A friend of a friend of mine who is in Lebanon came up with a cool idea for Halloween, he wanted to dress up as spartan since he’s a huge fan of the movie 300. He had 65 days till Halloween and he was overweight and unfit. So he decided he would go on a strict diet, exercise his ass off and document his journey on a blog. There is now 11 days left till Halloween and as you can see from the picture above he has practically achieved his goal. I think that is just amazing. When you see the before and after pictures in magazines you don’t think much of it but this guy is real and managed to achieve all that in just 50 days. Check out his blog [Here]
He is now planning a charity event where he will parade in Beirut with other Spartans. Once I get more information on that will post about it.
Can you calculate the total cost of the watches in the picture above? This is my rough estimate so far…
The first 10 on the bottom are Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs, the regular ones cost like $28,000 and the ones pictured aren’t regular so lets say they’re roughly $35,000 each, multiply that by ten, that’s $350,000. On the right you have around 20 Panerais. Say roughly $10,000 per PAM that’s $200,000. On the left you have a bunch of Rolex’s and IWC’s, I can’t tell what they are but lets give them $10,000 per watch and there are 21 watches so that’s $210,000. Add $350,000 and the other $200,000 that gives you a total of around $760,000.
That’s one hell of a party. You can check all the pictures [Here]
This is a post i wrote on the 19th of September after i had come back from Faraya around 2 am. I did not see it the next day, turns out i had slept before publishing it and the alcohol did not help me remember much.
I was invited to a BBQ night in Faraya at some friend’s place tonight and i had a blast to say the least!
Funny how one plans parties or dinners or birthdays weeks ahead and never gets the satisfaction of a random outing like the one i had today.
Old house, large garden, BBQ, a bit cold weather, great company, Grey Goose Vodka and all is good.
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.
I don’t think i’ve ever been in a worse shape than the one i am currently in. Work and studies are mostly to blame, as well as my injury from which i never recovered fully. You see two years ago while i was playing football, i had what they call the “Unhappy Triad” injury, which is a “common combination of three different injuries in the knee, and they often all occur together. The ACL tear, meniscus tear, and MCL tear make up this terrible triad, and can definitely ruin your day”. I had to operate to reconstruct the ligament and then undergo physical therapy for a year before being able to play any sport again. I’ve managed to get back to playing basketball and football but the leg hurts every time i am done playing and sometimes while playing, and with the extra weight, i wasn’t really helping my case.
So it’s time i get back in shape, and what better way to force myself than let everyone know am gonna do this. I read somewhere it is motivating to share such news with other people, as it makes one feel more obliged to accomplish whatever goals he/she sets for himself.
Oh well, enough with the talks. I have to lose 20 to 25 pounds to get back to my normal weight and i have to lose them within two months before i get back to the gym and train. I am planning on walking and jogging for at least 1 hour or 2 hours every day and following a diet set by a dietitian friend of mine and inspired by Fahad AlYehya posts on 248am.com. I will skip dinner meals though.
I already have a program for the gym prepared by two good friends of mine and sports professionals who have their own supplement store, Shape up located in Batroun. They only opened few months ago but i trust those guys and they’re good at what they’re doing.
I also asked one of them to join the blog and post about Lebanese Basketball news and give us advice on what supplements to use (If we want any) and how to keep a well balanced and healthy body. I think it is always useful to have someone tell you what to expect at a gym and when to say no to trainers who offer you supplements or steroids or cycles without letting you know of their consequences.
Most of you have probably heard about Dinner in the Sky if not click [Here]. The same guy who has the Ferrari 599 GTO below also had dinner in the sky and uploaded those videos to his YouTube account. The one above is the best of the bunch. Looks pretty cool. [YouTube]
Now if you want to be nosy like me you can check out all the guys videos by following this [Link]. He has a ton of cool videos mostly of some of the coolest rides in Lebanon. I would have love to have been on this outing.. [Link]
We had a surprise birthday last sunday at Rikky’z in Faqra at lunch time and i must say it was a lot of fun and very different from what i was expecting. I had never been to that place before but i knew it was a nice place overlooking Faraya that had open BBQ and drinks and a nice atmosphere. What i did not see coming is that i was practically going to a party but in day time.
The place is right before the Faqra club and is very easy to get to. You have to give you car away (Valet Parking of course) and pay a 30$ entrance fee that includes open food and drinks and a free sombrero. You get in a wooden house and head toward a large terrace where there are lots of tiny tables, just like any night club, a bar and very loud music. The sun is a killer so you will need your sombrero.
The party picks up bit by bit and around 2 pm, food is served in a buffet. You have salads inside and a large grill outside. Food wasn’t that great to be honest but just like night clubs, you don’t expect it to be good but don’t really care as the whole atmosphere is nice.
