, I liked them! What do you think?

A Time To Remember... 2011

2011-03-02T17:20:00.004+02:00

Today is my Two-Year Work Anniversary!! I can’t believe it’s already been two full years. I still remember the little me, 21 years old at the time, when I first joined BankMed. What makes me smile every time I look back is the fact that I never wanted to go into Banking (after all, I was a Marketing major!), yet I found a new passion in Finance. I can hear Daniel and Nadine laughing at me from Kuwait and Jordan respectively: Nour, Finance? LOL! But it’s true; the Financial and Managerial sectors have opened up new worlds to me, worlds I thankfully found myself in. From last March’s One-Year Anniversary to todays second, I’m taking a better look at myself and I like the “Work Nour”!

---

For the past two years, March 2nd has been like a double-edged sword for me: Happy for the day as my BankMed Anniversary, yet Sad for the day of my paternal grandmother’s passing away three years ago, on March 2nd, 2008…

I was still in the final year of university; still the little me that I was just talking about. I can’t help but think how different, how better my relationship with her might have been had she known me today. I know she’d have appreciated me being more social, more considerate, more understanding of things like I am today…

Family is one of the greatest blessings in life. Never take them for granted… :)

Bree's Emotional Box

2011-02-08T21:58:00.004+02:00

This is just so funny to me, I was watching the fourth season of Desperate Housewives back in 2008 and this part in one of the episode came up, making me fall into a fist of laughter! Today, I was feeling a little like Susan was feeling at the time, and I couldn't help but remember Bree’s emotional box:

Susan: Oh I just can’t control myself like that.

Bree: Oh, sure you can. Whenever I feel my emotions getting the best of me, I simply picture an empty box and I take whatever I'm feeling and put that in the box. And then, I picture myself putting the box away in a big, empty closet and closing the door. Then, if I have time, I go back and open the box and deal with the emotion, in private, like a lady.

This Light Between Us

2011-02-07T21:20:00.000+02:00

Let me start by saying that I’m NOT into Armin Van Buuren. But chance brought me to the lyrics of “This Light Between Us” and I loved the words (and eventually, the music):

Can you see this light between us? Keeps me breathing through the storm, my head above the crowd… Can you see this light between us? So come a little bit closer now, it’s in our eyes… You and me, we’re just believers, believe in what we hold. But sometimes we fall to pieces in the dusk… So we should dance like this forever, we’re safer on the ground. When a million lights surround you, and you’re moving to the sound… Don’t waste another moment, its waiting for you now. So dive in this new beginning, let the glowing show you how... ... We’ll take a ride outside together; the streets are lined with gold. Where the good become the wanted, not the soul…

ASK-I MEMNU

2011-02-06T11:55:00.004+02:00

So last night was the final episode of the Turkish hit TV-Series, Ask-I Memnu (L3ishk Lmamnou3/ Forbidden Love). I cant believe I got hooked on it! I NEVER watch Arabic television series (or movies) but ever since I caught my family watching it almost every night, I started watching it too! *Spoiler*

It tells the story of Samar (played by the beautiful Beren Saat), a young woman whose mother had an affair which led to the death of her father. As an attempt to get back at her, Samar marries Adnan, a much older rich man that her mother had her eye on…. Adnan is a widower, with two young children, Nihal & Mourad. There is also a boy named Mouhanad (played by the beautiful Kivanc Tatlitug) whose parents died when he was a child, and since then, Adnan took him in as his own, and he lives with the family… Mouhanad has a reputation with the ladies, and when Samar moves in to the family, she hates Mouhanad, especially since her sister was one of the women he used to date, and he broke her heart… Eventually, sparks (the good kind) began to fly between Samar and Mouhanad, and they started having affairs, unbeknownst to anyone. They kept cheating and cheating, fighting, making up, loving, and cheating… Several of the servants at the house began to notice, and eventually, Samar’s mother noticed as well. So, to put an end to it, she told Nihal that Mouhanad was in love with her. Nihal was ecstatic because ever since she could remember, she was in love with Mouhanad too. Mouhanad eventually had no choice but to propose to her and it all continued downhill from there… Samar tried to get Mouhanad to leave Nihal, so she could leave Adnan too and they could run away together, but Mouhanad was never man enough… And ever sine the engagement and up to the day of Nihal and Mouhanad’s wedding, Samar was falling apart. The last episode, Adnan and everyone else finally find out the truth, and as he runs to catch Samar and Mouhanad standing together in his room, both of them crying and with Samar a gun in her hand, she kills herself infront of them both… All because of this ASK-I MEMNU… (L)

Winter Trip To The Cedars '11

2011-01-24T18:24:00.006+02:00

Ever since the collapse of our government (no comment), I've been surrounded by a lot of people’s negative attitudes. It’s quite infectious but I’m quite immune, so I decided to spread a little positivity at work last week by organizing a trip to The Cedars!

