Month: November 2023

There are days when our hearts are heavy, namely in times of farewell of beloved ones [good-bye/thank you, DEAREST Myrna, 💜], or when the world seems to be growing darker in the middle of our collectively insane times. Who knows? Perhaps it is on such days that we long for lightness.

Today’s ray of lightness comes to us from a Walt Disney‘s character that stood up the test of longevity for 95 years. Yes, Bambi is talking about Mickey Mouse who is celebrating his birthday.

You may like, dislike, or be indifferent to Mickey Mouse’s charm. However, according to Britannica, he is “the most popular character of Walt Disney’s animated cartoons and arguably the most popular cartoon star in the world” (https://shorturl.at/adkBJ).

Well done, cute Mickey Mouse. Thank you for the smiles. Happy Birthday from Bambi!

Music can be closely related to our emotions and memory. Indeed, we tend to be very nostalgic to the music we grew up on when we were young. Maybe those songs or melodies remind us of happy times of our lives? Maybe they are associated with our friends or with meaningful life events like parties, graduations, or romance?

Regardless of the above, Bambi has always appreciated French music. Today, she has a specific thought for Mr. Alain Barrière. For those who do not know him, he was a French singer-songwriter. He was born on November 18 (like tomorrow), 1935 and died of a cardiac arrest on December 18, 2019. His heart literally stopped beating only twelve days following his spouse’s death (https://shorturl.at/bjqFT). May their joint memory be eternal.

Mr. Barrière’s legacy is impressive and Bambi can sometimes hear herself singing his beautiful songs (even without having listened to them for ages). This is what happened to her lately. Luckily for you, as readers, you cannot hear and be traumatized by her singing through posts. Thank goodness, your ears are well protected from the frog’s voice : ).

To conclude this musical post, Bambi wants to leave you with the following question raised in the title of this post: to what extent are you nostalgic to the music of your youth? In other terms, do you still recall, cherish, and love it? If you wish, please feel free to publicly share with us one of your favourite songs from your younger years. Alternatively, and if you wish, Bambi will be happy to hear from you more privately.

Today was the International Tolerance Day (https://shorturl.at/tyS14), in addition to being George’s birthday [happy new year to him again 💚!]. Bambi shared this song on her blog once in the past. In standard Arabic (and sub-titled in English), it is meant for tolerance, shared humanity, peace, and love. It was composed by Mr. Ziad Rahbani for his mother Fairouz in 1981, that is in the middle of the cruel Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). The powerful and wise lyrics are by Mr. Gibran Khalil Gibran. Needless to say that this musical piece applies to any absurd violent conflict of the world.

Bambi’s heart is heavy, like all the fans of Mr. Kevin Tremblay and the incredibly talented and inspiring “Les cowboys fringants“. Indeed, Québec, Canada, and the world, especially the Francophonie, lost Mr. Tremblay at just age 47. May his memory eternal. If she may, Bambi sends her love to his wife and musician, Ms. Marie-Annick Lépine, and to their other fellow band members (https://shorturl.at/giNV9). Same heartfelt vibes to his family, friends, and fans domestically and around the world.

Before leaving you to go to sleep, Bambi will share three of Mr. Tremblay’s songs. The first one, dedicated to his little sister, moves her heart each time she listens to it. The second lovely melody mentions Mr. Joe Dassin. As for the third song, it is a powerful tribute to the late Mr. René Lévesque, founder of the Parti Québécois, Prime Minster (official title for Premier in Québec) from 1976 to 1985. Mr. Lévesque was an open-minded NB-born journalist and an inspiring patriot, whether we share his vision for his people or not.

Bambi considers herself blessed for many reasons. One of them is that, across the miles, and on all sides of the family (both her own and her spouse’s), she has wonderful cousins. Christiane (Coco!) is one of them. Indeed, she is a friend, not just a cousin. May she have a beautiful birthday. May all her beloved ones be safe. May joy fill her heart today and every day. Much love to her, along with wishes of peace and prosperity ❤️!

Some people are naturally talented in spreading joy around them. Clearly, Mr. Patrick Sébastien is one of them. Thanks for the uplifting melodies, happy 70th birthday (https://tinyurl.com/3te7fts5), and all the best to him!

Of note, Mr. Sébastien’ second song, entitled “Comment ça va?”, is making Bambi think of the Shorts, a Dutch band with whom she was in love when she was 11, especially because of their German version of Comment ça va? (mixed with French and English). The Dutch version follows the latter. For fun, the post will end with a 7-year-old video of the same melody (in French and English) by the singer of the Shorts. What a sweet treat for Bambi’s ears and eyes, just before sleep :).

May this brief musical post succeed in putting a smile on your face, regardless of your worries or state of mind. Please remember to take good care.

Lebanon’s fate is still pending. However, its beauty is never-fading.

Hala, Bambi’s childhood friend, appreciated the latest post featuring Louis’ beautiful pictures of the sunset in PEI, Atlantic Canada. This was especially true as she was enjoying a stunning view of the Lebanese sunset from her own balcony. She captured the precious moment, which she sent to Bambi who asked if she can in turn share it with her readers.

Thank you, dear Hala, for your incredible support and continuous generosity. You have enriched this blog with meaningful contributions. In her heart’s prayer, Bambi asks God to protect you and your family in Lebanon’s incredibly delicate times. May you keep enjoying the beauty of our birth country now and for years to come. May we be able to see each other as soon as realistically possible. Until then, please take good care ❤️.

Thanks to Louis for kindly sharing his beautiful pictures with the readers of Bambi’s Afkar.

Indeed, this post shares five pictures, which Louis took last Sunday evening. It ends with a joyful Lebanese-Arabic song by Fairuz, with English sub-titles, about the charm of the nights and the fun of singing. It is entitled Ya Sahar El Layali.

Like many of you most likely, Bambi appreciates sunsets. In addition to the magic of this moment, she usually feels reassured because sunsets bring the promise of a new dawn. It does not matter how dark a night, or one’s life, can be. At the end of the day, even a tough one, there will always be the promise of a new hope with the coming next one(s).

May the sunshine of love, forgiveness, peace, beauty, and prosperity shine on the entire world, including its bloody Middle East.

May everyone be able to appreciate and spread beauty around.

Long live the beauty of the drive in the Atlantic Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) toward the Confederation Bridge.

On November 11, 1918, World War I was brought to an end.

What lessons have we learned from this war and the next ones?

How can we prevent wars? How can we keep protecting our freedoms and cherishing our peace? How can we be more united in love and in our shared humanity?

To what extent do we still honour values like sacrifice, solidarity, unity, gratitude, pride, love, and peace?

Regardless of the answer to the above questions, thank you/un grand merci to all our veterans for their courage and sacrifices.