Some women...

Well, it seems women can do technology... Whoever knew that the female species can actually be smart & successful? 

On a serious note, look at Sheryl Sandberg, an example of a feminine, cute voice have such loud resonance. Hint to some feminists, a woman does not have to act like a man to prove she is better than a man..

Forbes Woman Of The Year: Women In Tech

Opinions vs facts

"Everything is unsettled, everything is argued about, and very few things are ever totally resolved on the Net." David Weinberger 

I've been thinking for a while about the whole amount of information (whether accurate or not) available on the internet. I forgot where I read it, but if we want to read everything that is available online up till today, well it would take us... maybe a century or so. 

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan said famously "Everybody is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts,"

It's really nice and awesome that the digital era, is actually the "everyone has an opinion, can express his/her opinion, will be read by few or many, and possibly influence them into action or a different line of thought." But as every important tool, it's a two edged sword. 

 It seems to me that the world is so chaotic—and that we are so limited by our own perspectives—that the most likely way to advance is through the clash of different perspectives, different data sets, different prejudices, different blind spots. 

Even though, clashes, difference of opinions, prejudices, bad news, natural disaster, nuclear threat, politics, terrorism, hunger, poverty, climate change, the variety of educational systems and whatever comes out of all this... even though it's sad, tough, hard to deal with, unfair, and just a bitch sometimes... it's the world, it is what is and if there were no bad things, no good things will exist. Yin yang... 

The only way to think of good things, of scientific advancement, of ways to improve, to help, to think of the other, to become less selfless, to be a hardworker, to be creative, to stretch your mind into as much as you can, to challenge yourself... is driven by the existence of less interesting things, of sad events, of difference of opinions and of hard situations. 

If we were all to live in a comfort zone, no... the world will not be an ideal place, will not be perfect. It will simply disintegrate... to survive, it's going to need the black and the bad.

Yes, we want all people to realize that x is bad, and y is good and z is the right thing to do. But then what? and who says that we're the right ones?

This post is inspired by this article "What is the future of knowledge in the internet age?" on Scientific American. About a project:

"an attempt to build a computer model of all the social, economic, ecological and scientific factors at play in the world"

Too many factors, too much complexity, how much can you trust a machine that is based on our own knowledge, erroneous one might I add. 

82nd birthday - 21/12/1929

Yesterday, I felt very blessed with the family and friends I am surrounded with. I know I sound high and not like myself. But when you are surrounded by awesome and kind people, you cannot but feel the same as well.

I want to keep this under one place. My brother Pascal Assaf dedicated this poem to me (yes it made me cry)

كنت في العاشرة من عمري، عندما جاءني ملاك في المنام، 

وهمس: "غداً تكبر ويكون الشعر قدرك". 

في الصباح أيقظتني أمي بابتسامة،

وقالت: "هذه أختك الصغيرة"

وكانت أول قصيدة أعشقها.

كل عام وأنت أجمل الأشعار.

Then my brother Roger, wrote this:

Ummmm..
I know I can't write a better poem, not even a sequel 
But in the end of the day, u know that our love 2 u is definatly equal :)

Then my mom Marianne wrote this:

في عيد الميلاد تزين الشوارع والمنازل بأحلى زينة وأنت يا ابنتي زينتي حياتي عند ولادتك! كل عام وانتي بألف خير

And that is not all, my dad Nafez (different time zone since he lives in the US), wrote this in reply to my reply that my brother's poem made me cry:

بكائك يا حبيبة العمر أفرحنى و ريحنى فى غربتى فقد تاكدت انه لى ثلاثة اولاد بقلب واحد الله يخليكن لبعض و عقبال مية سنه و مية قصيده

My family is just amazing, isn't it? I am so blessed. This year was very different, I usually don't like to make a fuss out of my birthday, since after all, everyone on earth is born... what makes it so special? But still, to see all those people happy that I was born 31 years ago, is quite overwhelming in a good way. My friends dedicated crazy videos and wrote touching messages to me, making me smile and laugh and go O.o sometimes. Some practical gifts (yes, I always need a Pajama, I do :D) and the toilet seat O.o :P And of course ... of course... (the picture you see above)

Blessed I tell ya, blessed!

