Looks like our guys are still resting from their first win of the tournament. It sure looks like their first win was indeed a surprising one when compared to the next two games that followed.

First humiliated by France, and today by New Zealand.

I am eager to see how those defending this new coach we got are going to justify today’s loss.

Ya 3ayb el shoum!

BloggingBeirut posted a video up of a truck drive in Mansouria that broke a few laws on his way to a construction site and then got away with it. Even the two cops in the video didn’t do anything about it! [YouTube]

While i was checking out the duty free in Moscow airport on my way back, i saw a Russian paper with Mar Charbel’s picture on its front page. I have no clue what the paper says or what’s its name and the few people i asked there did not help much. All i know is the title said something like “Mar Charbel blood cures millions” or something like that.

It is hard to believe but throughout my 5 days trip, i could not find one single Russian who spoke decent English except our trainer of course.

After winning against Canada, the Lebanese Basketball team lost to the French team convincingly 86 to 59. Our weak point today, as i had pointed it out few days ago, was our inside play and our rebound capability. We only had two centers and none were able to contain the French inside game. French players were very physical as well and dominated the box. Added to that, this new coach made the stupidest changes i’ve ever seen.

In the second quarter, as soon as Vroman sat on the bench, the French led a 10-0 run and kept it until the last quarter. He never asked for any time out to stop the French run.

In the third quarter, he chose to rest Fadi el Khatib, Elias Rustom, Rony Fahd and at some point Matt Frayge. We were down by 14 points for God’s sake! How do you put all your key players out? Or maybe he had hoped Ghaleb Rida and Ali Kanaan would make some difference? Ghaleb sure helped the French open up the gap every time he spread his legs (don’t ask me why he does that) to shoot his failed 3 pointers. Ali barely caught a rebound and was outside the box most of the time.

Fourth quarter was a joke too. No fight backs by any Lebanese player and the coach seemed careless. I really don’t understand how we get ourselves to the world championships and not put out a decent fight? Is it too much to ask for the team and his coach to be enthusiastic and motivated?

Next game is on Tuesday against New Zealand on Tuesday at 4 pm. If Lebanon loses, he is out.

Check out here the full stats of the game.

Lebanon won his first game at the World Basketball championship being held in Turkey against Canada 81-71. The best scorer was Fadi el Khatib with 31 points.

This is relatively Lebanon’s easiest game. The hard part is yet to come.

Here are some photos of the game.

I like it and it has “Najib” in it, so i like it even more!

I’ve made it very clear a number of times before that I think Café Matik at the Beirut Airport sucks and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who kept complaining because it seems they’ve listened. I was at the airport a few days backed and decided to pass by Café Matik and check out what they had and to my surprise they’ve introduced new sandwiches that reminded me a lot of Pret A Manger. I ended up picking up a Ham, Brie and Cranberry sandwich that turned out to be delicious. Would have had a second if it wasn’t priced at 14,000LL.

1) ATV trip from Faraya to Arz
2) Paragliding from Harissa
3) Visit the Jeita caves for the first time (they’re 5 mins from my house)
4) Tour Lebanon in a small Cesna plane
5) Watch Lebanese men wrestling in Mayrouba (Abou 3adal was going to be there)
6) Ham & Cheese sandwich at Torinos in Gemmayze
7) Lunch and Arak with the bedouins in Hermil
8) Go to the beach
9) Have a cheeseburger at Road Runners in Bourj Hammoud
10) Check out the underground Lebanese nude female wrestling scene

As it appears, the organizers of the Stankovic cup cannot spell first and Stankovic! And Ironically enough, they were the Lebanese this time who organized it and won it. The even worse part is that the president of the republic was invited for that event so the least we could expect from the organizers is a good spell check on the first place trophy.

Anyway, good thing we turned out as winners.

I am leaving tonight for a 5 days training in St-Petersburg, Russia. I have never been to Russia nor Eastern Europe before so i am excited about this trip even if its short.

St Petersburg, ‘Venice of the North’ is one of the best places to visit in Russia from what i heard and read. Lots of attractions to visit and the night life is great. Unluckily though, it will be rainy all week long and it is relatively cold now.

Last but not least, everytime i mentioned to anyone here that i was leaving for Russia, he asked me to bring him back a girl from there (one girl requested a guy). So i thought i open myself a super night club if am bringing back that many girls lol!

I mean seriously, so what if we have a lot of Russian girls working in super night clubs here, does that mean they are all prostitutes?

I will have my laptop and the hotel i am staying in has internet, so i should be able to post from there.

До скорой встречи. ! (See you soon)

I just got the Vuvuzella i asked a friend of mine to bring back from South Africa. I am very tempted to blow it but i can’t do so at work.

There are always surprises awaiting you while driving in Lebanon.

The old lady driving the Honda in the first picture prefers not to use her mirrors and is waiting for my horn to go right. The Green light does not seem convincing enough for her.

Rambo does not mind standing up in the back of a pickup going 100 kph on a highway.

I usually cut my hair once every month or 6 weeks and every time i hear a new theory in politics or science, the weirdest stories ever, new inventions, opinions on new technological products from my coiffeur Toni. I’ve been cutting my hair at this guy for more than 6 years now, ever since Najib, my coiffeur from the day i was born, decided to retire for some reason and get a taxi instead.

Today, Toni was on fire and could not stop bragging about his new theory on brothers going together on a double-date and on males and females and mixed showers. His first theory was that brothers don’t usually go out with their gfs on a double-date and he conducted a survey on his customers for that purpose. I was the only exception apparently as i don’t see where is the big deal in going out with my brother and his date.

The next topic was the really interesting one as psychiatrist & sociologist Dr.Toni concluded that men don’t like to shower with other men, or get undressed when they do so, while women have no problem with that. He even asked me if i ever showered with my brother or with my father lol !

According to our dear coiffeur, women don’t have a genital organ to show and so have nothing to show off or be ashamed of while men don’t feel comfortable showing their stuff and he started giving examples of how he his sick father refused to take off his pants when he used to shower him.

Of course i nudged and agreed with everything he said so i could get my cut and go back home.

I even remember the last time i went, he had that talk on F1 cars and how they don’t really have any brands on them, but instead those are special effects done by the camera. He also claimed Formula1 is a big conspiracy and everything is set up so that this or that can win.

I wonder why women don’t open up salons for men. They could be much more interesting and maybe less talkative.

A friend of mine transferred me some money via an OMT office. OMT stands for Online Money Transfer and is part of Western Union. I checked out their website and saw a small logo on the right where i could search for locations but it turns out the search button is not working. I looked out in their locations and found an office in the same building i work in.

I went up the first time 10 days ago, the OMT employee was not there and i was told he was sick.
Two days later, i go up to see if he is no longer sick. The employee is still not there. He has a day off this time.
Five days later, i go up again and he still did not show up to work. I am told to go to another office down the road, but with the heat outside, there’s no way am walking all that distance.
Yesterday, i went up for a last time and as usual, no one is there. So i took a cab and drove to another location and collected my money.

I mean i don’t get it, what’s the point of having over 700 locations if there’s no one at those locations?

This is the 8th edition of the Lebanese Film Festival and is entitled “né a Beyrouth” (Born in Beyrouth).

Here is the program as shown on the festival’s website.