The Kid Inside Me...

This August I will be 42 years young and believe me I do not feel one day over 18!!! Well maybe 25 would me more accurate!!! And if you had seen me today on the swing trying my best to get as high as possible & witnessed how excited I was zip-lining in the park with my kids, you would definitely have said I was a teenager having a blast!!! 

I might be approaching menopause but every now & then the little girl trapped inside me just wants to get out, have fun & act a little bit crazy. Those are the days when I just need to feel care free without any responsibility and when I desperately want to have fun without worrying about anything or anyone! 

Age is really just a number. Being over 40 didn't stop me from going to Disneyland and enjoying all the rides and having a great time! And it will not stop me from realizing so many extreme activities on my bucket list like bungee jumping and skydiving. 

Satchel Paige once said:" Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it does not matter" and I strongly agree with that!!!! I will live my life & forget my age coz age is not important unless you're a cheese or a fine wine! 

Youth does not have an age and one is never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream, or (in my case) ride a swing and swing it very high with the hope of maybe catching a star!!! 

Stupid Me

What is the stupidest thing you ever did? That is a question that was asked yesterday night on a group chat by one of my friends & while a few started to tell their stupid adventures, anecdotes and stories I took a moment to reflect on my life and remember what I would call a stupid incident! 

To tell you the truth, I've always been regarded as somewhat of a perfect angel by my family & close friends but let's face it no one is perfect and there is a little demon in each & everyone of us! When I finally recalled what I could label as my stupid incident & shared it, it  proved to be one of the biggest incidents shared by anyone on the group!!! My friends were greatly entertained by it & laughed their asses off at my expense!!! 

I know many of you are wondering what was that incident but unfortunately since many of my family & relatives read this blog I will not be able to divulge it!!!! Until yesterday this incident was kept a secret between me and the other person involved in it and a third party who luckily spared us! A few of my friends also know now but I do trust them to keep their mouth closed as what happens in the group stays in the group as agreed upon, between us all, from the beginning!!!!!! Right guys????

We all have our dark little secrets and we all did stupid things at one time or another in our life! I for one look back now at that incident and laugh at how stupid it was of me to put myself in such a situation but when we are caught up in the moment we do tend to let our guards down & expose ourselves!!! 

Luckily for me I escaped the consequences of being caught red handed and learned a lesson from that little incident: Live in the moment but without letting anyone catch you!!!! ;-)

فشِّة خلق بالأمثال

خلينا نقعد عوج و نحكي جالس: ما بيصح إلا الصحيح و أكل الهوا لِلْواطي دوا. لهيك إلعب وحدك ولا تغتاظ.الأصول بتقول إنو إللي بيأكل خبز السلطان بحارب بسيفو بس للأسف هذه الأيام الأكثرية بالوجه مراية و بالقفى سرماية أو ضحكتهم بسنانهم وسمومهم بلسانهم! لهيك سيد وميد واعمل متلما بتريد أو هالباب يلي بيجيك منه ريح سدو و استريح و خلي كل واحد ينام على الجنب يلي بيريحه! لان القصة مش رمانه لكن قلوب مليانة!! و الحيط الواطي كل واحد بينط عنه بس الحجر الثقيل ما بينهزّ من مطرحه! بدهن ياني طنش و حط بالخِرج!!!! و بعد الألم أحفر و طم!!! يعني فوق الدكه شرطوطة!!! مش عارفين أنو إلي بياكل العصي مش متل اللي بيعدها.  وعم إحكي يا كِنة تا تسمعي يا جارة و فهمكن كفاية!!!!

Being Zen!!!

I just finished watching an episode of the Carrie Diaries in which Carrie learns the Art of Being Zen & tries to apply it to her life. For those of you who need a more elaborate explanation: Zen is a form of meditation with a focus on the mindful awareness of the present moment. Being Zen is about doing right for the mind, body, and soul. It can help you relax, have a positive outlook on life, and find a higher plane of spiritual worth.  Now this is more my cup of tea as I know a little bit about meditation & Transcendental Meditation in particular since my husband Wadie has been practicing it & teaching it for more than 20years!!!

