Virtual Life: OFF Real Life: ON

Going without technology for 48hrs

The first feeling I experienced after giving away my phone was freedom. I usually hold my phone in my hand, so the feeling of the wind on my hand was very weird. I started moving my arms back and forth as if they were attached my whole life and I was moving them for the first time. As I got in the car and faced the 5o’clock usual traffic, I thought I will not survive without music. I usually connect my phone to my car and listen to the music I download but this time I had to listen to imposed music from the radio. I know I was already cheating by listening to the radio but it was really impossible for me to stay calm and make it home without tearing my hair. Cars’ honking at the end of a long and tiring day is exhausting and my only way to stay calm and save energy is through music. The first night was not very difficult; I made some traditional telephone calls, had dinner with my mother and went to bed early. Wednesday morning, I went to the French embassy to ask a couple of questions about some papers. I waited in line for my turn and a few minutes after, a man came and stood behind me, also waiting for his turn. Instead of looking on my non-existent phone, I started looking at catalogues and brochures displayed on a table besides me. Honestly, I acted as if I was reading them just to avoid the man’s eyes. At this moment, I felt really bad, not because I had difficulties avoiding the man’s eyes, but because I realized how insecure and awkward I can be.

As for the rest of the time left, I enjoyed the company of some friends and had lovely conversations. I felt frustrated sometimes when I could not take pictures of beautiful things and post them on Snapchat or Instragram. Thursday night I even felt lost and bored so I went to bed early and slept better.

This experience was challenging and rich at the same time. Nowadays, having a smart phone is a fulltime job and I realized I need to control this job and not let it invade my whole life. During 48hours, I thought about life in a different way and had a different perception on important issues such as relationships between people. It made me realize that letters and emoticons do not represent our feelings and emotions and we should not give them importance and base our judgments on them. It also made me think of older generations and how they lived waiting for precious live interactions. Today, we do not value face to face interactions anymore. I truly encourage all of you to do turn off your virtual world and turn on the real life.

Beirut Art Fair 2015

While most Lebanese are trying to find a direct solution for the trash problem, art may be an indirect answer to relax and clear a lot of minds. Beirut Art Fair returns this year with a lot of international artists expressing themselves through drawings, paintings, sculptures, digital videos…

The event was open to the public from September 18 to 20. Around fifty modern and contemporary designs from different artists were exposed in Biel this weekend. Each art piece reflects a story, a dream, a statement.

Like every year, Biel Hall gets transformed into a labyrinth of artistic objects. The public receives a map at the entry showing the locations of each designer. As for the exposed items, Beirut Art Fair keeps surprising the Lebanese public with innovative designs suiting the historical and social aspects of the country. For instance, a stand exposing carpets, Nalbandian Sal, decorated the carpets with fake trash and an empty presidential seat. And this year, the event focused on the relation between reality and virtual world.

Almost all designers were present in front of their art explaining the stages they went through and the difficulties they experienced while working.

The artist Graciela Hasper resting in front of her painitngs

The artist Alexandre Ouairy reads local news during the exhibition

The public included people from all ages. A lot of business people were discussing prices and potential future investments. Art critics were of course present too analyzing the small details. And finally families and friends attended the event to share a relaxing moment and acknowledge more about international and local art.

Two women discussing a painting

Two persons trying to get the best shot of a painting

Morover, the public had the chance to express themselves through what we can call art. Two large walls were available for the people, some chose to write their names while other gave their opinion on the whole event and the city Beirut.

Not only artists can express themselves

Une Libanaise au Liban

After her big success in Paris, the famous blogger "Une Libanaise a Paris" returns to her country - Lebanon - to meet her readers and tell them more about her experience. The event was organized by The Agenda Beirut in partnership with Swarovski and Le Gray Beirut and was set yesterday. A lot of people attended the event on Le Gray's rooftop and the ambiance was very nice despite the heat. 

I attended the event with Kristy, a friend who is also passionate about fashion and has a great taste in style. 

The blogger took time to speak with her readers and take pictures with them for social media of course. She was also interviewed by several TV stations before hitting the stage to talk about her experience in blogging in front of the crowd. 

In general, she talked about the different stages she went through as a blogger with a big smile on her face. She is a very funny person who likes to make a lot of jokes and make people laugh. After her talk, several persons asked her questions on her blog and her opinion on social media and so on. The most exciting part of the event was when she talked about her experience with Chanel and her interview with Karl Lagerfeld. I almost had tears in my eyes when she told us what Lagerfeld thought about her. Overall the event was very successful for everyone.

 

As for my outfit, I chose to wear chic black pants from Zara with a white cropped top also from Zara. I styled the outfit with a kimono that I bought from Primark London two years ago. As for the shoes, I wore high platforms from Zara to give an elegant touch. 

How to spend effective university mornings

I wrote this little article for a media class last semester and I thought why not share it with you.

Waking up in the morning is probably the most difficult task of the day for students, especially if they are not waking up for a morning flight or day of ski.  

And since the whole day depend on the wake up, getting up 30 min before class and eating breakfast in the elevator are not a solution for an active university day. Here are some tips to spend an effective morning.