Yesterday, we all met up at 8:00 A.M. (well, I’ll admit I was late, which was Micho’s fault because of Armin Van Buuren! :-P). We left Tripoli at 8:30 A.M. and arrived at The Cedars around 10:00 A.M. The road to get there was almost empty, there were few people there, and even fewer snow. But, with a group like ours, it’s all about fun!

Micho took us to the Army’s ski lift where we only had to pay LBP 4,000 for a ride up to the very top of the mountain and then back down again (about a 30 minute round trip). I got some snapshots of this winter wonderland (it’s the best I could get before my fingers almost snapped off from the cold!)

When I was a kid, there was nothing I loved more than tobogganing! But the last time I did that was probably when I was ten years old. Now, thirteen years later, we rented a toboggan and I don’t think Ive been more terrified sliding downhill at full speed, trying to avoid kids and beginner skiers. My legs are still aching from using them as brakes, and starting a snow fight with the kids. I got hit smack in the face with several snow balls, but I got my revenge. It was all exhilarating fun that I hadn't had in quite a while!

After that, it was time for lunch. We had booked thirty places at Le Pichet restaurant at Le Cedrus Hotel. The food was scrumptious, and I had burned an Arabic music mix. We asked the restaurant to play it, and turned our half of the place into a dance floor. I can’t even begin to describe how terrible I am at dancing, but despite my laughable moves, I didn't leave the dance floor…

What a beautiful day! Great weather, great time, and oh, I also got to tick “snow trip” off my 2011 resolution list. I love when things work out! :-)

SAVE AYA

2011-01-19T18:00:00.003+02:00

So, who is Aya? “_There happily lived a loving family in a below average home outside Beirut and they were blessed with a beautiful little girl called Aya… She was born with a dying liver… With the support of her family she decided to fight, and up until the age of 7, that worked…

Then Aya stopped going to school, afraid her deformities would scare her classmates. But deep down inside, they actually scared her, driving her to pull out clumps of her own hair in anguish…

AYA IS NOW 13 AND SHE HAS NO MORE FIGHT LEFT IN HER…

She has 5 months left to live unless she gets $50,000 for a liver transplant…”

To tell the truth, I first heard about the “Save Aya” campaign through Mind Soup back in mid-October. I read more on the official site and smiled for the running of a good cause. And then, I forgot about it. A couple of days ago, I was reminded of it again through Gino's tweet. And after reading his blog post, I thought “I CAN SAVE AYA TOO!” So without a second thought, I pulled out the donation information and sent an OPO for Aya…

Honestly, it’s through little posts and pictures like the ones found here that inspire you to make a difference. And just like Gino’s post inspired me to help, I hope this inspires some readers to help too…

You can Donate Online through Bank Audi, Offline through Banque Libano-Francaise (Hep Attitude Positive / IBAN LB 48 0010 0000 0000 0001 2291 8939), or if you’re in Beirut through donation boxes available at CashUnited ABC Achrafieh and City Mall…

Only 40 days are left! Spread the word, help save a life… :-)

ICE Watch

2011-01-17T21:31:00.005+02:00

I’ve had my eye on them Ice Watches for quite a while now, and the colors are all so beautiful, making it even more difficult for me to settle on one! White? Black? Blue? Green? Yellow? Orange? Red? Pink? Purple? Grey? No, those are just ten of the hundreds of different colors and designs! But if you've only got one to choose, choose the color of them all: WHITE!

Yup, I finally settled on the original sili - white - unisex, and I’m loving it! Can’t wait to show it off tomorrow! :-P Oh, by the way, there are Lebanese Ice Watches! Have you seen them? Click Here and Here!

