Tag: Lebanon

  • If I were in charge…

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    2-shipment-of-leaders

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    3-shipment

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    4-worried

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    5-beirut-is-lost

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    6-end-of-electricity-rationing

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    7-unemployment-in-lebanon

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    8-billboard-quota

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    9-lingerie-closing-down

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    online casinos title=”10-abdication” src=”https://mayazankoul.com/amalgam/amalgam/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/10-abdication.jpg” alt=”10-abdication” width=”445″ height=”490″ />

    I was dreaming about how my perfect Lebanon would be. Can we survive without politicians and without the millions of lingerie billboards? Slowly I realized that what would be the perfect lebanon for me might be a nightmare for other Lebanese. Maybe it”s better to keep a mess as it is rather than complicating it more. It seems that those “problems” are so engrained in our lives that they have become an essential/constructive part. And that was the thought for today! 🙂 Have a great week!

  • Trip to Batroun

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    2-phoenician-wall

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-batroun-festival

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-old-batroun-castle

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-no-castle

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-free-lemonade

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-kite

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-want-to-be-unemployed

     

     

     

    I wish we only worked 1 day a week and had the 6 others off.. In a world of my own that would be the case! By the way, I didn’t know flying kites was so complicated. It was a really fun thing to do, and most importantly for Lara Z to be able to shoot the concept ‘go fly a kite’ for her flickr images that you can see by clicking here. I advise you to go to Batroun before the summer is over, it’s a beautiful city. Oh and thank you all so much for the lovely suggestions you made last time about places to go in Lebanon.  I have to say I now have a long list, and will keep you all updated on the trips and adventures. Have a beautiful day! 🙂

  • Trip to Sannine

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    2-fieldtrips-in-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-discover-sannine

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-about-sannine

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-valley-of-skulls

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-going-to-die

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-toni-kiwen

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-sannine-view

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-love-lebanon

    I had an amazing time in Sannine! You could see Lebanon in all its width from the sea to the mountains of the Syrian borders. Lebanon has so many beautiful places to visit. It”s lovely to be the “tourist” from time to time. Especially when you live here and when you are too busy or caught up in routine to take the casino jameshallison time for such activities. Lately I am finding my tourist friends informing me about Lebanon, how shameful! This trip has motivated me to put a limit to extra work, and to make an effort to enjoy the beauties of Lebanon on a regular basis. Thank you Pascal for the motivation! 🙂

    Here are some sketches I drew while picnicking in an old abandoned farm near Baskinta. (click to view in large size)

    your-sketches

    Any suggestions for beautiful places to visit in Leb?

  • Mall revelation

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    2-empty-street

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-why-are-streets-empty

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-no-beach

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-mall

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-all-at-the-mall

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-electric-door

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-mall-entrace

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-glass-peeking

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    10-electric-doors

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    11-crash

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    12-revelation

    To be continued tomorrow…

     

    Hello my darlings, I’ve been very slow in posting I’m sorry! but i need to catch up on a LOT of work + I’m preparing some X-filed surprises that I will tell you about hopefully soon!!! Ramadan Kareem to all concerned, didn’t have a chance to ‘3ayyedkon’ before. So this is the first part of the revelation, we’ll see tomorrow how the story unfolds 😛 Until then, have a lovely day! 🙂 (and to those of you who are not in Leb, the car on the wall of the mall is really there, it’s an ad, very creative one!)

  • Amalgam in Al Akhbar newspaper

    Thank you Rita for this article!

    http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/node/153341

  • Road priority

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    2-tiny-problem

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    3-road-signs-lebanon

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    4-can't-see-them

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    5-road-priority

    I know Jounieh very well and therefore don’t need road signs to know directions. But let’s suppose someone is in Lebanon for the first time, and needs to know whether this road is the highway, or an exit, or a bridge, or a closed road. How can they know? As I was stuck in traffic yesterday, I noticed for the first time a small shy sign saying that the highway ends here on the zouk turn. Poor, poor sign! No one will ever see it behind all the ‘laser epilation’ and ‘super night clubs’ signs! There should be SERIOUS quotas for promotional signage… Or at least some sense of structure… Let’s hope this will happen one day! 🙂

  • Stop the referee

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    2-bill-anyone

     

     

     

    3-where-is-everyone

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-referee-cheating

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    6-what-is-fuss-about

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-china-lebanon-basketball

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-foul-lebanon-china-basketball

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-referee-cheating

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    10-boy-who-cried-wolf

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    It’s not the first time Lebanon loses a basketball game. And it’s not the first time that we “accuse the other of cheating”. Yet, it is the first that the cheating accusation is valid. Watching the game from an objective point of view, it is impossible not to notice how the referees were biased. It is sad, because this was a chance for the Lebanese basketball team – that I have been following for oh so many years now – to excel and prove its strength. The situation reminded me of the story of the boy who cried ‘wolf!’ In fact, the Lebanese tend to use the “the other cheated” excuse in all kinds of situations, be it in sports, politics, you name it. Click here for the story of the boy who cried ‘wolf’. And talking about wolves, a friend linked to Shakira’s new video clip “She wolf” on Facebook. What exactly does she think she’s doing? Oh God what pop singers would do to get attention! With all those thoughts, I wish you all a great week 🙂 See you soon!

