Category: Life

Posted on

It’s a dog eat dog world

I come from Lebanon and the dog eat dog mentality is what I have experienced all my life.

I don’t know why, but for some reason I was different than others. I never liked or participated in the dog eat dog mentality. I was always honest even though people would most often take my  fair share of things because of that. Eventually, as life wished it, I managed to leave Lebanon and live in a better country that is not rampant with cheating, bribing and corruption.

In my home country, politicians and people in power steal from the poor instead of helping them. The whole country is ran like a family business where the politicians pass the chairs down from father to son.

Due to scarcity, even the people started to adopt the mentality: “Me first, others later”. Eventually, they started cheating on each others. A famous song by Ghassan El Rahbani (in Arabic), describing the whole situation in Lebanon. Lebanon is not unique in that aspect. Probably other third world countries thrive with this mentality as well. Continue reading “It’s a dog eat dog world”

Posted on

How to prepare yourself before traveling from the US to Belgium

Belgium is a beautiful country. It was my second home for a while, I lived there for 3 beautiful years after I moved from Lebanon. I moved out of Belgium almost 6 years ago to start living in the U.S.A. Last month, I had to go to Belgium for work and it seems I was not fully prepared for the trip.

This post is not to complain about anything but to remind myself or others how to be best prepared before traveling from the US to Belgium.

You can keep the tips…to yourself

Yes, unlike the U.S, you pay exactly for the item price on the menu. You don’t have to tip anyone for the rendered service. I am not just talking about not tipping when you are eating out in restaurants; even your barista, cab driver, your hair dresser, your apartment cleaner, etc. Keep the tips to yourself or tip up to your discretion. That’s a positive thing in my opinion because those workers are getting a proper salary and not waiting for tips from clients.
In the US, you are expected to tip 20% of the total bill. Often times, when a party of 5 or more are being served then mandatory gratuity is applied. It can get very tricky and passive aggressive when you don’t like the service and you don’t tip enough. That sucks and is unfair towards the workers. I think the tipping mentality stems from the fact that it incentivises service workers to provide good service. If they do well, they get a fat tip. Well, if you are generous and happy you can still tip a Belgian waiter on top of his proper salary. Continue reading “How to prepare yourself before traveling from the US to Belgium”

Posted on

37 Sayings

  1. The first victim of war is the truth
  2. Don’t treat people like angels, you will become a fool. Don’t treat people like devils for they will think you are the devil. Instead, treat people like they have some angelic traits and a lot of demonic traits
  3. Giving, even a little is better than an empty promise
  4. One cannot be judged by his outfit but from his actions
  5. He who takes refuge under a big tree always finds himself in the shadow
  6. He who does not like to get wet cannot go fishing
  7. When we die, the only thing we take with us is our good deeds
  8. When faced with a task: treat an easy task as hard one and a hard task an easy one
  9. The flower that gets smelled by many loses its scent
  10. When the love for oneself increases, the love from others decreases
  11. Only those who never experienced pain mock others
  12. A tongue has no bones but it can break bones
  13. A man can fail over and over again but it won’t count as failure until he starts blaming others
  14. The computer looks a lot like the Old Testament, lots of rules and no mercy
  15. The law is made for the rich but enforced on the poor
  16. Choose your wife with an old man’s mentality. Choose your horse with a young lad’s mentality
  17. Three kinds of people start wars: the cowards, the egoists or devious women
  18. A single flower given to a living human is better than a bouquet of flowers
  19. Don’t let your expensive cloth define you lest you find yourself one day cheaper than what you desire
  20. The more I know, the more I realize how ignorant I am
  21. A ferocious tiger in front of you is better than a treacherous wolf behind your back
  22. If a word is spoken through the heart, it goes to the heart. If it is spoken through the tongue it won’t go further than the ears
  23. He who looks at his shortcomings, forgets to look at other people’s shortcomings
  24. True philosophy is when we reconsider our view of the world
  25. If you preach your brother in private then you have benefited him. If you preach him in public, you humiliate him
  26. A golden saddle does not make a donkey a horse
  27. War is nasty, but what is nastier is those who make wealth and benefit of it without even fighting the war
  28. Eat less and live long
  29. Morning work is the most productive
  30. The prince picks the fruit and the workers pick the tree
  31. For the hard worker, a week is 7 days, for the lazy it is 7 tomorrows
  32. Nothing can scratch your back like your own finger nails
  33. Three enter all homes, no exception: debt, old age and death
  34. Don’t say “I will give”, instead give
  35. Three things lead to love: good manners, humility and being religious
  36. Good reputation is like an olive tree, it does not grow fast but it lasts long
  37. The tongue of the wise is behind his heart and the heart of the reckless if behind his tongue

