Jan 28, 2012

The 6 packs I crave...

It’s on a very cold night of January that I decide to stay home on Friday night… Actually, the snow is falling on and off outside my window, I am having fairly long days at work and the view of the flaming wood in our fire place is simply irresistible; what more do I need to stay in? Something interesting to watch on TV perhaps? Therefore, I start zapping… movie, old movie, watched 10 times movie, political analysis, cartoons, Mr. Lebanon rerun! Interesting? Not at all but I’m nosey, so I stop.

Usually to write a critique about a program, you will need to watch the whole thing first, evaluate it from a neutral point of view, then start your writings. But as always, each and every rule has an exception and my critique today comes after exactly 12 minutes of program viewing… Everything seems Beauty Pageant perfect: the presenters look rather silly in their costumes, the artistic performance of the entertainer (Haifa Wehbe) quite interesting (guys will praise me for not criticizing Haifa here)… and the candidates? mmmm Mr. Lebanon? Why not! We elect a Miss. Lebanon every year and the girls always find a cause of good will to work on all year long, so why not elect a Mr. Lebanon who will represent the country in international competitions and forums, work for a good cause, proove to the public that a guy can be beautiful, good looking and smart at the same time…

Beautiful, good looking and smart at the same time… just like girls try to proove over and over again they can be elegant, attractive, good looking and smart. And they often succeed (hamdilla!).
 
I usually rant a lot about not having time to always look perfect: hair, make-up, waxing, clothing, accessorizing, etc… A girl need a good hour or hour and a half per day to come out with a perfect result… which leaves her 22 other hours for fun, education, work and sleep… Not enough I keep saying… Not enough I kept saying until I had a good look at the Mr. Lebanon participants.
 
With bodies to (honestly) melt for… I pause to think: We girls usually melt for men who hold such perfect bodies, well built muscles, six packs, etc… but we also know we need to spend an hour per day exercising to have perfect abs… As for 6 packs and all that comes with it, a man (and according to my humble calculations, little reading and knowledge) needs 3 hours of exercise a day with a very strict diet to reach this stage of body perfection… and of course, just like a girl, a guy needs to take care of his skin, face, shaving, clothing, accessorizing even sometimes… adding one more hour to his physical daily agenda and leaving him with 20 hours for other activities.
 
I am not sure I can explain my point of view here and though I do believe in certain equality between men and women (in their rights!), I cannot accept a man who will spend more time than I do to groom himself!
6 packs? They are to crack for, I can’t deny… But I cant help wonder what a person who spends 3 hours a day in a gymnasium room will have to talk about at the end of his day… it’s not like he exercises to maintain a good body, no! He exercises to create and sculpt a certain image; a muscles image…
 
My preference? The boys I dated before, the one I date now, the one that might come after… Those who take time to educate the muscles of their minds.  The 6 packs I crave for in a man? The ones that lay in the brains!

Jan 23, 2012

Another wrecked Monday

On Mondays, I drag myself out of bed… Hanging in between last week’s tiredness, the week-end’s hangover, the morning cold and the thought of the busy day ahead, I just don’t want to move. So I pull myself together, turn my alarm off (after snoozing it several times) and sit under the covers… it’s too cold, I’ll lay down again and think about what to wear while in bed: How about a blue jeans with a black sweater? mmmmmm not a catch, I’m not a big jeans fan! A dress? It’s too cold for that! My new purple top? It’s Monday, I’m not in the mood of wearing something new! Okay then… anything that matches with any other thing! That black legging with the top I truly hate and wish to get rid off! DONE!

Looking back at my clock, I realize I can still nap for 10 minutes.  A new alarm is set and off I go to 10 more minutes of sleep! 1,2,…. **alarm goes on** Already?! I wonder how 10 minutes can run this fast when I need them most! It’s as if my clock looks at me and thinks to itself: “Oh boy, you really need the sleep because I’m about to run a marathon and make 10 minutes pass as only one!”.


Just 3 minutes before I should leave the house and get to the office on time, I finally jump out of bed to discover my room is fully heated because of both: the central heating system in the house and the heating unit in my room. The cold must be all in my head.

A quick freshening, facial basics, tooth brushing and hair lifting, I slip into my clothes and run to the car…

Though the weather is almost perfect outside for a winter morning and my clothes are quite warm.  Though I got to work on time regardless of my laziness in bed and found my Nescafe ready and warm on my desk.  Though I had no arguments the past 24 hours with people I really care about….

I simply could not consider this morning a good morning… It was simply another, wrecked, Monday morning!  For unknown reason… Moreover for one known reason: It's Monday!

Jan 13, 2012

Re-defining "Privacy"

From the Latin word “privatus”, privacy is being separated from the rest; it is, in fact, the ability of an individual to be part of a group of people while scheduling the information he shares about himself and therefore revealing oneself selectively.

While this definition is widely spread in the western world (where they barely ask you if you are married or single when applying to a new job), our eastern society highly suffers from its non-existence.

From your parents name, age, marital status, work, friends, activities… to your name, age, marital status (sometimes even sexual status); everything is subject of questioning except the subject itself.

How? Well it’s simple!

At job interviews, they ask you about everything except your aims, goals, or the way your draw your career path (as you see it).  At family visits, everyone fails to ask about your latest news and activities.  At friends gatherings, everyone wants to hear the latest of your relationship with your significant other (boyfriend/girlfriend).  But the essence? Oh well… that’s up in the air!

Going back to the dictionary and looking closely at what privacy means, I came to discover (and to my own pleasure rub it up some people’s faces) what privacy is all about!
It’s not that I ever doubted my belief of the definition of this word, but well… with stubborn people all around (who think they are always right), such a definition came of great help!

Being private is not being secret about our lives. It is simply choosing what to tell and what to keep for ourselves. From what you do during your free time at work, to what activities you do after work, who you date, what you share, who you have coffee with, who sleeps over, who you tell your secrets to, who you share your fears with, etc.  Your own choices are your own privacy.

My life? Well yes, it’s private… What I do, don’t, whom I see, don’t, what I like, don’t… my choices, I make them all alone. Let’s say I live the western way in an eastern entourage... for those who wonder why, I highly advise to check out few of my previous blogs and read between the lines.  There is always a good lesson there, somewhere ;)