Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

It’s 14

Wow, this feels weird… coming back to my blog after almost 9 months of no posts.
Last year was eventful, to say the least. Actually, it qualifies as a significant milestone in my life path.
Long story short, on May 20, 2013 I gave birth to a healthy baby girl by the name of Nour Alexandra. Then came the hormones, the sleepless nights, the weight loss, the weight block, and finally the recovery.
It goes without saying that all that suffering was extremely worth it. I don’t want to pass a cliché, but nothing, no emotion in the world, comes close to comparison with motherhood.
Motherhood is herculean strength mixed with gushing love mixed with endless giving mixed with fearful worrying mixed with pride mixed with weakness mixed with optimism…
In 2014, I don’t want to list endless resolutions I know I won’t come close to accomplishing; instead I want to give 2014 a title:                       “Perseverance”
 Be it personally, professionally, or academically, this year will be the year of perseverance.

Friday, 22 March 2013

Mother's Day Flowers

Mother’s Day in Lebanon is on March 21st; it is by far the busiest day of the year for all flower shops and pastries. So, with all that hustle, some errors are bound to happen, but it becomes unacceptable when such “occasion reliant business” abuse such occasions to make an easy buck by deceiving customers.
Below are two stories about two different flower shops that should seriously consider closing because they can’t deliver a single right bouquet of flowers on an occasion such as Mother’s Day.
Case 1: www.zoohoor.com:

I sent this feedback on behalf of a friend of mine who fell victim of this website’s scam:
“On the 20th of March, one day before Mother’s Day, I ordered four flower bouquets from your website with vases.
According to the website, I was required to order before 10 pm in order to have the flowers delivered at the time, date, and place of my choice. By referring to my order, #aaaaaa, bbbbbb, cccccc, dddddd (I removed the real order numbers for privacy reasons), you can see that I ordered them on Wednesday, March 20, at 8 am, to avoid any delays or conflicts, and to give you the proper amount of time to get my order correct and up to the required standard.
Upon receiving the order, I discovered that the pictures of the flowers are nothing close to what was delivered, the quantity was less than promised, the quality was garbage, and the delivery was not consistent to an extent that one of the four bouquets was not even delivered to its destination.
Your website is a scam, or you don’t know the difference between tulips and wild roses.
If a flower shop (or website in your case) can’t deliver flowers on occasions, what can you do? Why are you open for business if you can’t fulfill the sole purpose of your business?
I sent four bouquets to my mother, mother –in-law, wife, and sister and none of them was up to my expectations or at least close to what I was promised while I was purchasing them from your site. You put me in a very awkward and shameful situation with your very low standards.
I was extremely unsatisfied with your flowers and your delivery services; I did not receive what I ordered or anything close to my money’s worth.
I expect to be refunded the full amount of my purchase and you should consider closing your deceitful, unprofessional, and over priced flower business.”
Case 2: Coqueta Rosa
This is a summary of the experience I had with the flower shop I order from. Bear in mind that I’m a regular customer and order all my flowers from them…NOT ANY MORE:
I called the shop on March 20th, at 9 am to order three flower bouquets for my mother, my mother in law, and my sister in law. I told the guy that I wanted three flower bouquets, described the colors, gave him the detailed delivery addresses, and the times at which they should be delivered. I asked him to write down the order and repeat it to me to ensure that he got it correct, I also emphasized that I’m ordering and having the flowers delivered one day in advanced to avoid the Mother’s Day traffic.
To my disappointment, and despite all my efforts to avoid errors, not one of the above mentioned bouquets was what I ordered; not in terms of color, size, or quality.
I called the shop owner and said:
“the person that took my order is either deaf, blind, or illiterate. How can he get a simple flower order wrong when I repeated it to him twice, had him write it down, and called him 3 times during the day to make sure he got it right?
The shop owner started apologizing and asked if there was anything he could do to make it up.
I told him that the damage was already done, and the best option for him now was to close up shop, because they just couldn’t deliver flowers on an occasion like Mother’s Day.”
I bet 90% of the people who sent flowers to their mothers yesterday or the day before were very disappointed with the results. This is a common problem we have in this country: Bad customer service, deceiving business owners, and over priced wilted crap.