Just The Way You Are

2011-01-16T18:13:00.003+02:00

The first time I heard of Bruno Mars, it was through the song “Nothing On You”, in which he collaborated with B.O.B. Then I heard “Grenade”, which I also really liked. But the song and music video that sealed the deal in my love for him was “Just The Way You Are”:

How sweet is this song? (And boy? :-) He reminds me of a young Michael Jackson for some reason, so that’s another plus on his side. I’m looking forward to listening to more of his music…

The House That Built Me

2011-01-16T17:22:00.006+02:00

I was reading back on music reviews from the past year, and I noticed there were a lot of good songs I missed out on, like the hilarious “Fuck You” for Cee Lo Green and a couple of smash hits for Bruno Mars, who has just made it to one of my top artists of all time. But one of the songs that caught my attention most, even before listening to it, was titled “The House That Built Me” for country singer, Miranda Lambert…

When I watched the video, I couldn’t help but think back to our old house in Barrhaven, Ottawa. I’ve got a couple of old snapshots for us in the house, but not as many as I’d like. The time before the last time we went to Canada was in 2006, and while we were driving in Ottawa, I asked Dad to take us to our old house in the neighborhood. There was a Range Rover parked out front, and there was a sting in my heart at the sight of our old house being lived in by somebody else…

I wished more than anything that I could go up and knock at the door, for them to open and let me in. Unfortunately, all I’ve got from those times are beautiful childhood memories. I wasn’t that young when we left, as I remember the bedroom I shared with my little brother, the guestroom I turned into my bedroom when I grew a little older, the stairs, the kitchen, the dining room where I first learned to use the computer and played computer games like Monster Bash and Duke Nukem, the living room, the basement, the storeroom, the bathrooms, the pine tree in the front yard (I loved it because as the seasons changed, it stayed evergreen while our neighbors’ trees’ leaves fell during the winter), and the beautiful backyard around which we put up a fence, set up a slide and swing set, planted an apple tree, caught grasshoppers, and played ball…

I could go on and on and I'll always smile at the house I’ll always love the most, the house that built me… :-)

Only Once In Your Life...

2011-01-15T17:03:00.000+02:00

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life..."

— Bob Marley

Mostly365: Share a photo with the world every day!

2011-01-02T20:23:00.003+02:00

As you might have read in my previous post, I've been thinking of getting a new camera lens. I honestly have NO IDEA about lenses, so I decided to start googling. I came across countless different hits, but one that stood out to me the most lead to Mostly Lisa…

Its brilliant and just yesterday she decided to launch Mostly365: Share a photo with the world every day! It’s as simple as it sounds, all you have to do is take a photo, and share it! And the best part is, “if you miss a day, don’t get down on yourself, that’s why we call it Mostly365” and its that last bit that sealed the deal for me…

I decided to participate on my nourspot flickr account, adding photos to the Mostly365 flickr group, and tweeting them from my nourspot twitter account with the #mostly365 hashtag…

I know, it’s probably going to be a lot easier said than done, but I’m going to give this a shot! My first picture; Its Your Turn To Fly…

Realizations And Resolutions From 2010

2011-01-01T17:25:00.005+02:00

Remember how I started off last year’s “Realizations And Resolutions From 2009”? I talked about how “there’s no such thing as a perfect New Year’s” because you can’t be with everyone you want to be with. Well, I wanted to try to prove myself wrong this year, I tried to split myself between friends and family, spending half the night with friends and the other half with family (both parties mean the world to me). Unfortunately, trying to be in two places at the same time never works well (that’s something I should have learned that from television!). So once again, I have yet to experience my version of a perfect (or at least as good as it gets a) New Year’s…

Then again, I don’t take the nights of the 31st that seriously anymore, after all, it’s the other 365 days of the year that matter most! And now that I've woken up to a bright new 1st of the year, I want to reflect on 2010. I want to go back to my resolutions and see what I've fulfilled; I want to remember all the good that’s happened last year, and all the things I want to still work on. So here we go:

I always put Prayer as number one on my list and I always fall short. I know I’m spiritual, and I believe, but this is something I need to keep working on… :-)

I think I took my good Health for granted last year, or at least I did by not listing it as a major point. Most of the comments I’d gotten every time I’d see someone I hadn't seen in a while were: look how thin you've gotten/ it doesn’t suit you/ you should eat more. Its not like I do it on purpose, I've just got high metabolism! But I have been trying to eat better, and will hopefully continue to do so next year…

Now, for more important things like Family. I've said it before and I’ll say it again, my family is one of the most important things in the world to me. Sure they drive me ballistic at times but I still love them all. Unfortunately, several of them don’t live in Lebanon. Lil brother is in Canada, as are my Uncle, his wife, and my baby cousin Celine. And my aunt, her husband, and my two cousins are in Egypt. We don’t all talk as often as I’d like but I definitely hope to strengthen my relationship with them all, by making more effort to talk with them. And of course to the beautiful family I have here like my parents, grandma, and aunt. Family First!

