Friday, March 28, 2008

New set of BALLS !!!!!

The half witted accountant surprised me tonight with his“franc parler”. I wonder what it is that woke him up from his deep slumber and moreover what will be the repercussion of his speech. Although Saniora referred to Syria as the sister state; he did put the blame on the Syrian regime for the current vacuum, the sponsoring of armed Palestinian factions outside the confinement of refugee camps,…etc. Saniora echoed the voice of many Lebanese (and I am one of them).
How will Bashar react to his less then submissive speech, I fear the worst.
Yes I was pleasantly surprised by the speech of Mr. Saniora, I will by Sunday restrict my wonderings to the strict minimum and would suggest all people residing in Lebanon to do the same.
Stay safe.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

The story of a middle aged man

A middle aged man with simple aspirations and dreams, tucked safely in his chosen exile far away, had the misfortune to believe in the homeland again; for God filled his home with the cries and laughter of a new born child. His heart could not contain the joy and pride; such a lovely boy, an heir to the throne, someone to carry on the legacy. Five weeks of paternity leave made him realize that he could no longer be on call and fly at a short notice to the four corners of the world, catering for those with no family values and ties. Relaxing one evening, over a glass of wine and Dylan singing in the background (while baby asleep) the mother came with the idea of the return to the homeland. Calmly (but calculating) she argued the notions of cultural differences, better values, family, early retirement, and the “Paris of the Middle East”. It did not take much arguing before this middle aged man started proceedings to liquidate businesses and take the next plane home in search for business opportunities (10 days). Although the separation was hard to bare (endless daily phone calls), within five weeks all was set. Less than a month to pack home and the move was made.
All was rosy in the very beginning and the future looked very bright, a small puppy was added to this blessed family and old friendships rekindled. While rediscovering the mother land (re-vamped) this middle aged man was surprised to see slogans and car stickers that made him truly believe that the fifteen years of war were forgotten and forgiven by his fellow citizens. Every day on his journey to work he would listen to Timbuk3 “the future is so bright I got to wear shades” and fight the traffic (the pot holes, the bad drivers, unsafe cars...etc) with a big smile on his face, after all this is part of Lebanon’s charm he tried to convince himself.
Little did this middle aged man know that in his homeland personal checks would bounce, promissory notes are mostly never honoured, bank managers could be bribed, contracts (even with penalty clauses to both parties) could be breached with no consequences, cash money could be counterfeit, and payments always delayed!
Well needless to say the shit did hit the fan, his family of four was split in half, the business partner (a family member) took off to Canada (with his life savings); and the middle aged man was left to clean up the mess in his homeland with divisions much greater than the ones that pushed him into exile.
This middle aged man did not resign to his fate, but grew more attached to his son and to his country.
This middle aged man rebuilt his life (and still is in the process) with an ever growing belief in his heritage.
This middle aged man has a duty to towards his son to make him proud of his Lebanese decent although he was born British.
This middle aged man, after having lived the civil war and witnessing the current bullshit, can spit in the face of all current politicians.
This middle aged man will never give up, and will never be silenced !

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

New opening in Gemayze

This coming wednesday, above "Le rouge"in Gemayze, a pub (El Gardel)with a latin tint, and an authentic Argentinian restaurant is opening.
For info call on : 01 449033
Kindly spread the word.
Thank you