Recapping 2011

The year 2011 served as a significant milestone on the scale of my life. Like 2006, with my graduation from high school and starting university; 2009 with my graduation from university and getting a job; 2011 marked another, more personal turning point, marriage.

What an emotional rollercoaster! It was perhaps the most hectic year, but the happiest none the less. It marked a huge change, yet stability, it was painstaking, yet worth it, and it was fun, yet costly.

In plain and simple terms, 2011 is the future. All along it has been “when I grow up” or “when I graduate” or “when I get married” …I’m there!

Last year, and like so many years before it, I made a new year’s resolution list. Similar to everyone’s my list included “being more religious”, “being healthier”, “taking more charge”…and “starting a Blog” (which was mainly due to the encouragement I got from Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin”.)

This time something worked.

I’m happy to report that until today I have posted 65 blogs (including this one), had 3,833 page views, had audience from all over the world including 1,340 from Lebanon, 434 from the United States, and 235 from the United Kingdom, in addition to 8 followers.

Yayy!

I don’t know about my Pisces horoscope reading for 2012 but my hopes are high.

Happy New Year!

Winter gets me in the London Mood

For those of you who have been reading my blog from the beginning, you are familiar with the post “They still haven’t found it yet!  L”

http://byserene.blogspot.com/2011/01/they-still-havent-found-it-yet.html

If not, here’s a brief.

On my way back from my last trip to London last January, MEA airlines or “someone” lost my luggage. After letters, phone calls, searches, and a whole lot of trips to the airport, I was compensated US$ 600 and an airline ticket voucher worth US$700.

This year, and in January, I’m going back to London for a family visit, and a little shopping and sightseeing. I just can’t help it; London is a winter city, especially with all the rain and clouds, so when it rains in Lebanon everything around me seems to turn into sterling pounds, red double-decker busses, and checkered jackets.

The seat is reserved, the ticket is bought, the Dollars are converted, and the lists are completed, all I have to do now is wait till the 31^st of December. The only thing that’s hindering my excitement and bothering me is that my husband can’t join me!

The Employee Search

Lately, my department has been looking to recruit a couple of new employees for two vacant positions we have. Considering that we rely greatly on team work, each one of the current employees in the department is required to pitch in when it comes to screening CV’s, making calls, and organizing interview outlines and guideline, in order to help our heads make an educated decision.

You can’t imagine how good it felt being on the other side of the desk. Being the one making the calls instead of receiving them and assisting in the decision process instead of being under judgment.

After contacting the HR department for some CV’s we were sent a file that had over a hundred printed out CV’s and a link to the Bank’s “Career” email for some million more.

The disaster!

How on earth do these graduates plan on getting hired if:

1.       They send CV’s from emails such as: 50centtt@..., mumususu@..., angeleyes12@..., and so many weird, childish emails its hilarious!

2.       They send emails with no content or no subject.  What kind of reputable company will hire someone who doesn’t even write “Kindly find my CV attached for a job vacancy at your esteemed company” in the email.  Is it that hard!

3.       They send emails with content that is so rubbish, that it gets the employer to close it and delete it with out even reaching the middle or opening the attached CV.

4.       They put the “career” email on their mailing list and start forwarding jokes, images, and those “if you don’t send this in 10 minutes, you’ll be cursed for life” emails.

5.       Their CV’s are too long, or two short, or don’t convey the key information an employer is looking for.

6.       They put the phrase “meet people and have a social life” in their Career Objective.

Or (excuse my bias for AUB and LAU)

7.       They are a graduate from a mini-market university, that opened yesterday, and isn’t accredited or reputable!

“POP” goes the Career Dream

How many of you ladies go through university thinking that you will be that next Oprah, Carol Bartz, or Indra Nooyi?

I know I did…

I had always thought that as soon as I graduate, I want to get my dream job; something that is interesting, challenging, and rewarding, I wanted to be in on time, do a little over time, and deliver a little extra to set myself apart from the rest. I wanted to wear my heals, pencil skirts and blazers, sit in important meetings, and have my lunch brought to me desk. I wanted to be given the hard tasks because I’m simply the best, get recognition for what I do, and be on my boss’s good side so I can skip that career ladder and use the career elevator.

