fifadaily

L'époux idéal / The perfect husband

2011-05-26T20:10:00.004+03:00

The perfect husband keeps the same weight before and after marriage.
He turns his socks and T shirts outside in before he puts them IN the laundry box, not over neither next to it.
The perfect husband remembers his close relatives' birthdays.
He shops at malls, buying what's useful. He buys less sweets and candies than basic food.
He knows how to buy a kilo of tomatoes without calling his wife 3 times to ask about color, consistency and size.
The perfect husband is also the perfect co-pilot.
He doesn't horn when his wife is driving, even when a crazy driver throws himself in front of her.
He also doesn't sustain an ambiguous talk : " What are you waiting for ??? Go !! Go !!! you want to let everybody pass ??" when a few minutes earlier : " Look, it's Sunday and we're not in a hurry ! So drive slowly !! "
Finally, the perfect husband chats with his wife in the evening, he doesn't fall asleep while she is still talking to him. But then let's say : the perfect wife speaks less !
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L'époux idéal garde le même poids avant et après le mariage.
Il retourne ses chausettes et ses T shirts avant de les placer DANS le bac à linge, ni sur ni à côté de celui-ci.
Il se rappelle des anniversaires de ses proches les plus proches.
Il fait les supermarchés en n'achetant que ce qui est utile, évite d'acheter plus de friandises que d'aliments de base.
Il sait acheter un kilo de tomates sans téléphoner 3 fois à sa femme pour savoir quelle couleur, taille, consistance choisir.
L'époux idéal est aussi le copilote idéal.
Il ne klaxonne pas lui-même quand c'est sa femme qui conduit, même si elle s'est fait avoir par un chauffard sortant de droite n'ayant pas la priorité.
Il ne tient pas non plus de propos ambigüs "Mais fonce donc ! Tu veux faire passer tout le monde !! " quand quelques minutes auparavant : " Tu sais, c'est Dimanche, nous ne sommes pas pressés, alors conduit lentement ! " .
Enfin, l'époux idéal bavarde un peu avec sa femme le soir. Il ne s'endort pas alors qu'elle est en plein discours. Mais là, disons que l'épouse idéale est celle qui parlerai moins.

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Et voici une chanson que je chante si bien en karaoké, mais avec quelques variations :
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Des yeux qui font briller les miens
Un rire qui s'éclate sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'époux que j'aime tant
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Quand il m'enlace dans ses bras
Qu'il me parle d'amour
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'humour
Reflet de son amour
Et ça me fait beaucoup d'choses
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Il est entré dans ma vie
Cet amour qui me ravit
Et dont il est seul la cause
C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui pour toujours
Nous le sommes dit, et juré, pour la vie
Et dès que je l'aperçoit
Je sens à chaque fois
Mon coeur qui bat, La la la lalala.........

Embouteillages : mode d'emploi

2011-04-02T19:40:00.002+03:00

Un jour à la télé, je vis un reportage qui m'a complètement choquée : un embouteillage dans un pays autre que le mien : des voitures roulant en file, strictement entre les lignes, en gardant la voie de droite libre. Au Liban, un tel phénomène est totalement inexistant. Bloqués dans un embouteillage, vos options ne sont limitées que par la force de votre imagination. Le conducteur régulier se trouve des trajets parallèles, une route en sens contraire, une ruelle non asphaltée, afin de contourner 10 mètres de blocus. Il est prêt à prendre des ruelles parallèles des plus sinueuses : il roule et roule, s'arrêtant rarement, et finit par reprendre l'autoroute en même temps que l'autre automobiliste qui, lui, est resté sur l'autoroute. Si on lui fait la remarque, il s'agite et rétorque : au moins je roulais , moi !! ça me rendrait fou d'être bloqué dans un bouchon !! Le conducteur régulier finit par se rendre compte que ce qui roule le mieux, c'est l'autoroute : ça roule lentement, mais sûrement. Au Liban, en temps anormal, en situation instable de guerre, assassinats, terrorisme,... les autoroutes ont en moyenne 3 à 4 voies et une de droite. En temps normal,, en situation stable surtout l'été avec l'afflux des vacanciers, l'autoroute a facilement 5 à 6 voies et 2 de droite. Ces dernières sont une sur la chaussée et l'autre à mi-chemin entre l'asphalte et le trottoir. Si vous tentez de suivre une voie, disont la seconde de gauche, vous ferez tous les efforts du monde, vous serez dépassés à plusieurs reprises, on vous klaxonnera car vous bloquez en réalité 2 voies, une autre voiture se faufilera entre vous et la voiture voisine. Pour avancer, suivez mes conseils :

Démarrez en trombe et collez-vous à la voiture qui vous précède : chaque fois que votre ligne avance, un conducteur de droite ou de gauche va tenter, avec une rapidité inouie, de se jeter devant vous et profiter de la ligne qui avance. Si vous n'avez pas envie de jouer à ce jeu, placez-vous derrière un camion, personne ne voudrait de votre place et vous êtes tranquille, même qu'avec un peu de chance et selon l'heure du jour, vous profiterez de l'ombre rafraichissante du gros bolide.

