Tag: Lebanon

  • 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

    1-lebanon-basketball-day

     

     

     

     

    2-bill-anyone

     

     

     

    3-where-is-everyone

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-referee-cheating

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-referee-cheating

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-what-is-fuss-about

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-china-lebanon-basketball

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-foul-lebanon-china-basketball

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-referee-cheating

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    10-boy-who-cried-wolf

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    11-boy-who-cried-wolf

     

     

    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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    2-asking-directions

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-question

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-yes

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-suddenly

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-pull-over

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-why

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-block-traffic

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9-burglar

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    10-source-of-problem

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    11-what-problem

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    12-playing-smart

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    13-papers-now

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    14-here

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    15-insist

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    16-end

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    17-imbecile

     

     

     

    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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    2-hot-day

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-surprised

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-seasons-greetings

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-christmas-tree

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    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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    2-car-stops

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-woman-out

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-woman-pays

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-woman-leaves

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-man-shouting

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-man-still-shouting

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    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.

  • About traffic lights

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    2-old-traffic-light-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-new-traffic-light-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

    4-civilized-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-new-traffic-light-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-green-light-lebanon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    7-honk-honk

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    8-blind-driver-lebanon

     

    I”m sick of having to constantly honk to cars in front of me when they stop Egal ob beim Live Roulette oder den anderen online Roulette Varianten – die Spiele sind sehr liebevoll umgesetzt und gehoren sowohl graphisch als auch von der Spielqualitat zum absoluten Spitzenfeld der Online Casino s. 1 meter after the red light and can”t see it anymore. It”s really not a race, and going 1 meter forward will NOT help them or make the traffic smoother. Why don”t they get it? Having to honk at the green light is becoming a norm that i do NOT want to conform to! Walaw! It”s really annoying!

  • Time travel

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    2-old-neighbour

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3-old-age

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    4-reverse

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5-years-ago

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    6-young

     

     

    I noticed something that perplexed me on my way home. A huge billboard of a Lebanese singer that I remember from my early childhood. She still looks exactly the same (if not younger!). I linked it to a statement that a friend of mine had made earlier during the day: when we see a young person we haven’t seen in a while, and that we remember as a kid, and then (s)he suddenly is a grown-up.  I guess the reverse phenomenon happens with singers.

    In case you were on another planet yesterday, I would like to re-announce that the launching of the book will take place on August 12th, 2009, at Art Lounge at 6:30 PM. You can click here to join the Facebook event. See you there ^^

  • Mundanité

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    ..4-heavy-magazine

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    ..5-reading

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    ..6-mondanite

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    ..7-marriage

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    ..8-brunch

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    .9-sickening

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    .10-inversely-proportional

    Did you ever have a chance to flip through a typically social Lebanese magazine? (bala ma nsammeh 😛 ) I have to say that I found the experience quite nauseating. Is this what happens in the private social gatherings in our country? Do people really look so fake in real life? Do fifty something women really have that much time on their hands for brunches and dunches and birthdays? I wish they would invest all their money in matters that are worthier than gossiping and showing off.




  • Shoot yourself

    pissed

    shooting

    I can’t hear about shootings in Beirut anymore. I can’t hear about the reasons behind the shootings anymore. We’re just going back to where we were few months ago. We keep going back to past situations. Will we ever learn from our mistakes? I had hope, but I’m starting to doubt it… Are the Lebanese really that STUPID? I’m sorry to start the week with such a pessimistic tone, but I’m really worried and depressed from the current situation in Lebanon. I bet I’m not the only one.

  • The delights of working on a computer

    Computer

     

     

     

     

    2-screen

     

     

     

     

    electricity

     

    Last week the electricity went off for about an hour and a half in a row… I’m not complaining! That was a very timely break from the screen. I noticed that in this aspect of our work (only able to complete it using the computer), electrical rationing can be quite useful! It’s true that 8 hours a day (minimum) in front of the computer screen can be quite frustrating, but at least in Lebanon we get the breaks we deserve!

     

    P.S. Please do forgive me if I’m a bit slower in posting this week, I’m sooo overloaded with work, and doing my best to finish ASAP to get back to YOU!