How things change…

After sending endless CV’s to almost every employer I can get my hands on, going to endless interviews, and waiting patiently for a call back, I found a job (scratch dream). At first it was great! I was finally living the dream! Until interesting became boring, challenging became a routine, and rewarding became pocket money. Then getting out of bed was a drag, doing a little overtime was torture, and delivering a little extra…why should I bother! Then heals gave blisters, skirts were too up-tight, and blazers looked better on Jeans. And the career elevator, more like climbing up Mount Fuji, barefooted, and pulling a wagon of boulders behind you!

Being Optimistic…

I still want to find the dream job, and be all that I can be. However, having a lenient work schedule, moderate work load, dressing casually, and leaving early are much more valued than anything else. No matter how much time and energy we give into work it will never be enough, the job will never be done, and it might save you a year or two on the promotion, but being able to spend extra time with friends, family and soon children is worth much more than having a corner office.

Little Brother

Can you think of someone, anyone, who is your oldest friend, someone you can’t remember your childhood without, someone who has been with you through thick and thin, someone who you fought with, then made up, someone who blackmailed you with your secrets but never told anyone, someone who has always shared everything with you, including the last piece of cake that everyone fights for.

A lot of people are popping up in your head right now, but in mine, I can see one person.

He was born on November 9, 1989, a year and 8 moths after my birth date. He was chubby, pink, and blond. Everyone at the hospital was in awe at what a beautiful baby he was. At the time, I was preoccupied with my red tricycle and shoes to notice the new family member.

Before long, he was walking behind me, playing with me; from Barbies to cars; and even sharing some of my clothes. Growing up in Canada with Lebanese roots and Arabic being spoken at home, no one could understand his heavy Anglo-Arab words but me.

The older we grew, the more distracted we got with our own lives. The last days of school were marked by official exams, SATs, and university applications. Then came the messed up university schedule, finals, projects, friends, and work. Before we knew it, I was planning a marriage, and he was planning to work abroad.

Now, my little brother is a man, and living and working in another country.

I no longer see him everyday after work, or fight with him because he made me late to work in the morning. No more evening talks about plans, girls, life, education… n no more pancakes with extra Nutella.

I can’t see my little brother everyday and I miss him.

School Boys

A walk down memory lane with Noor this morning made us laugh our hearts out.

The 9^th and 10^th grade, teenagers with raging hormones, boys in baggy jeans with no facial hair whatsoever, puppy love, and an allowance we get at the end of the week from our parents. Classic!

I remember my school days like they were yesterday. When scoring low on a Math exam meant the end of my academic future for ever, not going to Dunes or Concord on Saturday meant the end of my social life, and if that boy doesn’t leave me a letter in my desk at the break, then I won’t let him copy my homework.

Hahaha!

What the hell were we thinking people?

It’s so funny how things that seemed so significant then, are just a topic of a funny conversation now. When we were young, the boy sitting behind us in class was our soul mate; the boy with the new phone was the rich one, and the boy who used to talk back at the teacher and charge out of the class was the bad ass. What a miniature world! Mini in the mind!

When we were is school:

·         We’d like someone because they were good looking (lets face it, being good looking while going through puberty is a real deal breaker),

·         We’d like someone because they had a great personality (Duhh.. at 15, your personality is in the midst of its development)

·         We’d think that guy is a gentleman because he’d pay for our movie tickets, just because we are girls and no girl going out with him would pay (poor kid, he must have saved that allowance all week)

·         We’d think he’s tough if he’d beat up the other boys for talking to us (the classic “what are you looking at” pushing and shoving)

·         We’d think he has cool parents for letting him drive without a license (dumb asses, did you find your kid on the street)

·         We’d think he’s mature if he’d smoke in the playground bathroom (you idiot, it was just yesterday you tried a cigarette and nearly chocked with red eyes)

·         We’d live in ultimate suspense when he’d call our home phones and then jam the line in our parents’ face if they answered (you coward, be a man and ask my dad for permission to talk to me, he won’t bite)

We grow out of all that, apply to university and get a degree, then graduate and get a job…then finally meet the one who is good looking because that’s how God made him, who has a great personality because he had a proper upbringing and learnt from life’s lessons, who pays for our everything because he earned the money to do so, who stands up for us when we need it the most, and who has the guts to knock on our parents’ door and ask their permission for marriage.