Roulez à gauche : PIEGE !! La voie de gauche est celle qui avance le plus lentement en cas d'embouteillage. C'est la moins stressante, il vous suffit de contrôler votre droite et vous êtes loin des camions, qui, eux, roulent souvent à droite.

Roulez à droite : c'est la voie qui roule le plus car elle est la plus stressante. Au Liban, les autoroutes sont bordés de boutiques, restaurants, rues parallèles, sorties et entrées... En roulant à droite, évitez de le faire derrière un transport en commun : arrêts fréquents et brutaux guarantis. Ne roulez pas en extrême droite, vous risquez de tomber sur une voiture en panne, une voiture sortant à toute vitesse d'une rue parallèle, une voiture (typiquement conduite par une femme) qui veut garer devant un magazin et qui fait attendre toute la file derrière, le temps qu'elle se décide où, comment et quand garer, et à la fin, vous la voyez qui commence à garer et vous démarrez en essayant de la dépasser, et HOP ! elle change d'avis d'un coup et redémarre juste devant vous !!

Roulez en extrême droite : les roues de gauche sur l'asphalte et celles de droite sur le trottoir. Vous guarantissez au moins que personne ne vous dépassera du côté droit...VOUS VOUS LEURREZ !!!! Il se trouvera toujours un 4 roues qui, lui, roulera SUR le trottoir si celui-ci est assez large.

Laissez faire ! Toutes les astuces que vous croyez en détenir tout seul le secret, sont connues par vos concurrents, les autres automobilistes. En réalité, il faut partir à point !

Traffic jam for dummies

2011-04-02T18:30:00.002+03:00

Once on TV, I watched a program that bedazzelled me : a traffic jam in a country other than mine : cars running in a perfect queue, between the lines, always keeping the right lane free for emergencies. In Lebanon, such a phenomenon is totally non-existent. Blocked in traffic jam, your options are limited only by the extent of your imagination. The regular driver finds himself parallel routes, a one way road in the opposite way, a road with no asphalt, any other road to bypass 10 meters of blockade. He is able to follow the most sinuous route : he drives and drives with minimal stops and, at the end, he takes back the highway at the same time as the other driver who stayed all the way on the highway. If you laugh at him, he'll yell -- at least I was rolling !! I'll go crazy blocked like that !! (Yeah , you're right, but mostly you'll drive the other drivers crazy with your non productive agitation and unstoppable honking!!) . The regular driver finally accepts the fact that the highway rolls best : it rolls slow, but it rolls. In Lebanon, in times of crisis, war, assassinations, terrorism, etc... highways usually have 3 to 4 lanes, with one extra lane on the right. In normal times, mainly in the summer, they have at least 5 to 6 lanes, and 2 on the right. The last 2 lanes are one on the asphalt and one in between asphalt and sidewalk. If you decide to follow a lane, lets say the second from the left, and try to stay in it, you'll be passed all the time by other cars, or else they'll honk at you because, in fact, you are blocking 2 lanes, any other car will attempt to sneak between you and the car on your side. So take my advices :

Each time your line rolls, start quickly and stop extremely close to the car in front of you : each time your line rolls, a car from one side (sometimes both sides) will attempt to throw itself in front of you and steal your turn. If you don't like this game, drive behind a truck, no one would like to take your place.

Drive on the left side : WRONG!!! It's the slowest lane, in case of heavy traffic.But it's the least stressfull one, you only have to watch your right side and you are driving far from trucks that usually drive on the right lanes.

Drive on the right side : it's the fastest way, but the most stressful one. In Lebanon, highways are limited all the way by any kind of shops, showrooms , restaurants... When driving on the right side, avoid doing so behind public transport : frequent and unexpected stops guaranteed. Don't drive neither on the very right side, you might bump into a brokendown car, a car coming at high speed from a parallel road or a car (usually driven by a woman) that needs to park in front of a shop and makes the whole line behind it wait for it to make up its mind on where, when and how to park, and finally, you see it starting to park and you maneuver to pass it and at this precise little instant, it changes its mind and drives back just in front of you !!

Drive on the very right side : with your left wheels on the road, and the right ones on the sidewalk. There you can guarantee that no car will pass you from the right ...YOU'RE WRONG !! There will always be some off-road that rolls ON the sidewalk if it is wide enough !!

Surrender !! All the driving tips that you might think you ALONE are aware of, are in fact known by most of your competitors on the road. Remember this proverb : slow and steady wins the race ( It is useless to run, one must leave in time).