Just as important to me are Friends. The best of friends are of course the ones who stick with you through time and distance. And I've had so many people walk in and out of my life. But I have to stop and smile at the ones I’m blessed to have in my life, especially this year. Sura, Daniel, Nadine, Ymn, Nan, and Tarek… 6 is my lucky number! :-P of course there are a lot more people that I love in this world, but those 6 are who I’m super thankful for this year… And here’s to the many more memories we’ll hopefully share together next year! :-)

I’m really happy to feel that I've finally fit into the world of Work. I’ve officially been working for a year and ten months now, and I’m really happy. I've gained a lot of experience in that department, and I still have a long way to go. I want to make some noticeable differences next year, I've got to. Fingers Crossed…

On a side note, even though I’m not thinking of doing my MBA right now, I’d like to at least start getting ready for it. I have the book, GMAT, and I want to get through it. It’s tough, but I’m going to start taking things more seriously in terms of my future education…

Along that line though, I did it! It took longer than I thought it would but I finally completed the Toastmasters program, earning both the “Competent Leader” Award in June and the “Competent Communicator” Award in November. I had said that I wanted to serve as club Treasurer during the third season of LoudSpeakers, and I did, I actually served as both Treasurer and Sergeant at Arms. I had also said I also said I wanted to take on a more demanding officer role during the fourth season in June 2010 but by then I have to admit I wasn't feeling very satisfied with the club… All of a sudden, Ymn left, and then Maya, and then Diala (who were the main people I used to look forward to going to TM for). A lot of new members joined, ice breakers, first time roles, and I suddenly began feeling like I had failed a class, like no one was at the end of the program with me; everyone was just leaving or just starting… So, I decided it was time for me to wrap it up as well, and with that, the Toastmasters part of my life reached a thankful end…

But, with every end there’s a new beginning, right?! This year, I’m going to officially join We Love Tripoli. I first heard of them early this year when I went on their “Shoot As You Walk” events, where we’d talk around the city, taking pictures of Tripoli. We've also became locally quite famous, with articles and exhibitions all about us! And I love raising awareness and making a difference towards Tripoli!

Now, it can’t be all work and no play, right? That’s right, I asked for a Vacation. Last year, since I still hadn't fulfilled my 1 year work probation period yet, I wasn’t entitled to any working days off. But as of March, I was entitled to 28 working days off! And I have to admit, I've outdone myself! In Lebanon: January, I went on a trip with Toastmasters to The Cedars, during the Summer, I went on a trip with Mum, lil brother, my two aunts, two cousins, and a family friend to Zahle and Chouf and it was so much fun, rediscovering Lebanon together. I had a lot of fun with my baby cousin Celine whilst she was here. I spent a lot of time at the beach, on islands, in Jbeil, in Beirut, shopping, with friends… Outside Lebanon: Back during the Easter Break, Mum, my aunt, a family friend, and I all went to spend four days in Aleppo, Syria. Two weeks after that, I took another four days off work and I went to visit Dad in Amman, Jordan and my best friend Nadine, Mira, Sari, Akram, and even Danny flew in from Kuwait for an AUB reunion! But the best trip of the year (or of my life actually), was when I combined three days off work to the Eid-Al-Adha & Independence day vacations for a nine day getaway with Mum to Kuala Lumpur & Langkawi, Malaysia! And it was incredible beyond words… Four countries in one year, that’s something! Yes, I benefited from my vacations this year to the max. Unfortunately, next year I’m only entitled to 15 working days, 12 of which must be taken consecutively. I’m really hoping to go to Dubai during the 2011 Shopping Festival, and I’ll try to take advantage of the two week vacation I’m most probably going to be taking in the summer. I’d opt for either a cruise, Turkey, or a European country like Italy or Spain. I’d also like to think I’m smart when it comes to taking advantage of official holidays like Easter or Eid, so that’s something I look forward to working with, taking advantage of every free moment, because they’ll stay free if you don’t do something with them!

I can’t say that I've Read more this year. All the books I said I wanted to read last year, I didn’t read them. But I guess the style of my reading has changed. Yes, I did read novels like “Committed”, and I’m currently reading “This Book Will Change Your Life”, I've read comics like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Maya Zankoul’s Amalgams”, I’ve read Business books like “The 48 Laws of Power”, “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, and “Developing The Leader Within You Workbook”. Yes, I've taken a liking to John Maxwell! In fact, I was at Virgin Megastore the other day when I came across “The Maxwell Daily Reader” which is packed with a collection of 365 pages of major points from several of his major books to last me the whole year through! Oh, and I've joined as a member in Al Mouna Public Library where I've found a beautiful collection of books (even on Photography) which I hope to make the best use of!

