Thursday 29 December 2011

Beirut is ageing.



There’s a random quote that goes like:  “A man among children will be long a child, a child among men will be soon a man.”

This is very much related to what I have in mind, or not.
Back to my random quote, Beirut was a new born child few years ago. In her early 50’s she was blossoming, people barely had any worries or doubt. None thought of mistakes or down hills or even ups and downs. Beirut was the child among men. And then it all clashed during our civil war (I wrote our because You and I are still indifferent from our fathers and grandparents who started and participated in that war, we are barely making any difference). Long after that, Beirut was no longer a child. Beirut grew older, she became wiser. Beirut became a man, a man among children; I am talking about Beirut because I know her best and we are kind of close.

See, I like her, there’s something about her. She makes me so mad most of the time; with all her traffic and damned lights and bad oxygen and horrible taxi drivers and disgusting Chawarmas.
Yet, I take a walk at night, and I start admiring her clumsiness, her wet sidewalks and her dim lights.
I used to walk around Beirut a lot. Then one day I found something better to do, because she was no longer the same to me, I stopped walking, picked few books about her and started reading instead.
It got me confused. Books, articles and old photos, something wasn’t right. Where are those old majestic buildings now? That pine tree misplaced yet magical? Where’s that cute forty year old taxi driver? And what about that lady in red making her way through the cars, welcomed by smiles and not by a “chu yaaa” expression? Where’s that smell of fresh baked mankouche? Where are our Holidays festivities and spirits? 

Beirut, Beirut, my darling, you aged.
You lost your odours,
You lost your spark,
Christmas is no longer the same,
People barely smile,
Everyone is so stressed and tired,
I see wrinkles I see no skins.
I am not day dreaming about some fairy tale taking place in a lala land.
Back in 1992, Beirut was my lala land.
While scanning old photo, I compare them to the new ones realizing how everything became too fake.
They left no artistic sidewalks, not even enough vintage buildings, I don’t see why.
I never encountered a tourist visiting Beirut to go to Skybar or Bo18, to eat at McDonalds, or to take a long refreshing walk next to a dump (our shore), to take a swim in oily water (our sea)  nor to check into some hotel like the Four Seasons
So would you please tell me why? Why did she turn into this man, controlled, ruined, bought and sold  by children, not to mention: owned by money.





Friday 29 July 2011

L E B A N O N

In Defining Lebanon:



Lame phone lines service.



Easy going internet connection (Literally!)



Beautiful so called nature ruined at any given opportunity.



Abusive use of car horns.




Non stop Partying followed by massive car accidents because Drinking & Driving makes us Cool like That!


Openings of new pubs every hour and they keep on getting worse.



Non stop Nightlife and I really don't wanna start on That one.

Thursday 26 May 2011

Books {May 2011} : بيروت روحة رجعة


 بيروت روحة رجعة  or Beirut aller-retour (Dar El Saki 2009) is a book written by three Lebanese writers who met in Paris. Driven away from their homeland Lebanon, Rosine Makhlouf, Wael Barakat and Caroline Hatem gathered up to remember the good old days and some stories that they witnessed in the one and only city Beirut. The book is divided into six chapters, each chapter written by one of the writers. Those short stories tell real stories that happened in Beirut, around the writers with people, friends and neighbors they once, knew. It's a captivating book recommended to each and every Lebanese who found him/her self detached at some point.
One of my first reactions to the book was its content; it was rather explicit than complicated to me. The focus on Beirut made the journey worth it!It's written in both French and Arabic. It also holds a special design and way of expressing its content. 

The writers address this book all in all not only to people like me; confused ones searching for their identities in a complex city like Beirut, but also to every Lebanese 20 something guy/girl, who thought at some point that fitting in this society is a struggle. Those who think that the world outside is Perfect unlike Beirut. The writers decided to reflect few stories; stories of the Lebanese people who “hide behind their fingers” in their affairs, family bonds, relationships, beliefs and life styles.