Des tâches sur le pare brise : à la libanaise

2011-03-23T17:51:00.005+02:00

Ce matin, en prenant ma voiture, je remarque une tâche sur le pare brise, juste devant mes yeux. Je n'y accorde pas tellement d'importance et demarre à mon travail. Quelques minutes plus tard, mon mari appelle. Je réponds avec mon bluetooth ( les bluetooth et les écouteurs sont des appareils sauveurs de vies, entre parenthèses). Il entame : Tu as vu la tâche sur le pare brise ?
__ Oui, j'ai remarqué
__ Devine qu'est ce qui a causé cette tâche ?
Il avait pris la voiture hier, j'ai pensé peut-être une chiotte d'oiseau, ça arrive parfois .........
__ Une chiotte d'oiseau, peut-être ?
__ Je l'aurais bien souhaité !!
.............Houlala !!! Qu'est-ce qui peut bien être pire qu'une merde d'oiseau sur votre pare brise ? ............
__ Je roulait et un taxi venait dans le sens oppposé. En une fraction de seconde, je vois une tête sortant de la fenêtre et une jolie boule de mucus sortant de sa bouche et atterrissant en plein vol sur mon pare brise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sans commentaires.

Windshields spots : the lebanese way

2011-03-23T17:16:00.005+02:00

This morning, when I sat into my car, I noticed a spot over the windshield just in front of my eyes. I didn't make a fuss about it and just drove to work. A few minutes later, my husband rang. I answered with my bluetooth (bluetooth and earphones are life saving devices, just for the record) . He said : did you notice a spot on your windshield ?
__ Yes I did.
__ Guess what was it for ?
He drove the car yesterday, I thought may be it was some bird shit, happens sometimes...
__ Some bird shit, may be ?
__ I would have hoped it would be so !!
........ Oh! OOH! what could be worse than bird shit on your windshield ? .........
__ I was driving and a taxi car was coming the oppposite way. In less than a second, I saw a face appearing from the window and a bolus of mucus coming out of its mouth and flying directly to splash on the windshield !!!!!!!!!

No comment !!

Lebanon is still the best

2011-03-16T19:22:00.003+02:00

Once I had my car being fixed, I had to call a cab to go to work. The driver was in his late forties, I sat in the back seat on the right side, as should be. I could see him through the front mirror. The traffic made a 20 minutes ride take as much as an hour.
As soon as we got blocked in traffic jam, the taxi driver started to talk, critisizing all this traffic. He told me his story, he was living in a scandinavian country for more than 15 years, he even has citizenship with his lebanese wife and both his children. It's been may be a year since he came back to settle in Lebanon with his family. He was having real hard time to earn a decent wage, to find a decent job... And he started comparing the situation in Lebanon, the political corruption, the unsecurity, the people around to what he witnessed and lived in his scandinavian country : compensation when he was unemployed, 100% coverage for medical and school expenses, waiting in a supermarket queue with the prime minister !!! ...
Then the conversation was getting hotter and hotter, he was turning his head right and left, with anger over his face, agitating his hands, yelling at me : LOOK ! LOOK! LOOK AT THOSE PEOPLE ! with disgust on his face then : LOOK ! LOOK ! LOOK AT THOSE CARS ! I thought he was going to give this : look at those cars, plenty of all road and expensive cars while everybody complains they have barely enough to eat... but no : LOOK AT THESE, MERCEDES, BMW, ... ALL GERMAN, ALL EUROPEAN CARS !!! YOU THINK IT'S THE ARAB OR THE LEBANESE WHO MANUFACTURED THESE CARS, NO , NO, LEBANESE ARE NO GOOD .... And it went on and on with more critisizing about Lebanon and praising the scandinavian country. Hearing all this, by the end of the trip, I simply asked him : do you consider going back to scandinavia with your family since you have citizenship and full citizen rights and facilities and you all speak scandinavian ? ---------------------- He went all crazy !!!!!! WHAT ! THERE'S NO LIFE THERE!! PEOPLE GO TO WORK, GO BACK HOME, GO TO WORK , GO BACK HOME , NO LIFE I TELL YOU !!! NO WAY I'M GOING BACK THERE !!!

Movies reviews

2011-03-11T18:25:00.002+02:00

"We own the night" with Eva Mendez and Joachim Phoenix. Entertaining, good acting, nice cast, full of surprises, mostly predictable american cops movie,about a guy whose whole family is in the police and he manages a night club where some drug dealing will put him on a test.
"Beyond a reasonnable doubt" with Michael Douglas. Now this is a must see movie. Great story, totally unpredictable throught the end, breathtaking, although the movie starts a little bit slow though. A journalist wants to prove that district attorney Douglas is corrupted and falsifies the evidence. He makes himself a murder suspect to prove it.
"Angel heart " with Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro. A psychological thriller set in 1955 about a detective searching for WWII veteran that disappeared 12 years ago. Captivating, although I found it a little bit disappointing, although it had good ratings on imdb and rotten tomatoes. Violence and some gore, so beware. But surely not boring, you'll fix the screen till the very end and beyond if you could, felt like it needed something more. If it were a french movie, we would have settled with it cause they almost always leave you with a question mark.

