I Sang You to Sleep...

Creed - Lullaby

Lyrics

Hush my Love now don't you cry

Everything will be all right

Close you eyes an drift in dream

Rest in peaceful sleep

If there's one thing I hope I show You

If there's one thing I hope I show you

Hope I show you

Just give love to all

Just give love to all

Just give love to all

All my love in my arms tight

Everyday you give me life

As I drift off to your world

Rest in peaceful sleep

I know there's one thing that you'll show me

I know there's one thing that you'll show me

That you'll show me

Just give love to all

Just give love to all

Just give love to all

Let's give love to all

Let's give love to all

Just give love to all

Let's give love to all

Just give love to all

Let's give love to all

Embarrassing Incident Turns Into Funny Encounter

There are few, very few, situations that are more embarrassing than having your fly break open while attempting to answer nature's multiple calls in a public restroom. Because what usually follows such accidents is you having to spend the rest of the day wondering how obvious it is, who's looking, and, if it's your first time, thinking to yourself "wow, the breeze, it's real!!" - especially if you're stranded like I was. Well that's what was going on in my mind on tuesday, anyway. At the Saab Medical Library at AUB, I was relieving myself in one of the stalls. And then it happened. It happened because I was too stubborn and somehow put too much force and - I'll spare the details, if you don't mind - I ended up hearing the sound. And then I knew... I thought "uh oh!"

More intriguing cab rides...

It's not everyday that I get to go around Beirut in a cab. In fact I've gotten so accustomed to driving my own car that all of the chaos surrounding our notorious public transport system had evaded my memory. When you have your own car, you just forget about the adventure that it is to get a cab driver to drive you from point A to point B, and all that's in between.

... Until your car stays at the dealership workshop for 4 days for repairs and maintenance (And yes I see the trend, thank you).

I got a call from the guys at the garage asking me to come and pick up my pride and joy, ready after a long absence.

The trip from AUH to the Sin el Fil workshop was uneventful. But it was the return trip that was all worth while! I picked up my car and parked it in the Galaxy mall parking lot (Coming back to Hamra or Bliss and searching for a safe parking spot is a no-no after 10:00 AM), and took a serial 2 cabs back to AUH. My car parked in a safe underground parking away from direct sunlight, I was happy, smiling, and satisfied with the workshop's job well done.

(1) - Galaxy - Tayyouneh

I hailed the first cab and in the ceremonial "la wein?" (where to?) conversation, I said "Tayyouneh". The cab driver laughed and appeared annoyed, and whined "ma ele jlede ya zalame halla2 kenet bel tayyouneh!" ("Oh come on man! I can't be bothered, I was just there for cryin out loud!") Surprised, I smiled and said "OK... it's your call, I'm not making you do it!", thinking to myself: "is this for real??". The guy finally told me he'd drive me to the end of the street for free and go home for lunch. On the way he found 2 more clients going to tayyouneh, so he looked at me and happily congratulated me saying "wejjak kheir ya habibe!" (something like good karma). I ended up reaching my waypoint and the driver ended up making an extra LBP 6,000 before lunch.

(2) - Tayyouneh - Hamra

The second cab driver was less of a pleasant ride. As I leaned toward the pasenger side window and said "Hamra", I noticed that he was staring at my lips. It turned out he was deaf, and had impaired speech, probably as a result of his deafness. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between him and the passenger who sat in the front next to him. The story had it that he had lost his hearing in an explosion sometime during his childhood. He had burn scars on what was the better part of his body to show for it. And then, in an all-but-subtle segue, he went on to talk about how he had just lost his 20 year-old brother to a Heroin overdose. And before I could wrap my head around that, he looks at me in his rear view mirror and mumbled words I couldn't make out, but he made it clear by acting out a drug user's needle prick. The passenger then told me the whole story he had heard. The driver was trying to figure out how to get his two other brothers off the drugs before it was too late. What a shame.

After this humbling reminder of my pre- driver's license days, I got to AUH on time, with lots to think about.

Good karma? Bad karma? I couldn't tell anymore.

Is Your Jar Full?

Link to original article here.
Is Your Jar Full? When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar......and the beer. A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes."

The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your
health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of
the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

When he had finished, there was a profound silence. Then one of the students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the beer represented. The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."