I can’t wait to go through all that again…with my kids!

W Halla’ La Wein?

(Seriously, if you haven’t seen the movie and are planning to, then don’t read this post.)

It will make you laugh, cry, think…it will inspire you, depress you, and then lift you up… that’s Nadine Labaki’s new movie: W Halla’ La Wein?

It takes place in a distant and isolated Lebanese village during the Lebanese civil war, during the time of conflict between Muslims and Christians. The villagers are a mixture of both religions determined to live in harmony while trying to ignore the war going on around them; well at least the women are.

This movie is full of hidden meanings, and each scene or situation could be interpreted differently.

It shows how the Lebanese community doesn’t really have any problems within it except those that come from the outside; be it politics or regional conflicts. On the other hand the same scene could really be an indication of how fragile the Lebanese community is. It shows that religious figures such as a sheikh and a priest struggle to calm the people within their ranks because both religions are about peace and love not hate and bloodshed. It shows how women are greatly impacted by the war; especially on an emotional level either by losing their husbands or children, thus making them more eager to preserve the peace. Or it can reflect how women have a very significant role in calming angry hearts and distracting the men from the conflict. The movie even addresses forbidden love between two people from different religions, and how silence is better than stirring the hidden intolerance.

Nadine was very careful in keeping the balance between both sides. She was clear in portraying how both sides lost, and could continue to lose. She shows how both sides are equally intolerant, and equally savage and ill-tempered. Call it feminist or not, the movie really puts men in the bad seat, since they are more reluctant to thinking before acting even if their actions have deadly consequences.

When it comes to the actors, none are really famous, except for Nadine Labaky and Adel Karam (who has a small role in the movie) however, all played their roles extremely well. Unlike those Lebanese series were actors seem to be reading their scripts while the cameras are rolling, Nadine’s cast is really able to immerse the audience into the center of their everyday lives, make them feel what they feel and go through what they are going through.

Amid the current critical political and social situation in the country, the movie came as a wake up call to those who act before thinking, who play with the social balance, and who think that civil war is easy.

I discovered cooking!

New restaurants, new foods, new flavors, and presentation appeal to me. I enjoy going to restaurants, surveying the details in décor, trying new dishes from different parts of the world and how they r served. In Lebanon of course!

In Lebanon, dishes are cooked with a twist…a Lebanese twist that appeals to the Lebanese’s tastes. Chinese food doesn’t include bugs, Indian food isn’t too spicy, and American food isn’t too fatty; it captures the tastes, minus the cons.

Recently, I have taken all my restaurant experiences (including my mom’s extra delicious cooking methods) and put them to the test in my own kitchen.

And I love it!

Lasagna, Chicken Tortellini, Romano Bread, Fajitas, Chicken rice and yogurt… are some of the foods I have mastered. (Grin)

Cooking is creating… creating with delicious art. Colored peppers just shine, and the texture of an avocado is so soft and squishy, and the small of butter at it melts in the pot raises guilt feelings in a way nothing can.

I can’t wait to create more, something new and yummy!

Things that no one tells you about the first month of marriage!

(I’m enjoying the “things that no one tells you” blogs; they are my new window to sarcasm)

Marriage… the mark of a new life, a new house, and newly found independence with “the one”! Some of it truly is a fairytale, and the other part is so reality that you can feel it in your aching muscles and cracked nails.

Being used to everything being done for me by my spoiling/ protective parents, loving brothers, and enduring maid, the experience of having my own house was bitter-sweet.  I was used to having my meals hot, my clothes ironed, and my room clean and tidy and all I had to do was give the order.

Things change…

Doing the dishes is new age torture. It combines chemicals, glass and metal utensils, water, and yucky. It gives you back pain, shoulder pain, cracked nails, an itchy nose, and stinky hands.

