La vie en Rose

Here are some lovely pictures of pink flowers that I have found here and there in Lebanon. I thought of sharing them on my blog to show that we, in Lebanon have hidden treasures, that we must look for them, see them, enjoy them, smell them..and be grateful for their presence.

I tend to be an optimist and have a bizarre urge to more or less point out the positive in any situation, because i do believe that we have a choice in how we perceive life and its complexity. So here is La vie en rose for you at the end of 2009...

MY LAST GREETINGS IN 2009...

MAY YOU HAVE LIGHT TO SEE THE RIGHT FROM WRONG
MAY YOU HAVE LOVE TO FEEL HAPPY & TO DO GOOD
MAY YOU HAVE LAUGHTER TO ENJOY THE MOMENT
MAY YOU HAVE LIFE TO LEARN & GROW

LEELOU SIGNING OFF FOR NOW....

Fish for frying!

I was thinking this morning (it happens!) about my blog. About writing something positive, something challenging, something that could inspire other people the way it inspires me.
And frankly the more I thought, the more I could find nothing remotely interesting and worthwhile writing about.. I had negative thoughts about the H1N1 virus, about difficult relationships towards mothers and friends. I thought that we live so shortly on earth, and yet seem to find it so hard just to be nice and good about living it.
I was nearly not paying attentions to the fact that I was walking in the streets of Beirut, while people were driving through from all directions, heading to schools, work and so on. Suddenly a loud voice coming from a very large man standing just few meters away awakened me from my day-dreaming/thinking walk. He was saying “Lokkos, Nammour, lal ale’k!”, which means “fish for frying!”. He was selling fish from the trunk of his 35 years old green Mercedes, and shouting out loud to the neighbors about his fish! I looked at him and he smiled and winked at me with his left eye!! I just laughed out loud!.. He was in such a good mood that all my dark thinking vanished and I headed home with a smile on my face, forgetting all about the fears and the worries! Simple as that.

The moral of this? Dark thoughts can vanish, if we let laughter and smiles in. Brooding over things that we cannot control is a waste of time and energy. Thinking and worrying about disease and troubled relationships is energy consuming and makes you vulnerable.

Where as a good laugh and a big hug can sometimes really be as effective as eating a huge box of chocolate and winning the million. You just feel Good afterwards!

That is all…
Have a Good day!

Less destructive & more protective

My own experience with saving the planet is a mixture of being aware of our destructive footprint, of wanting more green areas for my kids to breathe in, of turning off lights when leaving a room, of trying desperately to find a way to recycle batteries in Lebanon, and so on.

I truly want to be more “green”, more aware, less destructive, and more protective. But the paradox is everywhere, I drive a suv (my 6 year old asked me why we didn’t buy the same car as before, which was a wonderful orange Fiat Punto, to which I just blabbered that we needed a stronger car, with more space because in this country you really need it! )Duh… I throw a lot of packaging (i wish we could leave them behind at the supermarket). I use chlorine and fabric softner (a big NO NO in Europe). and so on...

So what is the moral of this little entry?

Taking care of the planet is a very difficult, tedious, long term project. We need to find micro solutions that normal people can understand, and put in action. We need to educate the new generation (in schools, home and via TV) slowly but on a regular basis. And we in Lebanon need to wake up and start working even if the mentality does not always support the idea and find it the least of their concern.

new direction for Absolut Leelou...

I started blogging in 2005, during the dramatic years of Lebanese instability. I was trying to make some sense out of the crazy times, by sharing my thought with friends and family living abroad, who did not have a first-hand experience with war and car bombs. My blog was an outlet for my fear and it helped me to write.
When the situation got a bit calmer, I realized that I wasn’t eager to write anymore.. my fuel was my anger and anxiety. I have since tried to make some entries about people and situations in Lebanon that either makes me laugh or wonder but have not been able to have a regular blog entry.
But the urge to write is still present. I love reading what other bloggers write especially in Lebanon. Their perspective is at times charming, hilarious and interesting. Writing is a learned skill. It needs practice. It is a voice to be heard, commented, and remembered. I enjoy writing. Looking at a white page makes me just want to take a pen and scribble.
So here I am again, with a mission. This time I am inspired by something positive, something challenging. I am no longer a “ a critique” watching the Lebanese from sarcastic angle, but someone who would like to inspire others to think in a positive and challenging way, to find opportunities where we could be proud of our actions.
Being a positive soul (some might say), I will be writing about Lebanese projects or persons that are special & inspiring, in any form or way...Also, since we are in the fashion of writing about environment and climate change (!), I will be including topics like Green products, green living and green design, hoping that they could somehow reach someone and inspire him or her to learn and to be proactive in the preservation of our precious nature.

So keep following “Absolut Leelou”, you might find something different and exciting to read…

nostalgia, the remains of old Beirut

abou ali

Every morning i see Abou Ali. In his sixties, tanned, slim, wrinkled. He sells all green vegetables from a wooden cart parked under a huge trea, in a side street to the busy Marelias Street in Beirut. Fresh Spinach, huge leaves of parsley, coriandre, lettuce, enormous broccoli. Half of the vegetables are in huge plastic bags, neatly lined up against the wall. He uses at least an hour a day to set them up in such a nice way that you cannot but stop and buy from him. He adores to talk if you have a minute. He asks about the children, speaks about his own grandchildren whom he wished lived in the mountains, because they are constantly sick in Beirut.

