Rush

Rush to me
...quickly flow through me
Do what you do so marvelously to me
Bring back the passion
...while we are mixed in fusion
Let me hear you humming
...hold me tight, caressing

Look to me
...those eyes piercing me
With that stare possessing me
Bring back the pleasure
...inundate me with rapture
Shine down upon me
...fill my soul with warmth, divinely

Speak to me
...lips tasting syrupy
Thoroughly pleasing me
Bring back the sensation
...the sweetest intoxication

I implore you
...so I may adore you.

                                                                                            June 8, 2006

Imm Sharif

Imm Sharif (meaning Mother of Sharif) is a Lebanese Restaurant that has recently opened on the outskirts of Ashrafieh in Beirut.  The name might infer that it’s a cozy, homey restaurant, but in reality, it’s nothing of the sort.

Driving up to the place, one is taken aback by the huge dungeon like wooden door with the marvelous carvings at the top.  After you step inside, you can’t help but stand to admire the beautiful collection of Greek plates (absolutely must have) mounted on the wall facing the door.  The whole restaurant sits in one of Beirut’s old estates, so the high rise ceiling, and the pattern tiles are just some aspects of the décor that catch the eye.  The walls are painted with a pale blue, the ceilings are hand painted, tables are topped with mirrors to reflect the ceiling, and all accessories and cutlery are pure silver and blue crystal.

Talk about luxury.

Imm Shafif offers a set menu of a selection of the best Lebanese delights, but with the restaurants posh twist.  The plates include caviar, fatoush and tabbouleh, garlic labne, homos, mtabbal, kafta, freeke, all made with an extra secret ingredient that turns the taste around.  Midway through dinner, a live band plays a number of old Lebanese and other oriental “tarab” his from the likes of Umm Kolthum, Ilham al Madfa’I, and Warda. 

With all the time and effort I’m putting into finalizing our apartment, my fiancé and I have developed an eye for detail and quality in décor and accessories.  I was in tableware heaven just looking at the table settings, the silver plate chargers, the silver cutlery, the bohemian crystal glasses, and the blue trim porcelain plates. 

I want some!!

I can’t help but mention that my fiancé, who runs a family business of manufacturing glass, mirrors, and aluminum, was responsible for all glass and mirror items at the place.  What can I say, everything he touches become even more beautiful than it already is.  *Grin*   

All the above mentioned yummy and sparkly come at a price.  After dinner, the bill was just as high end as the restaurant itself.  However, the entire experience was well worth it.   

Jeremih - Down On Me ft. 50 Cent ... and Keenan Cahil

Original

Hahaha!!!

Katy Perry - E.T. ft. Kanye West

And they say Lady Gaga is gaga!!

Picking Wedding Flowers

One of the primary components that make up a wedding’s decoration is flowers.  They set the tone, the theme, and even make the wedding as romantic or as bold as their kinds and colors.

I believe that the darker, more dramatic flowers give a sense of warmth and sexiness to the entire theme, were as the lighter shades of pastels, yellows, and whites give it a pure yet colder look.

For the past few years, almost each wedding I attended had either white or pastel colored flowers; which makes it done to death…yet it is still classic, and classy for that matter.

Having a September wedding makes me even more motivated to include the rich colors of the fall in the flower center pieces and stairway railings.

Decisions...decisions…

 Fall Flowers and Berries

Rich Autumn

Rich with Berries

Orchid Pastel Pink

Romantic Pastel

Fresh Yellow



The Chemical Diet

...Guaranteed to lose 4 to 6kg / week!!

Before you begin

·         Use an accurate scale to check your weight

·         This diet does not rely on calorie count; instead it relays on the biochemical interactions in the body.

·         This diet is to be followed with extreme accuracy, in the same order and time, because if any food is switched or replaced by another, the diet will not be effective.

·         When the amount of food is not specified, you are free to eat until you are full.

·         Refer to final page for more comments.

Week 1

Breakfast:

½ an Orange or a Grape Fruit + (1 – 2) boiled egg. (To be eaten everyday for breakfast for the first week)

Monday:              Lunch: Any one kind of fruit in any amount (Orange, strawberry, pear, apple, watermelon, melon, plum)

                                Dinner: Grilled cow’s meat (barbeque, grilled steak) with no fat.

Tuesday               Lunch: Boiled or Grilled Chicken (No skins)

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

                                                Salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, rocket leaves, carrots)

                                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                                1 orange or grape fruit

Wednesday       Lunch: White Cheese (halloum, double crème, feta…)

                                                1 toast

                                                1 orange or grape fruit

                                Dinner: Grilled cow’s meat (barbeque, grilled steak) with no fat.

Thursday             Lunch: Any one kind of fruit in any amount (Orange, strawberry, pear, apple, watermelon, melon, plum)

                                Dinner: Grilled cow’s meat (barbeque, grilled steak) with no fat.