Inspired to say:

You told me to get all my personalities together. I did and we all agreed you're a moron.

...

When the problem is in their mind, there really isn't much you can do except take a step back, turn 180 degrees and walk away. Can you reason with No-Reason? Image already formed, judgment already stamped, hatred already established. Walk away...

Critical Mind

Having a critical mind is one thing, and a thing to respect. Nevertheless, having a mind where you just criticize everything even when it's illogical, or based on an incorrect hypothesis, or inserting wrong values in variables is plain annoying.

I traveled, I observed and when I wasn't noticing, I learned.

"A candle that burns twice as bright, only burns half as long."

I saw this comment on Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech youtube video. And it struck a chord in me. I immediately remembered my late best friend. She died from Cancer too. She was only 19. Difference is, she did not have a chance to live, to do things. And I know for a fact, if she was still around, she would have.

It might be a selfish thing to say, but her death reminds me not to nag, not to take life for granted and not to act like a victim. In fact, it's not her death that reminds me of that... In fact, a couple of months ago, I saw her in my dreams, and she specifically made me understand that whatever problems I encounter, whatever dilemmas I face, whatever obstacles stand in my way and whatever negativity is headed towards me, at least.... AT LEAST, I am still around and still have the chance to deal with them. I have a choice.

Vatican - Rome - 26 September 2011 by yours truly (check red sentence below)

Cancer sucks... Cancer took my best friend away, who 12 years later, still means a lot to me. Even though we were only close for 2 years. So can you imagine what an impact she had on her mother? father? siblings? family? She was an extraordinary girl. Najla. I love you, I always will. Luckily we have the same destination, so I will be seeing you... 40-50 years later :) If you don't mind waiting.

Cancer took many other people who are dear to many people & friends I have. And I can see the same face that says the same thing: "There was nothing we can do!" But, there is something we can do, for us, for the people who are still around, I reckon.

Before I went on my vacation, I was repeatedly asked: "Are you excited?" My answer was the same, repeatedly: "3ade" (Normal). And of course, I would be criticized for that attitude. But let me tell you why it's the perfect attitude. It's because I learned that whatever you expect, you get a different experience. And that experience, could be better or worse, nonetheless it is different, and because of it being so, you get to learn something new, feel something new, be put out of your comfort zone, or maybe be returned to a new better comfort zone. I expected nothing, and I got more.

I learned several things...

• I learned that you don't search for a good time, instead, it finds you. 
• I learned that strangers, turning close friends, make your life rich.
• I learned that if we want, we can make a change.
• I learned that a moment of peace cannot be "pretended".
• I learned that 1 minute of peace is enough to make a vacation worth while.
• I learned that the world is so weird, for having people like "Gaudi" exist, and at the same time people who waste all their free time playing PS3.
• I learned that I will not put off seeing a doctor for my knees, because I (and am not exaggerating) could stop walking in 10 years if things remain getting worse on the same pace as they are now.
• I learned that my family means a lot to me.
• I learned that I love my country dearly.
• I learned that there are certain people I wished who were with me on that vacation and that they matter more than I thought they did.
• I learned that I love getting people souvenirs & gifts, well... only for those who matter.
• I learned that there are many inspiring things in life, and that I want everyone I know to be as inspired as I was during the past two weeks.
• I learned that you can go to a camp of "inspiration" for that matter, but instead just get inspired by a random person you meet while you're going to or coming back from that camp. Nonetheless... it is because of this camp.
• I learned that being close to a Dali original painting... made me cry. It's quite magical to be so close in space to something a genius has touched decades ago. I traveled back in time. It exists.
• I learned that the internet speed has improved at home, and even though it's not a 24mbps like other countries, it is still an improvement, and we should brace it. Cut the negativity a bit.
• I learned that when things are in bullet points, people read them all. Okay I knew that from before!
• Post Updated: I learned that coincidence doesn't exist. Good things can come out while having a lousy dessert at a cafe we did not like much. The outcome? You're looking at it.

So... for someone who had no expectations from a 2 weeks vacation, I think I did well.

I learned that there are friends I love and missed, and I will make sure I tell it to their faces and give them my Ozzi signature hug.