You might also like:

Posted on

Klara with Guitar

During my short visit to Brussels, Belgium this year, I met another street performer: her name is Klara and she had a lovely voice. Unlike other public performers though, she was not friendly so I could not interview her and share with you part of her story. We will have to contend with just a short video I captured:

You can visit her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/klarawinterain/

You might also like:

Posted on

When man got afraid

  • When man got afraid
  • When he got afraid from darkness, he invented electricity
  • When he got afraid from cold, he invented clothing
  • When he got afraid from thirst, he dug wells
  • When he got afraid from disease, he invented medicine
  • When he got afraid of fire, he invented the fire extinguisher
  • When he got afraid from loneliness, he invented the television
  • When he got very bored, he invented social media

You might also like:

Posted on

Meet Roger, the man who lives in the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol


I was traveling from the US to Europe and I had a layover in Amsterdam. In the men’s room, I met an interesting character called Roger. Roger, in his mid forties, was neat and dressed like a backpack traveler. He started a conversation with me, talking about random stuff. At one point, out of the blue he mentions that he lives in the airport. I was not sure what he meant but he explained that he literally lives in the airport. I asked him if he showers, sleeps and gets his basic needs met in the airport and he said yes. In fact, he uses the handicap toilet to wash himself at nights then he goes to sleep in the airport pretending to be an early morning passenger. In the morning, he also uses to toilets to get himself ready and then leaves the airport for the day.

What an interesting encounter. I had no idea that some people, out of necessity do that. I have walked in the streets of popular European cities and I have met many homeless people. Panhandling and sleeping on the street is a second nature to them unfortunately. Roger at least, gets a warm place and washes himself instead of sleeping out in the freezing cold in the winter.

You might also like:

Posted on

Learn from…

  • From the mountains, learn highness and glory
  • From rivers and fountains, learn generosity
  • From rocks, learn to be strong
  • From the absent and not manifest, learn silence and reverence
  • From ants, learn hard work
  • From pigeons, learn serenity
  • From the fox, learn intelligence
  • From the rooster, learn early rising
  • From the lion, learn courage

You might also like:

Posted on

The benefits of Onions (Arabic edition)