I first learned about TM (Transcendental Meditation) on my first blind date with Wadie (This requires another post by itself) when he shared with me that he was a TM teacher. Wadie then asked me if I would like him to teach me all about TM to which I replied yes and that apparently was the right answer to his trick question as I discovered later on when Wadie confessed that me learning TM & practicing it was a prerequisite for our Fairy Tale ending with:" ... and they lived happily ever after!!!" 

Between you & me I had ulterior motives to when I first replied yes because saying yes gave me an excuse to spend more time with Wadie as I was  already head over heels for him by then. ;-)

But joke aside TM really works. It is easy, practicing it takes 20 minutes (twice daily) sitting comfortably with your eyes closed & its benefits, which I have experienced up close & personal, are huge. With TM one experiences inner peace & clarity from the start. It reduces stress & anxiety and this in turns allows the body to naturally dissolve stress and strain and allows us to become healthier. Meditators tend to feel less stressed and notice that they deal more calmly with tense situations. Well this is natural because when stress is reduced, benefits like better sleep and clearer thinking also naturally develop. 

I have verified personally the benefits of Meditation just by living with Wadie and have seen how the daily practice of the TM technique produces a wide range of positive effects on a person's mind, body, and behavior. I am not joking. Wadie hasn’t missed one day without practicing Meditation since 1989 I think & I can vouch of the benefits of that daily practice first hand!!! Guys, we’ve been married for almost 9 years (we knewn each other for two years before that) and in the past eleven years we haven’t fought once!!! Well I did fight but only with myself as Wadie simply doesn’t get mad. He’s the COOLEST ( Cool as in temperature) man I known!!! Nothing upsets him to the extent of losing his temper and shouting, every problem has a solution for him no matter how big or small it is. He really has no stress in his life & is at peace with himself & the entire world. 

I am without doubt married to a sweet loving man who adores me, in spite of my fiery character, (He calls me ZOUMBARAK) and who always remains cool and unruffled under all circumstances. I am living in bliss but I admit that I do need one more thing to make it a total bliss: Force myself to practice my TM daily to become as COOL as my beloved hubby is!!! ;-)

“Transcendental Meditation opens the awareness to the infinite reservoir of energy, creativity, and intelligence that lies deep within everyone... The practice of Transcendental Meditation creates a natural situation in the mind so that the mind entertains right thoughts, useful thoughts, thoughts that are cherished by nature and whose fulfillment is worked out by all the laws of nature."- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

أمثال

يلي دِري دِري ويلي ما دِري قال كف عدس. بس خلينا نقعد عوج و نحكي جالس. بلدنا إجريها عوج و بدها بابوج. ابن الحكومة فيها إذا صادقته أكلك و إذا عاديته هلكك. بس إلّي بيعوز الكلب بيقول له صَبحَك بالخير يا سيدنا! اركب الديك وشوف لوين بيوَدِّيك. من تحت الدلفة لتحت المزراب! والقصة مش رمانه لكن قلوب مليانة.

وهذة الإيام فينا روح وفيه روح وما منعرف روح مين بتروح! بس القصة شكلها متل سيرة الحيّات، بتبدا و ما بتخلص! بس نحنا إن عجبنا الكحل تكحلنا وإن ما عجبنا ترحلنا. صح؟ لأن ما بيصح إلا الصحيح وبالنهاية الداخل بالسياسة متل الداخل بتنكة الكناسة فشو بدنا بهذه الشغلة و هذا الباب اللي بيجي منه ريح سده و إستريح!!!! و تيتي تيتي مثل ما رحتي متل ما جيتي!!!!!!!!! 

Shall we?

Today as I was having lunch with my beloved hubby I asked him a question that took him by surprise!!!!! Casually, I said:" Shall we have another child?" At first what I asked didn't fully register with Wadie & he said:"What????" I repeated the question & he replied with a small hint of panic in his voice:" Is this your way of telling me that there is a bun in the oven?" 

To set things straight & before any of you gets any ideas: NO I am not Pregnant!!! 

