The John Lennon Wall (Prague)

After crossing Charles Bridge from Old Town to Lesser Town, if you take your 1st Left & then Left again, you come across one of Prague's iconic gems: The John Lennon Peace Wall (located at Velkopřevorské náměstí, Malá Strana):

This famous wall first started collecting John Lennon & The Beatles’ inspired graffiti in the 1980s, as a symbol of Peace & Love, which it still stands for today. Everyday, new drawings and lyrics are added to the wall by its many visitors, constantly changing visuals.  

& To add to the ambiance, we came across a street musician singing and playing his guitar to The Beatles' “Let It Be”. I took this video of him and shared it on Instagram, where I later received a comment from one of his fans that he was actually a rising Czech musical artist, by the name of Thom Artway. I looked him up online and he appears to have some good music. You can check out his official page here.

Lana Del Rey @ Byblos International Festival 2013

Yesterday was the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. It was also the first day of my TQM summer class at school. It was also the long awaited night of Lana Del Rey in Lebanon for the very first time! I barely had time to breathe yesterday, running from work to school and then off to Jbeil on an empty stomach. But wow oh wow, what a night!

I've always had a soft spot for Jbeil. The old souks, the beautifully cobbled streets and sidewalks, the vibrant night life, just walking through it is magic…

The opening act was for The Wanton Bishops, a local Lebanese band which I really wanted to like but it just wasn't music to my ears. There was then about an hour interlude, but from the moment she came on stage, till the moment she said goodnight, it was the most brilliant I've ever seen of Lana Del Rey. Her electrifying voice, her down-to-earth personality, being with my friends, the night… it was perfect!  Here's the recording I took for Blue Jeans, the song that introduced me to her and my favourite song of her's since:

ATM, I can't help but wonder what performance I'll be looking forward to at next year's festival… Thank You Byblos & Good Night! :-)

Tickets to Lana Del Rey @ Byblos International Festival 2013

"Video Games". It was her debut single, her claim to fame. It was the first song I heard and fell in love with for her. Swinging in the backyard, pull up in your fast car, whistling my name...

Throughout the year, I got introduced to more of her music and I especially loved "Born To Die", "Blue Jeans", "Summertime Sadness", and most lately, "Young and Beautiful". Lana Del Rey has definitely made it to the list of my top artists of all time. And, I still can't believe my eyes, she's coming to Lebanon's Byblos International Festival on July 10th, 2013! 

I remember my first Byblos International Festival in 2010, I went with Toastmasters to see the famous local Lebanese Band Mashrou3 Leila. Two years later in 2012, I went with my brother and cousins to see Snow Patrol (a band that I am absolutely in love with, and what a was a perfect night it was!). And now, just when I thought I'd seen the best, Byblos International Festival outdoes themselves again and brings Lana Del Rey (along with a brilliant lineup you can see here!) 

I know I'm a few weeks late in writing this post, but thank my lucky stars I'm not late in getting tickets (for me and two of my very best friends)! The very moment I found out she was coming, I booked! The only difference between this year and last year is that this year I decided to go seated because standing kills! And I'm too old to be standing these days! :-P Ahhh, and as of this moment, exactly one month remains till Lana lands in Lebanon! Can't Wait!

Till then, I leave you with one of her lesser known, but more upbeat songs (which happens to be my song of the week), PARIS:

In The MEA Aeroplane Over The Sea

Well, I'm back! Like I said, it was one of the quickest vacations ever, but it was a much needed vacation for me to de-stress from both work and school. And I have to say, mission accomplished! And you know Neutra Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea"? Well, I couldn't stop playing it my head as I was flying back home. I even Instagrammed this picture from the MEA plane:

I feel quite pumped and ready to get back to business! In fact, I even went straight to Marketing Class this afternoon! 

Amman to Beirut: 135 Miles, Beirut to Tripoli: 53 Miles, Tripoli to Balamand: 8.5 Miles, Balamand to Tripoli: 8.5 Miles… 205 Miles in 12 hours and now HOME SWEET HOME! (L)

Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Show

It was on the first night of Eid-El-Fitr where my parents were watching the news and I was idly browsing the internet. Fast forward till the end of the news where I heard something about Michael Jackson that caught my attention. I remembered seeing an ad for this MJ Event in Beirut about a month ago and as it turned out, Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Show (a tribute band and act to the late king of pop) was coming to Beirut for four nights (on the 19th-20th-21st-22nd of August)! 

