Hamra Pharma!

As I was walking on Hamra street (one of Beirut's main streets), and for the first time I noticed that you can have a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice!
So as I was approaching by curiosity, the man making the juice told me to have a cup since it's a natural killer and preventive of the virus H1N1! He assured me that the Vitamin C and the benefits of this fruit makes it the ultimate fighter of the influenza! :)
He kept going about how pharmaceuticals use the media to sell their products while "Mother Nature" have everything we need to live a long lasting happy life, which actually I totally agree to that.
I had my cup of "red" juice, delicious but a bit acid (it's healthier this way) ;) and asked me to come back in a week for a sweeter taste ... and continue the treatment!
Sometimes all you need is a regular person who offers you a simple way to make a worldwide (over-exaggerated) problem seems as little as a pom seed by adding hope and natural Vitamins to our lives ;)

Adou

Vacation

Other than the new site design there is only a well earned vacation that is keeping me from posting to the blog.
I will be away for the next 2 weeks but I promise to start posting as soon as I come back with plenty of new stuff.

Meanwhile, Adou here will make sure of keeping you entertained.

Cheers.

Close Encounter of a Third Kind!

No matter at what time is my flight, I always sleep as soon as I step foot on the plane and wake up after takeoff.
This last flight, I opened my eyes and I saw the passenger next to me like that!!!! (check pictures)

It took me some seconds just to realize what was this napkin doing on this guy's face, I just couldn't stop laughing along with the passengers who witnessed this new technique of "sleeping" during a flight, that I have to be honest never seen and will probably not see again on any flight.

Wanted to share with you this "encounter" and like "E.T", I just wanted to go back home :)

Adou

Lost but Found Again!

Two Things I Thought were lost in my dear Country Lebanon!

Our national dance: Dabkeh and Our sense of Poetry.

Lucky I was to discover during this past month that both things are still existing and kicking :)

Dabkeh: I was invited to a wedding in the far end of South Lebanon, me and another 699 guests! A real festival with beautiful and happy "ambiance".

After having all kinds of mezze and barbecues, the music started playing; for me it was a simple Arabic music but it was not just Arabic it's the Dabkeh music ... Everybody and I mean everybody, men, women, young and old, joined hands and made a huge circle all around the dance floor and started the traditional Lebanese Dabkeh! Two men with big large swords in their hands were dancing in the middle, controlling the rhythm and making sure that every movement is synchronized: shoulder to shoulder, all with one tap of foot on the floor, etc... Others are making more "advanced" moves or in a more "gaming" language: combo moves! showing off and feeling proud in mastering more complex steps than the ordinary 1,2,3 and 4!
I was so happy to witness this wave of movements and sad that I don't know how to dance our Dabkeh although some taught me in 5 min the simple steps that made me look more ridiculous in the eyes of the town's "homies" ;)

Poetry: A very "cool" (for those who thinks that poetry is boring!) group of people sent an invitation on facebook about a poetry night in

Gemayzeh, so I was curious enough to go with a group of friends (Lebanese and Swiss).
I can assure it was a hell of a night! people reading in Arabic, French and English... some they wrote the poems themselves:: funny, sad, political, environmental ... and concerning all subjects: love, hate, sex, music, God, life etc...

The thing that struck me most is the passion and the dedication of some participants who are really gifted and wrote beautiful things.

Then we got interested ourselves; so my Swiss friend read a text in French, my Lebanese friend recited also a poem in French and me, I read a poem from Rumi in English inspired from the series "Six Feet Under".

It feels so nice to be part of a "small" Lebanese society but very diversified with many interests and cultures. Everyday we meet so many people and go so many places, the most important thing is the "connection" that we keep from all these encounters.

"I am not from the world, not from beyond,
not from heaven and not from hell.
I am not from Adam, not from Eve, not from paradise and not from Ridwan.
My place is placeless, my trace is traceless,
no body, no soul, I am from the soul of souls." Rumi

“TRON: Legacy” – The wait begins……

It was 1982, at the peak of the Science Fiction boom and I was only 9 years old. Every one was talking about TRON, the new Pop-Culture Sci-Fi movie that would be a revolution from the mainstream Star Wars/Star Trek and the dark opposite such as Alien. Something that no one could explain and that is a must see.
The hype was so great but unfortunately that year was a dark era of our Lebanese history (one of many) represented by a full scale Israeli invasion of the country. Obviously it was inconceivable to see TRON in a movie theatre or anywhere else in fact. I waited till 1984 to watch it on a VHS tape and I remember that I gathered friends over for the event. I must admit that I did not understand anything out of the movie and my friends, once again, bitched about another stupid movie that I made them watch.

Years went by and I saw it again in 1987 and i was blown away by the imagery and the revolutionary movie idea of it all. It never crawled on me like Star Wars did, nevertheless it was something out of the ordinary and a pure fantasy movie that is Hi-Tech at the same time. How cool is that!

Since then I must have watched TRON once a year and I enjoyed it every single time.

Last year I heard that they are making a sequel and it was only till a month ago that a trailer got out as well as some concept art such as the 'lightcycle' below.

The sequel is to be called “TRON: Legacy” and scheduled for release in 2011. I also discovered that one of my favorite actresses, Olivia Wilde the gorgeous creature from the TV series House MD., is on board as well. So the wait has begun and 2011 seems so far away right now. I wish I could sleep it through like I used to do on Christmas night so that I could get my gifts without the frustration of the wait.

Anyway, for now I can only console myself by watching the magnificent HD trailer/teaser on youtube. You can enjoy it in glorious HD here (I have seen it 10 times over the last week).