Wadie & I have already agreed not to have any more children as we wanted to provide Tia & Dory with the very best in everything! Let's be honest nowadays if you want to give your kids the best education and a decent life then having more than two kids can be challenging!!! Right? I sometimes ask myself how did our parents raise more than two kids let along four, five, six or more!!! Maybe today's kids are more demanding than we were? Is the world we live in today so different from the one we used to live in some 20/30 years ago?

Well back to my story I really don't know what triggered that question?! I think it might be the nostalgia to the days I was a pregnant woman! Coz let's be frank, I for one love being pregnant even though pregnancy can be a little uncomfortable with the nausea, mood swings, bladder pressure, extra pounds, ache & pains that become a part of your daily life. Add to all that the fact that you won't be able to sleep on your tummy.... But on the other hand you get to experience the most precious gift of all which is growing a life inside you and feeling all those movements, little kicks & hiccups. And who would say No to getting 9 months of extra pampering by everyone especially your poor husband whom you will get to boss around & who will gladly wait on you hand & foot and fulfill all the strange food cravings you get at the oddest times. And the best advantage is that you will be able to eat whatever you want & not worry about the weight gain.... Until you deliver & then the worrying begins!!!! 

Honestly I wouldn't mind going through it again if I can skip the first three to five months of sleepless nights that follow the delivery of the precious bundle!!!! But I won't probably do it again as it takes two to Tango and my hubby & I have closed that ballroom door (Mabda2iyan)!!!! 

I conclude this post with thanking God for blessing us with our two little angels/demons Tia & Dory who are our most precious possession.

And before I  leave you.... No we shall not... For now at least...  ;-)

I Am an open book

This post is brought to you by a comment my sister Rola just sent me (jokingly) when I sent her the link for this blog & asked her to follow me if she wanted to know more about what is happening in my world:

“Pffff… I already feel I know the color of your bed sheets ;-)!”

Those of you who really know me are familiar with the fact that I really am an open book with nothing to hide.  And I do admit fully to the fact that I really love social media and have so many details of my life splashed all over Facebook, Instagram & now this blog!! By God I almost literally gave birth to my son Dory on Facebook as I was updating my status between contractions keeping everyone up to date with what was happening  & posting pictures of Dory mere minutes after his birth!! One of my friends bestowed on me the title of First Woman to Give Birth on Facebook!! 

I have nothing to hide & I am so in love &  proud of my family, my life, my friends, my experiences, my travels and so many other aspects of my world that I don’t mind sharing them with those I like & who are also a major part of my world. 

I am not one that can hide my feelings or suppress them. I simply cannot do it. Some might call me blunt but I call myself straight forward, honest, genuine, sincere & unfeigned. I would never be a good actress as I cannot fake emotions. I truly believe that the highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is. I am who I am and I will never change who I am to fit the mold that others might create for me. I have nothing to hide. Love me or hate me

.

I conclude this post with the words of C. Joybell C.: “I would rather meet a person who is not amiable and who does not feel any burden to act amiable towards me, than to have the misfortune of knowing people who feel like they need to be gracious and compassionate so they will appear to be good people, whilst possessing none of those qualities within themselves! It's the latter that causes the pain in life.”

My addiction!!!

Hi my name is Shadia & I am a Sushiholic!!!

Yes, yes I am!!! I've always been a foodie (this requires another separate post) but my never ending love & addiction to the Japanese Cuisine with all it's raw seafood is an issue that I don't mind admitting to or having one small bit! Surely it's not a  serious issue but more of an expensive, delicious, passionate, even a little bit orgasmic and out of this world addiction that gives me, as most of those close to me know, great pleasure & satisfaction! 

I don't remember exactly the first time I had sushi but it must have been some ten or twelve years ago back when Sushi was first introduced in Lebanon & when it wasn't as trendy & posh as nowadays! What I do remember vividly is that being a Sushi Virgin I mistook the Wasabi for Avocado & put a big chunk in my mouth confidently & was on fire instantly!!! I know that many reading this are now laughing out loud at my stupid act! Don't worry I still laugh my ass off every time I remember that incident! That big mistake was my initiation to the Sushi World and ever since that day I never looked back and have been going forward full fledged eating my way through as many sushi joints as humanly possible! 

In fact when I first met the love of my life back in 2003 & learned that he was an adamant vegetarian since 1989  it almost was a deal breaker and the end of the fairytale which would have ended  like this: " ... and they didn't get to live happily ever after just because Prince Charming was a vegetarian which meant no more sushi eating for Princess Shadia which was somrhting she couldn't handle!"
But luckily I got my happy ending since Wadie, at first, used to go with me to Japanese Restaurants where he only ate a green salad & some rice or noodles while I feasted on all the yummy rolls I could get my hands on. Then after I was stuffed & satisfied we used to go to one of his favorite restaurants so that he could have a decent meal!!! The sacrifices that Wadie goes through just to make me happy will one day soon earn him a statue built by non other than me!!!

Then a few years back we discovered Sakura and befriended the chef who complied to prepare for the husband of his weekly favorite customer (Moi) an assortment  of vegetarian rolls made to order from various veggies & fruits on a clean surface (not touched by any seafood). The chef also conceded to fry Veggie Tempuras in clean oil not touched by any seafood or any other kind of meat. From that day on my life changed & I became a happier person since my hubby was with me enjoying what I enjoyed instead of complaining every time I mentioned sushi!!!

Another milestone I had to cross was when I got pregnant. The first question I asked my obstetrician, wasn't if everything was OK but rather if I could continue eating Sushi while pregnant?! Thank God he said yes as I don't know what I would have done if the answer was No! I would imagine that Tia & Dory would have been born with a dozen birth marks scattered on their bodies shaped like an Octopus Sushi, crazy or rainbow Makis, Salmon or Yellow Tail Sashimis & big Temaki cones. Thank God we dodged that catastrophe!!!!!

My addiction to Sushi will probably one day drive us all to immigrate to Japan or as a cheaper option to hire a full time Japanese Chef  who will prepare for me (daily) Sushi for breakfast, lunch, dinner & as a midnight snack!!! In the mean time I go out to have Sushi at least once or twice a week so that I don't go into withdrawal!

Well the first step to find the right track is to admit your problem or addiction! Right? So here we go again,  just in case you didn't get it from the first sentence, in front of God & all of you my friends & readers:
" I Shadia Abaza, being of sound mind (Never been clinically proven) , fully admit that I am a chronic Sushiholic!"
What do I plan to do as a second step now that I came out of the closet & declared to the world my addiction? Nothing!!!
I plan to continue enjoying the All You Can Eat Buffets at Sakura every weekend & to continue eating my way out through all the other Sushi restaurants in Kuwait until I move to Montreal where I will revert back to the All You Can Eat Menu at Kanda for $14.99 (that is what I used to pay back in 2011) where they will penalize you $1 for every Sushi or Maki roll you leave in your plate, which to their chagrin I never did!!! (Suckers!!!). ;-)

What is your addiction???? Mine is Sushi since every sushi & maki roll I pop into my mouth knows how to excite my palate & make love to my taste buds!!! ;-)

My Long Lost Friends!

Last November one of my old (not in age) school friends contacted me on Facebook, asked me for my mobile number, if I had WhatsApp & told me to expect to be added to a group called IC. IC (International College) for those of you who don't know is the school where I spent the best 15 years of my life & from which I graduated back in 1991. To be totally honest I first experienced dread instead of the joy I should have felt for joining all those long lost friends whom I haven't talked to for more than 23 years!! Why was I dreadful and not very excited? Well coz that group I was about to join was composed of my classmates from Kindergarten to Grade 8 which I flunked and had to repeat alone away from those friends who continued on the right track & graduated one year before me! For a few seconds I was afraid of being the third wheel or a stranger among them but how far from the truth that was!!!

