Breathing in Beirut

My first Panoramic Photo turned out to be a late night blog post.

This shot brought an odd question to my mind: How do I breathe? How do we breathe? (And by We I mean us who live, love, laugh , inhale and exhale Beirut)

I came to realize how breathing in Beirut might soon enough become an "issue" 

Beirut, would you let me go?

It's been a while since I last nagged about you Beirut.
I realized, [only recently] , that Beirut hates me. Hate by all it's means.
Beirut never got enough, Beirut wants it all.
Every  time I'm happy dear Beirut, you take away something or even someone,
Beirut you are full of yourself, you are arrogant, you think that you know it all, which is why you produced people who became worse than you already are.
Beirut, you are horrible, [horribly terrible], for you are blessed and you don't give a damn. Perhaps... after all, that is something that we both share.
It won't be too long until I fall back in love with you and send you my sincere apologies.
Till then, I found out that the best way to cope in Beirut, to live and to let go, the best way for that is for us to simply let go of our feelings... every single feeling out there.
Why?
Because our feelings feed Beirut, and who wants to feed a monster anyway?

عَضَوّ البلديّة بدّي كبِّك ... يا زبالة

الصورة تتكلم؛ 

My first protest in Beirut.

Flashback: Only few days ago I blogged about Graffiti in Beirut and the charges Semaan Khawam is facing.

However, the story behind this new blog post started late Friday night,

Networks reported that Two men were arrested at "Bechara El Khoury" Area for Spray Painting  a wall also known as Graffiti.

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=388255

Regardless of all laws around Lebanon and worldwide, laws that proclaim Graffiti as "Damaging" public property not to mention breaking a rule or two, we in Lebanon, got used to the Censored Freedom of Speech spreading lately and it was about time someone actually stands out for it.

By Beirut Pursuit (Blog)

To cut it short, till this instant I am not very sure of the Graffiti's content nor nature, yet I protested against their arrest yesterday because Freedom of Speech should be each one's concern, with or without Graffiti, Freedom of Speech is being Censored daily in Lebanon through:

Movies :

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=343596052354443&set=a.242712732442776.56621.194147200632663&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=194340603946656&set=a.242712732442776.56621.194147200632663&type=3&theater

Documentaries: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=194153883965328&set=a.242712732442776.56621.194147200632663&type=3&permPage=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=241036642610385&set=a.242712732442776.56621.194147200632663&type=3&theater

Books:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=194642490583134&set=a.242712732442776.56621.194147200632663&type=3&theater


Not to mention loads of other examples that would take a whole blog post to dive into.

Back to My First Protest in Beirut, sources mentioned that the Graffiti sprayed was a follow up to a movement which started under the title of  [ اسبوع غرافيتي الحريـّة سوريا | FREEDOM GRAFFiTi WEEK Syria ] and that the act was a response for it, while others mentioned that the Phrase sprayed was the following sentence: في منك 128 بمجلس النواب.  However that was not my concern. 


I never trusted a protest organised in Lebanon. The causes are always amazing, so perfect that they even make you wonder. Every protest has some sort of political background that I end up disagreeing with. However, last night's organised March/Protest made perfect sense to me, I believed in something. And for the very first time in Lebanon, I felt useful, I accomplished something. If only someone captured the smile on my face when Ali and Khodor walked out of that police station. They are people who's writings interest me, we are not best friends and we were not raised together, we just share a thing in common: Courage that is.

I now leave you with some photos taken yesterday; because a picture is worth a thousand words. 

 I got to Verdun with a friend not knowing if the Protest will succeed or not.

 Everyone was chanting and soon enough I got carried away and raised my voice

 We waited for almost an hour, PM Mikati was insisting Via Twitter that the guys are on their way out, and I was replying to him that they are NOT. [ I think I'm on his black list now]

 Soon enough, Khodor and Ali were released.

 The Car made it's way through the crowd of friends and supporters.

 Celebrating one true victory, Freedom.

And I shall leave the rest for him to say.

Iza Mafi BIMBOS Mafi Beirut.

So the day started normally, phone calls here and there, another interview, some video to transcribe, some brainstorming for the next blog post and I felt helpless.
I mean, I made it to work safe, no incidents whatsoever on my way there, slow traffic Yes but nothing unusual.
As for work, no deadlines, no rush.
Just another boring day, I thought, until I got this email from my colleague.
I am a curious person and could not help but reading it on spot.

Here comes my inspiration, written exquisitely by another blogger. Which ended up inspiring me more.
And since I admit Not being brave enough to criticize people the way this person right here did; some notes mentioned really succeeded at pointing out a reality that we live and face , Daily.

"How to look like a Lebanese Bimbo". [Yes Sirs you read it right, BIMBO] :

http://www.beirutnightlife.com/featured/la-wlooo-how-to-look-like-lebanese-bimbo/


And to wrap up the day, make sure you listen to this song right here while reading the blog post mentioned above.

Meanwhile; let's all pray for a better generation #Miracles.

Everything -stupid- is allowed in Beirut.

I always admired street artists, those who manage to create a perfect art circle from absolutely nothing.
A little budget, a lot of hard work and patience. Those who turn walls, ugly walls, empty grey dirty walls, into colorful spaces.
It's all about giving Beirut some colors, enhancing the Art scene and of course breaking some rules, because rules are made to be broken.

Some of the Graffiti is abstract,  and if you're not one of us , if you don't have the time and the imagination to understand the messages, the subliminal ones behind those abstract Graffities, then you would be one of those old people who consider them stupid.
Knowing that NO Graffiti should be qualified as stupid, the Lebanese government lacks the imagination. Therefore, for the past 5 years it qualified many Graffities as: useless stupid colorful Graffities and ignored them or , worst case scenario? Painted over them.

Quote: Everything stupid is allowed in Beirut.

And I underlined  stupid, because they qualified Graffiti as stupid.
Stupid did not bring them problems, not until stupid had a cause: Awareness.
Then stupid became dangerous.
Dangerous to an Ignorant Government, unaware of its own people's needs.
And they dare qualifying Art, censoring books, movies , music and shutting down our freedom of speech.

Inspired by Semaan Khawam's case;

To read more about it check this link right here:
http://observers.france24.com/content/20120406-lebanese-artist-risks-jail-time-graffiti-soldiers-lebanon-civil-war-christians-muslims-censorship-beirut

To watch "Enta Horr" 's reportage regarding the case check the link right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBWr0zRe9qM

Aren't we all victims of routine?

Something fun to start the week with.
Whenever a long vacation is just around the corner, and I am too bored of that same circle of outings & people, I decide to go all creative and apply some idea I stumbled upon online.

I fell in love with this website a while back: http://dearphotograph.com/
Ever since then,  my trials of accomplishing such an exquisite combination have  FAILED.
Then I settled for the last and best result I got.
Here it goes.