You turn up on every plant’s wanted list because you become the dictator that deprives them from water and sun.

You do the laundry twice, not because you’re super clean, it’s because you forgot to put detergent the first time.

You leave the house, only to return one minute later because you forgot a sock in your hand.

Dust becomes the neighbor that never leaves, because no matter how many times you dust that TV unit a day, dust needs to watch its programs.

On the other hand,

There is nothing like watching a DVD while curled up on you cozy couch with your hubby, getting kudos on the delicious dinner you just cooked, and “I’m the happiest man on earth” you get at the end of the day.

Mixing Marriage with Friendship

Many of you have definitely heard something along the lines of “When you’re married, you will have less time for friends”, or “When you’re married, your priorities will change”, or “Marriage is your social death sentence in disguise”…

Being married for only 26 days so far, I can’t completely disagree with that; or completely agree for that matter.  It’s never too soon to realize that your BBMs have reduced, you no longer understand the jokes, you get back in half through the conversation, and there are a bunch of pictures on facebook you know nothing about. You start to feel left out.

Then come the excuses.

“Ahh, I’m sorry, I can’t make it today because I have visitors coming over”, or “Are we going to be late? Because I have to be home early”, or “I’ll try to make it if I have time” (and you know you won’t have time).

Then come the mixed feelings.

“I miss my girls” but “I haven’t seen my husband all day”, or “I really want to go shopping with the girls”, but “I haven’t seen my mom in a week”, or “I need to call my best friend”, but “I need both hands to do the dishes”, or “I wish I could go for lunch with my colleagues”, but “I need the lunch break for a bit of grocery shopping”. And the list continues.

Regardless of all that, at the end of the day you know that real friends will always understand, keep you updated even if they have to wait for hours for you to read the BBMs, try to bend their schedules for you because they want to count you in no matter what, and that your ultimate/ eternal best friend is in the next room.

Thank you for the support Joe, Love you!

Things that no one tells you about travelling to Europe!

Our honeymoon in Spain marked our first landing on European soil. I had already been to London, but the British Island is a whole different thing to me.  I knew that Spain would be the optimal trip, but words are nothing close to being there and experiencing it first hand. 

Our tour took us from Madrid to Cordoba, then to Sevilla, then to Granada, then to Valencia, then to Barcelona, then we passed in Zaragoza, then finally back to Madrid; a hectic 10 days, but worth every minute.

However, there are a few heads up worth mentioning.

Never, and a mean never travel to Europe with a 500 Euro bill because no one will give you change for it; not even shops, Western Union, Restaurants, or even the Hotel. And good luck trying to get a bank to give you change. Let’s face it; no one walks around with about US$ 700 in their pocket, it’s a lot of money. Locals call the 500 Euro “the Binladen Bill”, because no one sees it. Haha, Classic.

Public bathrooms are every girl’s nightmare! Toilet seat covers and sanitizer sprays become an invention worth a Gairdner Foundation International Award or a Nobel Prize. They are an absolute must… I can’t stress their importance enough!

Beer and Pork…Blekh!  Yes, beer is cheaper than water (a 0.5 L water bottle costs around 2.50 Euros), and pork is the favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner… and snack and desert. I wonder why Europeans haven’t started oinking* yet.

No price is unified.  You can pay 1.60 Euros for a Sneakers bar in one convenient store, and then pay 1.20 Euros for the same bar in another.

You have to double what ever budget you set for the trip, because you just can’t practice any control when it comes to shopping, restaurants, and souvenirs.

In Canada, there are night shelters that offer soup and a bed for Homeless people… I don’t think they have that in Europe (or maybe not in Madrid).

On the other hand…

The history, the culture, the monuments, the nature, the weather, the greatness, the clean streets, the organization, the shopping, the lifestyle, and the beautiful people make you wish to turn your visit into residency.

*Oinking: From the word “Oink”, is the sound a pig makes – according to nursery rhymes.

Things that no one tells you about your wedding day!