Barely a creature

Having 2 balls does not make you a man. Having a herd of sheep behind you does not make you a leader.

Dream Small

Dali used to paint his sister Anna Maria a lot, most of the time from the back. The one here is her looking out from the window at Figueres, where he grew up. And in 3 weeks, I will be there God willing. And maybe I will get to stop for a second, and be Dali at Figueres. Just had goosebumps writing this.

I dream small, but those dreams make me really happy. Hasta pronto Catalonia :D

Sa ni ty

You know when you lots to say, you don't know where to start or worse, where to stop. Because you know at the end of the day you will run into your friends and you will get the: "Yeah, we saw your post today!"

Oh wow, glad to feel like you know everything about me, inside out...

Therefore, I will make this short. Don't take sanity for granted, and don't let anyone take it from you. Because if they're succeeding, it means they should not be in your life in the first place.

Enjoy your day.

Under a black volcanic glass kinda rock

I finally saw The Shawshank Redemption. The top 1 movie on IMDB.com. I am not going to tell you the plot, you can IMDB it, I won't even link you! You can/should do this yourself. But all I can say it is definitely one of those movies that make you smile even with the many recurrent dark moments. It helps you see the persistence of one man and the hope he had.

But it's just a movie, right? So it makes you think about reality, and whether there are persons like that, who are good, patient and never give up. It makes me also think about the amount of people who are very weak and who seek constant approval and flattery from their surrounding.

Why try hard to get people to rate you, why not just do your own thing, be good at it and the bonus would be being remembered for it. 

There are people in this life who only feel better when they put other people down, these people are bullies, weak and sad pathetic little things. Why stoop to their level?

Sometimes as hurtful as things may be for you, as painful, as horrific and demeaning as they can be. If you choose to get over it, move on and go to the pacific, where there is no memory, you will be good again, you will feel alright, and at a new start.

I like this movie, I might be high here... maybe I am, and maybe it's because of this movie.

Simple pleasures of life, watching a good movie. A movie that was acted by strangers, written by strangers, directed by strangers, sold by strangers, and played on a machine invented and built by strangers, to come and arrive to your proximity, so you could feel good.

Life has become so easy, and yet we bitch about things. 

In case you're too lazy to google it, here's the link to the movie.

I almost forgot

12 years ago, I called you to wish you a happy birthday not knowing it would've been the last time. Rest in peace amiga. I am sad to admit I am starting to forget your face, your voice, the way you talk... I am ashamed.

But will never forget your blond curls

That spark in your eyes when you used to be a smart ass

How you washed your hair because you didn't like it just before our prom party

That stupid computer radio you got me for my birthday because you were one of the first persons to ever notice I am a geek

That letter you wrote to me :) One of the few things I wish I can keep with me even after I die

Even though you're ... not there anymore. You're one of those persons who were deprived from life so soon at such a young age. Nevertheless, you are one of the few who remind me how important life is, that we shouldn't take things for granted, that life is precious... and most of all, that health is.

I have an enemy, it's cancer. I have a friend, it's you.

Happy birthday my best friend. I lie, I still remember your face, your voice and the way you talk.

... meh... see now you made me cry.

BUT it's okay :) Rest in peace, wherever you are, I hope you're being taken care of.

Toss a coin to make an important decision

Bewilderment can make someone go nuts over a certain decision. Do this, or do that? Many times, you sit on your living room sofa and wonder what choice should you opt for, what path will it lead you to, is it the right one? is it the wrong one? Will you regret it? Will it hurt?

My solution is to just toss a coin in the air and call for it. Even when confused, your face will give away the true intention. If the coin lands on what you don't want, you won't be happy with the result, or you will just say "Coins suck", and if it lands on what you want, then you will simply smile.

Try this technique, 100% guarantee or coin back!

My brain is a haunted house.

This is a fascinating story to say the least. Reminds us of how vulnerable we human beings are, we could be doing a mundane activity one moment, and the next one a single blood vessel shifting by a 400th inch shifting your whole world.

This dude over here went from being a Chiropractic into an artist. But it wasn't only his interests that changed, but also his behavior, attention span and perception of emotions and such. He became rude, self absorbed and obsessed with drawing.

