Serena's visit

yes, Serena, who is just 45 days old visited us with her parents last Saturday!
she is so cute!
and I couldn't get enough photos of her!
Ghadi was so cooperative and he loved her, and accepted to kiss her tiny hand...
but the moment i calle dher "katkouta" he jumped in front of me and yelled: nooooo, ana katkouta!
and this is right, sometimes i do call him "katkout" as nick name
so i agreed with him and we instantly thought together of another nickname (the only name that hit my head was batbouta! silly i know, but i was trying to save the situation!)
I loved his reaction and I do respect his point!
and here are few shots of  baby Serena!

Zeina is 1 year old!

Our neighbor, the lil princess Zeina B. turned one year old!
she was so cute, overwhelmed by the balloons, the guests, the cake,
she clapped her hands all the time smiling, and I enjoyed shooting her:

Beach, Water & a LOT of Fun!

Yesterday we went to the beach with my sister and her kids...
The fun we had, or better said, the fun Ghadi had can not be written or described, it was such a hilarious day and we all enjoyed it!
Ghadi is much more courageous, he was playing alone in the pool, he climbed the ladder, jumped into the water, first with the help of my magnificent nieces and nephew, then by his own...
thanks to S., R., and R. I managed to lay down all the day, enjoying the lazy sun, watching him play, without having to run after him ALL the time!

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Ouyoun Elsamak- July 2010

Bike, Helmet, & Sun Glasses... My charming rider!

Too calm to be true: my angel!

During a long-urgent- shopping attack for Jamil last Monday, Ghadi proved to be a calm, supporting lovely 2.8 years old boy!

Even while I’m writing this I find it hard to believe!

Yet though all our fears  and expected scenes like: leaving the shop with/out buying ANYTHING, or singing out loud as to hide his continuous nagging and his nonstop request to leave the trolley, and subsequently  running after him between clothes racks endlessly, etc, etc…

It was just the opposite!

Reading, laughing and talking to the funny salesmen, I couldn’t help rewarding this angle by a Huge hug as soon as i got home!

Sarah B.'s visit!

Last week Sarah.B. visited us with her parents

Sarah was born 4 days after Ghadi

Her mom and I had so much fun during our pregnancy time, comparing our bellies, sharing our first emotions; and during the struggles of the first 2 years it was so relieving to exchange our experiences.

Ghadi was welcoming, friendly and he let her play with him… 

after a while, we heard voices from his playroom…

we sneaked...

She was sitting facing him, and he was holding his favorite book, reading her a story…

It was soooooo nice and heart warming!

A trip to the north- Ouyoun El Samak!

Last Sunday jamil’s cousin organized a trip to “Ouyoun Elsamak”, (springs of fishes-would be the literal translation!?)

The place is about half hour from Tripoli... it's situated just after "Elnabi Yousha3" village.

when we arrived, the beauty and the peaceful nature was overwhelming!

It’s been a long time since I sat at a cascade, hearing the sound of  falling stream , feeling the drops of fresh water hitting my face and my body! 

It was Hilarious!

I would have posted 100 photos

But I’d rather reduce the selection to less than 20! 

Ghadi’s first dream coming true, was the simple fact of traveling in the bus!

He always gazes at school buses and I’m sure that spending two hours in the bus was the best part of the day for him!

The narrow road leading towards the valley was a bit scary…in fact, too scary!

But  the views of the lake were breathtaking and somehow it distracted us.

As we arrived we had to cross an old steel bridge, which was so exciting  for Ghadi as well!

then the falling water embraced us with a fresh breeze and a loud manifestation declaring its presence.

 we had a peaceful walk in the surrounding nature

Ghadi took us this photo…

 not bad at all for a barely 3 years old!

OK, I DID some editing here, but not cropping!

Ghadi was so happy, surrounded by his cousins and getting all the attention he needs!

then just before we left he discovered the weird sensation of throwing stones into the running river below

so he started the procedure of collecting pebbles,

and throwing pebbles!

this lasted more than one hour,

until we announced we were leaving,

then he insisted on keeping one stone in his hand and did not let it go until he fell asleep in the bus on the way back!

Thank you God for granting us the chance to see the beauty of your creation

Thank you Mira for this nice family's day out

Thank you Jamil for being so helpful and supportive running after Ghadi all day long!

Memories vs. dimensions!

Hearing about the  3D movies makes me think (and really think) about all this fuss of new dimension…

And it takes me back to my university years at KHB when we had to do an assignment about projecting a 2D project into a 3D presentation

My concept was about time/memory

Memory has always intrigued me and its structure is so mystic

Scientists proclaim they have deshiphered its mechanism

But still it amazes me

How a song, a perfume, a scent or even a sound may evoke hundreds of memories we thought they were buried deep in the bottom

And suddenly they come up to the surface

and we find ourselves driven by a flood of unpredicted emotions...
and we re-live the moment!

How can u measure a memory? Which dimension shall we use?

Old vs. new? So when it comes back, is it old anymore?

Big vs. small? Minor vs. major?

What if we project all our memories on a giant blank wall…

How would it look like?

What would be the dominant color?

What music shall be playing in the background?

What would be on the top?

I promise when I do it, I’ll show you the results!

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Didn't think I would have a post titled “World Cup”… But it seems I am!

I have always considered the World Cup mania as:

-          Typical exaggerated Lebanese reaction for “just another world cup!”

-          Free time for myself since Jamil and Ghadi would be mesmerized on TV for 2 consecutive hours

-          A great time to drive in Beirut and do necessary shopping since roads considered as hell on normal day would be empty (and I mean really EMPTY) during the match, yay!

(Ok, under the condition that I shall return home before the end when guys would drive like crazy celebrating- or mourning the results!)

That was all my perception about this time of the year, until last Saturday…

I invited my sister and her family (who live abroad and are now here for summer vacation) to come &  watch the game at my place.

It was the craziest and funniest time ever

Argentina was playing versus Germany

All shouting and laughing

And Ghadi was acting like them

I really had fun

After all, maybe it’s fun to share emotions and release energy in a healthy way like this…

I might consider watching the next game… lol

Randomness

One of the things I really love, is when I drive my kid early morning to the nursery, listening to a song of Feiruz, selected randomly by a DJ of a randomly selected F.M. station.

and today my heart went so wide when he shouted before i turned on the radio: I want Feiruuuuuuuuz!

Eansy Weansy Kittens!

Finally I got my new Canon Powershot SX210IS!

It's amazing and I love it...It includes the Manual Mode which I won't be using before long time, and my first photo session was for Mira's little kittens which happen to be just 7 days old!

Not any Dream

"When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter."

I have read this quote somewhere and i just love it!


It explains my continuous anxiety to improve, to be satisfied with who I am, to create and recreate and reshape the colorful scenes around me by a smile, an advise, or even a thought...
Maybe studying Architecture was part of this plan.
But the bigger dream that would really make the world a better place has not come true yet...
A children book!
A dream I am sharing with a dear friend who happens to be a super talented children books illustrator!
I'm saying it out loud to motivate myself and maybe this way it would be more than just another thought waggling among the 100 dreams yet to be achieved before I leave this world! 

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« J’ai quitté là-bas, mais je ne suis pas encore d’ici » —
Dany Laferrière


dedicated to Hoda, Linda and Ruba!
my friends in Germany about whom I should be writing a LOT in the near future
about what we shared and what we have been through for three amazing years in Berlin...

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يوم دافىء على الشاطىء
Just another lazy day on the beach