My wedding was on Saturday September 10, 2011.  Preparations go on for months on end; meetings with vendors, flower selections, food tasting, and selecting the music take so much time, effort, and money that you reach the evening before the wedding excited that you’re finally done with all the running around.

Then comes wedding day!

No matter how early you decide to sleep, you can’t help but lie awake just recapping everything, trying to remember if you forgot something or making a list of things that you must make sure go absolutely well on the day.

Hair and make-up usually go according to schedule and plan, but no matter how comfortable you hair do is by the end of the night, you will feel like you have been carrying a 7 pound baby on your head, neck, and shoulders all day.  No matter how soft or natural your make up is, by the end of the night you would need an extra garbage been to dispose of all the make-up remover wipes.

No matter how many phone calls you make to the vendors, the photographer will manage to be a little late, and the zaffe party will manage to be a little early to arrive to your house.

No matter how much your groom loves you, and how much he was looking forward for that day you finally become his, he will manage to be a little late…because of TRAFFIC!

No matter how many times you check the weather forecast and it says clear and sunny skies, that odd cloud will come out and give you a little suspense and keep you on your toes.

Even if you mention on the invitation card that guests are required to arrive at 8 p.m. and you confirm that timing when you call to confirm attendance, still guests will still manage to arrive just 2 minutes before the bride and groom make their entrance.

It is of extreme importance to keep an emergency pack of everything with you (your mother of brides maid) that has some flats, safety pins, a needle and thread, wet wipes, deodorant and lip gloss.

Regardless of your efforts, people will still complain, even the closest to you, some people will still get things wrong, and some people will still eat and run… but no matter what, you will enjoy it, remember every second even if it all felt like a second.

Wake up UN

“The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its 193 Member States to express their views, through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies and committees.

The work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe. Although best known for peacekeeping, peace-building, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, there are many other ways the United Nations and its System (specialized agencies, funds and programmes) affect our lives and make the world a better place. The Organization works on a broad range of fundamental issues, from sustainable development, environment and refugees protection, disaster relief, counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to promoting democracy, human rights, gender equality and the advancement of women, governance, economic and social development and international health, clearing landmines, expanding food production, and more, in order to achieve its goals and coordinate efforts for a safer world for this and future generations.

The UN has 4 main purposes

·         To keep peace throughout the world;

·         To develop friendly relations among nations;

·         To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms;

·         To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.”

- UN website

Every morning, on my way to work, I pass by the UN headquarters in Central Beirut.  Traffic is always jammed on its street because most of the street is blocked by a cement wall leaving a two lane passage way, were one converts to a queue of UN employees’ cars all looking to park inside the premises, and another lane which remains open for the rest of the commuters on that street.  Hell.

Today the jam was especially depressing, and got me thinking about the UN; Its purpose, its members, its sub-organizations, its efforts, and its achievements.

I checked their website, and I couldn’t help but critique every single statement they made about themselves.   

*51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security… How on earth could they still write that when two of their key members have been busy waging wars for the past 10 years?

*developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress… The joke in this phrase is "friendly relations"! Iran, Syria, North Korea, China… are their best friends.

*better living standards and human rights…The use of internationally banned weapons in the Israeli war on Lebanon, the war on Iraq, in Syria and Lybia with the protestors, the starvation in Somalia, conflicts in other parts of Africa, increased global warming and higher levels of pollution… are all ways to ensure that the human race enjoys better living standards and their human rights.

*Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues… issues like preventing wars, abolishing illiteracy and abuse, extracting dictatorships… I still don’t understand what actions they are taking exactly!

 *Although best known for peacekeeping, peace-building, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance… I already addressed this so let’s cut the crap.

I don’t want to sound like I hate the UN, although I already did, but what bothers me is that the world is in dire need of such an organization, but one with a more active role, more defining decisions, and more authority.  The UN’s role will remain passive if its power continues to reside with a hand full of nations that already command the world’s economy, wealth, military power, primary resources and technological developments.

Dry August

August was by far my driest month in terms of blogging, but the most active month in terms of finalizing the apartment, the wedding, and the honeymoon.

