This is Beirut is back..with a vengeance!

You read right. This is Beirut is back!

Yep. You see, I had a break through yesterday..

I can’t let this blog go. I can’t let Beirut go. I can’t let Lebanon go.

Some things you just have to accept.

This is most definitely one of them.

Even though I moved to Trinidad and even started a new blog (I’m all over the place, I know. You don’t have to tell me)..I still feel like a part of me is missing – a big part. And since I can’t go back to Lebanon at the moment, keeping up with this blog seems like something I just have to do. I owe it to this blog, and I owe it to myself to continue what I started. I can’t walk away..at least not now.

So..yesterday, I got in touch with my trusted friend, and comment extraordinaire – Youssef Chaker – and together we decided that this blog deserves to be kept..well..alive. This blog is not ready to be relegated to the annals of history just yet.

So..yeah..Youssef. I reached out to Youssef for the first time when I realized that his comments on this blog were oftentimes longer than my posts! Without fail, he always took the time to add a layer of insight and perspective to things that I just.. couldn’t..or had simply overlooked..and at times, he even challenged me to ‘do more’ when I was clearly off my game. “You’ve set a high standard for yourself Danielle, and you have no choice but to maintain it.” He would say..and as you can imagine, we quickly became friends. So, when it came time to decide whether I wanted to ‘relaunch’ this blog or not, I immediately got in touch with Youssef.. and thankfully (and without hesitation), he agreed to co-author this blog with me!

Truth.

Youssef is back in Lebanon after a brief stint in Chile, and will be doing the ground work and most of the research.. I am in Trinidad (at the moment) and will be helping him to analyze, edit, and write about what we find that’s of interest..and together we will co-author This is Beirut! (I will also be blogging at This is Trinidad for those of you interested in life in the Caribbean..)

Excited? You better be. Like really. I know I am. And I’m pretty sure Youssef is too.

For those of you who want to know a bit more about how we arrived at this decision,, and about the new co-author Youssef, visit our recently updated bio page - NOUS.

Hope you’re ready..cause..

source

Damn. It’s good to be back.

Plush it Baby, Plush it Good.

So..I was walking in Hamra, when I noticed that literally..after every few feet.. there are yellow signs advertising a new Lebanese blog.  Yellow being my favorite color and all, I decided to snap this shot so I could remember the address later..

http://www.plushbeirut.blogspot.com

The poster reminded me of Ivy’s poster encouraging single Lebanese ladies to “make their move” on Valentines day..

Make your move! http://www.Ivysays.com

Anyway, I decided to check out the blog, almost positive that it was yet another superficial blog about being fashionably fabulous..and was pleasantly surprised when I read their “About Us” section:

We don’t dress up for the gym.  We don’t drive the most expensive cars.  We take public transportation.  We sit at the bar.  We don’t pop champagne.  We aren’t daddy’s super rich girls.  We shop from outlets and regular store…And no we don’t go on a sprees in London, Paris, New York..We are College Students.  We design our clothes, or try at least.  We love the arts.  We love to party.  We be PLUSHIN’ Beirut Town – Hail PLUSH*

This blog is about those effortlessly chic people we love to hate..those people who manage to throw together just about anything and make it work…but mostly, this blog is about being yourself.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Plush, and tell them I like their stuff..check out their blog by clicking here.

I mean, just check out their photos!

Love her! http://www.plushbeirut.blogspot.com

Yeah...you got it. http://www.plushbeirut.blogspot.com

Happiness. True Happiness. http://www.plushbeirut.blogspot.com

Keep on keeping on!

What people don’t understand about Blogs..

So, I got to work this morning, eager to check if I had any comments on my posts..as most bloggers do..

And this was my most recent comment on the post “Pierre and Friends,”

New comment on your post “Pierre and friends..”
Author : Panini
E-mail : panini@yahoo.fr
URL    :
Whois:
Comment:

dear you have to slow down and stop bla bla, change the font and teh display of your blog and put nice pictures please

Naturally, I rushed to Unapprove/Delete the comment..

“I don’t want my viewers reading comments like this?!?” I thought..

But then, it came to me..who the hell is this dude to tell me what I need to do with MY blog..What font I need to use, what pictures to display?   Only my Momma tells ME what to do!  And so far, she seems to love my blog!

Now let me get this straight..I don’t mind critical posts on my blog when it comes to the actual content of the blog..If I’m wrong about something, or if you’ve had a different experience, please, CALL ME OUT.  My grandfather sends me grammar corrections all the time actually… But please, refrain from bashing the style and the design of the blog!   That’s like telling me I have no sense of style..which may be true..but it’s still MEAN!

I’m not a designer, nor am I a photographer.  Oh, and while we’re at it, I’m also not an official news source..

I’m just a 23 year old girl from Miami..who is living and working in Lebanon..

Aaaand..These are my stories, and my experiences, and I write them as I see them..plain and simple.

If you don’t like them, if my font disturbs you, and if you think my photos are shite..perhaps my blog is just not for you!

Bon jus!! Correction: Top Jus!

Bon jus..!!

Had my first Bon jus today!  For all my peeps in Miami, this is like Caprisun, or those little Mott’s juice boxes you used to get as a kid.. except these little Bon jus’s are like 20 cents, and they are a staple in every Lebanese childhood.  Apparently they haven’t changed the packaging in over 40 years!!

Ummm..cause I’m an idiot, I seriously spent five minutes trying to put the straw through the pineapple slice…

“What the hell?  How are kids supposed to do this?!?” I thought..

hahahaha!

Then I found the arrow directing me to the spot where I’m supposed to insert the straw..

Nice one..

Correction, this is TOP JUS not Bon jus like I thought…oops!  Thanks for the correction!

Pierre and friends..

Went to Batroun for the first time this weekend..first to a friend’s chalet, and then to Pierre and Friends..

I love how people speak of their “chalets” like they are something truly out of this world..

“Ohh my chalet in the mountains..”

“Ohh my chalet in Batroun..”

People who don’t speak a word of French, some how know the word “chalet,” and exactly when to use it!..

The first time I heard the word “chalet“, the image of a very expensive open-aired bungalow, equipped with surround sound speakers, playing the latest tracks from Cafe del Mar, immediately came to mind..Not to say they don’t exist..but correct me if I’m wrong, the majority of  ”chalets” (or herdsman hut in the Swiss Alps, according to dictionary.com) are just small apartments located somewhere other than where the owner lives.

So why not just say, “yeah I’m going to my place/apartment in Batroun for the weekend..”  I know, I know..I’m asking too much..

Anywayyyyy…

Pierre and Friends is exactly what I’ve been looking for..a relaxing “pub, restaurant, and sailing club” where you can enjoy a day of sun with your friends.  Free from the pretentiousness of places like Riviera Beach Lounge, Pierre and Friends is the perfect weekend escape…and get this, it’s free entry too!

I was sitting at the bar, sipping on an Almaza, staring out at the vast expanse of nothingness that is the Mediterranean Sea..when it occurred to me that I didn’t miss anything about Miami..not one single thing.

“Should I feel guilty for not missing anything about the place I called home up until five months ago?”

The answer quickly came to me: NOPE!

Pierre and Friends...

I’ve never seen any beach quite like it..I’m not even sure if it qualifies as a beach, as there is no sand..only pebbles..well more like rocks actually..

Below is a photo that I took from the stairs above Pierre’s.

Pierre and friends top view

The bar

Water sports at Pierre and Friends

The Scene..

I haven’t had enough of you Pierre..make some time for me next weekend..

Kisses. XOXO.