  • Event photos

    As I promised you, I am adding a (very small) selection of images from the book signing! Click here for the public Facebook album. I hope this gives a general idea of how beautiful you guys made this event! + scroll down for a small-exclusive-top-secret-very-special image of the book in VIRGIN MEGASTORE DOWNTOWN!! 🙂 (you all know taking photos in Virgin is not allowed right? :P) Yes, yes, the book is officially in Virgin Megastore and Librairie Antoine all over Lebanon so run now to the closest bookstore and check it out!

    Posters, cookies & projection
    Posters, cookies & projection

     

     

    Izo, Elissar, and other posters
    Izo, Elissar, and other posters

     

     

    Book dedication in process
    Book dedication in process

     

     

    Friends gathering

    Friends gathering

     

     

    Reading the book
    Reading the book

     

     

     

    Beautiful crowd
    Beautiful crowd

     

     

    Friends gathering
    Friends gathering

     

     

    Zawyans gathering
    Zawyans gathering

     

     

    Signing a book
    Signing a book

     

     

    Checking out the posters
    Checking out the posters

     

     

     

    And for the FINALE…………………… 🙂

     

     

     

    Maya Zankoul's Amalgam in Virgin Megastore, Beirut Downtown
    Maya Zankoul's Amalgam in Virgin Megastore, Beirut Downtown

     

     

     

     With this, I wish you all a lovely weekend, see you Monday! 🙂

  • Maya's Amalgam book in The Daily Star

    Thank you Chris for the lovely interview! 🙂 You can check it on the link below.

    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=105210

  • A pleasant encounter

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    3-question

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-yes

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-suddenly

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-pull-over

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-why

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-block-traffic

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    12-playing-smart

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    13-papers-now

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    16-end

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    I was pulled over by a stuuupid darakeh (policeman) today just because I was asking an adjacent car for directions in the middle of the TRAFFIC! (meaning that the cars were stopped anyway!). At first I thought he stopped us because the car I was addressing didn’t have a plate number, but as it turns out “I” was the source of his problems, while he let the non-plate-car go. Very efficient I must say. After investigating and checking my papers, and asking endless questions about why I want to go to horsh tabet, he eventually laughed at me saying I wasn’t close, and let me go. All that, and I was late already. What a beautiful encounter it was!

    I think this is going to be my last post before the signing, so I hope to see you all at the signing, can’t wait to get to meet you! I now have to prepare the cookies and candy and marshmallows,  as well as the posters that will be hung around the room (yes, yes like a small exhibition). Don’t forget, if you need directions you can check the map here or, in worst cases you can call this number 03 866 007, but I cant guarantee an answer 😛 With that, I wish you the loveliest of days, in the hope to see you tomorrow! 🙂

  • What's wrong with Sin-el-Fil?

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    6-time-flies

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-global-warming

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-calendar-august

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-time-freeze

     

    If you’ve been to sin el fil, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s surprising how it’s so much easier to add posters, than to remove them. I guess it’s easier to let time fade the colors away from the posters until they’re not visible anymore. Really awkward to have christmassy decoration in the middle of august’s killer-heat! Please someone remove the christmas decoration until December! Anyway… I should go back to the preps for the big day!!! Hope to see you all there ^^

    To those who were tanning at the beach while I was stressing in MTV studios, here’s the interview in Kitab section, with Karen Boustany. Thank you Karen!

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQSf_EuVksE]

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0K7AtH10u8]

  • Modern slavery

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    3-woman-out

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    5-woman-leaves

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-man-shouting

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    8-maid-locked-up

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-shocked

     

     

     

     

     

     

    10-forgotten-maid

     

     

    Just another example of modern slavery… I stood there for a whole minute not believing what i had just seen! The woman left the car forgetting about the maid. When I saw the man who was driving making signs to her that she forgot something, I directly thought it was a suitcase, until I saw the maid hop out the trunk, and the woman laughing that she forgot her. Click here for an interesting article about the topic by Maysam Ali.