بيروت روحة رجعة  speaks itself instead of us. In each chapter you find something you experienced at some point: 

The Lady caught up in her social life leaving her kids with the maid, the kids developing complexity  not knowing why their own mother is drifting away. The lady having an affair with a stranger because she is no longer satisfied by her husband’s attention. The lost 40 something single lady swinging here and there walking away from what used to be her family once. The two 20 something guy & girl engaged in a physical relationship ; no expectations nor feelings involved, not so worried about the society anymore because they decided that it’s not for us to change to fit in anymore, it’s for the society to evolve and develop and keep up with us now.

I want to leave, a line I repeat every morning while getting dressed and having my morning smoke and cup of coffee, always in a rush, my day begins and ends without me even noticing just like Chapter Three. I change my identity every hour to keep up with the surroundings just like Chapter Two.  I was at some point closer to our maid than my own mother just like Chapter Five. I learned to separate between feelings and physical affairs, not having any sort of expectations just like Chapter Four. And some people around me won’t ever understand my will of helping those in need  and volunteering, if it makes those in need feel like home just like Chapter Six.
This book changed me. Those Three writers had to leave Beirut at some point to be able to write about it and now regret those lost moments. I’m not leaving YET. I’m staying, experiencing more. I won’t change to fit in anymore, because this book fit in without changing a word in it. 

Books like بيروت روحة رجعة  take you away from Beirut for a Glimpse, imagining what it would be like for you to miss all these stories, it makes you eager to know more  realizing that your Journey in Beirut was surely mentioned  in one of the Chapters.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

The Normal Project;

A tribute video for the song :
"Normal " by Porcupine Tree.
Directed by Youssef Nassar
Assistant director : Luna K. Safwan.

The saying is true: When there's will, there's power. 
Back in February ( Now that I come to think about it it was only a couple of months ago), I met this dear talented friend and photographer. Youssef Nassar ( Yu-ssef) and I shared a common addiction: Porcupine Tree. So he had a project in mind, knowing that the filming industry in Lebanon is making it's way up the scale, Filming  A Tribute video for the song Normal  by Porcupine Tree. 
And the work began. The shooting took place in Three main location: The Adma Forest, An old amazing abandoned house in Gemayze / MarMekhayel( Beirut), and an Old Set in Kfarshima. 
The work's result turned out to be amazing and is now online. 
A special Thank You goes to every person mentioned in the Video; from Cast to camera operators to friends who showed an enormous amount of support.

"Enjoy Watching" !




... إيه فا


إنّو أنا عم بمشي إيه ؛ بشوف إشارة ؛ طبيعي أوقف بأرضي
هون النّكتة سمعو أو أرو منيح بتجي السّيارة و بدل ما تقطع بعيد عن الرّصيف , بتدعسك إنت ومحلّك لا واللّه ما بتتحرّك إنت إيه؟
إحتمال تينيتبقى الإشارة حمرا لإلك أكتر من خمس دقائق وإنت المواطن الأصيل متل الحمار (حاشا قيمتك) ناطر
أو شي مرّة صايرة معكن وفايتين بالحيط من ورا بوليس السّير وبتفوتو بمرحلة رعب و ضياع و برمة هبل ما عم تفهمو شو بدّو؟
هوّي بسّ هدفو يعلّمكن تمشو لأن بيهتمّ ومع جعرة (يلاّ ولا\ولي)هون أنا عملت شي جديد؛ فكّرت و قرّرت: (بلا مسخرة)إنتحاريّة في شوارع بيروت؛ ما حدا يهرب لحظة ...  بشوف السّيارة جايي والإشارة إلي: بقطع! إبن الكلب بيصير هون بحالة ضياع وممكن يتوفّق بشي حيط
ما برِدّ عالبوليس؛ بضحك علحظة الهبل يلّي بدّو يقطع فيا هوّي هالمرّة لأنو ما خصّو وين بدي إمشي وكيف
وأخيراً, إذا إنت إنسان كتير مستعجل وحايص وبدّك تقطع وخلصإحمل علم لبنان وقطاع وشوف كيف بيوقف السّير كلّو. ليه؟
 إيه أنا بإلّك ليه :لأنّو بيفكّرو إنّو في شي مظاهرة لحدا يسقط  بركي النّظام أو عامود التّوتر العالي أو حتّى شي فريق سبور ( مش فريق رياضي,لأ سبور). بس القصّة وما فيا إنّو بكون بسّ أنا رايحة سقّط حالي بشي جورة هون " إيه إيه هون