HSBC has embarked on a major global restructuring program that will include its operations in Lebanon, a banking source told The Daily Star Friday. “HSBC branches in Lebanon will eventually witness some restructuring as part of the plan set by the administration in London,” the source said. [Daily Star]

This piece of news came out two weeks ago and it seems they’ve already started closing down the Verdun branch.

This store caught my attention as I was walking through Milan’s streets. When I mentioned its name to my dad when I got back, he told me that the Sawaya guy (William Sawaya) is a Lebanese and a good friend of his and that he has started this business some 30 years ago.

Going through their website, it looks like they are well established in Italy and in the World. They’ve even been assigned to design trophies for FIFA events. [Link]

PS: I did not notice the old guy/girl in the picture until later; he/she pretty much says a lot about fashion in Milan and how people dress.

I got back to Lebanon two hours ago coming from Milano. Watching my first ever F1 race was just amazing, the sounds are way better than what you hear on TV and the whole experience just great. The only inconvenient, even though I’ve lost two or three pounds, is the amount of walking you have to do, and I am not saying that out of laziness. I had to walk everyday over 4 hours around the Monza Autodromo to get from the bus to my seat and back, so If you are not used to it, don’t even think of going to Monza.

I leave you for now with this picture where Sebastian Vettel, the race winner, is waving at me thanking me for my support. (Picture taken from my seat at the Parabolica turn)

I will be leaving in few hours time to attend my first ever Formula1 GP, the Italian Grand Prix!

This edition will be the 82nd edition of the Italian GP and will take place at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, also known a La Pista Magica. This is my 2nd favorite Grand Prix after the Belgium GP (Spa-Francorchamps).

I will be sitting at the very famous Parabolica corner, which you can see below. I might not have access to any internet there so I won’t be posting for a couple of days.

I will be taking a lot of pictures and videos which I will upload once I get back.

Visit their new branch in “Reigfoun”.

Not sure if it relocated, but I just noticed yesterday that Bvlgari branch in Achrafieh closed.

The only time I visited this shop was to get my gf a bag, turns out it’s priced at 1350$ or something like that, so I thanked them and left.

That was my dessert last night. The idea is original but the rum quantity is not proportional to the size of the cake. Still it was very good.

I don’t know though where my mum got them from, will have to ask her tonight.

[YouTube]

A friend of mine put this as their Facebook status and I cracked up. Make sure you sing it to the Loca People What the Fuck song (above):

All Day All Night no electricity no water… All Day all night no internet no fuel… I couldn’t believe how I was living, so I called my friend Johnny and said to him: “Johnny, el Dawlé e5ta manioca!” WTF!!

When I heard about demands for raising the minimum wage to 1,250,000, I thought it was around 750,000LL or a bit more, turns out it is still 500,000 LL, which is almost 330$.

This is really ridiculous. What can you do with 330$ a month? Probably use the bus to go back and forth to work, eat a Ghalayini man2ouche every morning and Falafel for lunch and dinner, and maybe go out twice a month.

I was considering attending their concert, but I am watching the NRJ Tour on MTV as we speak and the average age is around 15 from what I am seeing, so I guess I will have to pass.

For more info about their concert in Beirut, click [Here].

PS: The Internet connection is so slow tonight I haven’t been able to fully load the YouTube video above even after several attempts.

I’ve been searching for information on bike trails in Lebanon for ages but haven’t had any luck. Awhile ago the Trek dealer in Lebanon posted pictures of one bike trail which looks pretty cool but also seems very tough since a lot of the shots are of riders pushing the bikes up the trail. [Link]

I was dining at Roadster yesterday when I noticed their forks have shrunk. I asked for a normal fork but apparently that’s all they got now. It’s not really a big deal but why would u change the size of your forks?

They also have two cup sizes for some reason and they are handed out randomly.

Barbar Beirut has opened in Mkalles under the name Mazat and is serving the best “pasrties” in town!

Thanks Roy!

How to waste half an hour on the road because of a dumbass driver.

[Trella.org]

A Lebanese blogger who was apparently linked to jailed Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad has been denied entry to Egypt on Monday, a Cairo airport official and a media watchdog said.

Imad Bazzi’s name “was on a list of people banned from entering at the request of a security apparatus,” said the official, adding that the blogger who arrived at 0800 GMT was put on a plane back to Lebanon at 1500 GMT. [Source]

Looks like Egypt’s revolution has not done much. The sad story is that Egyptian Blogger Sanad, who began a hunger strike on August 23 and more recently started refusing to drink, “could very soon die.”, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

This story tells a lot about how influential bloggers could be, and why even the smaller non-political cases, such as the Benihana lawsuit against Mark’s 248am.com blog should be won for all the bloggers’ sake.