Un séduisant prêtre

2011-03-04T20:29:00.004+02:00

L'autre jour, en dinant avec des amis, ils ont parlé d'un certain prêtre, bien connu, actif et ... beau. Mon mari m'a fait remarqué que je le trouverai bien à mon genre, que c'était mon style de jolis mecs. J'en doutais, j'avait vu sa photo sur des panneaux publicitaires, bof !
J'ai fini par tomber sur son profile sur facebook et par avouer que mon mari avait bel et bien raison.
Mais le truc hilarant, ce sont les commentaires de ses Friends, en particulier les femmes, sur ses photos. Des commentaires qui, même en demeurant dans les limites du language poli et posé, en disent un peu plus long sur les sentiments de ces femmes qui visitent le profile du très séduisant Père. En l'occurence, des "très jolie photo, nous en voulons plus " "tu es très beau, Père " ... Même avec une touche pieuse : "tu es très beau, rendons grâce au Seigneur qui t'a créé " " tu es très beau, que Dieu te donne une longue vie " ...

Gaddafi or Lady Gaga ?

2011-02-23T16:23:00.010+02:00

The only thing they have in common is their extravagant outfit. Couldn't help it but upload these photos. Hilarious !!

Valentine's day

2011-02-14T19:55:00.003+02:00

I think it is inappropriate to make Valentine's day an occasion only for couples, when it is meant to be a day to celebrate love.
Everyone has some loving to give and I find it more appropriate to make it a day for singles to celebrate, give them a chance to meet somebody or just a chance to celebrate their lack of commitment in a relationship, making them available to more opportunities. Available to meet someone. Available to care for a beloved relative. Available to babysit !
I think that couples and parents have already some occasions to celebrate ; their wedding anniversary, the day they first met, each other's birthday, fathers and mothers day, Christmas and equivalent occasions for families, AND Valentine's day.
When you're in love and commited in a relationship, everyday is Valentine (==> cliché!) .You don't need a special day to go out, spend more money on some special Valentine seafood (intoxicating) diner with (boring) love songs program in an (overcrowded ) place where you should have reserved (many) days in advance. You neither need another occasion to buy more (heart shaped) gadgets ; after many years, you don't have enough place (even in the attick) to store these (unuseful) items. And if you are an old couple, you'll probably spend most of the diner arguing.
So, after all, Valentine's is not that special day for couples. It might make a wonderful occasion if it was a day for singles to go out and celebrate and get to meet other single people !

le sexe des automobilistes

2011-02-07T15:30:00.004+02:00

Automobiliste qui s'arrête en beau milieu de la route et ne bouge plus : une femme.

Automobiliste qui vous double à droite : une femme.

Automobiliste qui s'arrête en plein milieu d'un carrefour PUIS regarde à gauche et à droite pour sécuriser son passage : une femme ( dont moi-même) .

Automobiliste qui fait demi-tour en pleine rue : une femme.

Automobiliste qui active son clignotant 2 km avant le virage voulu : une femme sûrement.

Automobiliste qui active son clignotant de gauche et vire à droite : une femme nécessairement.

Automobiliste qui zigzague à toute vitesse entre les voitures sur l'autoroute : un homme, et bientôt une femme aussi.

Mickey Rourke : the transformation

2011-02-07T15:08:00.007+02:00

Although a well known actor, since the 70's, I lately discovered him when seeing the movie 9 1/2 weeks, a smooth romantic movie dating back to 1986, depicting a typical BDSM relationship between the (then) sexy Mickey Rourke and the (still) sexy Kim Basinger. So I searched for more Mickey Rourke movies on imdb and noticed how he looked 15 years later. Totally transformed from a handsome sexy actor, to a , lets say, not so handsome actor, although he was and still is a well known one. Lately I watched "The expendables" in which he stars, to be recommended for action movies lovers. The plot is quite empty but the action is very nice, noticeably exaggerated, with a touch of humor, quite entertaining.

Provisions in times of crisis

2011-01-25T15:02:00.002+02:00

Living in Lebanon since 1971 when I was born, was a series of times of peace and times of war, or more appropriately, times of rest and times of crisis. And so I got used to times of embargos, road blocades, electricity shutdowns, water rationning, cutting down on fuel, etc, etc, etc... And I grew up, and now I got my own family = me and my husband, and I started taking responsabilities on my own. So in times of crisis, you have to have some provisions, mainly of food. Not because it will run out, but you may not be able for safety reasons to go out and buy some, or to have enough fuel to go out and buy some, or it might actually run out in case of prolonged crisis.

Here is a guide of what to buy and stock intelligently :

First of all , Biscuit Ghandour, it is unexpensive, stockable at room temperature for years, eatable without any further preparation and everybody likes the taste, and it is rich in carbohydrates, amino acids and sugar.
Boxes of Picon : this spreadable cheese, presented in triangles that fit in round boxes, is kept at room temperature for a year, eatable without further preparation with any kind of bread, and is particularly rich in fat and milk proteins. It is mostly wanted by families with kids.
Cans of sardines : sardines in oil are war time favorites. They are nourrishing, kept at room temperature for years, eatable without further preparation and the box can be opened without an opener. They are the main replacement for meat. They largely outweight Corned beef in terms of popularity because the latter must be at least warmed to become palatable.
White boulghour : now this is my idea of stocking bourghoul , specially the white because it does not require cooking, instead of flour. Flour has to be made into bread to be eatable, so you need energy to cook it, would it be electricity or gaz. White bourghoul just needs to be soaked in water for a while to be eatable. And it is a complete meal, since it is made from wheat. And it is inexpensive. If you are rich, you might stock couscous, a tastier alternative, but not too lebanese.
Instant noodles : now this is also my own idea of stocking instant or 2 minutes noodles , instead of rice and pasta. Rice takes 15 to 20 minutes to cook after boiling water, and pasta around 10 . Noodles just need 2 minutes to cook after boiling, so you save on energy, but they are more costly.
Toilet paper : may not be life saving, but even in times of crisis, life is better with it.