While reading the story about this guy, I couldn't help myself to think about his wife, how she "accepted" things at one point, how he knew that he will never change back to the old him and how with their love, understanding and friendship, they were able to find a way nonetheless.

A lesson that I repeatedly try not to forget, is not to take things for granted. Another lesson that could be drawn from this is perhaps, adaptation, is not so bad.

Read full article about "Jon Sarkin: The man who couldn't stop drawing" here

I have to say, the one sentence that I found to be so deep, a sentence that actually explains many feelings I've been experiencing lately, is the following:

I feel like I'm a haunted house, I feel at home, but never comfortable.

Never give up

Are belief and hope, the things that help you keep going? or the things that pull you back and keep you from accomplishing other things... 

Scuba Underwater Photography Diving

http://incoglilo.blogspot.com/2011/07/need-to-do-to-do-list.htmlI posted a to do list a couple of week ago, but decided to alter #6. I said I want to be better at photography, this stays, but I want to add to it, and learn underwater photography, so while I am at it, will also learn scuba diving.

Geeky way of saying "Kil Shi Byerja3lak/lik"

Quoting Sheldon Cooper from The Big Band Theory sitcom:

Yes, well, I'm polymerized tree sap, and you're an inorganic adhesive. So whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns on its original trajectory and adheres to you.

Well, or you can just mimic holding a mirror in your hand :P Up to you! 

Need to do a to do list

Remember back when I used to do Todo Lists (first list, 2nd list, I think there was more...)? And they were effective I must add, I wanted to see paris and new york, learn a new language, lose weight etc... They did help me set some goals - short term ones - try to attain them, luckily I was able to make several of them true. So I guess, I am in for another run. And we'll see how it goes.

1- Learn a new language, this time I think I will go for german.

2- Work out, tone my body (Jessica Biel, am still eyeing you) and of course eat better.

3- Visit Spain and Nepal.

4- Revisit Washington for the museums

5- Watch a football game live

6- Become better at photography

7- Learn to ride a bike (still on since last list) *embarrassed look*

8- Drift a car (also since last list). But you should know that I did drift my car on April 1st for about 30-40 meters, like real drifting, but it was unintentional :P And I ended up paying 600$ to fix it, so I'd rather LEARN to control drifting my car.

Okay, I guess that's it for now.

p.s. a day ago I saw my google tasks thingie open on its own, and one of the tasks was "GO Home". Now I don't know how I managed to make such a task, but sure, why not.

Must See Sarcastic/Dark Comedy Movies

If you have gone through life without having seen these (in no specific order) sarcastic funny movies, I will forgive you for now and tell you to go buy those DVDs for 1000LL from Bourj Hammoud or Da7yeh, and start watching them

1- Idiocracy

2- The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

3- Dogma

4- Anger Management

5- Napoleon Dynamite

6- Clerks.

7- Pulp Fiction

Am sure I missed something, any recommendations? I really recommend most Kevin Smith movies anyway! Start with Dogma :D

What would you do

Would you lose your sanity for a loved one? Or a loved one for your sanity?

#NowPlaying Chris Brown - Beautiful People. Although not everywhere do you find beautiful people, some people are truly nasty, full of complexes, and many of them NOT FUNNY. Ya khaye you're not funny stop trying.

Sola en Espana?

So what do you think about traveling alone? I am thinking Barcelona :) Gotta go see that Dali Museum!

Captcha?

When you prefer pain over numbness
A punch over indifference
A swear over invisibility

This is not being masochist, or stupid, or silly. It's simply wanting to feel, because if you don't feel, you're just another bot who is trying to successfully write those captchas.

Been a long time since I babbled... here you go

It's all in the brains. After all, what do we have that makes up our mind and our point of views, our opinions and our perception of things but our brains. You can love a person indefinitely, endlessly and with so much passion, and another day you can simply look at them like they are total strangers, like they are obstacles and holding you back from where you want to go and who you want to be. Be it a friend, a lover, a brother...

Sometimes I wonder about those people who are in denial, are they really in denial or did they simply program their brains to perceive something in a way that will make them feel okay about their life and their surroundings, that's a defense mechanism alright, but why do some people consider it so wrong? Now I understand, if you're in denial but you are sad, then you haven't really succeeded in convincing yourself about acceptance. However, when you're in denial and happy, are you really in denial? 