I really could have written a lot; like details regarding wedding preparations, honeymoon destination planning and visa drama, and the most famous apartment renovation issues; however I felt things are better left to be said with pictures, facts, and real time events.

This is just a mild introduction for the blogs yet to come, and a friendly reminded that I’m still here, very much alive and kicking!

:D

Things that no one tells you when you’re remodeling your apartment!

The apartment that my fiancé and I will move in to after the wedding has been “Under Renovation” for a little less than a year.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but still can’t reach it. Work was going on hard, especially in the first seven month with the complete remodeling of the bathrooms and kitchen, reinstalling all electric circuits and lights, reinstalling all pipes and sanitary, reinstalling doors and other woodworks, molding gibson board into the ceiling, installing glass curtains, installing parquet, painting, and a bit of furnishing.

From the sound of that, I know you’re thinking: What else could they still possibly be doing?

Well, no one tells you that making the finishing touches takes much longer, more effort, and is actually more nerve wrecking than the actual work.  By finishing touches I mean the little retouching required on the wood to eliminate those little scratches that come naturally, those little glass shelves in the bathroom for the toothbrush, the key whole frames on all the doors, the kitchen cabinet handles, and that little accessory that makes the glass curtain open and close easily!

It’s a nightmare sometimes!

No one tells you that the carpenter can make you seven hardwood doors, four kitchen high chairs, one console, and one TV unit in 3 months, but requires another 6 months to get those key whole frames on!  Oh, and he has a carte blanche to carve wood and drill things over your newly installed parquet!

No one tells you that the electrician can re-circuit you entire apartment and install all the lighting in 4 months, yet manage to leave some switches bursting outside the walls.  And don’t forget, your life will be compromised into an ever ending whirl of picking up plastic wraps and wire cuttings.

No one tells you that you have to pick up cigarette buds and plastic Turkish coffee cups as much as you have to pick up the rubble, and maybe more!

No one tells you that you would be stupid to bring in any furniture item because some worker will think that it’s Ok if their soft drink can leaves traces on your antique console.  

No one tells you that you have to have a back-up plan for every item of furniture you buy because you never know if the gallery will end up selling your purchase to someone else.

On the other hand…

No one tells you that everything you complete makes you so happy, so fulfilled, and brings you even closer together!

No one tells you that every item you buy for the house makes you so eager to use it.

No one tells you that everything around you becomes temporary, and just a transitional phase to take you to your own place and own life.

Aneres

Born in the depths of Poseidon’s realm, a symbol of beauty

A mystic creature singing in celebration of immortality

Addict to my voice and become tipsy,

Let my music fill your being, yield to me

Listen, bedazzled, while giving your soul willingly,

I award you death, to lead you to truth of purity

My exquisiteness disgraces Aphrodite and Venus

Bow to me, man, angel, and gin, bow in hypnosis

Let aqua waves tenderly cradle silver tresses

Let Appolo’s glare become shy in the presence of amethyst eyes

Let delicate bubbles tickle a lean body

Let mighty Ares and Eros burn with jealousy

Away from your eyes, I’m hidden

You can’t defile me with your thoughts, I’m forbidden

Protect you not, for I am a curse

My spell is passion and loves noxious thirst

Splendor mocking Zeus’s art

Seductress of every beating heart

Song is enough to ensnare your senses

A lone note will set you restless

Circe isn’t your ally and you are not Ulysses

Sorceress isn’t with you, unaided in my clutches

Yet you chance to perceive my face,

My granted ecstasy will be your slaughtering embrace.

                                                                                                   June 18, 2006

                                                                                              

Symptoms of the Shopaholic Syndrome

Some people call it “sales season”, others call it “in the shopping mood”, and then there are some who know when it’s early signs of the “Shopaholic Syndrome”.

I’ve begun to realize that I’m going over the edge.  I can blame it on bridal shopping, sales, or Noor, but deep down inside I know what it is, there is no room for denial. 

And I thought I was the one in control!

1.      You swear you won’t go to the mall, but then go with your friend for company and end up doing equal shopping… “They were simply catches!”

2.      You leave your credit card at home to avoid impulse buying, but get it the next say to swipe everything you saw the day before thinking “just this time.”