If you think I am exaggerating, just go to a supermarket whenever there's a rumor of unrest and look at the shelfs : flour, rice, cheap pasta, biscuit ghandour, sugar, sardines, canned foul moudammas, toilet paper, body and hair shampoo in a gallon, etc.. are out of stock. You hardly see anyone picking fresh cheese or fish or nail enamel remover.

Reusable bags : the lebanese way

2011-01-19T18:22:00.004+02:00

A few weeks ago, some european countries voted a ban on plastic bags, which is a great idea for the environment. A few months ago, I had the idea of making a positive move towards saving the planet and bought a reusable supermarket bag, colored green, naturally. So I got to the counter and started registering my items, I immediatly gave the green bag to the staff member who takes care of packing the items you bought into bags and eventually carry them for you to your car. He took the green bag, put it aside and started filling the items into plastic bags. I thought since this whole idea of reusable bags is quite new and I just bought the bag, that may be he thought I just bought the bag, for an other usage, and he'll pack it as any other item. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I refrained from doing any remarks, didn't want to make him feel unconfortable.
But while I was paying, he finished packing, took him about 4 or 5 little plastic bags. He opened the green reusable bag, and put the plastic bags in it, and handed it to me with a smile. Since I didn't want to embarrass him, I didn't make any comment and I took the bag with a smile
I've been laughing about it every time I do house work and see the green bag hanging, unused. But I decided that I have to try it once more and ask the employee to pack directly in the green bag.

Lost my caterpillar

2010-12-02T19:46:00.004+02:00

It was a small 1 cm caterpillar that my mother found in some salad. It was eating lettuce and growing quite well. I kept it in an open box on the balcony on the washer, started to take pictures of it, waiting for it to make a nymph, and then discovering the emerging adult insect, most probably a butterfly,when suddenly it got lost, it escaped, and I looked and looked, it vanished, I guess it found a quiet and discrete place to change into a nymph.

Only in Lebanon

2010-12-02T19:40:00.002+02:00

Only in Lebanon you see 3 young men riding together a scooter, or a father on a scooter with his 2 daughters standing on the scooter each on one side, or the whole family on the scooter : the father, the mother behing him holding her 3 or 4 year old child, and the newborn in a basket tied to the back end of the scooter.
You can also see a young man riding with 4 car wheels on a scooter : 2 wheels around his legs, one around his neck and one being held by his left arm !

only in Lebanon

2010-11-10T12:41:00.002+02:00

Only in Lebanon, you can go out to have a drink in a pub and order food delivery from a neighbouring snack or restaurant, to the pub ! I, first, couldn't believe my eyes. We were having a drink in a Jounieh pub, and saw 2 plates of hamburgers delivered to the table next to us. Next time, it was manakichs. Last time, we were a few friends, some of us were hungry, so we decided to take a drink and those who were hungry, would ask the snack next door to deliver them some hot dogs. Quite cool ! Probably the phoenician mentality, positive to anything to satisfy the customer, no other rules apply.

How to park in Beirut

2010-11-02T22:38:00.002+02:00

You can park using the parkmeter, but one of two is out of order and you have to walk a while to get the ticket from a functionnal machine, walk back to put the ticket in your car.... Here's a trick : if you notice there are more then one place available next to a parkmeter, then it is probably out of order. Usually,you should have rejoyced to have found a place just next to the parkmeter so you don't do the yoyo walk.

You can park in a parking and do a long walk. Of course you have to keep your keys in the car, and it is still your responsibility if the car is robbed or has an accident. You also have to be back in less then an hour. You have to keep your phone number, just in case.

You can park by the road, where there is no sign saying NO PARKING. But you still risk to find your car has vanished, taken by Security, because in fact, it was a NO PARKING area, you should have known even without a sign !?!? You might also risk to have someone park by your side , blocking your exit. Usually, those people don't leave a note, a number, keys in the car, and they usually disappear for a long time. When I cannot afford to lose time, I have a special way to park.I park the car perpendicular to the side of the road whenever this is possible, if not, I park it along the side of the road, but while leaving at least one meter between the car and the side of the road making it difficult to another car to park by my side without obbliterating the road.

I find this situation desolating, because all people in Lebanon who have a car have a cell phone. Why don't they keep their number on the car when they park in an inadequate way?