How do we know that happiness is a real thing and it's nothing something you simply look at differently. How many times do people advise you to just "be happy". What does that mean really? Do conditions change? Do you get happy and then change the conditions around you? Do you accept conditions the way they are and decide to just "be happy"? How do you know you're not lying to yourself and we are not all lying to ourselves all the time 24/7 just to pass this life.

How do you know you are really in love, that you really like drinking, that you really like partying, that you really like coffee, that you really like reading a book? Do you read a book to escape real life? Do you read a book to get better at something so you feel better about yourself so you become more confident when with others? Why do we have to be very good at things to feel self-confident around others. 

If you're not doing what you love, love what you do. Life is overrated. Love is overrated. Everything in this life is overrated. My flaw is that I believe, and I expect too much. After 30 years on this planet, I can say I will stop believing, and I will stop expecting. The only thing I want to do is have a good time, on the expense of anyone.

That was a moment I was truly happy, since then I take the same style of photo but I can never reproduce that moment. I have discussed and asked so many times on this blog, what is happiness and if it can be attained alone. I want to convince myself, that yes it can. And I don't care about sharing it. I mean, I can always share it on this blog, with the people who have become my friends, and that is good enough for me.

Can you become more intelligent?

You know, I hate when someone says: "I hate math and will never get it". I also hate that I used to think I could never memorize history chapters. I had to learn the hard way, the right method to learn something. Sadly, not all people get to do that, and of course it depends on the subject.

Not so many years ago, I was told by a professor of mine that you didn't have much control over your intelligence. It was genetic—determined at birth.

You know the tricks, some people write things down, some people read out loud, some people have to re-solve all math exercises, other give a name for every letter in a very complicated disease name, some people make a song out of a paragraph, or some (like me) read something and sleep on it, my own explanation is "khalliyoun yetkhamaro", so on and so forth

One of my first clients was a little boy w/  PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delays-Not Otherwise Specified), a mild form of autism. When we began therapy, his IQ was tested and scored in the low 80s —which is considered borderline mental retardation. After I worked with him for about three years [..] he was retested. His IQ score was well over 100

I stumbled upon this link "You can increase your intelligence: 5 ways to maximize your cognitive potential". And I wasn't surprised or shocked to know this truth, because it happened with me. I remember increase my IQ by 17 points. I did that by learning the tricks on those IQ tests. I learned to skim through articles and read "the important", I learned that (only when I want to), summarize what I am reading by the main idea of each paragraph, I learned to focus, another thing I learned was "repeating" to someone what I read, and then BAM, it moves from your short term memory, to your long term memory. Best way is to read something over several days, really does sneak and spread through your neurons.

So this article talks about Multimodal Teaching (using as many modes of input as possible). The author's point and my point as well, is that there is always a way to understand something, but understanding isn't enough, remembering is more important, and there is also several methods to accomplish that. Now this article is pretty interesting for educators, and I believe presenters of any kind of information to any audience.

This sort of also remind me of the movie Limitless. We have a brain, but we don't fully use it. How do we know this? I don't want to get scientific here, I just want you to imagine when we have a deadline, how our brains transform from a serpent to a dolphin's.

There is also a link to an interesting paper about this whole Multimodal Teaching, consider reading it if you want your head to grow a bit bigger, shou Megamind a7san?

[Photo Source] http://www.sodahead.com

Reliant on technology a bit too much?

I am sure this is a question we don't even dare ask ourselves. Smartphone, internet on your phone, constantly checking your email, and everyone expecting you to answer them at any minute of the day.

Remember when you were too shy to call someone at their home after 9pm or before 10am? 

Remember when you used to go pick up your friend, and tell them when you left your home by calling them, and then honking on arrival or ringing them on their house's inter-phone?

Remember when we used to go camping, and we did not having a cell in our hands when we were sitting under a tree or firing a camp fire?

Remember when we used to leave the house and not panic because we did not have a metal square like gadget in our hand?

Also remember when we used to not be held accountable when we did not reply to an email?

