Author: Bambi

In an older post, Bambi once wrote: “Some declared days (no clue by whom) are highly important, raising awareness about this health condition or that historic event. Others seem odd or funny...” Well, today may be one of those strange days as it is the “International I Hate Coriander Day” (https://shorturl.at/gwyZ9).

Coriander, also called cilantro, grows very easily in most of Western Asia and Southern Europe (https://shorturl.at/einJ9). It is very common in Mediterranean cuisine. Even Bambi who is not the greatest, or most diligent, cook knows how to pair coriander with cumin in the Lebanese recipes her late mom gave her over the years. She even learned this trick from the “King of the kitchen”. Yes, it is you “Chef Luigi”, if you happen to be reading :). She considers herself blessed because she happens to adore coriander and especially cumin!

Of course, despite the genetic and cultural influences, taste is a very personal matter. Moreover, taste preferences can change over time. Some people have all the reasons of the world to passionately hate coriander. Maybe it is a bit similar to how Bambi is not fond of cinnamon (and its smell) in deserts? Regardless, she has never imagined we would need to have a declared international day where we hate coriander :).

Regardless of the above, Bambi wishes you a Happy International I Hate Coriander Day with a kids songs on vegetables, which excludes coriander and many other yummy vegetables. Please, make no mistake, this “exclusion” is just for fun and for today ONLY since she is not into boycotting any food, especially when it is delicious!

Music is supposed to assemble people and make them transcend their trivial and more serious problems.

Music helps in building bridges of humanity among individuals.

Bridges, and not walls or holes to be buried in, are badly needed in the VERY troubled Middle East as well as other doomed parts of our world.

When we have been named “UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Middle East” (https://shorturl.at/zCELY), the needs of ALL the children and youth living in the Middle East matter, from Lebanon, to Palestine, to Israel, Syria, Irak, Yemen, Iran Saudi Arabia, etc. You simply rise above the own issue of a community or country to use your fame to speak for all children of this region of the world.

When you are a famous international singer like Ms. Nancy Ajram giving a concert in Cyprus (the only peaceful place in the Middle East), you do not ask your fans for their IDs before a quick chat with them or a fast photograph shot with them. Fans of stars are by definition international. They can come to your concert from any part of the world, even from a nearby “enemy” nation bombarding your country and fighting one of its most powerful groups.

Bearing the above in mind, Bambi was shocked to read in L’Orient Today (https://shorturl.at/chmV7) that “a Lebanese lawyer filed the complaint after Ajram posed for a photo with an Israeli blogger during a concert in Cyprus“. The complaint talks about how “Lebanon adopted a law in 1955 prohibiting contacts with Israelis or individuals residing in Israel, as well as economic relations with Israeli companies. It also prohibits any kind of transaction, whether commercial, financial, or otherwise with the Israeli state, with violations punishable by three to ten years of forced labour“. Is there anything more stupid than a boycott law that tells you with whom to interact or not as a free human being? This is insulting to the free minds of the Lebanese people. The latter are among the most opened minded folks. They adjust to all cultures, to the best of their capacity, and are literally friends of the world.

The L’Orient Today article (https://shorturl.at/chmV7) also informed Bambi of the following rather cute details: “Israeli blogger Itzik Balas posted photos of himself with the Lebanese singer on his Instagram account, followed by 200,000 subscribers. “I was excited to meet the world-famous megastar of the Arab world, the Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram,” he wrote in English in the caption of the photos, adding in Arabic, “habibt al alb” meaning beloved“.

May only love have the final word in the Middle East. Not the stupid boycotts, not the weapons or drones, not the massive killings of innocent people, and not the kidnapping of other innocent people in the name of Gods, religions, lands, revenge, or whatever else.

Today, Bambi made a lovely musical discovery. Her name is Ms. Marilyne Naaman. Who knows? Maybe those of you reading this post from out of Lebanon or France, you are already familiar with her talent.

Regardless of the above, this artist’s Youtube page describes her as follows: “Hello, I am Marilyne Naaman, a Lebanese actress and singer, born in 1998 in Beirut. I love Lebanon, flowers, the sun, summer, ice cream, friendships, coffee, music, the jasmine plant, laughter, jokes, the beginning of love stories, Fairouz, films, the kids’ world, the colors pink, red, and green, chocolate, drawings, The Voice France, clouds, tattoos, Paris, parties, socks, and watermelons”.

In this post, Bambi will share with you three songs performed by Ms. Naaman. The first is her most recent one, entitled Masafi [Distance] and it is sub-titled in English. This song was directed by Ms. Lynn Tawilé. Both the lyrics and music are by Mr. Jad Obeid. As for the production, it is by Mr. Elie Akl. The second song is a Standard Arabic adaptation of “Hallelujah“, which was written by Canadian late and great singer Mr. Leonard Cohen (1984). Ms. Naaman performed the latter at the “Shining Stars of Hope” event (December 29, 2023) of the Takreem Foundation. Established in 2009, this organization honours Arab accomplishments by “bringing Arab achievers to the forefront of the global stage” (https://shorturl.at/aiwGV). As for Ms. Naaman’s third and last song, it is her impressive performance in the French La Voix [The Voice] of Dalida’s “Mourir sur scène” [To Die on Stage]. Of note, this song includes a Lebanese-Arabic translation at its end.

Ms. Naaman, please keep singing. Your voice brings both sweetness and depth to our troubled world, which sadly remains filled with senseless violence.