He reassures me when i am nervous about the political situation, he tells me that it will all calm down eventually. He talks about his father who ate meat once a week and lived a very long life.

One day he wasn't there. Nor his cart. Nor the vegetables. I wondered why. Was he ill? had something happened to him? Days would go by and there were no trace of him. Until one day as i was driving through the area, trying to avoid the horribly congested main road, i saw him and his cart. It was a totally different road and he was not selling green leaves, but a famous summer fruit called Subbeir (horned melon). I stopped the car and smiled. He was happy to see me. He then explained that in summer, he relocates and sells only Subbeir. Better sales. Refreshing fruit!

For the last 35 years, throughout the colder sseasons, he has sold green leaves in Marelias. But in summer he relocates and sells Subbeir.

I just find Abou Ali a wonderful man, warm and refreshing. He reminds me of the good old days, of people who take it easy, who enjoy the moment, who appreciate life as is.

Twit..Twit...

My fascination for Twitter started a month ago when i heard that Oprah was going on Twitter..Being a fan of new technology I immediatly logged on twitter page and tried to get some grasp out of this new upbeat social networking device. Alas, i only got far enough in my search as to register a username and tried to follow a twitter page, but i frankly didn't get the point, which lead me to close the page and move on. Until few days ago, where i met someone who uses Twitter and is ecstatic about it.. again, i poked him with info and asked how he was using twitter and why it was such a cool thing..

Basically, Twitter is a social networking tool where you can post anything that you are interested in. You can Follow other twitters, and they can follow you. Anyone can be on Twitter.. i just discovered that Obama and Madonna are on Twitter. It is a bit similar to SMS'ing, the difference is that anyone can read your "sms" as it is available for all. you can twitter a topic, and get real-time info on the matter. If the information is of importance to you and you would like to share it, you "re-twit" it (as in forward it). The info is exponentially spread through the web.

The interesting part is when someone uses Twitter from his mobile for example during a disaster. He can send a Twit from his phone thus reaching people must sooner than any news channel. Amazing and fascinating.

Today i read that people can be ranked as most influencial Twitter - as to how many followers they have (1,6 million for actor Ashton Kutcher /married to Demi Moor), and how their tweets are interesting to others.

Another interesting fact is most new users of Twitter quit after few weeks... time will show if Twitter will be the next best thing...

Twit.. twit...

Why parenting is a great thing..

First of all it makes you realize how difficult parenting is,and thus appreciate your parents much more, they too must have had their moments of frustration. Why difficult? Because you don't always have the right answers. Because there is a lot of 'trial and error" management.. Because you tend to avoid what your parents did to you and try the opposite, until you realise that maybe they were not completely wrong in their decisions..or maybe your inner voice tells you to do something, but the surroundings tell/urge/make you do differently..and the books you read.. oh dear.. each country has its own philosophy.

Second, parenting is a self learning voyage. We learn about limits, needs, dreams (is it cool to have 4 kids as in my dream?),reality. We need to chose the right answer to their 1000 fantastic questions; "Can you see angels in the sky when you are in the aeroplane mummy'..

Third, you discover unconditional love through your kids.. and it goes both ways.. such a blessing. "you are the the prettiest mummy in the world.."..I love you even when you are angry with me mummy..."

Also, there is a major part of me who dreams of a better world, and what better way than to slowly work the minds of the little ones with positive attitude, confidence, love, and spiritual growth...for a better world...

The dream of having a big family...I wanted 4 kids since I was 14, when i met a friend who had 3 brothers and sisters, and her house was such a great house to visit.. always laughter and noise, big dinning table, always food for an extra friend, parents who seemed to be on top of everything. A happy home. Full of life.

How did they manage? recently i visited the same friend (who now have 4 kids of her own), same style, cool and happy and not at all overwelmed by any of it.. What a blessing.. and an aspiration for others..

anyway.. parenting is great...and tough.. and alive..

facebook and people

Today more than 200 million people are linked through Facebook. Imagine all these people holding hands. What a sight! Imagine all these people following a certain path of idealogy. what a strength!

850 million photos are posted every day. Amazing how much we(including myself)need to preserve the Moment and a space in this virtual and easy accessible world. The downside is that all pictures are as public to the world as they would be if you published them in a worldwide free newspaper.

Suddenly earth has no boundaries. We all are sitting behind the screen writing, smiling, adding friends, downloading pictures for other friends to see and comment, reading comments, replying to them, searching for old flames, for new ones, stalking friends and their whereabouts, adding friends (yes again, you need to have more than your best friend).. it is an ongoing job.

what strikes me the most these days, is the need for women in particular to voice their feelings, needs, moods, ideas, thoughts on Facebook status bar. You can actually follow a person's wave of emotions throughout the day and night by reading her status bar. It is amazing. And friends comments those status in a continuous flow, connecting with that person, giving her attention, support, whatever..

Facebook might just add some fun and happiness to the lonely heart. Or frustration. Or emptiness. Because when is it enough? when are we satisfied? when are we shutting the PC off to go and have some "real" fun? some "real" interaction with people..Or are those days over?

I am just wondering... and wandering throught he amazing paths of virtual life..