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Now and till Forever


Fairy tales, movies, poetry, horoscope readings… the connotation of “The One” is almost everywhere you look.  But do people really stop to contemplate its meaning? What is it? What is finding “The One”?
Is it being happy with someone? Is it falling in love? Is it marriage? Is it having a family? Is it settling down? Is it everyday life? Or is it a combination of both?
Some people pass through life never finding “The One”, and others think that every relationship they stumble into is with “The One” until they either grow out of it or get their hearts broken.  Some try to make it happen by hook or crook, even if it means erasing their own personalities and stepping on their dignity, and others avoid it out of fear or simply attachment to the single life.
No matter what the situation is, no one could understand how much of a blessing it is until they actually find “The One”. 
I once heard that if you want someone to suffer, wish them love. 
I’m still trying to make sense of that! Love is so many things, including suffering.  Its what makes us get out of bed on a cold and raining morning, yet also keeps us depressed; it is what makes us do things we never though possible, yet hinders us from others; its what brings out both the best and the worst in us… its so complex.
Excuse the philosophy Mr. Youssef, but I want to say it out loud:
I have found “The One” and he is you!
The 28th of May, 2011 marked the first day of the rest of my life… our lives! 
Other days might have been important like the 27th of June 2009 was the day I graduated from college, or even in the future that the 10th of September, our scheduled wedding day or the day we have our first child.  However, I know that none will be like the 28th of May.  It was the day we sealed our bond in front of society, law, our families and loved ones, and most importantly, in front of God.
The wedding party might be important, but our true marriage has begun.  I wish that the rest of your life will be long and filled with nothing but love, happiness, success, abundance, wealth, power, children, and satisfaction with me.
This is to Youssef Abdulmawla… my prince, my love, my husband!

Wednesday, 16 March 2011

My 23rd Birthday


Considering that it was my 23rd birthday yesterday, March 15th, my fiancé reserved at Couqley, a French bistro located down “The Alleyway” in Gemmayze district. 

Couqley offers a wide range of traditional bistro meals that include premium steaks, pastas, salads, and entrees prepared by Executive Chef and Co-Owner Alexis Couquelet.  The bistro also includes a wide selection of wines, drinks, and freshly brewed coffee. 


It is open for lunch and dinner during the week, and for brunch on the weekends after it was converted from an artisan’s workshop and now features a traditional hand-cut mosaic stone floor, zinc bar and a charming outdoor seating area.

I prefer Filet De Boeuf over any other type of food, and Couqley is known for its deliciously fulfilling dishes. After the steak dinner, he surprised me with a strawberry tart for desert, also my favorite.  I deserve all this good food after two weeks of an extremely harsh vegetarian diet.   

Yum



To top it off, he got me a beautiful gold ankle bracelet.

The food was exceptional, the gift was dazzling, and he is my prince…the entire evening was just perfect!

Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Armin ONLY - Mirage

Armin Van Buuren’s Mirage tour was scheduled to reach Lebanon on January 22, 2011.  Beirut was the only country in the Middle East chosen to host the Mirage tour, one of less than 15 countries worldwide.  In addition to the world’s #1 DJ, Armin Van Buuren, the show encompassed dancers, performers, live band and orchestra.  The show included, for the first time in the Middle East, the largest LED, lighting, laser, and sound structure.  Alongside Armin were a group of international singers and artists such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Nadia Ali, Christian Burns, and Eller Van Buuren, all performing their hits live.  Armin had told the Daily Star that he had “too many great tracks to share for a typical three-hour DJ set”, so he opted for an exclusive performance.
I WAS THERE!!
It was the first time I had ever been to a concert, let alone a concert of this magnitude.  My fiancé and I arrived at BIEL, the venue selected to host the event, at about 10 p.m. and it was already jam packed and the music was blaring.  Armin arrived at about 12:30 a.m., and the party truly began.  He entered from a trap door in the stage with the orchestra playing in the background, dancers on the sidelines, and laser and LED lights flashing all around.  The whole venue was booming with life.  Armin played track after track of his new album and greatest hits.  My personal favorites were “Not Giving Up” ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor and “Feels So Good” ft. Nadia Ali. 
I left Armin ONLY at 4 a.m. thinking Amazing ONLY!  I just can’t wait for the next Armin concert to hit Lebanon.