For almost five days, Bambi has been singing an old Lebanese-Arabic song entitled “Kinna Netlaa Min Achiyeh“, which was composed for Fairuz by the late and great, Mr. Elias Rahbani. Why the urge to sing this melody? No clue, but she is now concerned about her spouse’s ears… and sanity :). Of note, this beautiful song, which was released in 1975, is about nostalgia for one’s youth and for an old love. Bambi would like to offer it to her sister because her name is Rania, like the talented Ms. Rania El Hage!

Is there anything more magical than sunrises and sunsets in New Brunswick (NB) and Nova Scotia (NS)? In this brief post, Bambi will share a picture taken by Brittany near Shediac, NB. Second, she will share five pictures taken by Diana in NS, namely in Springhill and Malagash. As for the song, which Bambi selected to pay tribute to the beauty of the Maritime provinces, it is Moustaki’s “Il y avait un jardin” [There Was a Garden], which is subtitled in English for your convenience. Long live the beauty of nature around us! Long live our talented and generous friends!

Mr. Andre Gide was a French author “who was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature” (https://shorturl.at/bhtx0). As for Mr. Charles Trénet, he was “a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics to nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years” (https://shorturl.at/kwFPU). Besides being France-born (in 1869 and 1913 respectively) and being remarkably talented, both men died on a February 19th, the former in 1951 and the latter in 2001. Thanks to their respective rich legacy and may each of their memories be eternal.

Related to the above, Bambi grew up studying Gide in her high school in Beirut,Lebanon. In addition, she is lucky because her mom was a passionate reader. Indeed, Gide’s books are part of her beautiful late mom’s collection of books, which spans a wide range of styles and topics.

To conclude this tribute post, Bambi will begin by sharing inspiring quotes of Mr. Gide, which have been translated into English in the YouTube video shown below (food for thought). This will be followed by four of Trénet’s famous songs. She hopes you will enjoy the latter as much as she did while preparing this post.

If you are looking for a captivating book to read on days off, or to offer it to a loved one, “Ballet is Not for Muslim Girls” is a title to keep in mind (https://shorturl.at/fjsAQ). Indeed, Bambi enjoyed every word of this book from its start to its end. In this post, she will provide a summary as well as a portrait of what this highly engaging book looks like.

Growing up in a Polish-Pakistani “statistically Muslim” Canadian family in the 60s and 70s in the back-then less diverse Victoria, BC, Ms. Mariam’s S. Pal “struggled to navigate three cultures…”. To begin with, as honestly and cleverly described in her book blurb, even Ms. Pal’s first name was hard to pronounce by so many. She was called Marian or Marylin, but not Mariam.

Bearing the above in mind, if you are curious about the choice behind the title of Ms. Pal’s memoir, your curiosity will serve you well. Purchase Ms. Pal’s book and start reading it fast because one thing is sure: you will fall in love with it!

Indeed, as far as Bambi is concerned, as she read through Ms. Pal’s memoir, she was fascinated by her outstanding writing style, uniquely rich life story, vivid intelligence, strong personality, education and talent, inspiring international development career, sense of humour (at times sarcastic), sense of perspective and tenderness for her family, despite her lucidity and fresh honesty.

Of note, each chapter of this memoir stands on its own, like and independent reading.The latter makes the book easier to follow and return too. If you are a visual person, like Bambi, you will enjoy how Ms. Pal outlined her memoir with photographs of herself and of her parents.

There is nothing like love (with a big L) and like our shared humanity.

There is nothing like true friendships on which we can count for both fun and mutual support, as needed. And what about those rare friendships that feel like family?

There is nothing like romantic love when it is genuine, simple, nourishing, and uplifting.

All the above makes our senseless or troubled world seem lighter and filled with hope.

Is there anything more beautiful in the world than the flag of our beautiful country?

According to the Federal Government of Canada website, “at the stroke of noon on February 15, 1965, Canada’s red and white maple leaf flag was raised for the very first time on Parliament Hill. On the same day in 1996, National Flag of Canada Day was declared” (https://shorturl.at/oLW26).

If you are interested, the brief Youtube video below explains the meaning of the Canadian flag. It is followed by our national anthem in both official languages, namely French and English (by singer Lara Fabian), along with beautiful landscapes from across the country.

On this Saint-Valentin’s evening, it is already past midnight in both France and Lebanon (sad anniversary of his death), Bambi will pause to honour the memory of Mr. Pierre Bachelet.

Who is Mr. Bachelet? Those of you who may not be familiar with French music may have not heard of him. He was a French singer-songwriter and film score composer. He lived between 1944 and 2005. His fascination with Mr. Elvis Presley inspired him to learn the electrical guitar in his youth, in addition to the piano (https://shorturl.at/qAIRU).

Bambi loves this late talented singer for two main reasons: (1) she is fan of French music and culture and (2) his songs rocked her childhood and youth in Beirut. When she was younger, she was a tomboy. However, during early adolescence, when puberty hit, she connected with her feminine side more :). For her, boys mysteriously became more fascinating. Same for romantic music and even literature. She spent time listening to singer-songwriters like Bachelet, writing their lyrics, memorizing them, and even singing them with her frog’s voice.

Bearing the above in mind, as a 51-year-old woman, she will now dive into her past by selecting a few songs to pay tribute to Mr. Pierre Bachelet with. She hopes you will enjoy them, especially his first superb performance of Aznavour’s “Hier encore“. Of note, Bachelet makes Bambi think of funny memories with her DEAR childhood friend Nayla to whom she dedicates his songs :). As for Mr. Bachelet, thanks to him for having existed and may his memory be eternal.