We’ve all been there before. We’ve tasted its sweetness, endured its bitterness, lived it, quitted it and eventually got here. And just when we’ve finally made it to today, we start reminiscing. All of us have been there. You and I. And yes, that person is no exception too.
Falling into the trap of the past is a phenomenon that I’ve come to witness on many occasions around me. An awkward, disturbing phenomenon that projects negative vibes into my space and itches me so bad that all I want to do is to shake it out of its complacency.
So the good old days were good – and I can’t agree more. So we were young and free – of course, and also too young to see clear, mes amis. So everything used to seem easier – welcome aboard real life my friends!
And conversations would go for a long time – consuming my present time – yearning for the past, about how good or bad it has been, about how rewarding or destructive events had been in the past, replaying and reanalyzing bygone scenes and situations that belong to nowhere but to the dispersed past.
If this phenomenon has spared you its revelation, here’s a nice movie that explores the sentiments of nostalgia. Midnight in Paris is a 2011 romantic comedy fantasy film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson. Owen Wilson‘s Gil is a Hollywood screenwriter who yearns for old years and is presented with the chance to go back to 1920 in Paris (an era he idolizes) and to socialize with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, and Dali. He even falls for a Parisian woman, Adriana – played by Marion Cotillard – who is also trapped into thinking that the present is just not good enough and that yesterday (Renaissance) was better than today (Belle Epoque). Then somehow, somewhere towards the end - and you can thank me later for ruining the film for you:) – Gil realizes that despite the allure of nostalgia, it is better to accept the present for what it is. Olden days (Belle Époque) might have seemed better to Gile than 2010, but then again, for Adriana, olden days (Renaissance) seemed better to her than today (Belle Époque).
Bottom line, as much as we would all like to go back in time and dwell on the happy and bittersweet memories of a time, we need to make peace with the fact that we belong to today and that we need to be here, now, today.
So here my 3 simple dummy steps to overcome the past:
1- Be here
2- Be now
3- And start enjoying your life.:)
And because music is much more inspiring than a pep talk, here’s Break My Strides song by Mathew Wilder. Enjoy and get going.:)
I don’t think there’s a more beautiful song that speaks out against discrimination and advocates for equality regardless of race, language, and country than “Soleil” song written and performed by the French singer Grégoire.
And for you my dear English speakers, here’s an accurate translation of Soleil that I found online.
Enjoy, sigh, and be moved!:)
| Soleil
On n’a pas le même drapeau,
Ni la même couleur de peau,
On n’a pas le même langage,
La même culture, les mêmes images.
On n’a pas les mêmes racines,
Les mêmes idoles qui nous fascinent,
Mais chacun de nous est vivant,
Avec la même couleur de sang,
Et on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?
On n’a pas les mêmes coutumes,
D’autres rites, d’autres costumes,
On n’a pas les mêmes histoires,
Mais nos mélanges fait l’histoire.
On n’a pas les mêmes parents,
Mais on est tous encore enfant,
Et tous issus d’un métissage,
Devenus fous mais nés si sages.
Et on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?
Car on n’a tous la même planète,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?
Une main avec nos différences,
Et le pouvoir d’en faire une chance.
Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?
Car on n’a tous la même planète,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?
Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?
Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore seulement attendre? |
Sun
We don’t have the same flag,
Nor the same color of skin,
We don’t have the same language,
The same culture, the same pictures,
We don’t have the same roots,
Don’t have the same idols that fascinate us,
But each of us is alive
with the same color of blood
And we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?
We don’t have the same lifestyle,
Different ways, different costumes,
We don’t have the same stories
But our mixes make the story
We don’t have the same parents,
But we are all still kids,
And we all issue of a metissage,
Became crazy but born so wise
And we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?
Because we all have the same planet
That begs us to be less cruel,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?
A hand with our differences
And the power to make it an opportunity
Because we all have the same Sun
And the same moon on our sleep
And we all have a hand to reach out
Could we really still wait?
Because we all have the same planet
That begs us to be less cruel,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?
Because we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?
