Happy New Year

I don't know about the rest of you, but 2005 was a great year for me. I truly loved it. I partied my head off tonight saying goodbye to 2005 and only hoping that 2006 will be just as good of a year, if not greater. I wish you all a happy new year, and truly wish this year will be a great and peaceful year for all of you!

Wrinkle Moi!

The reflection in the mirror vividly displays my aging process. I don't mind it. I compare my pictures from when I was 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, to my pictures now at 25. The aging process is magnificent... I love it! Every tiny wrinkle I have is from the amount of times I have smiled, laughed, frowned, or cried. My brief history is apparent on my face. I don't understand why people want to have all sorts of surgeries to look younger, or to look different. I watch old movies, or old video clips, and I watch the recent ones. The women were naturally beautiful before. Each in her own way. The apparent fakeness today has caused a uniform identity for all... a non- existent identity. What do you think?

Un p'tit truc pour vous faire sourire :)

Que serait-il arrivé si les rois mages avaient été des femmes? ...Elles auraient demandé leur route, ... seraient arrivées à temps, ... auraient aidé à l'accouchement, ... auraient nettoyé l'étable, ... auraient fait une fondue, ... auraient apporté des cadeaux utiles. Qu'auraient-elles dit en partant? ... les sandales de Marie ne se marient pas avec sa robe, ... le bébé ne ressemble pas à Joseph, ... j'en reviens pas qu'ils gardent des animaux à la maison, ... il paraît que Joseph est en chômage, ... vierge? à d’autres!

From a Lebanese-American perspective...

The other day as I was watching the funeral, a cold tear ran down my cheek. Sadly to say, I think I was crying more for Lebanon than for Gebran. Sitting on my couch, in my home, in the city of Los Angeles, in the State of California, in the United States of America, I mourned yet again for Lebanon. Despite the comfort I live in this country and the security it gives me (well, sometimes) no matter what I will always love Lebanon because it is also my country. Feeling rage, anger, sadness, and even hostility, I couldn't help but ask "when will this end?" No really, will this ever end? I couldn't help but say to myself "This isn't fair. Why can't the Lebanese just live? This is their/our country." Maybe the answer to this is simple. Maybe it's complex. I couldn't help but notice the pictures Delirious took from the funeral. Perhaps she's right...we must take action. Ultimately in the end, it's the power and the mass of the people who have the most power. Some just don't know it. Whether we're calling for reform in the U.S. or for justice and truth in Lebanon, in the hands of the people lies the power to change. I leave you all with a mix of great quotes... The Lebanese have the right to be free on their soil. - Gebran Tueni I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves. - Ernesto Che Guevara He who awaits much can expect little. - Gabriel García Márquez One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others. - Niccolo Machiavelli By the way, we haven't been properly introduced. Name: La La Age: 23 in 32 days Location: Los Angeles Marital Status: Happily Single Occupation: Designer & prospective law student.

Pity The Nation That Raises Not Its Voice Save When It Walks In A Funeral

Eve and I went down to Place de l'Etoile and An Nahar building yesterday, and she took these pictures. You can find more of them here. Gebran Tueni used to say he admired Che Guevara for his character, for defending till the end the cause he believed in. Che Guevara died for a cause in a country that was not his, Gebran died for a cause that was his. Or was it? What or who did Gebran die for exactly? Those teenagers who were waving yesterday the flags of the different parties they belong to and chanting "Killon 3indon rou2assa w ni7na 3inna 7mar"? Those others who were cursing Syria, using cheap blasphemy and jokes before the remains of a man who was much greater than that?This Shi'ite man who told me this morning: "I hated his guts because he hated all Muslims"? The dazed and bewildered men and women who walked silently holding his picture high, numb with grief? His toddlers Nadia and Gabriella, for whom he wanted to offer a better Lebanon? His wife, Siham, whom he loved so dearly, or his two daughters Michelle and Nayla, the "eye of AnNahar that will never rest until the assassins are found and freedom is attained"? His father Ghassan, who buried yesterday his last remaining child with stoicism and dignity? Gebran Tueni belonged to that special breed of people who follow their ideals and adhere to their principles no matter what it costs them. We, the Lebanese people, do not deserve to have such a person among us, for we do not appreciate their value. We, the Lebanese people, deserve what is happening to us because we are not taking action. We, the Lebanese bloggers are only good for raving and ranting, hidden behind our nom de plume, nom de guerre, or whatever. After crying our hearts out, chanting our slogans, and promising the latest martyr "We will never forget you, you will always live in our hearts"... we go back to our daily lives, the sun continues to shine, and life goes on. Tayyeb W BA3DEIN?

Meet the Bloggerettes

Meet the contributors of this blog! If I have forgotten anyone girls, please let me know! Mana Location: Beirut Age: 26 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Graphic designer, illustrator, journalist Callipyge Location: Austin, Texas Age: 26 Marital Status: Just married Occupation: Advertising consultant (for now... it's freelance) Maha Location: London, UK Age:26 Occupation: Communication Eve Location: Beirut, sweet Beirut Age: 25 Marital status: Single Occupation: Translator Linalone Age:25 Location: For the moment Lebanon Marital Status: Single Occupation: None for the moment. Thuraya (Aroundtheclock24_7 is my blog's nick) Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE Age: 27yrs Marital Status: Single Occupation: Graphic Designer Zanzounito Location: Texas...yeeeehaw! Status: Single and LOVIN' IT! Occupation: Student Age:22 Delirious Location: Beirut Age: 27 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Translator, project coordinator, freelance journalist Rampurple Age: 25 Location: Kuwait Marital Status: Single Occupation: Advertising

Malaka

This text was sent to l'Orient Le Jour by an anonymous author. Although they usually do not publish mail that is unsigned, they chose to make an exception for it: Elle s’appelle Malaka. Dans ma langue maternelle, son nom signifie reine. Dans la sienne, je ne sais pas. Dans son pays, elle est titulaire d’une licence d’enseignement. Dans le mien, elle est femme de ménage dans un institut de beauté. Sa nationalité, je ne sais pas. Le son et le timbre de sa voix me sont également inconnus. Son regard soumis et son sourire qui ressemble à une cicatrice ne me sont que très familiers. Elle est là à longueur de journée, Malaka. Dans cette pièce minuscule, elle souffre les ordres de sa patronne, et les sautes d’humeur de quelques dizaines de femmes aux sourcils soigneusement épilés et aux ongles fraîchement laqués. Elle est tour à tour accusée de paresse, d’hypocrisie et de lenteur. Elle est prisonnière, Malaka. Une reine enfermée dans un donjon. Quand je lui souris, c’est une cicatrice qui se dessine sur son visage... English version: Malaka is her name. It means a queen in my native language. I do not know if it has the same meaning in hers. In her country, she has a teaching degree. In mine, she works as a cleaning lady in a beauty parlor. I do not know what her nationality is. I also do not know how her voice sounds like. I’m only familiar with her obedient look and scar-like smile. Malaka is here all day long. In this tiny room, she puts up with the orders of her boss and the mood swings of a few dozen women with carefully shaped eyebrows and freshly lacquered nails. She is accused of laziness, hypocrisy, and slowness. Malaka is a prisoner, a queen locked up in a dungeon. When I smile at her, a scar appears on her face…