Winter is here...

Beirut,

1:00 A.M.

To start off my winter right, I changed my hair color back to red this week :)

It puts me in the right mood for the nippy days to come...

It rained all day today, and will again tomorrow... The heavy rain is attempting to wash the traces of war off the buildings and streets...

Yes, winter is here... So ofcourse i have a cold, and so does everyone i know :(

I guess this means i have to go shopping for winter clothes... ughhh

I glanced at store windows while driving today, and everything is GRAY this winter... sho el essa?

Is it the "in" color this season, or are the shop owners in Beirut depressed after the summer they had?

Yalla... Gray & red goes well together...

For heathens this Ramadan...

It's against Muslim etiquette to ask people that you don't know if or why they don't fast (or pray), especially if your asking females... but ofcourse we don't live in a world that cares about manners... So people do ask these questions... Some ask to be judgmental and give you a lecture, and some are genuinely "concerned" about your spiritual well being...

Either way it's presumptuous...

So since it's not fun to just answer: I don't fast... And since sometimes you don't feel like having an elongated philosophical discussion about your believes... Here are 4 creative (yet quick) ways to answer people this Ramadan when they ask:

1- Q: Why are you not fasting?

A: Why are you fasting?

(My question is just as absurd as yours)

2- Q: Are you fasting?

A: I'm fasting verbally... During this Ramadan I will not speak negatively against any organized religion, it's rituals or those who follow it. (that's ALOT to give up for 30 days)

3- Q: Are you fasting?

A: No, I have my period.

(If you're a female, this is not meant as a lie, but rather to embarrass (or shock) the person asking the question. If you're a male, it will be taken as a joke and hopefully there will be some laughs and you can move on to another subject)

4- Q: Are you fasting?

A: No, cause I was told dehydration is not good for my hangover.

I've personally used the first two this year... And I actually applied #2.

If you have any new ways to answer these questions... please feel free to post them here :)

Ramadan Karim & Happy Eid

Dream about me...

Click to listen while you read: Dream About Me

Oh, dream about me

Lie, on the phone to me

Tell me no truth

If it is bad

There's enough in my life

To make me so sad

Just dream about

Color fills our lives

Just dream about

Someone else tonight

Just dream about

Color fills our song

Just dream about

How I will let go

I'm somewhere in China...

Actual location: Beirut, 3:00 a.m.

Sandlewood incense burning... lights are off...

Close your eyes and listen...

"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a fact,
It's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die..."

(Click to hear the entire song: Nine Million Bicycles)

The Seven Daughters of Eve

According to Bryan Sykes, (a leading authority on DNA and human evolution) there is a remarkable gene which passes undiluted from generation to generation through the maternal line. Therefore, everyone can trace their ancestry back to one of seven women, the Seven Daughters of Eve.
In his book "The Seven Daughters of Eve" he names them: Ursula, Xenia, Helena, Velda, Tara, Katrine, and Jasmine...

As I was reading about this book... I started imagining what these women looked like... What kind of lives did they lead...

I wonder which one is my "mom"...
I like the name Tara... Could she be my great great ∞ grandmother?
Which one do you think is yours?

How far are we from discovering the story of our origin?

According to DNA experts, we can answer the first 2 questions.

The 3rd question however, will remain unanswered for a long long time...