Super lame! [YouTube]

I passed by the motor show on Saturday afternoon, it was a nightmare because it took me 2 hours to get there since the traffic started from Charles Helou. I don’t really recommend anyone to go on a weekend, the exhibition was so crowded full of families and kids, I barely enjoyed my tour since people took it as an entertainment park instead of a car show. You Pay 10,000L.L to get in, I’m not sure if kids have to pay as well (I doubt it), so some people thought it’s cheaper than taking their kids to McDonald’s or BK… On top of that, there is only one exit since the security will not let you leave from the entrance thus you have to pass by all the show rooms and even the technical hall ways (tires, oils, engines, etc.. ) which wasn’t of my interest at all but I had to walk an extra 30 minutes just to be able to leave before the show closes at 10pm. Best time to go is from Monday to Thursday only.

Apart from that the show is not bad, If you’re interested to buy a car from the exhibition, SGBL bank has the lowest interest rate during this show (2.45%) and the cheapest amongst all cars at the show is Kia Picanto for $8,000 only. I also noticed that Peugeot is copy pasting Audi TT by launching a very similar model (check out few pics).

Peugeot

BMW Z4

After Jounieh, it’s time for Antelias to kick off its night life. There is a whole street now in Antelias full of Shisha places, restaurants and now even pubs. Carlitos is the first pub in that region, it’s been open for few months now and is very similar in its design and atmosphere to Habana in Jounieh and Pacifico in Monot.

I went there yesterday without reservation and found two decent seats on the bar. I ordered my usual Vodka on the rocks and my gf had a Salad (Ensalada de Ticos) which looked yummy. We got there at around 9:10 pm, there were few people but all tables were reserved. At 10 pm, i barely had any space left to move my feet. Surprisingly though, there were few young people at the place, but rather older couples.

The great thing about Carlitos, like the pubs in Jounieh, is that you don’t have to drive all the way to Beirut and get stuck in traffic to have a drink.

Bassma is organizing its Annual Gala Dinner at Sursock Palace Gardens on Wednesday 5th May.  Click on the above invite for the details.

Bassma is a non-profit organization whose goal is to improve the life of the poorest families, regardless of their political or religious backgrounds.

My friend once took me to one of their many activities.  They have a little place next to Gemmayze where they feed the poor.  They have several of these locations available in Lebanon.  I found it completely heart warming to see the ladies support the poor people who did show up.  It is nice to see that support is being provided to them.

They have several other social activities such as clothing assistance, welfare, and employment assistance.

Check out Bassma’s website for more details.  Also note, that Bassma is continuously looking for more volunteers.

Sara’s bag just launched the Sabah Forever collection.

For those of you who are not familiar with Sara’s Bags you can read more about the brand and the designer, Sara Beydoun, here.

Unfortunately there is no option to order online but the bags are available in various countries in the region.  In Beirut they are located in Achrafieh.

Sara’s Bags are inspired by Middle Eastern culture while adhering to the latest trends.

I find some of their bags really funky and would love to get, whilst some are just nice to look at and smile (caused by the nostalgic feeling the bag creates).

Check it out and share your opinions :)

I took that picture on the Maritime road on Saturday at a peak hour, around 2 pm. This guy seemed careless and practically walking on the right lane of the road.

I just got back from the motor show. Nothing too fancy or amazing, no prototypes, just regular cars or supercars that you see on the road. People were actually taking more pictures of the models displaying the cars than the cars themselves!

There are two big halls displaying a lot of brands followed by a section where banks promote their latest car loan offerings. At the end of the expo there is a labyrinth-like section with companies promoting car accessories, renting / leasing cars etc..

While walking around, I was hearing this loud crashing sound every couple of minutes. It turned out to be the “Seat Belt Convincer” from the kunhadi.org stand.

For those who don’t know, Kunhadi is “an association for youth awareness on road safety“.

They have a very interactive website with data and statistics about car accidents in Lebanon and in my opinion these numbers are really alarming. I think everyone who likes to drive fast or drunk should take a look at their website and think twice before causing serious permanent damage to him / herself or others

The “Seat Belt Convincer” is a mechanical contraption whereby a volunteer sits in a chair that is then dropped on a downward slope at a relatively slow speed to simulate an accident.