I always thought rolling sushi was difficult and wondered how they managed to do them that quickly. Well it turned out it’s not that hard. I was invited to a sushi dinner on Friday night where the hosts were doing their own sushi.
I went into the kitchen to have a hint on how it’s done and what are the things one needs to get. The main components are basically salmon, crab, rice, avocado, Japanese mayo, sesame, cucumber and seaweed rolls. Of course there’s the soy sauce and ginger needed later on.
The hardest part in this process is to roll them, but you have those wooden rolls to help you, so it just needs practice. My friends rolled over 200 makis and sushis that night in an hour or so. One of them also rolled some cones which are supposedly pretty hard to make.
As for me, i was drinking white wine (Chardonnay 2008) and tasting here and there and watching the world cup game of course. Anyway, they turned out to be really good and better tasting than in some sushi places I’ve been to.
I recall hearing about it on the radio but there was not much advertising done on this event. I wonder why. Same for the boat show, barely any ads on TV or billboards.
The girls partied at Cellar club in kaslik, not the most famous or known of clubs, and had dinner at Nahawand restaurant.
(More Pictures at beirutnightlife)
And then there was the fashion show. I must say those aren’t the best looking playmates i’ve seen.
During my walk in Jbeil Souks the other day, i had a nice encounter. It took me time to recognize the guy, but then i asked him “Elie?” and he answered. That was probably the first time i speak to this guy while i am sober lol!
So who is this “Elie” ?
He was a bartender at Treesome pub in Gemmayze and i was a regular there two years ago. I usually don’t like cocktails but Elie’s cocktails were a killer, specially that one Absynth-Vodka drink we always ordered.
It didn’t have a strong taste but when you’ve had 5 or 6 of that drink, the rest of the night would be a story to tell, that is if you remember anything! Maybe i should share some of those stories or maybe i shouldn’t.
Anyway, it turns out he is launching his own pub in the next few weeks, but he didn’t tell me its name yet as he didn’t pick one, but it will be near The Electricity company in Gemmayze, most probably around “Behind the Green Door”.
I went to Batroun the past weekend to drop a friend and decided to pass by Jbeil and have dinner there. I haven’t been to Jbeil souks for a while, so i thought i take a walk and see what’s happening. To my surprise, the streets were fully renovated and packed with restaurants, pubs, shops and lots of people.
Turns out i’ve been missing out since the past summer!
I was advised to go to écafe and so i did. The place was big and beautiful and was more of a cafe trottoir than a restaurant. The food was also delicious and affordable and most importantly the service was quick and professional.
The only problem i faced were cats, as my gf hates them and i had to interrupt my dinner many times to scare them away lol!
Over all, i will definitly be going there soon to try the pubs and see how’s the nightlife picking up there.
This place was one of my favourite hangouts few years ago, until the food and service deteriorated so i stopped going there for a long while. I decided to go there tonight with my brother mostly because i miss the location. It is situated at the beginning of Kaslik and is more like a cafe trottoir than a restaurant.
I must say the food looked decent and the service was surprisingly good, but it was mostly the location that i enjoyed and my Almaza draft beer. During the summer, the place is always packed day and night during week days and weekends.
I had a birthday party yesterday at Pierre & Friends, a pub-resto located right on the beach in Madfoun, a region between Jbeil & Batroun. I’ve been to the place before last summer, it’s really nice to go there, chill out and have a drink and even go for a swim during the day or at night. However, make sure that you eat before going there because the food is horrible.
A minor issue about yesterday’s party was that the weather was still a bit cold and so everyone was freezing, but apparently the organizers had that figured out and were planning to light a fire and so they did. Too bad they miscalculated the wind direction and all the smoke was coming our way, so we had to turn the fire off eventually. Still, it was a nice relaxing night away from closed pubs, smoke clouds and loud music.
During the summer, the place gets packed on weekends so i advise those wanting to enjoy a relaxing evening to go there during weekdays. Here are some more pictures of the place.
One of the typical Lebanese show off places on the weekend is Lina’s Cafe at Kaslik on a Sunday afternoon. Its become the place to show off with your car, your clothes, your bags and you sit and talk about what you did Saturday evening and gossip about what happened during your weekend. It is such a cliché tradition where all Lebanese show offs like to do after a nice long weekend. The valets will park the best cars in front of the café (by best I mean Audi R8, Porsche Turbos, F430′s etc…) and the girls will come fully loaded with make up and designer clothes. Men with cigars and drinks, ladies having a glass of wine or coffee…
If you’ve never experienced it you should. I passed by Lina’s yesterday with my girlfriends (for the only reason that one of them is pregnant and wanted an open area coffee shop close by Jounieh) and it was a very funny experience.