Because we all have the same Sun
And we all have a hand to reach out
Could we still only wait? |
So winter mean cold has finally struck Beirut, and with it came the most depressing landscape of people trying really hard since the very wee hours of the morning as they snooze their alarms every five minutes for a whole hour, force themselves out of bed to drag their lazy bodies into torturing showers, and finally expose themselves to the outside world bundled up with scarves, hats and gloves, and all cold shields you can think of, walking around the streets with frowning faces and downcast postures to approach you for business with tense politeness interrupted with melodic sneezes, coughing, and dreaded nose-blowing – and I am no exception, and this is too scary.
But amidst all this gloomy scenery, a billboard caught my eye as I was driving back from Faraya Mountain.
And there it was, the warmest inspirational and positive statement to see and all I wanted to do is to share it with you with a hope to warm your hearts as it did to mine.
One Day You Will
And all you have to do is to fill in the blank with the next line – your own line, the very dear thing you want it to happen to you. It made me warm. And I’m sure you all would have wanted to put your own personal stamps on that statement too, in your way. And I’m sure it would have warmed you, too.
So wintertime is not all that bad after all. And remember, One Day You Will…Experience Summer Again:)
Until then, this is Somewhere Over the Rainbow by the greatest Eric Clapton. Enjoy and keep warm please!:)
It terrifies me to look at how long it’s been since I last posted!
Not that I haven’t been trying but it seems to me that every time I try to write or express something that has nothing to do with the translation requests, my mind freezes and my fingers stiffen up.
That certainly wasn’t always my case. I, who long advocated written documentation of any thoughts, ideas, and emotions and told people to write it when they can’t say it, finally found myself crippled with speechlessness.
So I took the opposite turn and headed for “if you can’t write it, say it”. And so I went on a journey of endless talkativeness. And so I talked, conversed, and verbally communicated challenging my old quiet nature for a period of no less than 365 days.
Oh, what a year 2011 has been. It was a year of enormous challenges on all fronts.
A difficult journey that began with a tough decision to make in my personal life and ended with acceptance of a new reality. But the in-between part was a lot of fun my dear, mostly in a tragic comedic sort of way, swapping between the lows and the highs, between utmost clarity and absolute doubt, between “what have I done” and “what else could I do”?
And to top it off, I had to turn 30 in 2011! And no, age is not just a number. Age is age. Period. And turning 30 is as bad as it sounds!:)
Yes 2011 took me down a rough road but it hasn’t been without good things happening, too.
Indeed, indeed this year was very generous to me with pleasant and interesting acquaintances from different (and many times quite scarily opposite) backgrounds, cultures, and philosophies, causing in me insights that I wouldn’t have gained in the usual company environment, and I thank them for their fruitful discussions and for trying to incorporate their reasoning into my belief system.
2011 was also very rewarding in business partnerships. The connections that DITTO Translation Agency has made last year led to great opportunities and valuable business deals that kept us up and running, and thank you for this!
I’m also thankful for Christina Al Hayek who joined us in 2011 and who proved to be a highly skilled and very reliable translator with also a great personality to work with.
Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for all their help, love, and support throughout the year.
My promise to you this year is: You can take our word for it, this year too!
Happy 2012 and please enjoy this feel-good song A Beautiful Day by India Arie.:)
So you are one of the unfortunate ones who lost something. You lost your job. You lost a friend. You lost your partner. You lost money. You lost happiness. You lost enthusiasm. You lost your faith. Or it might be that you lost hope – the worst of all evils.
You’re at a crossroad and you don’t know what to do and which way to choose. You wish the road code can drive your way beyond your control with every traffic light change. Stop, Go, now you’d better Slow Down, and Stop! But the road is too busy guiding those who know where they are heading.
You walk around like you’re carrying a huge burden on your chest and your calamity has finally outgrown your ability to think wisely or act effectively. Nothing seems to help. You read the self help books, you followed the healthy diet, you took those walks, and you had those long talks with your people, but your mind remains as fuzzy as a blurred windshield and you can only see isolated statements – statements that are far from your true misfortune.
So it’s official now. You need help!
And I’m very happy to break this news to you. Help is obtainable. Salvation is reachable!:)
The key is to talk it all out and get things in writing.
