To a spectacular Lady

An iron Lady with the heart of a child.
A wise Woman with a juvenile smile.
Expressive eyes that always convey what your discreetness tries to hide.
Fiercely independent yet unconditionally devoted to us.
Never a quitter with a vibrant love for life.
The most beautiful social butterfly, that, with her optimism, touches the heart of everybody around her.
A blessing in our lives, a role model, an inspiration...
I cannot but admire your elegant and chic persona that never surrendered to life's heavy burdens.
I love you mum!

Free Fall

During my continuous trips to UAE on projects, in 2008-2009, I have decided to reward myself for the long hours of work and make one of my dreams come true: Sky diving.

I have always wanted to sky dive, but when it came to taking a decision, I always had cold feet, until I was able to convince my best friend to share the experience with me. (Which was not very difficult to do…:) )

It was, by far, the most exciting, terrifying and freeing moment of my life.

As the plane reached the 13,000 feet, the door opened and as I sat on the door’s edge, breathing got harder.

 I was asked by my professional tandem partner if I changed my mind, and though I was scared to death, I said no.

All I remember next is tumbling out of the plane, unsure of what was up and what was down. The free fall was quick (9 seconds at most) that I couldn’t catch my breath.

The view, however, was amazing over Umm Al Quwain where the scenery of the Persian Gulf and the desert’s sands helped me keep calm.

I am still not sure what I miss more; the strong adrenaline rush – the free fall – or the calm sensation and peace that followed.

What is certain is that Adrenaline rush is addictive.

We get tattoos. We jump in the sea in the middle of the night. We do stupid and extreme things. We jump from planes. We drive fast. We run. We get crazy haircuts. Or simply we do something new…

All for this exquisite, short term pleasure that keeps us going on!

All for this “feel good” moment that alleviates the stress, routine and boredom of the daily life!

But as a matter of fact, I miss both, as you can only appreciate the uniqueness of the moment after withdrawing to a calmer state.

And while waiting for the next (forced or natural) adrenaline rush experience, I’ll try to compensate with a good dose of caffeine :)

Toi et Moi

Je voudrais m’envoler à l’autre bout de la terre, avec toi, seuls, cachés là-bas.

Je voudrais me perdre, avec toi, allongés à la belle étoile, oubliant les heures, les jours et les mois.

Et si jamais tu me demanderais, que faire ? Où s’évader ?

Je répondrai, là où le ciel nous contemple, la mer nous parle et les forêts nous racontent les secrets des nuits d’automne éclairées.

Partons alors… vivre sans règles ni lois… Toi et Moi.

A walk to remember

I have always loved this city. Who doesn’t anyway!

If you’ve ever been to Byblos (Jbeil), I bet that you were enchanted by its spirit… yes I say its spirit (Whether it is the harbor, the Mediterranean Sea, the 10000 years old stones holding the civilizations’ secrets or the traditional Lebanese houses; especially this one house, standing alone on the hill, overlooking the clear blue sea and incarnating in its solitude and uniqueness the sorrow, beauty, glory and pride of a nation).

It was 7:30 AM, and for the first time, I had the city to myself.

I have often visited Jbeil by night, for a concert, a drink in one of its modern busy pubs or for a romantic escapade. Plenty of memories there… Good and bad, they remain memories of ‘old and wise Byblos’.

So back to 7:30 AM, to my random morning walk, to the day I fell in love with a city.

As I passed through the medieval walls surrounding it, I was greeted by an old lady, with a warm smile on her face: “Bonjour tante”, she said. Unlike her, I replied with a very shy “Bonjour” but understood immediately that, waking up with Byblos, gave me the leverage of being part of the morning ritual.

I continued my walk, heading towards the harbor. I crossed the historic quarter where every wooden door and abat-jour window told an intense story. To my left stood the castle deserted. Only a very old man, all dressed up, with a red tarbouche on his head, a cane in one hand and a ‘man’ouche’ in another welcomed me with a wide smile: “tfadale ammo” (inviting me to have breakfast with him). I was overwhelmed! I thought this man only existed in my mother’s memories and stories. Well I finally met him! And I am glad I did!

