On Mother’s Day this year, I woke up to find my sleep-deprived face with my uneven foundation and slightly askew eyebrows staring back at me. I’d already had a heavy heart: due to COVID-19, I couldn’t celebrate my first with the mothers in our lives. But then the post on the hospital’s social media channels…
Tag: Lebanon
Expecting Raneem: A Pregnancy Summarized
I remember how hot and heavy my tears felt as they rolled down my cheeks on a Wednesday night in April. Ahmad held me in his arms as I sobbed and sobbed, asking him, asking the universe, “So what does this mean? What do we do now?” He continued to hold me and comfort me…
This Blog Will Never Be Popular- And I Don’t Really Care
A short while ago, I wrote a post expressing my frustration at how the blogging scene in Lebanon has really taken a turn for the worst, with the so-called influencers dominating the scene with their hyper-stylized photos and their horrible take on the English language. Of course, the content is abysmal to say the least….
Afternoons With Teta
She reaches into the cabinet behind her and pulls out two wafer bars, one for me and one for my sister. “There you go,” she says with a smile. “Thank you teta,” we reply in unison. “But teta, you know I’m trying to watch my snacking,” I add. “Never mind, keep it. You’ll have something…
Bloggers, You’re Doing It Wrong
You may have noticed that I’ve taken extended hiatuses recently. I’ve left this blog without new content for months on end, despite having plenty to share. The main reason? I don’t like going online as much as I used to. As a writer, I have always been grateful that the internet has given me a…
A Non-Fashionista Goes To A Beauty Convention
I have to admit: I was intrigued by the idea of JamaloukiCon. For the better part of the past week, advertisements for this beauty convention kept popping up on all my social media platforms and on billboards around Beirut. Now, I’ve never really been that fascinated by fashion or the latest trends. I can’t recall…
The Miss Lebanon Pageant: Here We Go Again
In 2010, I wrote a blog post describing how I felt about beauty pageants. I could not understand why the broadcaster thought (and still thinks) that extravagant soirees where contestants are in swimsuits and couture brings out the best in Lebanese beauty and Lebanese tourism. I could not understand why there is a need to design elaborate sets,…
On Grieving
Mourning sucks- but not because you’ve lost a loved one. It’s what comes after that is infinitely more difficult. That damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation you find yourself in. Two weeks ago, a dear uncle of mine passed away after a year long battle with cancer. From his diagnosis to his death,…
20 Blogging Confessions From Beyond
This morning, Joe’s Box posted an interesting list of his “bloggers’ confessions” and invited others to follow suit. After spending the whole day brainstorming and reading Farrah’s take on it, here are several of mine. Writing is the only activity I have been doing for as long as I remember. When the internet gave people…
This is Getting Ridiculous
I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about weddings after I posted the quick summary video of our wedding a few months ago. There’s no need to dwell on the past after all. I even unfollowed all the accounts that I used to look at for inspiration because I don’t need them anymore. Time to make…
Beyond Beirut 