Write down your whole story, your fears, your state of mind, your very private details, the chronology of every path you’ve taken, your failures, your mis-shots, your plots, your intentions, and your conclusions. Finally share them with someone who has been “in your shoes” and it will make all the difference in the world. Better write to a complete stranger who “has been there too” because with strangers, you won’t twist your story, you won’t rephrase your thoughts, you won’t overlook important details that you don’t even dare to admit to yourself. With these people, you have nothing to hide and nothing to lose from saying it all. These people who walked a mile in your shoes will give you access to their own experiences, dilemmas, and maybe a different way of looking at things. No, sharing with an in-your-shoes-walker won’t fill up your bank account, resurrect your loss, or erase all your issues from the face of earth. But if anything, you will be helped by just reading your own story, by taking that burden off your chest, by facing your own words and thoughts, true words and true thoughts. Then, you will be relieved and feel better. And when you feel good, chances are your thinking will be improved.
Now, how to find a stranger person who has walked a mile in your shoes, that I don’t know.:) I guess you either have to look for them or they just come along to make your day a more reasonably bearable one.
Until then, enjoy Crossroads by my dearest friends Eric Clapton and John Mayer.:)
Teacher’s day is not only a holiday celebrated in honor of the great people who dedicate their lives to educating our young citizens, but it’s also a long waited once a year opportunity for parents to say “I really appreciate what you’re doing. Please don’t give up on my child.“
And to show your sincere gratitude and appreciation, sometimes you need to back up your verbal statements of sympathy with something tangibly valuable just in case words would be hard to remember in times of crisis.
I’m not talking here about bribing teachers to do favors for our children or to allow failing children to move up to the next level. That would be completely unethical and equivalent to stealing!
I’m talking about the feeling we have as parents as we’re walking around the mall trying to figure out what gift we can offer our children’s teachers on their special day.
Seriously.
Some would think a flower should be enough. “After all, I’m always being complimented for my children’s behaviors. They’re at the top of their class, they’re calm, obedient, and simply adorable. Even the teacher told me she wishes she had a class full of them.”
Right, I can’t see why a flower wouldn’t work in their case.
Other parents would stop at a Hallmark store and pick up a nice card with a warm message sealed with a kiss from the child. How cute!
“Well I know my child is not always easy in class, but it’s the teacher’s job to ensure that the child is well disciplined. If I recall, that’s the reason why I’m sending them to school!”
And there is this category of parents – with which I’m very familiar – who could spend the whole day walking the mall checking out all shops with a confused look on their faces because they have no idea what kind of gift would be commensurate with the constant agitation of their child and indisputable complaints of educators. These parents usually end up in a jewelry store, that if they don’t decide to include teachers in their will!
I would give a kidney to teachers if I have to.
We all know our children. Some children are more manageable than others. Some are more energetic. Some are easier to work with. But the truth is all children come with challenges and individual needs, and long live the hero who’s doing this difficult job on a full time basis!
Happy Day to all teachers and may you continue filling in the areas in which we are failing in our trial-and-error parenting process.
And as non-student anymore, I would also like to thank all those people in my life who have been teaching me great things and made me less ignorant today.
And thanks to life, the greatest teacher of all times.
Finally, this is Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd. Enjoy:)
So today after a long battle with deadlines, headlines, frontlines, flu-lines, adrenaline, phone lines, worry lines and almost flat lines, I finally found myself free and unfettered for the first time I could remember in months. Today it’s me-time and I’m planning on abusing it!
Leave the office and enjoy my time out wasn’t really an option because me-time had to coincide with the angry forces time!
So I decided to go online and listen to some of my favorite classics and beloved musicians. YouTube is the place to be!
It’s funny how even if I have my music collection at all times in my library, on my iPod and in my car, looking up music on the internet seems way more exciting and fresh!
The buffering process thrills me like a happy fish trapped in the net of pleasant torture and impatience and creates in me the same about-to-open-a-present emotion.
YouTube is the place for me! Or so I thought.
Busy as I’ve been, I’ve actually forgotten that downloading videos is not as pleasant as it seems, for thou who thinks that music is for all shalt be very disappointed.
Of course! How did I forget to check my limits? How could it slip my mind that the World Wide Web is not really as wide and wordly as far as Lebanon is concerned!
Aaaaanyway:)
Let’s not ruin my zen state and move to a warmer environment.