Summer tarbouch upside down and oblique

2010-11-02T22:20:00.002+02:00

Tarbouch

2010-11-02T21:28:00.002+02:00

Everyone in Lebanon knows and has tasted the famous "rass el 3abed" , I won't translate because it is offensive and racist and I might lose my google account (now that's exaggerated, but I won't translate it anyway). I'm glad Ghandour changed finally its name, so it is called from now on "Tarbouch" referring to the traditionnal lebanese men's hat. But some people still may not know it and I find it difficult to ask for a Tarbouch when I spent 35 years asking for it by it's former name. So last day, I went into the grocery shop and showed him the box containing the Tarbouch and told him : I want 2 of these ! He gave me 2 and guess what was his reply ?? ..................... 500 liras, please!

Different cultures

2010-10-20T19:26:00.002+03:00

I was reading about infertility and learned that in South Sudan, in the Nuer ethnic group, an infertile woman can be considered as a man and assigned to be the father of a child. I remember reading about another ethnicity in Africa where the family system is not based on marriage as we know it, but rather on polyandry and once the child is born, a father is chosen from the different men the mother knew. If we go back in time, we will notice that homosexuality was part of a normal Roman family where the head of the family tutors a young man and uses him as a dominated partner. Human race is so diverse that beliefs, rules, ethics, culture are so different in time and space. So from this point of view, I can't be shocked when I hear that the man who killed his aid in London and will probably be sentenced there for life in prison for murder, will get the death penalty elsewhere, for being gay , not for commiting murder.

the virgin drinks barwoman

2010-10-08T18:23:00.003+03:00

Let me share the recipe of my virgin margarita. Yes it's possible : first you rim the cocktail glass with a lemon edge then salt, as for a real margarita. Then in a shaker full with ice, you pour 10ml lemon juice (the juice of half a lemon) , 30 ml orange juice (the juice of half an orange) , 20 ml sugar syrup (you can prepare it yourself : boil 250 mg sugar in 250 ml water for a few minutes : that's it !) and 20 ml water. Shake well and drain in the martini glass. Enjoy !
I make virgin mojito by simply replacing the rhum with apple juice, and it tastes better, without the bitterness of the rhum.
Virgin Mary and Virgin tequila sunrise are simply the first without the vodka and the second without the tequila, but the virgin colada would taste much better if you add a dash of liquid cream to the usual coconut/pineapple or pina colada mix, blend it well, and let run into the serving glass a little bit of strawberry syrup : quite amazing !
I also prepare virgin banana colada by blending half a banana with pina colada mix and the juice of half an orange and a little bit of apple juice.
My own version of virgin sex on the beach (??) is 1 oz (30 ml) peach flavored soft drink or soda, 2 oz (60ml) cranberry juice and 2 oz (60ml) orange juice : delicious!
I'm having a hard time making a virgin black russian, I guess it's quite improbable to find a non alcoholic replacement for vodka and kahlua, but I still have to try. If you have a tip, let me know.

from Paris with love

2010-10-04T16:26:00.004+03:00

If you look for a spy action movie with a touch of humor and great acting, try "from Paris with love" , with Travolta at his best, at least that's my opinion. Violent, drug related , not for yougsters, but tolerable cruelty. A novice undercover agent wants promotion : he is accepted to take a more serious case working with the veteran special ops agent Travolta. Lots of fun for us, but not for him.

the other man

2010-10-04T16:18:00.002+03:00

If you want to watch a nice social drama thriller movie, try "the other man" with Liam Neeson and Antonio Banderas. It's about a man (Neeson) who learns that his wife has a lover and goes to meet him and get to know him (without the lover knowing who he is) . The story will move on to anything you could not have expected. Great story, great cast and lots of suspense.

Death sentence

2010-09-29T15:44:00.002+03:00

How come everybody made a fuss about an iranian woman convicted with paying a guy to murder her husband and sentenced to be put to death, and nobody raised a voiced about the american mentally retarded Lewis who was put to death for paying 2 guys to murder her husband ?
My opinion about death penalty is : does it lead to anything positive and constructive ? As for psychopaths, serial killers, sex offeders, death penalty might prevent other murders to happen and thus protect innocent people. The major problem remains : is this convicted person really and surely the murderer, because if it turns out to be another one, we would not be able to ressucitate him and make up for the judicial mistake, so may be it's better to avoid killing innocents and go for life in prison for serious killers. Another problem is : is this killer really responsible for his acts or does he suffer from abnormal genes and chromosomes that alter his behaviour , such abnormalities that science still does not aprove as diseases but might do so in the future. In this case, we might consider death penalty as some kind of natural selection to get rid of bad genes, but is it ethically humanly acceptable? People might say death penalty is dissuasive for other criminals, but data from countries that applicate it does not seem to show decrease in crime more than in other countries that ban it.
I think death penalty is the ultimate kind of revenge to wipe the victim's blood in the eyes of families and friends. Since we cannot ressucitate the dead, revenge is the only option to feel that justice is done.

