The Gaydar

Does the gaydar exist? Is it real? :-O
I was having dinner with my friends last night, gossiping, talking about everyone.
And the conversation went a little bit like this:

"- Yahh this guy is gay! I know it!
- How can you know if he is gay?
- How can you not?"

I never really assessed someone's sexuality.
It is not because I do not trust my intuition or instinct, it is because if I do so, it means I am accepting all the gay stereotypes.
Let me explain

How can you know if someone's gay?
- Nice clothes
- Nice hair
- Too hot to be straight ( ;-) )
- Effeminate
- Gay lisp

There are all gay myths...
And personally I see no other way to guess someone's sexuality.

Some people claim that they can just feel it, just by looking at someone, without referring to these stereotypes.
William Lee Adam (Harvard College) conducted a study and proved that homosexual men and women are more accurate in identifying other homosexuals and this by showing pictures of random people's face to volunteers.
Just pictures. Impossible to examine his behavior, his attitude.

So maybe the gaydar does exist, but for me, this never worked.
I have no gaydar, and I am now wondering if things would have been easier if I could just know if someone is gay or not... Or maybe the whole mystery thing is more thrilling?

Save Beirut Heritage

So here is the article on Save Beirut Heritage I have been working on for the past couple of weeks for the school journal. :-)
Yes, it is French, and no, I do not know how to hold a camera... But here it is anyway!

Beyrouth est une jungle. Jungle pour sa diversité, pour son chaos.
Jungle de béton.
La « Dubaification » de Beyrouth commence. La ville se transforme en arène, lieux d’une course vers le ciel. La loi du plus haut l’emporte. 
Fasciné par le luxe, la distinction, on veut du neuf, du moderne. «Paris du Moyen-Orient», c’est ainsi que les uns ont surnommés notre capitale. Mais nous ignorons le prix que nous sommes en train de payer. C’est notre patrimoine que l’on démolit pour faire place au neuf.

Beyrouth, détruite et reconstruite sept fois. Ou plutôt huit. Notre histoire est entrain de disparaitre sous nos yeux pour faire place à un bouquet de gratte-ciels.
Certains ne comprennent pas l’importance des ruines qui trainent un peu partout à Beyrouth. Abris durant la guerre, transmis de père en fils, ces bâtiments chantent ensemble une mélodie, l’histoire de cette ville, ses jours les plus sombres, mais aussi ses plus beaux moments. Mémoire ancestrale des Libanais, portant marques d’obus et de destruction, chacune de ses maisons traditionnelles a une histoire à raconter.

Certain ont pris conscience de cette réalité. Naji Esther, 22 ans qui lance la campagne «Save Beirut Heritage». Son but: empêcher la démolition du patrimoine libanais. Il a réussit à éveiller la conscience des jeunes grâce a sa page Facebook qui a atteint plus de 5300 membres. C’est ainsi qu’il implique le ministère de la Culture. Avec l’aide de son Excellence Michel Eddé, ancient ministre de la Culture, une liste a alors été mise en place.  Quatre cent cinquante-neuf bâtiments, tous vieux de plus de 60 ans, sont ainsi protégés. Aucune destruction ni même un changement de la structure extérieure de ces édifices ne peut être effectué sans accord du ministère de la Culture.
Vingt demeures ont été sauvées de la destruction imminente. Une victoire pour Save Beirut Heritage.

Malheureusement, certains patrimoines n’ont pas put être sauvés. Ahwet el-Ezzez  (Café des glaces), bistrot traditionnel entre les pubs et bars plus modernes de Gemmazyeh, a ferme ses portes le 10 janvier, plus de 90 ans après son ouverture. Lieux de négociations secrètes, le café a rassemblé plusieurs hommes politiques durant révoltes et crises. À cette occasion, l’association Save Beirut Heritage organise une soirée d’adieu. Habitués et voisins du Kahwet el-Ezzez partagent ainsi histoires et souvenirs autour d’une dernière tasse de café.

Enfin, il suffit d’éveiller les jeunes, les éveiller a leur culture, leur racine, leur passé, et eux-seuls réaliserons l’importance de la préservation de ces demeures et apprendrons à les préserver.
C’est ainsi que l’on assurera une continuation au travail de Save Beirut Heritage.