I got back to Writing this year, in more ways than one. First, I blogged like I had intended to and I intend to keep it up. I had also intended to write for a book. And, I did end up writing a book, just not the book I had in mind. See, in April, Al Mouna Public Library launched a writing competition for a children’s story on Tripoli. I participated with a rhyme story I wrote called “SuSu in the Souk”, and I actually came off as a first place winner in the English Section! My story, along with the second and third place winners in the English Section and the six other winners from the Arabic and French Sections were all made into a children’s book called Qisati! I hope to keep writing, as it’s a big part of what I’m all about!

I think what I’m proud of the most this year is the brave step I took towards Photography. I've always dreamed of owning a digital SLR camera, and after a bit of research and taking people’s suggestions, I decided to invest in the Canon Rebel Xsi/D450 (with a special thanks to Danny who bought it for me from the USA for a much cheaper price than it was being sold in Lebanon). And ever since, I've been in love with it. A whole new world has opened up to me with SLRs! Aperture, Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, ISO, I own those terms! And what I’m most thankful for are the many opportunities We Love Tripoli’s “Shoot As You Walk” events have been providing me with. With each journey we take to take pictures of Tripoli, I discover something new about my camera, and shooting techniques that have made a lot of differences to my work! But I still have so much to learn! I want to learn to understand lenses now, because I've seen those beautiful zoom lenses which I've been dying to use! I need to figure them out, and decide which one to invest in. Also, as ashamed as I am to admit this, I have NO idea how to use Photoshop. Hopefully by the end of next year, I’ll know how to work it! So stay tuned…

You know sometimes I feel that I have a real life and an Online life, taking into consideration the amount of time I spend online! I've learned a lot from the internet, I’ve taken a lot of information out of it. And in 2011 I hope to stay informed, in terms of Business, Politics, Electronics, Food, Fashion & Style, the list is endless. But, I need to cut down on my hours of usage, and spend more time in the real world…

All in all 2010 has been a damn good year, in fact; it’s been one of the best years of the decade for me! L7amdillah. To everything old and new, I hope I’ll be seeing a lot more in 2011…

A Happy New Year To The World!!! :-)

Tripoli: People & Places Photo Exhibition (Part II)

2010-12-30T19:58:00.002+02:00

I just got back from the “People & Places Photo Exhibition”. There were a lot of great shots of Tripoli, including three of mine. The three that were chosen to be exhibited turned out to be portraits, and I was asked by several people why my photos were of people and not places? I said that I had submitted several photos of places, but I guess I'm better at photos of people. I usually don't see much art in still life, its people that make pictures to me, and maybe thats a specialty I should consider more seriously:

--Coffee Break--

--Hello, Good Friend--

--Waiting On The World To Change--

It was a great exhibition and I’m glad most of my favorite people could make it! Here are some pics of the event from the talented photographer, Mr. Taha Naji:

Ymn and I

Tripoli: People & Places Photo Exhibition (Part I)

2010-12-29T20:37:00.005+02:00

As part of the Winter Cultural Season, I was recently asked to select several of my favorite photographs that I’d personally taken of Tripoli to include in “Tripoli: People & Places (Photo Exhibition)”. Here's the invitation:

Under the patronage of the Municipality of Tripoli; Friends of Nawfal Palace & We Love Tripoli proudly invite you to the Collective Amateur Photo Exhibition "Tripoli: People & Places", exposing the outcome of "Shoot As You Walk" the familiar shooting and walking event by We Love Tripoli...

The exhibition will be held tomorrow (Thursday, January 30th, 2010) at 5 PM at Nawfal Palace:

There are going to be 80 photos from 18 amateur photographers (including myself) participating in the exhibition:

Abdallah Kheir, Amal Mallah, Ghassan El Bakri, Hassan Osmani, Hind Naji, Karim Zock, Khaled Merheb, Maya Abs, Mayada Jamous, Mourad Ayyash, Natheer Halawani, Nizar Najjar, Nour Kabbara (ME!), Omar Al Mourad, Salim El Helwe, Taha Baba, Taha Naji, & Ymn Merhebi.

I’m really looking forward to this as it’ll be the first time that I have anything publically exhibited! Hope all of you can make it!