Always stuck in the office chair, I put on my headset and smiled as I was trying to sign in to Skype and catch up with friends and family.
I’m in! I got through! It’s happening! What a small world with the internet at your hands! What distance? I’m not feeling the bitterness of distance now that I can see them, hear them and watch them in action. They look perfect and my smile seems to get bigger and bigger…
Oh wait…
Where have I gone? Where’s the rest of me? Is that even me??
Hello? HELLO?
Of course! I got disconnected.
And now I’m all by myself once again, still stuck to my office chair and still determinant to squeeze out every last drop of joy of my day online.
Aaaanyway:)
I can still call them directly! It’s about time I took the Google Voice experience I’ve been reading about it on blogs, Twitter, Facebook…
BUT
Suprise, surprise!
OK! That’s it! I’m really fed up of feeling marginalized and alienated from progress and facilities for geographical considerations!
I’m developing my own application. And by the way, in the meantime, please stop forwarding to us new applications for Blackberry and iPhone because these are just NOT working over here. Instead please start using this new application of mine, for free.:)
Welcome to the New Generation Communication Technology: iExist
What is iExist?
iExist allows all users who have full access to the newest technologies to make expensive calls wherever they are. They can even send you SMS and pay for it.
How can they make expensive calls from iExist?
Simple. They need to call you directly from their phone without using any web or phone application.
What is my iExist phone number?
Your iExist phone number starts with +961 followed with 7 digits.
How do I make sure that I am not charged for iExist calls?
Don’t dial. Just answer.
Wow! This is fantastic. However, what if I need to disable this application for some reason?
No need. You have cheaped out enough. Stick to this application.
Enjoy my dear Lebanese this beautiful application designed specifically for your conditions and to feel even more special than you already are, this is We Are The Champions song by Queen just for you. Enjoy.:)
Yes, of course, it is the season to be jolly bla bla bla bla bla bla but it also seems to be the only month of the year that shakes us out of our comfort zone – or our self-hypnosis sleeping bag – and slaps us into the other side of all that could be . Indeed, the only month of the year when it is quite acceptable to look back at how we have come so far, and if so, at what are the other alternatives.
Maybe it’s just December cold blowing air that is making our spine tingle and body shiver in complex, emotional passages or maybe it’s the noisy ticking sound of the year-end clock that is driving us crazy – or driving us well – into riding the wind of change, but I know one thing for sure whatever the causes: when December swings by, we want to pause and think, we want to reflect and resolve. December, the month of resolutions and revolutions as we all seem to wake up on the “wrong or right” side of the bed and rise as decision-makers, individually and collectively.
But honestly, isn’t it funny how we people spend 335 days (yes, I did use a calculator) of the year comfortably living a routine life of daily minor choices, minor decisions, minor actions, for better or for worse, or, how at worst alone we can spend away the same amount of days, comfortably surrendering to the prevailing circumstances that we have once created, and just at the mention of December, we all suddenly have the Big Resolutions list ready!
I want to lose weight!
I want to quit smoking!
I want to join the gym!
I want to limit my expenses!
I want to become a better person! I want to become a millionaire!
I want to chop my boyfriend in 12 spare parts for remodeling purpose!
(Seriously, someone actually reported this last resolution and I keep forgetting to report her!)
Oh well, if that’s the fashion, if New Year’s resolutions list is the trend nowadays, why not go with it and make a resolutions list? Why not set a new target, turn an old page, start a new chapter, quit old habits and negative ways and start doing new good things. Why not revolutionize in December when we are very sure that all our pre-year-end decisions will survive the New Year’s Eve booze and witness execution in the same vigorous tone that dominated their initial making.
Or else, why wait for the calendar to proclaim December and get a fresh start? Why not sign up for change the minute we become aware that something hasn’t been right for a while? Why muting our inner bells that have been annoying us with unbearable, deafening noise to continue to stick to what others say simply because it sounds comforting, less painful, and “within the norms”? What’s wrong with listening to our voices in February or September? Why not sigh and speak up any day of the last 335 days?
Be it a mere matter of a New Year fashion statement or a deeply thought-out resolution that has taken some time to cook up, we need to remember that no season, month or date matters when it comes to positive decisions for our own good. Our whole life is waiting on us. Your life is waiting on you. Move!