I quickly messaged Sura, asking her if she wanted to go the next night and she was just as excited as I was. So the next night, Sura, her brother, and I head off to Beirut. We left at exactly 7pm (the road normally takes 1.5 hours tops). But, not taking the fact that it was still Eid into consideration, we were still stuck in heavy traffic by 9pm, at the time the show was supposed to start!) All three of us became quite frustrated at the fact that we were missing the show. But somehow, by some miracle, we arrived, parked, got tickets, and were sitting in front of the stage by 9pm!

It was a great performance! I have to admit I had my hopes up a little too high but nonetheless it really was great! They played all of MJ's greatest hits, including my personal favourite, "You Are Not Alone":

I've been trying to upload one of the several videos I took but the internet here is killing me (so bare with me… sigh)

*Update: Finally, Uploaded "Beat It":

Tripoli Sky Time-Lapse

Here’s my first attempt at recording a time-lapse video! I set it up just before Iftar and kept it rolling till just after nightfall… gotta admit, I’m quite happy with how it turned out, eh? :-)

Background Music: Explosions In The Sky

* Idea Inspired by Rami from plus961.com, recorded with TimeLapse Camera HD :-)

Snow Patrol @ Byblos International Festival 2012

Ever since I read the lineup to the Byblos International Festival, and read that Snow Patrol were going to be performing, my jaw literally dropped! See, there are a lot of artists and bands that are good, and that I like, but ever since I first heard of Snow Patrol back in 2006, with their hit song “Chasing Cars” and their fourth album “Eyes Open”, I fell in deep love with them…

Of course I became addicted to them after that, with their fifth album “A Hundred Million Suns” and sixth album “Fallen Empires”. But I guess the year in which I’ve loved them the most was in 2008, when I got stuck on the not-so-popular song “Finish Line”, especially the lyrics in which they sing: “I think the finish line’s a good place we could start…”

So on June 6^th, amid the chaos in Tripoli, I went out to buy the tickets for me, my brother, and two cousins. I got standing because I wanted to be closer to the band. And though I've made a mental note not to ever go standing again, it was absolutely worth it! They played all their famous hits and I sang along to every single song. I also felt really smug knowing all the lyrics, especially when some of the audience didn’t know how to sing along :-)

And oh, how I loved the lead singer, Gary Lightbody. He was just so full of energy, smiling and sincere. “God Bless Your Hearts,” he said to us, he really made me melt…

I took videos of the night as well, here's one of my favorite songs for them: New York:

"If you were here beside me, instead of in Byblos..." he sang ;-)

As you can tell, I’m still not over how absolutely incredible it was! Thank You Snow Patrol, Thank You Byblos… I love this city tonight, I love this city always, it bears its teeth like a light and spits me out after days… X

Tickets to Snow Patrol @ Byblos International Festival 2012

Snow Patrol has been, for a good four years now, one of my favorite bands of all time. A couple of months ago, my brother told me that he had got tickets to their concert in Montreal, and I was so jealous, especially since they were playing tracks off their latest album, Fallen Empires. And then, I still think this a miracle, I found out that they were performing in Lebanon this summer at the Byblos International Festival 2012!

I just bought the tickets to their concert on Tuesday, 17^th of July! Add to that the fact that they’ll be in Jbeil (not Beirut!), my second favorite city in Lebanon! Let the countdown begin!!!

For “Father and Son”…

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

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

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

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

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

I Will Always Love You...

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

I'll Be There

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

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

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

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

TRIPOLI & MINA'S CAR-FREE DAY!

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

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…” :-)

The Best Mix Tapes

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)

Tripoli Railway Station: Open Door

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!

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

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! ;-)

Never Say Never 3D

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! ;-)

Fayhaa Choir Advance To The Finals On AGT!

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

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! :-)

Rebecca Black – FRIDAY

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)