The volunteers at the Kunhadi stand were doing a great job promoting awareness on the dangers of speeding and drunk driving.

“Fawwil 95 !”

What a bad idea that is these days. It cost me 97,000 LBP to refuel my car yesterday, while it used to cost me around 87,000 few weeks ago.

The Oil crisis was over months ago, oil prices dropped down all over the world, except for Lebanon where they keep rising and for no justifiable reason.

I think the cow was trying to send me a message heh ..

The slogan on the truck says “Look with your eyes and be merciful with your heart”

Pardon my drawing skills but i did my best :-)

The 12th Lebanon motor show is taking place at Biel starting tomorrow until 18th April, the event will feature the latest and best vehicles from around the world. It will be a forum where global auto brands compete with each other to offer the latest and best in every category. The last Beirut motor show took place in 2004, the one in 2006 got cancelled due to the war which took place during this year. The event seems exciting, if you’re a fan of cars and luxury or even commercial vehicles then pass by Biel between 4pm and 10pm everyday. I will give more updates when I’ll pass by.

All this talk about Gemmayze reminded me that it’s been a while since i went to one my favorite pizza places, Olio, so i went there yesterday for dinner.

The place was renovated a while ago now and is much bigger, and the pizzas are as good as ever. I ordered a Caprese “Olio” as an anti-pasti (appetizer), consisting of fresh mozzarella with tomato, basil and olive oil and a Prosciutto e Funghi pizza (Mozzarella, Ham, Cheese, Tomato sauce).

Funny thing is that they have a Puttanesca pizza, meaning a whore’s pizza. I thought the naming was awkward but then i googled it and it turns out there is a Puttanesca pasta as well and a restaurant called Puttanesca.

The naming originates from Naples after the local women of easy virtue. All the ingredients are just as easy to put your hands on, making this a quick and satisfying meal!

In sum, it is a great place and i would recommend it to anyone who likes italian pizzas.

(Picture from beirutnightlife)

As Nency posted yesterday, new rules were set for the nightlife in Gemmayze and a certain number of pubs were closed.

Here is an updated list of the closed pubs:
- Sepia
- Lounge 55
- Hanks
- Pastis
- Tequila
- Hickeys
- Charlies
- Sepia
- Jukebox

It appears that similarly to 2008, some pubs who have “wasta” are being kept open while other random pubs are being closed.

I was thinking about it this morning, and was wondering what difference does it make for Gemmayze habitants to sleep at 12 instead of 1 or 2 ?

For all i know, old people or people who don’t go out much and have kids sleep no later than 10 or 11 pm. So changing the closing hours is really stupid. The real problem is the traffic and the lack of parking space and Ziad Baroud, the minister of interior, proposed a very efficient way to handle it.

He urged Beirut’s municipality to make efficient use of the Charles Helou bus station, by transforming it in part into a parking lot for people going to Gemmayze’s restaurants and pubs at night.

So what’s the big deal here ?
Let the ISF force the rules concerning the double glazing and sound proofing the ceilings, monitor the streets for drunk and annoying people and make the street a pedestrian one and everyone’s happy.

Cheers :-)

I believe everyone is aware that sky bar and white bar are the busiest bars/clubs of the summer season in Beirut. Here are some unrevealed information about white bar for 2010 opening…

They’re redesigning the entire venue by removing the original bar (as per the picture) replacing it with lounges and instead of having one long bar, they will be split into 2: one bar will be in the middle and one at the entrance on the left, the venue will be surrounded with lounges and the place will fit more people. The opening is planned to be on 7th May. Will give more updates closer to the date!

After the strike in Gemmayze which took place on 26th March 2010, new rules came up last week which are considered the greatest for the inhabitants of Gemmayze but very unfortunate for us…Gemmayze pubs officially started closing at 12am during week days and can max close at 1am during the weekend. I was there on Saturday night and I ‘ve seen the police roaming around at 1am to fine the clubs which will not obey to the new rules.

Bad news hit some other pubs which were closed “bel chame3 el a7mar” because they did not pass the security measurements and standards e.g: fire exit, music volume, etc… some of these pubs are like Sepia, intuition and others which I can’t recall right now. Dommage!