A Social Media Love Affair

Or a love/hate relationship to be more accurate.

You see, I can’t quite decide whether I really like and embrace Social Media or whether I want to completely banish all SM applications from my life and go back to a simpler life.

As I have been busy designing “the Social Media Awards Beirut”, I got inspired to write a small ‘contemporary poem’ (?).

Poke me

Write on my wall

Confide in me, tell me how you feel

O-v-e-r-s-h-a-r-e the details

Fill my newsfeed with your presence

I have let my Firewall down for you

And my browser saved all your Cookies

To get you in my reach

So that you’re almost real

Follow me back, won’t you

I meant it when I “liked” that photo of yours

You look so beautiful on those Instagram shots

Your artsy views on things got me fantasizing

And your Pinterest Boards merge perfectly with mine

I saw you were downtown on Foursquare

I hope you don’t mind that I planned a trip there too

So I can see you from afar

Wearing that DIY bracelet you “Stumbled Upon”

You look even better than On-screen

In that familiar outfit,

And those shoes you just got yesterday.

You’re like a YouTube video coming to life

And I can’t but stand there

Wondering how real you are,

Holding a pack of your favorite candy

As I see someone step into the photo with you.

He holds your hand, smiling and romantic

Just like that photo you blogged on tumblr last night.

It all happened so suddenly, I’m puzzled.

I thought that status you wrote was meant for me

And our long chats meant something.

You cheated but you will never know

I killed you but it will never show

Because you’re made of pixels

And honey pixels can’t grow.

😦

*Photos from “Vulgar Chic” on Pinterest.

 

Try a little Compassion

Today, as I was driving to work, and the first fall clouds hit the still warm Beirut weather, a woman was crossing the street, an umbrella hanging from her bag, waiting for someone to let her pass.

At that moment, It really hit me, how vulnerable we are as humans.

A little drop of rain and we are in dire need of protection. Just like we all need to eat (previous post), we ALL need protection/shelter: We all need each other.

As I stopped my car to let let the lady cross, she hastily threw herself to the other side of the road so that she doesn’t stand in my way and thanked me apologetically, as if expecting me not to stop, her umbrella almost falling from her bag.

Cars were honking/passing me all along that fraction of a minute I dared to pause to allow a woman in her forties to get to work on time, using the not so good Lebanese public transportation, or probably just walking on her feet, a balancing act with all those motorbikes coming the opposite way of the traffic (as if you haven’t done enough)

at this rate, your chances of surviving as a pedestrian are close to null.

I don’t know what triggered that, but this scene made me cry. Weep even.

I don’t know why I get those outbursts of compassion sometimes, à la Mean Girls,

but It really saddens me how much we don’t care about each other.

A vulnerable woman, who needs protection from the rain, can’t rely on her fellow humans to cross the street safely.

As I went to Yoga class today, I was reminded that we are all one – we are made out of one energy- so open your hearts people.

open your hearts and arms, trolls.

This isn’t a sermon; instead look at it as a slap in the face so that next time you remember to be more loving. And if you don’t then I’ll slap you.

Sit there for a moment, and feel yourself fill up with love. Release a little compassion into the world (sounds like a quiff), we could really use some. I know that we all have anger, and stress doesn’t help, but anger and compassion are the same energy – it’s up to us to transform it.

even in Beirut.

People of the city, for God’s sake stop honking, and let pedestrians cross, even if you’re late and REMEMBER (excerpt from an OSHO talk)

“Your neighbor is just a form of you; your enemy is also a form of you. Whatsoever you come across, you come across yourself. You may not recognize because you are not very alert; you may not be able to see yourself in the other, but then something is wrong with your vision, something is wrong with your eyes. COMPASSION is therapeutic.”

Love thy neighbor as thyself?

We’re all in this together, even people who think color blocking is IN this season, this one’s for you:

http://danielleabisaab.blog.com/2012/07/16/were-all-in-this-together/

Maybe you should also listen to this song:

It feels so sexy to be kind; we already agreed that kind is the new mean.

Let me see y’all gimme some compassion-spread the word,

Pictures from this Pinterest board, check it out for moah Inspirational quotes, that will hopefully inspire you to be a better person. thanks Dani!

Hugs (for the pretty ones only)

X

Cancer is not just a horoscope.

I have always wanted to be part of a good cause.

You might think being Mean is sexy in the game of power we succumb to in our daily lives, but I’ll allow myself to say that being good is sexier. Orgasmic even.

NICE IS THE NEW MEAN

-Try it.

When I was contacted by Leo Burnett a couple of weeks back, I was asked if I’d like to perform any kind of street art to raise money and awareness on Children who have cancer as part of a campaign for the CCCL (Children Cancer Center of Lebanon); I immediately said yes. I proposed the idea to my co-worker, Madonna – a graffiti artist and she agreed to do it.

We bought our Montana sprayers feeling as bad ass as ever and dragged ourselves (and each other) on a Saturday morning, out of bed at 9 am to be on Location at 10 am sharp. Madonna starts showing off her fabulous skill recreating the sketch first with chalk with everyone joining in on the fun of spraying later.

the wall before it was sprayed with awesomeness

This symbol represents the Cancer Star Sign, and NOT the 69 SEX position. Although we had a few remarks on the matter, but no it is supposed to be a symbol of a mother, breastfeeding her child, PERVERTS.

The message we want to convey is that while we are known for being intrinsically superstitious as a society, many of us review their horoscope every morning through any of the countless resources (or all of them combined for a more accurate forecast) on a daily basis.

What's your star sign?

Although I am not criticizing the science of astrology, we should remember that while we check if the stars are aligned correctly for us today as Gemini’s, Aquarians, Sagittarians, Leos, Libras, Capricorns and so on, some children live through cancer, The bad cancer, The one that kills and not the Star sign.

Proudly posing with our final artwork

Child Cancer can be completely cured, with enough money to proceed with the therapy.

So while you read your daily horoscope tomorrow, I hope you will give a thought to the Children who have Cancer, without having to be tragic about it, just send them your warm thoughts and good intentions. Well, it won’t hurt if you donate every now and then too.

Enough Angelina Jolie goes Gandhi for today. Watch the Stop motion animation to see the progress of the project (Thanks Ahmad for taking the awesome pictures!) .

.

And the beautiful TVC by Leo Burnett:

I’d like to thank the PR team Aphy, Jen, Leti and Jimmy for making this fun; Diego and Tania for being empowering.

If you want to see the graffiti live, head to the end of Hamra (after Roadster’s) keep going till you see a parking lot. It’s there. Don’t forget to tweet me about it @GhPhilippe

We want more good causes!

Give Moah! X