                                                Salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, rocket leaves, carrots)

Friday                   Lunch: 2 boiled eggs

                                                Boiled vegetables (peas, carrots, zucchini)

                                Dinner: Grilled Fish or shrimp or tuna in water

                                                Salad

Saturday              Lunch: Any one kind of fruit in any amount

                                Dinner: Grilled Meat

                                                Salad

Sunday                 Lunch: Grilled or Boiled Chicken (no skins)

                                                Tomatoes

                                                Boiled Vegetables

                                                1 orange or grapefruit

                                Dinner: Boiled Vegetables

Week 2

Breakfast:

½ an Orange or a Grape Fruit + (1 – 2) boiled egg. (To be eaten everyday for breakfast for the first week)

Monday               Lunch: 2 boiled eggs

                                                Salad

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

                                                1 orange or grapefruit

Tuesday               Lunch: Grilled cow’s meat

                                                Salad

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

                                                1 orange or grapefruit

Wednesday       Lunch: Grilled cow’s meat

                                                Cucumbers

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

                                                1 orange or grapefruit

Thursday             Lunch: 2 boiled eggs

                                                White cheese (no fat)

                                                Boiled Vegetables

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

                                                Boiled Vegetables

                                                Tomatoes

Friday                   Lunch: Grilled Fish or Shrimp

                                Dinner: 2 boiled eggs

Saturday              Lunch: Grilled meat

                                                Tomatoes

                                                1 orange or grapefruit

                                Dinner: Mixed fruits

Sunday:                Lunch: Grilled or boiled chicken

                                                Tomatoes

                                                1 orange or grape fruit

                                Dinner: Grilled or Boiled Chicken

                                                Tomatoes

                                                1 orange or grape fruit

Week 3

Monday:              All day, fruits at any time with any amount (except for grapes, mangos, dates, bananas, figs)

Tuesday:              All day, vegetables at any time with any amount (except for potatoes or dried vegetables)

Wednesday:      All day, fruits and vegetables at any time with any amount (except mentioned)

Thursday:            All day, Grilled Fish or shrimps in any amount

                                Lettuce and rocket leaves salad

Friday:                  Grilled meat or chicken at any time or amount and boiled vegetables

Saturday and Sunday:    Both days, any one kind of fruit at any time and in any amount.

Week 4

The types and kinds of foods stated in the 4^th week are to be distributed though out the day at any time but with no extras.

Monday:              4 strips of grilled meat or chicken

                                3 tomatoes + 4 cucumbers

                                1 can of tuna in water

                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                1 orange or grape fruit

Tuesday:              2 strips of grilled meat

                                3 tomatoes + 4 cucumbers

                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                1 apple

                                1 orange or grape fruit

Wednesday:      1 spoon of white cheese (no fat)

                                1 can of tuna in water

                                Small bowl of grilled vegetables

                                2 tomatoes + 2 cucumbers

                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                1 apple

Thursday:            ½ a grilled chicken

                                2 tomatoes + 4 cucumbers

                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                1 apple

                                1 orange or grape fruit

Friday:                  2 boiled eggs

                                1 lettuce

                                1 orange or grape fruit

Saturday:             2 chicken breasts (Boiled)

                                ½ kg of white cheese

                                1 toast or ¼ brown bread

                                2 tomatoes + 1 cucumber

                                1 orange or grape fruit  

Sunday:                1 slice of white cheese

                                1 can of tuna in water

                                Small bowl of boiled vegetables

                                2 tomatoes + 2 cucumbers

                                1 toast

                                1 orange or grape fruit

               

Important points

1.       Drink a lot of water (8 glasses/ day)

2.       Boil the vegetables with no additions except salt, pepper, onions or garlic

3.       No oil, butter, or any form of fats or lipids

4.       Drink coffee or tea at anytime but with no sugar, milk, or crème added (Canderel  is allowed)

5.       Drink 1 or 2 cans of diet soda drinks (diet pepsi, diet 7 up)

6.       If you feel hungry, you can cucumbers, carrots, lettuce as long as its after 2 hours of the main course.

7.       Sports activities are advised during the diet

8.       If you want to repeat this diet, it is preferable to repeat the 1^st week twice, and the 4^th week twice.

Veggie…Until further notice

I had mentioned in a previous post the dramatic change that has been going on in my life style and food habits lately, and vowed to fix it.

Much easier said than done!

I stuck to the grilled, low calorie, no junk food policy for not more than one week; then back came the donuts, oreos, and burgers.  However, the real shock came when I went on a jog with my fiancé to find that I wasn’t able to keep pace for more than half an hour.

The “few extra kilos” or the “nice new curves” were turning into a serious weight problem that I didn’t want as a part of my life.

Then came the Veggie era.

My friend/ colleague, Noor, and I decided to stop all sorts of meat and chicken and try the vegetarian life style.  After starting to read the book “Skinny Bitch”, Noor was even more encouraged to cut meats out of her diet.  I did it basically for losing weight, so I also cut all forms of starches, sugars, and fats from my diet.

The Veggie thing has been going on for about 2 weeks now, and I feel great! Not only did I lose about 4 kg, I feel lighter, cleaner, and much more natural than before.  First of all, Noor and I thought that the Vegetarian life style would go on for not more than a week; but now we are going into our third week, and the end doesn’t seem near at all!

The menu we are following is quite simple, and still tasty.  We are allowed to eat salads, fruits, lentils, rice, grilled fish, sushi, and all types of legumes.  Luckily the Mediterranean Diet is full of nutritious and light veggie food that is delicious as well.