L'homme (et la femme) de Neanderthal sur 4 roues

2010-09-24T10:51:00.003+03:00

C'est fou comment en conduisant sur les routes, je me rends compte que l'homme moderne n'est pas ( il en est même très loin de ) l'aboutissement de l'évolution de l'espèce humaine. En voyant ces chauffards roulant à vitesse excessive, se jetant à droite et à gauche devant les voitures , claxonnant au moindre arrêt de 1 seconde, parfois même avant que le conducteur qui les précede ne s'est arrêté, sortant d'une voie non prioritaire comme si elle l'était, bravant les feux rouges, roulant sur le trottoir, ne cédant jamais, mais jamais, le passage, etc... je remarque que l'homme et la femme des temps modernes ont dû garder des gènes de l'homme de Neanderthal , ces gènes qui expliquent cette impulsivité propre des espèces primitives, qui se fient plus à leur instinct qu'à un raisonnement et à une abstraction uniques au cerveau humain. Cela dit, tous les conducteurs ne sont pas aussi impulsifs, on retrouve donc dans l'évolution même de l'espèce des inégalités.

Lady Gaga

2010-09-15T14:00:00.002+03:00

Lady Gaga in a meat dress ! I'm disappointed cause I like her songs.
Is she totally out of ressources to attract attention?
Her meat dress : first it is disgusting with all this raw meat, then it is morally unacceptable to use food in such a way when people somewhere are starving, and it is ethically untolerable to kill animals for useless purposes.
I've had a hard time convincing myself that animals belong naturally to the food chain and the human species is naturally omnivorous , so I could eat some meat from time to time. But all animals kill to survive, never for pleasure. They kill to eat or defend themselves.
If it were a psychopath who dressed in meat, he'll be excused.
But a star, an idol, adored by millions of fans all over the world , mostly young people ! What a shame and what a bad example is she giving !

babylonia

2010-09-13T14:33:00.002+03:00

"I was born in a system, that doesn't give a fuck for you, nor to me, nor to life" the new remix by White label, a song invading the clubbing scene in lebanon. One of many songs you get to like from the first time you listen to it.

a parrot barking !!

2010-09-11T16:23:00.002+03:00

Once we were passing by a pet shop in the Marina Dbayeh, and what we saw and heard was hilarious :
A parrot barking like a dog !! He was exposed to be sold , surrounded by all those puppies who barked all the time : he imitated them !
I painted this parrot a few years ago, check out my other paintings at http://fifapeinture.blogspot.com/

i'm back blogging

2010-09-10T00:01:00.002+03:00

it's been a few years since we stopped blogging , well mainly since the blog was created to keep my brother updated ,this was before we subscribed to facebook. Now I thought ,why not turn this blog into a real blog,the diary type. i don't like to share my thoughts and everyday life on facebook, don't ask me why, I don't know,although I do show photos.

Anyway,I'll start blogging from now .

i was opening another window ,searching for sexy photos of Jude Law (well, hum, maybe more then just "sexy" , and guess what,I've found some photos of Jude Law, uncut!

It's amazing that you can find almost anything on the internet, things you want to learn about or photos you want to see, almost no restriction. i even have wap, can't imagine myself with no internet connection nearby whenever i need it. For instance, at the DVD shop, i wapped filmography of Eric Bana last time , wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to the shop owner for him to get me the movies. This method amused my husband Fadi, it is time saving, I don't have to go home, do the search, write down the list and go back another time to the DVD shop.

Some may wonder how come I speak openly about sexy actors and enjoy watching their movies. it is all about normal fantasy,once you understand it,you admit it,you talk about it and share it, then you can use it positively in your relationship with the beloved person. This fantasy is most welcomed by Fadi, since it makes me more welcoming, a state that is welcomed by him and so on.

I won't add any photo tonight ,it's an hour after midnight and I need to sleep.

You can post comments, not offensive ones ,of course, but always remember,no sex,no religion,no politics.I keep my blog cleaner that way.

Coffee break in Damour

2008-03-10T09:19:00.005+02:00

Christmas at ABC

2008-03-07T20:29:00.004+02:00

The lunar eclipse of 21 - 2 - 2008 in Dik El Mehdi / Metn / Lebanon

2008-02-24T18:53:00.000+02:00

First photo taken around 4:30 AM local time , with a 5 Mp Kodack digicam, without zooming, under normal view.

Photos taken with the same camera with 3x optical zoom.

The total Lunar eclipse : notice the red orange color of the moon wich became faint, and the star Regulus on its left, and in the upper left of the picture : the planet Saturn !

The partial lunar eclipse from 4:30 till 5:00 AM local time

2008-02-24T18:31:00.008+02:00

The total lunar eclipse around 5:00 AM local time (+2 GMT)

2008-02-24T18:24:00.003+02:00

the partial lunar eclipse after 6:00 Am in the morning twilight local time (+2 GMT)

2008-02-24T17:31:00.000+02:00

Kartaba summer 07

2007-09-03T10:47:00.000+03:00

Fadi just arrived Getting ready to hike

Admiring the view

Resting, hiking upper in the mountain is becoming difficult, so we take a social break

Communicating with the other hikers, who went up the mountain

The camera is on the ground

The 4 musketers, spent most of the trip taking photos and telling jokes, very bad hikers indeed.