Anyway, check out these folks, who's complete reliance on GPS led the woman to be stranded for two months, and the man to get "completely" lost. 

Recalculating... Don't trust your GPS

Puma Ocean

When you spend a while thinking what title to give a photo, you think should it be something funny, deep, romantic... Most of the time, photos can be beautiful on their own, but when they have a title, the photographer is able to translate something, something hidden to her audience. And other times, you look at a photo and you say, what beautiful scenery, what a large ocean, what a vast sky... limitless... but what are Puma shoes doing there? Why do I always include my sneakers inside those photos, what am I trying to prove? That I was there? Are my feet my identity now? Why don't I put a photo of my portrait with that landscape ...

I will tell you why.

This is how I saw it. The photo, of the landscape, is how I saw it.

So need I give a title to this photo? Or should I just tell you, that I was cold, the sky was beautiful, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore but most importantly, that my phone cam is not bad during daylight. No title is needed. After all, I just babbled almost 200 words.

Know yourself first. Can it get any harder?

Life constantly makes you become someone you don't recognize at times where you need yourself the most. Surival First

You can run away from people, from places, from family, from work... But where do you run away from yourself? You suddenly find yourself stalking you, you no longer want that newly acquired habit, or newly reached way of thinking to be anywhere near you. You don't want to know what's going on, you just want it to go away. 

When you get to a point where you rely on a coin to make important decisions for you, this is when you know something went wrong. But what is right or wrong really? How confused can someone get? How hard can things be?

Lesson I finally learned and have now engraved in my brains, is never ever to judge anyone else, or wonder "why" they're thinking that way or "why" they behaved that way. When amateur you think you know a lot, when pro, you realize you know nothing.

This comes down to what Socrates said, the simplest thing I've heard, a sentence you think you understand, but completely and utterly miss out on realizing every moment of every day during your entire life.

Know Thyself

Phone Weirdo

I have been getting this a lot lately, from friends and colleagues and people I work with. It's about the way I communicate on the phone, something very close to someone shocked and just held a phone in their hands for the first time.

I swear I don't do this on purpose, something possesses me when I pick up the phone. Actually someone pointed it out recently to me, and made fun of me, thank YOU (you know yourself).

I am gonna do this T-Shirt:

Don't like talkin' on phone. 

Tweet.me.instead.

Perfectionism sucks sometimes

What do you think about when some "perfectionist" people, tend to "perfect" a project they're working on, and take all the time they need, and while they're "perfecting" their work, someone else comes and does it before them; and then end up gaining THE momentum, money, fame, reactions, whatever the case may be... 

So "to perfect"? Or just get by? Or does it depend on the project?

To my mom

It's been several years mom would be away on Mother's day.

I am guilty of not treating mom as much as she deserves, one of my biggest flaws is my attachment to my laptop, internet and writing. She'd be sitting right there beside me, but I'd be living in my own binary world. If not that, I'd be out and about. In a nutshell, I appear as a lousy daughter.

But what mom doesn't know or maybe it's because I don't show it much, is how much I love her, admire her and respect her.

Mom taught me to be honest, to respect, to dream, to change the course of my life if needed, not to be afraid to speak my mind, and all that without offending people.

Mom taught me an important lesson. So many times I'd get back home angry from something, and instead of blindly supporting me, she would actually point out if it was my fault, but in a cute manner. Of course I'd get mad at her, go to my room, close the door like any teenager, adolescent and adult :P would do, but when I'd sit alone, I would ponder about how wise she is, and would realize that I should be more fair and more objective.

I always had a bad temper, I still do. Everyone who knows me are thinking: "But you're so calm!" Yes I am, and it is because of mom. She helped me learn how to control my anger and look at things more positively.

I am a better person, a more patient one because of you mom. And I owe my imagination and modest (really modest) creativity to the stories you used to make up for me before I'd go to sleep when I was a child.

You my mom, are the most important person in my life. 

Be happy mamie, and khalleh 3al daghet ba2al yinzal 7ajik m3ateltineh hammik :P Ba3dik sabiye wlo!

When you wake up thinking about Red Velvet & Chocolate cake ball

... then you know you have been bitten by Le Gustav - Innovation Sucrée, more like, you have bitten Le Gustav. I don't know what I can add to what Micheline already beautifully described and said about Le Gustav in her blog post, except one thing:

After Chef Noor offers me a Chocolate cake ball, or a Red velvet ball (yes, they love me this much), the second I take a bite, I instantly get transported to another world full of happiness, joy, satisfaction, love, daisies, rainbows, marshmallow clouds, floating in the air, porsches... yes, those 2-3 minutes are simply heaven to me. Yes! Heaven!

I have been planning on grabbing my not-so-bad-camera and shooting those desserts, but hey.. you know how forgetful and lazy I am, so for now, just look at the lame iPhone's camera photos, and I promise I shall bring you much much better photos. It will also be a challenge for me to do some Dessert Photography.

Red Velvet Cake on the top. Chef Noor baking :)

More and more red velvets (Yes I love this cake)

Red Velvet Balls with Melted white chocolate on the top

Tarts with Pomegranate

Chef Noor pouring Melted White Chocolate on a Red velvet cake

Convinced? I am sure you are! Check the map of Le Gustav :)

Just believe, you're not gonna be sexy forever

I used to say: "I will buy a house soon!", the responses I would get would range from "Why? It's the guy who is supposed to buy the house!" macho tone to "You look like you don't want to get married, hein!" sarcastic lame tone to "But this way, the future husband will get greedy, and will only marry you for the house!" evil tone

And, my response would be mostly : "meh"

They don't get it. It's not about me + someone. It's just about me! If I want to buy a house, it's for me!

Me... me... me! *mouse like voice*

We no longer live in in the 19th century, where the girl remained illiterate, and had to rely on a man to make a life. Now, things are different. Do I really need to explain how? Seriously?

I am not rooting for being alone forever, far from that, I believe happiness is to be shared, so are achievements and goals. I am just saying, if a woman is alone, it doesn't mean she's "incomplete". So cut her some slack.

This is a shout out to many women, single or not, you are a whole on your own. Embrace it. You rock. Not all of you, some of you really need to restart their brains and stop thinking that their only role in this life is cooking and cleaning (that is what the cook and cleaning person are for) and raising kids (it's not your sole job)! Yeah you can do much more for the community, in the industry, for the country, just believe!

So did this post distract you with all these photos of these sexy and beautiful women? I really don't know why they're here. I have no idea what my point is. Hmmm. You got an idea what my point was? Maybe I just wanted to tease you. I donno.

Thanks for twitter people for helping me find these photos and include them in this post.

Happy Women's Day :)

Let me tell you why God doesn't exist

See and follow through my epic logic. You know in Math, there is a method called "par recurrence" used to prove something, after validating it for x = 1, 2, 3 and then "par recurrence" or "by induction?" we prove that it's also valid for x = n.

Now I play the lottery maybe once every 6 months. 

x = 1 was when I said: "God, if I win the lottery, I will distribute them on my family"

Did not win

x = 2 was when I said: "God, if I win the lottery, I will distribute them on my family and friends and charities, I don't want anything for myself"

Did not win

x = 3 was when I said: "God, if I win the lottery, I will keep them for me, me me me me... only me!" Yes, I tried the selfish one

Did not win

So by induction, I should conclude that I will never win, and God doesn't exist. But hey, I am going to try to validate for x = 4. "God, if I win the lottery, I will run naked in front of all twitter people".

Kidding :P Not even 10 million dollars would make me do anything like that! MEH

Lilo Dali Multipass

So after waiting for years for any of my friends to notice my obsession with Salvador Dali and get me his book on my birthday, I finally decided to follow through and get it myself for moi (from librairie antoine online :P).

Now, what can I say except that this man is amay-zing. He's someone who did not let anything stand in the way of his imagination, he just lets go, and you can see that in his paintings (and from what I read, the movie he made "Le chien andalou"). I am still at 35% of the book, it includes his BIO, in addition to that when he drew what and what they suspect he meant by them, and many of his mind-blowing quotes. How often do you see someone that confident in himself? Ironic though, he was also shy. Which makes him even more interesting.