Karim.

Cup'n Cake

I always pass in front of Cup'n Cake and just stand and stare at their beautiful cupcakes for a while, so today I decided it was time to try one... So I ended up buying four of them, cause I thought that one wasn't enough.

My stomach is spoiled.

The chocolate cupcake was too heavy but the rest was exquisite, especially the coconut :))

Golden Globes

I am so glad to hear that Glee won the prize of Best Comedy series! :-D
It is not really the kind of series that I expect to end up in a Golden Globes Award ceremony!

Moreover Chris Colfer took the prize for best supporting actor for his Kurt Hummel role, and Jane Lynch was best supporting actress for the role of Sue Sylvester!

On the other hand, Cher's song 'You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me' took the Best Song prize, for Burlesque.
I can't believe I still haven't watched that movie!
Khalas, I have to go this week-end!

A very Glee Golden Globe :)

A Single Man

I've never really been a Tom Ford fan, but this movie really showed me his talent.

I found the way he expressed all the character's emotions so clearly but also so implicitly genius.
The movie is about this English college professor who decides to commit suicide after his partner died in a car accident.

My favorite character is his best friend Charley. She smokes purple cigarettes! :-D

The 1960 is just perfect! Tight jeans, light colors. Everybody is always smoking, everybody looks high. Hippies.
Plus the English accent...  Just wonderful!

I ordered the book from Libraire Antoine, I hope it will arrive soon! Can't wait! :-)

Charley & the purple cigarette... 

A Great Gift Idea

My father just randomly gave me this weird blue book.

I first thought it was a diary... But when I took a close look to the blank pages, I saw the title on the top
"Great Idea No. __"
So I took another look at the cover, and read "The book of Great Ideas"

So my father looked at me and told me that when I will grow up and when I will have great ideas that will change the world, I should write them down in here and think about him... This is the nicest thing he ever told me...

My first great idea!

Taxi!

I like lists.
They make me feel comfortable. I like having everything planned, nice and organized.

But then, I decided to try to make a list of all the Lebanese taxis, and that was troubling.
So now I started this list, not knowing if it will ever end.

Then I thought that opening the Yellow Pages was wiser. So I did.
Two pages, yes, two pages, for only taxis.
How many? 111.

So, I'm just gonna post the hilarious one here.


Safe Taxi
As in, we're not gonna rape you, steal your money and leave you on the street. I feel better already!
But everyone knows that if you don't want to get raped, you have to ask for Banet Taxi! No men allowed!

Pythagore Taxi
Now I know you're smart! I wish you could see how relieved I am right now! Wooh! A taxi driver that can calculate the hypotenuse of a right triangle! Can you ask for more?
And his friends Smart Taxi and Taxi Al Sakafa.

France Taxi, Paris Taxi, London Taxi, Versailles Taxi
That's a little too far from home, dear. 

Also, if you're not afraid of the new radars, you can always choose Schumacher Taxi or Vite Taxi.

Some prefer staying simple: Friendly Taxi, Smile Taxi, Happy Taxi, Good Taxi, Best Taxi

While some are just too good for you! Lord Taxi, Private Taxi, Elegance Taxi, Excellence Taxi, Crystal Taxi, VIP Taxi, Crown Taxi, Queen Taxi, Sultan Taxi. This is just too luxurious.

And there's of course, the twins: Geries Taxi & Gerges Taxi.
Wait, triplets! Visa Taxi & Viva Taxi & Riva Taxi.
 
But if nobody wants to go in, you can always beg like Please Taxi!
Or maybe a warm welcome? Ahla taxi!

Jésuite Taxi
Specific religious background required.


Yeah... Enough sarcasm for tonight.

Just a sandwich?

That's what happens when you don't have lunch...

Eggs, lettuce, cheddar, cucumber, tomatoes, brie and Philadelphia...

 

I was also listening to Bootylicious and did my own remix:

I don't think you're ready for this jelly, 
I don't think you're ready for this jelly,
I don't think you're ready for this, 
Cause my sandwich is too delicious for you babe!!