1. The Wake-up Time

The alarm is one of the main element in the wake up process. According to some researches, light is more effective than sound. For those who have issues getting out of bed, the best solution is the dawn-simulating alarm clocks that brighten the room as wake time approaches. And for those who like to wake up in a soft ambiance, music brings in positive morning vibes. 

2. Time in Bed

After waking up, students tend to stay in bed and extend the alarm for 5 more minutes before going back to sleep. This reaction occurs many times before the student breaks the alarm. The best solution in this case is to wake up from the first time and sit in bed during 15 min approximately. In this short period of time, students wake up slowly and start to get use to the idea of getting up. 

    3. Time to Work out?

Yes. According to Carla Habib Mourad, a community nutritionist, working out in the morning is the best moment to burn fat. Even simple stretching is useful to kick off an energetic day.

    4. Breakfast of Champions

“Diets”, “no appetite” and “not hungry” are no excuses for missing breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. “Breakfast should be composed of carbohydrates like bread and cereals, daily products like milk or cheese, and vegetables,” said Mourad.

5. Have your Homework Ready

Most students tend to leave homework for the last minute - in the morning, of course. Under the stress of not submitting the work on time, most students are not satisfied of their final product. Having your homework ready in the evening will make your mornings peaceful and soothing instead of stressful and pressuring. 

    6. Stuck in Traffic

Avoiding traffic is almost impossible in the morning. The first thing to do is estimate the time it will take to get to the destination and leave on time. And while in the car, try to engage in relaxing activities such as listening to music, following daily news or reading a book - if you are not driving of course.

Another hidden treasure

As I already mentioned in my previous posts, discovering local beautiful places became a real passion. And this time we hit Baakline! This region is known for its river but the place we found included a lake with waterfalls. 

Of course I was amazed by the view but I didn’t realize its true beauty until I got in the water and "experienced the beauty". I know the expression is weird but this is what I really felt. My perception of nature changed in the water because I could smell and feel the lack with my other senses. Watching the waterfalls and feeling them on your head is completely different. Although the water was super cold, and when I say super cold trust me I am not exaggerating, I could feel my blood freezing, the experience overall was very nice and refreshing. Actually after a minute in the water, your body gets used to the temperature so you tend to forget the cold. 

As for the food, well as much as I like to talk about food there isn’t really something to say because we only got chips and small snacks. The other people around us brought their barbecues and we had to smell the grills without eating (hard thing to do when you're in the middle of no where with no real food). 

Inspiration and encouragements // Mood

This post is not about style, food or tourism, it's just some thoughts that I wanted to share with you; and of course feel free to comment and express your feelings too. In the fashion industry, like in all kind of industries, it is really hard to accomplish ambitious goals and succeed like we expected. 

I keep thinking about the relation between passion, efforts and successful people; like for example small designers who became legends or young bloggers who ended up being a source of inspiration for many. This whole subject intrigues me a lot; I keep asking myself a hundred of questions and wonder how to achieve my own goals in life. After many analysis, I think the first step is knowing exactly what we want, in other words, defining our exact objectives. Once you set your goals, you can start fighting and trying your best to achieve them. This whole procedure needs a lot of optimism and ambitious, but most of all, passion. Personally, I think every single person has a specific passion in life, but not everyone is aware of it. So I really encourage all of you to embrace and experience your small interests in life to discover your real passion, the one you are ready to die for. Success needs passion. 

And after this important step including the specific definition of your goals, you can start planning the strategies to overcome the obstacles. And as I said, you need to stay optimist and ambitious, and persevere until you get what you want. It is very important to always stay positive and enjoy your hard work. Fighting for something that we don't truly want is useless and tiring, but struggling for something we love is a source of happiness. 

And in whatever you do, whatever steps and struggles you are going through, there are always going to be things or persons who will try to take you down for many reasons. Haters are good sign, it means that you are doing something strong, powerful and scary. Failure is also good sign because it helps you get back on the right road. 

And if you are interested in fashion and you know that you are passionate about it, don't be discouraged by people who pretend to be superior and make you feel like you need more work and you're not ready. Fashion in particularly is a freestyle wonderland where every passionate creature can freely express itself. 

You need to believe in yourselves and be confident because every single person of you is special and fabulous; you just need to find the light to take you to your 'home'. 

Jbeil we go

Last Saturday I played the tourist in my own country with the summer hat and the backpack, and went to visit Jbeil with some friends. What a beautiful region. I went there a few times when I was younger but I never realized its true beauty until last Saturday. 

As we arrived, my friends and I had a typical Lebanese lunch on the seaport. We went then for a walk in the old souks but we were too lazy to walk so we took a little tourist open bus. The cool thing about Jbeil is that you don’t only have a beautiful museum and the old souks, but you also have the beach! So of course we went for a walk on the beach and couldn’t help it to jump in the waves like small kids.

The natural beauty of Lebanon is being ignored because of its political situation. Lebanese people are traveling for vacations while they don’t even visit their own country. I really encourage each one of you to take time to discover your own territory (whether it’s Lebanon or not) because every state has hidden natural treasures.  
This is what other countries thought about Jbeil: