Africvoyages

Blog was on annual break in August.
I don't promise anything for September but I will do my best.
This here is a snapshot of an old "agence de voyage" that I used to come to with my mum starting summer 1994 until plane tickets decided to mute into being "electronic".
There was a whole concept of "confirmation" and "reconfirmation" that had to be operated before packing and heading home.
The office is deserted now, giving place to e-ticketing virtual space. I bet offices on the net don't look that cool, do they ?

How I started looking at things differently ...Literally

It's been almost 7 days since the little "accident" that aimed a harmless little nose...mine.
Ever since, I started looking at things differently... literalliy different, with a little bump on the nose , I can say it's a pretty interesting new perspective.
Plastic surgeon gave me the choice to adjust it with a "small procedure" he'd be glad to perform. Because of the lack of trust I have in plastic surgery in my country (a.k.a lebanese women looking more and more alike) I chose to keep my "profil grec" - the end -

diaries of a visaphobic

Tomorrow should be the day I face my version of primal fear: getting a visa appointment for a touristic purpose. To tell you how much I hate getting in line, acting like I was not proud to have a Lebanese passport, here is my story: I recall wanting to go so bad to the States 3 years ago, back when Aoukar's inhabitants were so envied living under the wing of the American embassy (wondering if a visa for them was a neighborhood privilege) , I had decided to make it to the US differently..... (don't get carried away with thoughts) I tried my luck applying for a scholarship I had accidentally heard of at school.
I was right.

Paris this time - No scholarship.  Only a pile of documents and hideous passport photos.

Wish me luck.

Lebanese civil war (round 2)

I declare this book as "the book" that was about to trigger a sequel for Lebanese civil war .
Amazing what a book can do...before even reading its content.




Cheers.

un polisson tout comme toi...

Avant d'entamer son long voyage, le petit prince apprenait à voler dans les ruelles de son quartier...

Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais il me rappelle un joli petit garçon brun qui jouait au superman du balcon de sa maison.

Je te souhaite le plus doux des anniversaires.

Lipsie.

Terrence at Cannes

"Tree of life" wins top honor at the Cannes film festival.

Here is a photo of the press-shy Malick, who skipped all public events at the festival.

Funny how much he reminds me of that friend who introduced me to his movies.

2 girls down (soon to be married) 3 to go (enjoying single-hood)

We were 15 when I heard you say "I will never get married before 30" ... well guess what? you were wrong, and I'm so glad you were :)

Distance, I am hating you

Kabul,
I wish you children smiles and less bombings.
Until you decide you want out, I send you kisses
to keep you safe.

We will never have Paris...

and "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"

Birthday Boy (2)

BB & B

Complicité des femmes "Gainsbourg",

reste à imaginer la suite.

Birthday Boy (1)

Beatles, 

col mahot, 

Paris.

En langue de Cinéma...

Je donne ma langue à Godard.
Il saura mieux te le dire.

Skype me, Skype me not

It's ironic how methods of communication sometimes turn into
a chaos "d'incommunicabilité".
I kiss your bad mood.

ناطرة زمور ؟

Here is to women !
Here is to "Schaeffer" et l'attente des femmes !
Here is to looking at you kid, for making me wait...

Au delà de cette limite, votre ticket n'est plus valable

AIRPORT / DAY

You check in. You get on your plane.

New grounds ahead. 

As you land, you're humming to yourself I'm sick of "Layovers"

You devour gates, you get to the one displaying those six little letters 

BEIRUT

You move around in line, you hand out your ticket then comes a voice:

Je m'excuse monsieur mais "au delà de cette limite votre ticket n'est plus valable"

Welcome to DXB, where layovers turn out to be destinations.

(avec un brin de romain gary)

from Beirut to Beirut

I thought Emmanuel should have landed by now.

So I waited and waited, then waited a little bit more.
Then suddenly ! Nothing happened.
So I decided to take a walk to a small souvenir shop in Hamra,
picked up a postcard, vintage, just the way I like it, wrote on it a few words,
stamped it then....posted to this address :

Adonis Hakim
2nd street, Elissar
Northern Metn
Beirut - LEBANON

"Ta" nuit chez Maud

Françoise Hardy joue Maud

"Ma nuit chez maud" un film d'Eric Rohmer

Jean-Louis: And I'm going to be very busy

Maud: Business or love affairs ?

Jean-Louis: Love affairs, of course

Et bien voilà: tes nuits chez Maud se multiplient. Et dire que tu me demandais de prendre l'avion vers l'Est.

Je ne suis fidèle qu'à une seule ville meurtrière "Beyrouth". Les autres ne m'intéressent pas. Je te les garde, et Maud aussi.

La vérité derrière " Est-ce qu'il y a des croissants ? "

BB : "Est ce qu'il y a des croissants ?"

Gainsbourg : "Non, mais j'ai 3 chansons. J'en ai une sur les motocyclettes."

BB : "Je n'aime pas les motocyclettes..."

                    

Another Boom

Another boom he says.

Alors j'ai décidé de lui dédier cette icone-photo.

Lui aussi il y croit de temps à autre, il me l'as dit une fois.

Je sais bien qu'il ne la rangera pas dans son portefeuille mais peu importe.

"Women are heroes"

Out-sized street art work by JR on screen.

Definitely the next #mustwatch on my list.

I'd like to think this documentary goes beyond

the exoticism of cities & their women.

Sometimes, having a woman in Sierra leone with her national

outfit, caught in your camera lens is sufficient to have a great

moving piece (tried it myself), its thriving narration of those women's real struggle that we lack.

I'm a P.Y.T

So This is it ! I'm out of FB.
To make it up, I bought myself a Michael Jackson album.
Now I enjoy my mercedes rides much more than ever and SHOUT.
I can't help it but it reminds me of you, my Billie Jean, you smooth criminal.
Wanna be startin' something ?
Signed:
your Liberian girl.

Let's drink to...CURVES !

Just when I was about to embrace the habit of 

the 8/12s exercise plan...

Crystal Renn made it into my life.

Cheers to

 "Appetite, Ambitions 

& the embrace of Curves ! "

Postcards

...but I mostly miss what I have here on this wall : You.

Up in the air

"now this is gona be a little difficult, so stay with me"

quote from Up in the air - movie by Jason Reitman.

Kabul, je t'aime.

Chaque visage raconte l'histoire d'une femme en attente d'être une.

C'est ce que les femmes font; elles attendent.

Plein de pensées douces...