3.      When you see something you like but don’t get, you find yourself starring into the distance just thinking about it and people around you snap in your face and say, “Don’t tell me your still thinking about it.”

4.      You have dreams about the jacket you saw a few months back but can’t afford; then do your weekly pilgrimage to the shop waiting for the sale to get it before sizes run out.

5.      You keep your stuff in shopping bags for a week on your bedroom couch until you are able to find room for them in one of the closets (It doesn’t have to be your closet!)

6.      When your remodeling your room, you can’t but use all the space to make hangers for you bags so they won’t get creased, boxes for your shoes so they all remain apart and visible, double hangers for your jackets because the leather just can’t overlap the cashmere, and for your shirts so they can be organized by color and style.

7.      You make a list of all the necessities, and then start adding to it because “you just forgot you needed that.”

8.      Nothing is ever enough, you have a valid reason to get anything, and everyone including God stops believing your promises because they know you can’t help it.

Ok, that’s enough confessions!

Antique Shopping in Basta

Basta is located in central Beirut, just 10 minutes away from the Grand Serail building. The area is home to some of Beirut’s oldest antique vendors for almost a century, who raid old Beiruty houses looking for treasures.  The story goes like this: someone living in one of the old houses passes away; children come to the Basta area to find a few vendors and take them back to the house.  They make a deal and often sell items for a fraction of their retail price.

The Basta area is marked by the old, rampaged buildings that date back to the French mandate.  Both sides of the street are littered with shops stocked to their ceilings with old, dusty, and sometimes broken woodworks and antiques that can price up to $7,000 at times.  Further in to the market are alley ways also filled with treasures; mind you, visiting them requires flats, sachet bags, and a flashlight because some areas are dim.

Yesterday, my mother in law gave me a call just as I was getting off of work asking me to pass by Basta to look at an antique dinning room set and a bunch of other things she had seen and new that I’d like.  When I arrived to the shop, I could help but bite my lip in astonishment at the wonders I saw.  The tables, chairs, couches, instruments, chandeliers, and trinkets make you lose yourself and your day just exploring and learning about the items.  After four hours of prying through items, I managed to walk away with a console that was a gift from my fiancé’s auntie.  Thank you Auntie Samo!!  The dinning set is still understudy.

 

People, especially my colleagues, don’t always understand the awe I’m in when I see such things. Authentic antique items have history and character, they have a life and a story behind them that gets you wondering why is it scratched here, has this table seen happy feasts, how long has this clock been telling time...

It’s so interesting to be able to tell the difference between a Henry II Dinning Set, a Louis XIV chair, and a Chesterfield sofa. It feels so good to have an almost green copper chandelier cleaned and restored to find out that those are little swans hanging from its rim.  And finding that perfect porcelain plate with a shield and crest painted on it to hang on your wall, it’s priceless.

Now all of you know what to get me as wedding gifts!

White Beirut

No clubbing for me, Thank you!

I just like the video!

Brgr.Co

Don’t you just love those restaurants that serve only a few things on their menu, but serve them well?  No, no… I mean serve them extremely well?!

Well Brgr.Co is one of those places.  On their menu you have a choice of a 4 oz, 6 oz, or 8 oz patty with the classic toppings that include lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions, and the option of with or with out cheese; in addition to a few other sides, deserts, and beverages. 

Simple and Yummy

The burger reminded me of those real BBQ burgers I used to have in Canada on a Sunday afternoon in summer in the backyard.  The 100% pure Angus beef patty, grilled to your liking, on a fresh bun, topped with fresh produce, with a side of “Darn Good” fries.  Mmm! Even the Hot Dog is to die for!

As you might have read in my other blogs, I’ve become a décor freak, and this place gave me the feeling that I’m in the “Cheers” bar.  The brick walls, the wooden chairs, table, and bar stools, the leather couches, the rusted mirrors (done by my fiancé <3), even the entrance all give a cozy yet rustic atmosphere.

Burger places seem to be popping up here and there, but this one has something about it that makes you want to tell your friends “You’ve got to try it!”