:اشتروا البصل وكلوه مهما أرتفع ثمنه

<

p style=”text-align: right;”>-
حتى لوكنتم في شهرالعسل كلوه يقول الدكتور داود الربيعي صاحب الموسوعة العربية للعلاج بالاعشاب الطبية
كتبت عدة مقالات عن البصل وفوائده الغذائية والعلاجية 
وكلما قرأت تقريراً جديدا 
تحمست لكتابة المزيد عنه . 
ولما كان الحديث عنه يطول كثيرا فقد أرتأيت كتابته تحت عنوان هل تعلم : –
هل تعلم أن البصل من أغنى الخضار والفاكهة بمادة طبية مهمة تسمى الكوريسيتين ولا ينافسه بذلك سوى براعم نبات القبار .
وهل تعلم بأن مضاد الأكسدة (الكوريسيتن) في البصل تقاوم الالتهابات Inflammations حيثما وجدت وخاصة في الجيوب الأنفية والرئتين .
هل تعلم بأن تناول البصل يمنع تطور مرض السكري من النمط (2) الذي يعالج بالأقراص إلى النمط (1) الذي يتطلب حقن الإنسولين .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يحول بإذن الله تعالى دون الإصابة بسرطان الثدي ، البروستات ، الرحم والمبايض وكما يمنع نمو وزيادة عدد البقع ما قبل سرطانية precancerous lesions
هل تعلم بأن البصل يقاوم هجمات الربو .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يحمي الخلايا العصبية من التلف وما ينتج عن ذلك من أمراض مرتبطة بالجهاز العصبي .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يحول دون تلف الأوعية الدموية وإصابتها بالتصلب ويمنع حدوث الكثير من امراض القلب .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يعزز وجود وتكاثر البكتيريا الطبيعية في الأمعاء مما يحسن امتصاص العناصر المغذية، يعزز جهاز المناعة ويمنع انفلات زيادة الوزن المفرطة
هل تعلم بأن البصل يقتل كثير من انواع الجراثيم في الحلق والرئتين .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يميع الدم ويمنع حدوث الجلطات وخاصة عندما يكون مشوياً وأنه يحذر من تناول مميعات الدم الصيدلانية مثل الأسبرين والورافين مع البصل المشوي أو المقلي وذلك لأنه يسبب زيادة مفرطة في ميوعة الدم .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يخفض الضغط الشرياني لدى مرضى الضغط .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يجلب النعاس .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يمنع نمو جرثوم القرحة المعدية H. Pylori ويقضي عليها .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يخفض الكولستيرول والدهون الثلاثية .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يحول دون حدوث الأمراض المترافقة مع مرض السكري .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يمنع تكاثر فيروس الإيدز .
هل تعلم بأن البصل يمنع حدوث هشاشة العظام .
 هل تعلم بأن البصل يحتوي على كميات وافرة من المركبات الكبريتية التي تحافظ على نضارة البشرة وقوة وجمال الشعر والأظافر.
ملحوظات : -
يقول المثل الشعبي :-
 ( كل بصل وأنسى ما حصل )
 فعلا يعمل البصل على تحسين المزاج ويريح القلب ..
القشور الخارجية للبصل هي الأغنى بمضاد الأكسدة الكوريسيتين ..
لا يفقد البصل خصائصة الطبية في درجة الغليان .
وشوربة البصل نموذجية للحصول على جميع ميزات البصل .
جميع ما ذكر أعلاه هو خلاصة مئات الأبحاث العلمية التجريبية .
اللهم بارك
.. إن أمكن نشرها لتعم الفائدة للجميع .. جعلها الله في ميزان حسناتكم ..

 

You might also like:

Posted on

Cryptocurrency acronyms

If you are in cryptocurrency, then you might have encountered one or more of the following acronyms and wondered what they meant. Here you go:

  • WTC: Welcome to Crypto
  • FUD: Fear, uncertainty and doubt. A propaganda to lower prices.
  • FOMO: Fear out of missing. This is when you invest out of fear and not of educated decisions.
  • HODL: Misspelling for “hold”. People say HODL so that you don’t sell your BTC and hang on unto them.
  • Mooning: Price going up extremely high.
  • FIAT: Government-issued currency, such as the US dollar.
  • Whale: Someone who owns lots of cryptos. They might sells them to manipulate the prices.
  • Bullish: An expectation that the price is going to increase.
  • Bearish: An expectation that the price is going to decrease.
  • ATH: All time high. The highest price a coin has ever been
  • Market Cap: Total supply x Current price
  • ICO: Initial Coin Offering. Like IPO for the stock market
  • ROI: Return on investment
  • Cold storage: Storing the crypto coins offline. Be it on a paper wallet or a hardware wallet.
  • BTFD: Buy the F*king dip
  • NADDIC: Never A Dull Day In Crypto
  • DYOR: Do Your Own Research

Note: This is a live post and will be updated with new acronyms in the future.

You might also like:

Posted on

The frugal business man and the sailor

One time, a frugal business man was almost drowning when the cruise ship started sinking. A young sailor throws himself in the water and saves the men. After they arrived to the shore, the frugal business man reached out to his pocket to give the sailor a reward for saving his life. The business man handed him 10$ and said “Thank you”. All the people around the business man, witnessing the situation got disgusted at how cheap the business man and how feeble is the payback for the sailor who saved his life. The sailor then calms the people down and tells them: “He knows more than any of us how much his life is worth”.

You might also like: