Hoya!

"Hoya" is my new greeting word - and yes I do realise its the brand name of camera filters, but just try to say it out and see how expressive. It sounds sort of Japanese

I'm finally back to Amman, spent a whole week in Egypt. Finished reading Memoires of a Geisha while there and almost halfway through with Bayt Saye' Al Som'a (Arabic: بيت سيء السمعة - translation "A House with Bad Reputation") by the great Nagib Mahfouz.
Egypt was absolutely brilliant - but my visit was quite long! Mehh, at least I got to have Kushari the last hour on the way to the airport ;)

Met Mohammed as I visited Gazneer which was absolutely brilliant and hugely inspirational, although I have to admit part of me (a really big part) felt like a worthless piece of *chocolate fudge*; but still inspirational ;)

I will definitely show you photos later, of vintage treasures I got as well as random street photos of people from around Cairo. Just to say i'm back for only 2 weeks.

Belated Eid Adha Mubarak (for those who didn't receive the card, see it here)
&

Merry Christmas (the card is coming, later today walla)

:)

Leba-Oui!

It's really hard not to be inspired by a city that is considered one of the main inspiration sources of the Levantine culture. So much of artists, poets and actors did - and since I'm a sucker for whatever's related to Arabic art and so on, I did get inspired greatly.

You walk down the street, with the humidity giving you a 'warm' embrace, you get this beautiful views that really entertain you. The interesting buildings of Beirut, the ones that are build in a seriously beautiful manner, the haunted ones, the colourful ones and the a-la-europe built ones make a great combination. Down to the old places and their extremely traditional signs, signs which lasted from the 70's or even way before that, the red calligraphy against the dusty grey, the brushed white arabic words against dark blue painted wood, the emboss non functional luminescent orange classic typography. Very facinating

Another element would be the amount of sparkling stuff you see, probably most wouldn't notice but as you walk by the stores you get blinded by the reflective huge golden women bags and their little twinkling details with medallions and god knows what in the background. The women who are very well dressed, the old people who talk a funny accent of Beirut and more and more.

And oh, just in case you wonder. I'm still there and I'm writing from Costa coffee in Hamra.
I am jealous of the following:

1. There are no fat people here
2. Kids my age and younger work their butts off to get money!
   
3. They speak French fluently
4. They have a sea
5. People here live in Beirut (ha, makes any sense?)
6. Nadine Labaki is Lebanese.

Beirut, here I come

yes that's right, in 4 hours I'm leaving to the beautiful beautiful Beirut in Lebanon. And no, it's not for that reason just to spend some vacation time with my family.

Oh twinkly nights of Beiruts, damp sunny days and beautiful inspiring times - Here I come!