Top 10 most hated phrases…

These past few weeks (months…but I’m trying not to be a drama queen) have been very stressful.  With our apartment’s remodeling that is taking longer that we had planned, all the wedding preparations, and a little stress at work have been more than enough to take me off the handle.  All that, and the little things in life that pass everyday, sometimes unnoticed, but still eat at you like gangrene.   

The nerve wrecking phrases that have been resonating around me are listed as follows in order of annoyance:

1.       Battery is too low for Radio Connection

When my BB battery turns red and an X appears where the connection bars should be, then my life is compromised into a quest for the nearest charger. Ahhhhh!

2.       FUEL LEVEL LOW

Doesn’t that just make you want to crash?

3.       Let’s sit on this for 10 minutes (when its 4:55 pm)

Umm… Let’s not! We had 9.5 hours to sit on it; in 10 minutes I have to be on my way home!

4.       When will you be home?

When I arrive, then I’ll be home… Seriously, you’d think after 23 years and a marriage they’d give up… Nooo!!!

5.       This price doesn’t include taxes

Oh Please, I’m either enjoying my meal or in the midst of a shopping spree, so save me the calculations and give me the final price already!

6.       I’m going to be a little late

If you know you are going to be late, leave earlier. Duuhhh!!

7.       You have reached 80% of your 100MB Blackberry bundle.

Thank you for reminding me that I’m paying 40$ for a ridiculous service!

8.       The doctor will be with you shortly. (Shortly turns into an hour or so)

Kindly refer to the “I Hate Doctors” blog on the link below:

http://byserene.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-hate-doctors.html

9.       You have 10 minutes to submit this project.

“10 minutes” is the key phrase to make you lose all concentration.  How supportive!

10.   I’m sorry; we are fully booked for the evening.

Ok, I can’t blame them for having such a great restaurant.

I Hate Doctors

Practicing medicine is one of the world’s most difficult, highly paid, highly respected profession.  Doctors go through a lot before being able to get that prestigious title.  School grades must be sky high, extra curricular activities must revolve around science, and university applications must be to die for.  They have to go though course after course of agonizing material, serve endless laboratory and internship hours, and prepare a sleep depriving doctorate that makes them Xanax dependent.

I don’t give a flying f***!! 

All I care about is when I visit your clinic, treat me properly, thoroughly, and accurately, give me the time I need, answer my questions, ease my concerns, and finally, give me my money’s worth of care.  Oh and by the way, try not to prescribe medicine that is impossible to find or isn’t available in pharmacies all together.

Lately I’ve been having an allergic reaction to “something”; it could be my shampoo, my cosmetics, my nail polish, or just dust and pollution.  “Something” was the term my dermatologist chose to diagnose the reason(s) for the rash I have under my eye.  After one glance at my face, she began to jot down a list of creams, cleansers, and an ointment to treat it with a handwriting that requires a cryptographer to decipher it.  Naturally, I couldn’t find the mystical ointment anywhere!  And people blame me for avoiding Doctors for as much as I can.

I Hate Doctors!

Visa V/s. Passport

One doesn’t know the value of a passport, and I mean a European, Canadian, or American Passport, until drowned in the whirlpool that is embassies, applications, paperwork, and visas.

The only thing I worry about before I travel is booking a flight at the right date and right ticket price, all thanks to my precious Canadian Passport.  It has saved my the trouble of calling embassies, making appointments for interviews, filling applications, running all over town getting stacks of paper work done than getting them translated by a certified translator, waiting for hours in line at embassies, sitting for interviews, dreading a rejection, trying all over again if rejected, or making multiple visits to the embassy to pick up the visa if accepted.

Phew!!

After being involved with my friend’s struggle for getting the American Visa to visit her family in New York, and working to help my fiancé get the Schengen Visa to Europe for our honeymoon, I have truly learned to appreciate the little navy booklet I have.

“O Canada!”

I never thought that there was so much work and stress involved in taking a vacation outside Lebanon.  Now I know what people meant when they said, “Oh, you have a passport; don’t worry, you future is set.”   It makes me laugh now thinking back at all the people I met who joked about me marrying them just for the passport.