When you read about someone that grand, you cannot but feel some of that grandiose yourself. You feel like you can do something big as well. I will never be a famous painter, or singer or musician or dancer or photographer, I think Art isn't my thing. But my plan is to keep it real, and to be the best ordinary person I can be. How? I think it's simple. It's as simple as knowing what you want, being honest and true to yourself, and keeping a sense of humor while at it. Because really, why so serious?

I know, I am speaking about real, while Salvador Dali is the epitome of surrealism. But to tell you the truth, I have never seen anything as real as his work. 

I've been through many phases, my favorites were Ziad Rahbani and Che Guevara, and now it's Dali's phase, and all I can say is that I am enjoying every bit of it.

Kylie - Part XI

"Tomorrow night? hmmm I don't have plans tomorrow night so yes why not!" She smiled at him. He smiled back. Starred for a second, and then took her number so he can call her the next day and tell her where to meet.

Her heart kept pumping, she didn't know whether that was because she just said yes to a married man or because a drifting car almost smashed her.

Next day at work, she forgot all about what happened the day before, she was swamped with tasks and she couldn't even sip her coffee or have her lunch break when suddenly a number she's never seen before appears on her phone. She looks at it, then dismisses it thinking it was a client. An hour later the number turns on the screen again, when she finally decides to answer, the first words she hears are:

"For a second I thought you gave me a wrong number, or just decided that am not worth it at all." He said.

She stopped everything she was doing and just stood in shock, this was definitely a man who keeps her on her toes, very unpredictable and someone she knows is going to sweep her off her feet, very soon.

She answered: "No, of course not. I just totally forgot that we were seeing each other tonight, you know, very busy at work" and laughed. He replied: "Oh how I wish you gave me a wrong number, this is mean!"

At night, when she arrived and gave her car to the valet parking guy, she saw him waiting for her on the entrance, all elegant and with the most beautiful smile on his face. She felt like she knew him for years and this man was the man of her life, and there was nothing weird or wrong or new about this. 

"So you want me to start with the obvious, or you want t wait and tell me at your own pace." She said. 

He smiled.

*He liked how honest she was, this isn't a woman who wants to fool around, and god knows how much does he hate unloyal people. Thing is, he didn't want to approach her that day, but he knew he might be missing his chance forever, he saw something in her, and just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He knew this was more than just finding a woman sexy, or cute. It was definitely something more, and he took the risk, knowing that the first thing she will see is the ring on his left hand.*

"I am getting a divorce" he paused "I know you're thinking, he's definitely lying since this is the excuse most married use but still don't take off their rings". "But am not. I just haven't had the courage to take it off yet." He looked at her with a shy smile. She immediately saw his pain, she knew, it wasn't him who took the decision to get a divorce.

"Don't worry. Listen. Honesly, those sushi were nice for tasting and all, but am stil hungry. What do you say we go for Hotdog at Freddy's?" she said nicely.

"Freddy's? Seriously? Ah women and their taste, put your coat on and let's go. I know the best hot dog place in town." He said with confidence.

*He liked what she did, she immediately trusted him and so did he. She's giving him time. She understands, and she knows he's not a bad guy*

But she's not a patient person at all. She looked at him while he was driving and asked him: "When will the divorce be finalized?"

His smile completely disappeared: "She still didn't sign on the papers!"

Kylie's jaw dropped. She was confused, who filed for divorce? Him or his wife? In that moment, he knew she was lost and didn't know what was going on, he wanted to save the moment but he knew what he was going to say next might ruin every possible chance that they can be together, and he really wanted her in his life.

"When you love someone, it's hard to let go..."*

Stay tuned for part XII, a lot of things will be revealed :) it might be the last one.

Delusional, realistic or what?

Check what Dali told his parents when they decided to employ a drawing teacher for him when he was still 10:

No! I don't want any drawing teacher, because I am an "Impressionist painter!"

Of course his parents laughed, and thought oh what a cute 10 year old boy!

But he was right wasn't he? This makes me think about our role as parents, whether to encourage our children when they blurt out something like the above, or dismiss it trying to diminish the difficulties, roughness and obstacles a person will face in a real life leading them not to be able to accomplish anything.

Some say: "No high expectations, no disappointment"

Do we encourage? or do we tell them: "get real, you're cute!"