Whatever 2011 brings, may it bring you clarity, happiness, grace and above all new challenges, don’t sit back and do nothing. As Harold Wilson once said, “He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”
Or you can take a page out of this kid’s book and take the year off from making any changes!
Either way, good luck and Happy New Year!:)
You finally found the woman of your dreams and you want the rest of your life to start with her as soon as possible. She gives you a warm, happy home. She makes you coffee just the way you like and let you have full power over the remote control. She never asks for much. She’s the one.
Then one day one is not enough anymore, and she asks.
She wants to become two. She needs you to make her two in one. So you start thinking of names. You are tempted to suggest the names of your old folks but something in that “Dangerous Hormonal Zone” sticky note on her forehead tells you you’d better create a name poll and share it with your friends.
Suddenly the rest of your life you have imagined narrowed down to a fulltime name brainstorming exercise. That’s all you talk about now. Names. Names. Names. James or Jennifer? Daniel or Denise? Steve or Stephanie? Larry or Lisa? Oh well, you’re just too excited, you can’t wait to hear your baby say Daddy!
Finally, on D-Day, the two-in-one separates into one of each. Congratulations, you have a boy! And you gave him a name – a unique identifier it took you days and nights to pick. Happy to find you, your baby looks at you and begs you to say it. “Say my name, baba. What’s my name, baba? Are you my baba, baba?” You look at him, smile and say, “Yes, I’m your baba, baba.”:)
Then suddenly knowing his name becomes the least of his concerns. Since his father called him “baba” (Lebanese Arabic translation of “daddy”) and since he has to start calling him baba as well, and since they will both be sharing a lifetime father-and-son dialogue full of babas, the baby knew that he was born to a Lebanese father and now he has many more things to worry about.:)
To all Lebanese fathers, please call us by our names, we’re confused enough.:)
Thank you. It is pretty much the first thing parents teach their children.
Say “thank you” when people do good things to you. Say “thank you” when your grandmother gives you candies. Say “thank you” even when you receive a bad gift. Always thank people for helping you out. Thank people for their kindness and support. Be thankful and grateful for all experiences and opportunities no matter how joyful or painful they may be.
And so we go on thanking anyway because we learned the simple lesson of politeness. We go on using it every day, whether in a friendly manner when talking to friends over the phone, in appreciating a blogger’s post, as a signature in your professional emails, and casually in everyday’s conversations, and it always feels good to say and hear it.
Then one day, you receive something. But this time, it’s neither a candy from your kind grandmother nor an expected gift on your traditional birthday event, and it surely doesn’t affect your bank account. You dig deep in your bag of grateful expressions filled by your parents and educators looking for the most exact expression, statement, line, or whatever alphabetical arrangement that would translate the contextual specificity of your feeling, but all that is in there is loose nonsense leaving you empty handed, and obviously speechless.
In overwhelmed times like these, when you tried your best to show your gratitude and thorough thankfulness in all ways you know but you still have the urge to repeat it, confirm it, and shout it until your throat starts to get soar, here are my 33 ways to thank you:)
- 1. No one can handle a candle to you.
- 2. I’m thankful in every way imaginable!
- 3. I hope you know how much I appreciate you!
- 4. I applaud you.
- 5. You’re a winner!
- 6. I’m truly grateful!
- 7. Phenomenal!
- 8. Outstanding!
- 9. Remarkable!
- 10. Awesome!
- 11. Superbe!
- 12. A +
- 13. Hurray for you!
- 14. High five!
- 15. Kudos
- 16. Way to go!
- 17. You’re the best!
- 18. You’re incredible!
- 19. You’re unstoppable!
- 20. Right on!
- 21. A-ok!
- 22. Dynamite!!
- 23. Amazing!
- 24. Fantastic!
- 25. You’re a treasure!
- 26. You rock!
- 27. You’re on top of things!
- 28. Sensational!
- 29. You’re super!
- 30. Bingo!
- 31. You make things much easier!
- 32. You’re spectacular!
- 33. and finally, WOW!
And there’s always the 34th French way of saying it, “merci!”:)
