A reader pointed out the fact that Balkis Afandi has Clementine in it and not Tangerine and I checked it out today and it’s right.

Pretty weird.

Still short of the Jager train’s record by some 3000 shots. [YouTube]

Almaza is giving away glasses with cute cartoons on them with every 6 pack you buy. I don’t like the shape of the glasses they’re giving away, would rather they were shaped like regular pint glasses or even beer mugs.

While I was in Lebanon last week I passed by this cute little place called Kitsch in Gemmayze. It’s like a small boutique that sold some random items as well as some clothes and it had a small coffee shop as well. Seemed pretty cozy.

Here are 6 ways to Get Your Mind Off The Political Drama In Lebanon from Ivy says.

I like Option2 most!

1- Go to Armin Only Mirage On Saturday the 22nd

2- When the clock hits 5pm after work, head straight to a Happy Hour at your nearest neighborhood bar

3- Go shopping; nothing gets your mind off Lebanese politics like a good shopping spree

4- Do not under any circumstance turn on the radio to any Arabic –speaking channel at any point in time

5- You can spot the frustrated ones right away.

6- See no evil; speak no evil, and most importantly HEAR NO EVIL.

7ayet el jagal so3be …

Danielle from ThisisBeirut had her family over during the vacations and her grandfather wrote a small note describing his visit to Lebanon which i found very true. He also stated that Lebanon reminded him a lot of Trinidad and this is honestly the first time i heard that, so it would be interesting to have someone share his/her experience if he/she’s been to Trinidad.

“Our Lebanese experience was fascinating. In many respects it was as I had expected and in others completely different. The history of any country is interesting but I feel there is no comparable “space” that can have had a more tumultuous past or a more varied cultural inheritance. Being physically “present” in some of the areas where thousands of years of great civilizations have gone before is truly humbling. The relative proximity of the Mediterranean to the snow capped mountains and the Bekaa valley was hard to grasp until the experience proved it so.

My greatest interest was in getting a truer sense of the social and cultural reality of today’s Lebanon and its people. Not least to place modern Lebanon in its rightful context in the region as a whole. In that search I must confess that the time available was never going to be enough. I got some insights from those I met and enjoyed reading the local news and listening to television coverage that was relevant to the region and not obsessed by US electioneering. My learning from this will lead me to look and listen with a more open mind in the future.

The food we enjoyed was exceptional and the hospitality and welcome were incomparably warm. Still I am left with the most compelling impression being that Lebanon is, above all, contrast. So that there is opulence alongside destitution, antiquity alongside “glitzy” modern, sophistication alongside parochialism, tolerance alongside extremism, erudition alongside backwardness, grandeur alongside squalor. Similar contrasts exist in many small societies that are made up of varied ethnic, cultural and religious traditions and backgrounds. I got the feeling that the contrasts are deeper, and their resolution a greater challenge, in Lebanon than in many other places that I know or have visited. Hopefully the vibrancy of the education system and the evident confidence of investors in the economy will contribute to a future that fulfils the present promise.”

Then why do they have eggs and milk inside of them?

I always enjoy reading Angie’s humoristic posts on the Nowlebanon blogs and one of yesterday’s posts was very true about Lebanese women.

Why do some chicks go to work dressed like they’re ready to hit the club, guzzle down a bottle of vodka and hunt for some ‘Grade A’ man meat to devour in one sitting?

Indeed, why do they do that and when do they have time to do all that makeup in the morning?

I practically saw a woman today dressed like she was going to a wedding, yet too lazy to take off her sunglasses and park properly in an underground parking, which brings us to a whole new issue: Lebanese men and women and sunglasses.

What’s up with people wearing sunglasses to parties? or sitting in a cafe in the afternoon or at night wearing them? I thought this trend died a long time ago.

I think Almaza should do some new ads on those clichés using their slogan “hayda jawouna, hayda ne7na”.

So he did, after 65 days of hard work Michel ended up looking like a Spartan on Halloween! You can check out his costume pictures [Here] and also watch an interview with him on MTV [Here]

Amazing!

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]

[View from Le Montagnou Restaurant]

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]