Few meters separated me from THE port.  I could see from far that it was busy, not with fancy boats (the usual sight on  Sundays noon) but with very modest fishermen’s ones.

They were cleaning and undoing their nets. Few people gathered around them to get the best of today’s catch.

One of them called me politely. He insisted he had good fish and recommended I take them. “Almost a kilo, you will not regret it!”  He shouted.

A mid aged man, long grey hair, all dressed in a white suit, sitting on a bench facing the port, smiled to me and spoke slowly: “The fish is good, don’t worry if you are not a connoisseur, trust me it’s good!”

He was right, I was confused and it was not because of the fish. I was simply charmed.

I sat there for an hour or so, contemplating the still water, thinking…. It was not that random after all! The ‘morning Byblos’ resembles itself more than the ‘evening one’.

The wrinkled faces I met, that greeted me with generous smiles and made me feel at home, withhold the spirit of the wrinkled city’s stones.

The spirit of a city…..

Talk vs Speak

Are you feeling the same way I do: the more I meet people, the more I realize that we often speak but seldom really talk.

How many times have you wished for moments of silence, for running away from the daily busy and noisy surroundings (whether it is the city you live in, the babbling coworkers, your demanding family or simply the TV)?

Not only do I yearn, these days, for silence, but also for talking! I crave for good conversations, meaningful ones, for conversations made out of love and passion, involving not only words but also good deeds.

It’s said that “Silence is gold”; I say “Talking is gold”.

Of course I am not generalizing, as in the midst of the chaos, I stumble upon people who like to pause and have a genuine, “from the heart” talk.

So, bottom line, a little less speaking, a little more talking please!

India .... A charming Chaos!

So here we go, I finally decided to share my thoughts, opinions and experiences.

As a start, I said to myself, that I’d better write about something I really am passionate about, that took me by storm and in many ways left a huge footprint in my life.

Luckily enough, I am blessed with a job that often takes me around the world; being a big fan of discovering new places, meeting new people and experiencing new things; I almost always enjoy my trips.

But never had I thought that a business trip can become a life-changing experience.

In May 2012, I went for a seminar, to Chennai – India and was charmed by the people I have met and by this colorful country.

Though I only stayed for a week, I have enjoyed every single moment of my trip.

First, I was fortunate enough to meet interesting and amazing professionals from around the globe. 

But the experience encompasses also the Indian life itself. As behind the glory of this rapidly developing country and behind the articles of “The Times of India” praising the constant financial development, lays a true genuine country.

As I encountered people, my eyes and ears were open to the stories of marginal areas, poor communities and lack of basic services. I was deeply touched by seeing Indians literally living on the streets nevertheless, SMILING.

But what is it about India that is so charming?

Is it poor? Yes, more than I ever saw!

Is it dirty? Yes, more than anyone can imagine!

Is it safe? No! you can even be threatened by your own shadow…

So what is it? What is the secret ingredient?

These questions frustrated me and it took me quite a while to find the answer and words that best describe it (almost 6 months after my trip) and as one day, I was browsing the internet, I found an inspiring Ted Talk video on youtube where Dr. Brené Brown talks about courage, sense of worthiness and vulnerability.

Eureka! Answer found: “Living wholeheartedly”

It was all about being vulnerable and letting go…

This country is true to itself and people live unabashedly. They are generous enough to share their intimacy (some might disagree, that showering on the streets is due to poverty but I believe it is a pure cultural thing, a generous one!)

The people’s contentment along with their authenticity is contagious. In a way, you are reminded in India of what ‘human’ means, detached from all the ‘non-sense’ society standards!

India awakened the heart and soul in me (which have been in a coma for … forever!) and for that I will always be thankful.

I will be looking forward to going back to this country where people are busy living and everything else can wait!