The moment I accepted to join that group, which first was called IC class of 1990 then changed for my sake to IC Best Friends, my world changed. It was like our paths never parted and as if we just took a small vacation from which we returned to catch up and tell each other what happened during the past few days when in fact we had decades to account for. Some of my friends might have changed a bit physically (well the men more than the ladies who miraculously seemed to have found the fountain of eternal youth) but underneath the few extra pounds, the thin hair, the few wrinkles and the maturity were the same little faces of the friends with whom I used to play & hang out with from Kindergarten to middle school!!!

The days that followed the day we first joined the group were filled with catching up & filling in the gaps of those many years that separated us! We were now doctors, surgeons, teachers, lawyers, consultants, managers, stay home moms, designers, stylists, scattered all around the world with different time zones but this did not stop us from forming a tight group that took up most of our time. Our better halves, partners, children & all the people around us noticed the change (which they didn't fully approve of) as they watched us at all odd hours with the phone in our hands typing frantically, laughing out loud hysterically, carrying the phone everywhere, texting while working, driving, eating, watching TV, doing homework with the kids, going to the bathroom... The situation got a bit out of hand so we had to lay some ground rules to prevent car accidents, divorces, injuries, work termination, kids delinquency and any other hazards that would eventually erupt from that new addiction that swept our lives.

But we have to admit that we were having a blast even though thousands upon thousands of messages were exchanged everyday to the extend that some members of the group could not keep up as they obviously had other things to do! But we didn't let that discourage us and we came up a genius solution: I started writing a debrief everyday summarizing the news & all what had happened the previous day. I even created another group just for the debriefs to make it easier for the group members to read them without getting lost among the thousands messages exchanged everyday. We didn't stop there we even scheduled multiple reunions in Lebanon in December to accommodate the schedule of all members. And those who couldn't attend one reunion physically could still attend through the group, the pictures shared, Skype...

I for one was lucky enough to be able to attend one of those reunions which took place on December 27th, the same day the explosion happened in downtown. We were all pretty shaken by what happened but we didn't let that stop us as we were too excited to see each other again to miss it at the last minute or postpone it. We only changed the venue from Downtown to Verdun & met in Casper Gambini! It was there & then after more than 23 years that I was reunited with some of my long lost friends and it was as wonderful as I was expecting it to be & then some more!!!!!

My Long Lost Friends I have no words to express how FXXXXXX great it is to have you all back in my life and how valuable, en lighting, refreshing, supportive, and indispensable you all became.

True friendship isn't about being inseparable, it's being separated and nothing changes.

أمثال اليوم (من وحي أحداث لبنان البارحة و ال٤١ سنة الماضيه حسب خبرتي)

١- حطوا دنبه الكلب بالقالب أربعين سنة بقيت لوقا

وهيك لبنان مش شكله رح يتغير أبداً. أنا شخصياً فقدت الأمل!! 

٢- من بعد حماري ما ينبت حشيش (أو كما علمنا مسيو شكري: Aprés Moi Le Deluge)

وهيك هني سياسي و حكام بلدنا المقرفين كلهم قشة لفة من دون إستثناء! و أكل الهوا للواطي دوّا و فهمكم كفاية.

٣- المعتر لو سِعد بيموت و الناس بالناس و القطة بالنفاس! مثلين ينطبقان على الشعب اللبناني المعتر المحروم من شوفة نهار حلو و الزعماء و السياسيين و الحكام الذين عم يفطسوا الشعب غير أبهين بأحد!!!

٤- بيّو بصل و إمّو ثوم، ومن وين بدا تجي الريحه الطيبة؟

و هذة حال لبنان!!!! ويلي بيقهر ذوي التفائل الدائم الذين شايفين أو بالأحرى متوهمين أن لبنان سيتحسن و يصير جنة!!!! و عيش يا كديش تا ينبت حشيش!!!! 

٥- وفي النهاية شو بدو الواحد يحكي تا يحكي؟ شو بدي إترجى منك يا سفرجلة و كل عضة بغصة؟ ومن تحت الدلفة لتحت المزراب!!  و تيتي تيتي متل ما رحتي متل ما جيتي! ومجنون يحكي و عاقل يسمع!!!