A view from up there, Kartaba is not visualized, it's under heavy fog

Tannourine

2007-08-29T17:12:00.000+03:00

Eating apples

Fetching apples

Brunch at Zaatar w Zeit

2007-06-17T15:32:00.001+03:00

Back to astronomy

2007-05-30T19:17:00.000+03:00

Late May 2007 on the roof of our apartment in Champville, looking at Jupiter and his 3 moons that were aligned then.Through the telescope,
And through the binoculars

And this is a photo of venus taken on 26/5/07 that shows this planet in a gibbous phase ( Venus has phases just like the moon)

A pelican in the street of Tabarjah !!

2007-05-14T08:27:00.000+03:00

Incredible how this pelican became so familiar with his humanized environment, that he just walks in the street, between cars, from side to side.

He passed just in front of our car, seems he doesn't give a damn about us photographying him.

He turned us his back, walking slowly, as if he was walking in its own yard.

There he is now at the other side of the street.

Health class in Deir El Kalaa

2007-05-07T20:29:00.000+03:00

Our friend Joseph giving a course about basics in neurology
Some of the philippinese ladies who attended the class and me, posing in Deir El kalaa

Joseph giving the impression that the column is too small

Actually, it is this big.

Me holding Fadi in my hand.It is not a treated photograph, it was just taken so.

The church with remains from the roman temple.

From Nahr El Kalb

2007-04-25T21:39:00.000+03:00

details

Easter 2007 at Fida's folks

2007-04-09T23:03:00.000+03:00

Assia serving the stuffed chicken

Fadi enjoying the dinner

Views from Zouk

2007-03-31T11:18:00.000+03:00

Collège d'Antoura

The industrial area of Zouk Mosbeh

Sunday after dinner with Wafaa

2007-03-31T09:27:00.000+03:00

Fadi is flexing his knees to be looking just my size

Assia poses for the photo

Dinner with parents at Marfa'a

2007-03-09T20:49:00.000+02:00

Serving the beer Mom in law and son in law

Dinner with parents at Marfa'a

2007-03-09T20:34:00.000+02:00

The Fady's

Dad is happy

Sunday at ABC

2007-02-08T12:42:00.000+02:00

We laughed until we cried

2007-02-02T19:50:00.000+02:00

Behind the negatoscope screen

2007-01-29T21:57:00.000+02:00

We post these photos for entertainement and fun. After a very nice evening eating great italian pasta, we felt like having more fun and let it go. Just laugh and don't feel guilty to do so. We did these photos to laugh and make people laugh, no more no less. It keeps the mood UP.

Pasta saturday evening

2007-01-28T13:09:00.000+02:00

Drinking hot beverage after we spent the evening eating great real italian pasta at Jo's, and making jokes.

Close-up

Snow time one year ago

2007-01-26T00:14:00.000+02:00

Remember last year in Faraya after we ate at Al Erzal and Fadi made the tricks with his eyeglasses to become unrecognizable.

the photo taken by the camera with you in the back

Family gathering at Fida's birthday

2006-12-25T17:09:00.000+02:00

photo for the blogs profile

2006-12-18T19:09:00.000+02:00

Sixties sunglasses

2006-12-05T22:22:00.000+02:00

Remember those sixties sunglasses that we digged from mom's archives.

Week end at Qara Bach - Zghorta

2006-11-20T16:57:00.000+02:00

On the balcony.

Some kind of flower

The star sirius at midnight

Rocky, male dog, sunbathing

Chicken barbecue

Photo souvenir

jounieh municipality

2006-10-23T10:40:00.000+03:00

We spent sunday eating at la cave d'or and taking photos around jounieh municipality.
Here we are in the parc just in front of it.
And the photo of palm trees in "contre jour"

wine reserve

2006-10-21T20:47:00.000+03:00

we went to Fahd to buy wine for the winter.
So we can sleep at night not fearing we might get thirsty.

last photos

2006-10-21T09:20:00.000+03:00

the photos taken in beirut just before my brother Fadi left.

tomatoe soup recipe

2006-10-20T16:08:00.000+03:00

we start a long week end.

here is a recipe of tomatoe soup :

1 tomatoe ,cut in dices
1 oignon ,cut in dices
1 carrot,minced
1 piece of garlic , minced
herbs(mint,parsley,thyme...)
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar
salt and pepper

half cup of small pasta

you put all the ingredients (without the pasta) in pot ,adding a cup of water.you boil for half an hour, then you can mix them .you add the pasta and cook as directed on the pasta sheet (usually 10 minutes).
you can add other vegetables (peas,corn,green beans,bell pepper...) to make it richer.You can also omit the carrot, or even the onion or garlic; manage it with the ingredients you have,it is always as tastefull.
Serve it with garlic bread or roasted bread.