Did you know that today is the National Let’s Laugh Day. It is all about reminding us to take some time to laugh or to make someone’s day with our humour (https://bit.ly/2EEEhXu).
Thankfully, humour is absolutely free of charge while being accessible to all. In addition to being a cheap stress and pain relief “medicine”, humour is often contagious. This serves to reinforce social bonds, partly perhaps via the release of endorphins, which are our brain’s “feel-good” chemical messengers called neurotransmitters (https://bit.ly/3n57cze).
To benefit from the above and for more reasons, Bambi wishes you a fun day with at least one episode of a good laugh and lots of smiles. She will conclude this brief post with one kid’s song, two adult songs in French and English respectively (mentioning laughter), and… with two shorts featuring Mr. Mark Hachem making fun of Arabs 🙂 (i.e., with their endless voicemails and an escape of one’s family into space).
Just randomly, before heading to sleep, Bambi came across a grandiose song entitled “Beirut” , which seems to be two-week-old only. Bravo to Ms. Carole Samaha et al.!
Here is the text found on YouTube about this production: “Carole Samaha sings the poet Mahmoud Darwish in the “Golden Album” Vision & concept Album : Carole Samaha Music composer: Dr. Taisser Haddad Music Orchestration: Alexandre Missakian Kiev philharmonic orchestra Mix & Mastering: Jean-Pierre Boutros, Studio Playsound Lebanon. Carole’s vocals recorded at Sot El Hobb Studios – Cairo Recording Engineer: Akram Adel Oriental instruments & chorus recorded at Nota studio – Beirut Sound engineer: Eddy Jazra Artworks & Lyrics Video: H Media Solutions, Ahmed Hashem Video Direction & Animation: Omar Ayman Photo: Juliya Veklich Media consultant & marketing : Elie Abou Najem Outfit: Hass Idriss Hairdresser: Hamo Mohsen“.
Following the song, you can find a quick English translation of the lyrics by the late and great Palestinian poet, Mr. Mahmoud Darwish. Thanks to Mr. Google Translate for his help. The original Standard-Arabic lyrics follow the English words.
May Beirut rise again ❤️… Long live Lebanon and its capital!
“We burned our boats and hung our planets on the walls, O Beirut.
We are standing on the lines of fire, Beirut is an apple and the heart does not laugh.
And our siege is an oasis in a perishing world. We will dance the square and marry the night.
Oh Beirut, oh Beirut.
We will awaken this land that rested on our blood.
We’ll wake her up and extract our victims from her cells.
Arise, go home, our loved ones, go back to the wind that uprooted the south of the land.
From our ribs, go back to the sea, which does not remember the dead or the living.
Come back again.
We did not follow your lead in vain.
Our boats here are on fire“.
أحرقنا مراكبنا وعلقنا كواكبنا على الاسوار يا بيروت” نحن الواقفين على خطوط النار بيروت تفاحه والقلب لا يضحك وحصارنا واحه في عالم يهلك سنرقص الساحه و نزوج الليلك يا بيروت يا بيروت
سنوقظ هذه الارض التي استندت الى دمنا
سنوقظها و نخرج من خلاياها ضحايانا
قوموا ارجعوا للبيت يا أحبابنا عودوا الى الريح التي اقتلعت جنوب الارض
من أضلاعنا عودوا الى البحر الذي لا يذكر الموتى ولا الاحياء
عودوا مرة اخرى فلم نذهب وراء خطاكم عبثا . “مراكبنا هنا احترقت
The lady shown above is (or was?) rather the HR Director of the City of Markham. She gave a talk to 100 students at the George Brown College. In discussing a real case study of an arbitration and engaging students to discuss how they would have handled this case, she pronounced the so-called “N- word“. Guess what happened? She apologized twice, immediately and again at the end of her lecture. Following this lecture, she was suspended from her municipal position (https://bit.ly/3ZWWJEi). If this is not a “Canadian delirium“, what is it then? Bambi calls such incidents “our collectively insane times“.
Bambi loves both bananas and Canada. She just does not like to see them increasingly combined. With all due respect to Mr. David Johnston, we learned today that he was named by our Prime Minster as a “Independent Special Rapporteur, which is “a new role as part of a suite of measures to help combat foreign interference [i.e. China”] and strengthen confidence in our federal electoral process and democratic institutions” (https://bit.ly/3JKXIlx).
Below you can first read and listen to Mr. Maxime Bernier (PPC) commenting on this nomination. Then, you can read Mr. Yves-François Blanchet’s (BQ) tweets in French, which inform us of the following: First, Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Johnston are good friends. Second, Mr. Johnston’s children studied in China.
If all this is not a conflict of interest, what is it then? This “special rapporteur” position appears to be FAR from being “independent” to the point that we can even wonder if it is not a political joke… but April Fool’s Day is still far away :).
Bambi would like to highlight this day in different ways:
First, she will thank her friend Jeff for sharing a picture of Mr. Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet… in Irish!
A picture shared by Jeff
Second, she also would like to thank him for making her discover a beautiful short poem by Mr. Sheridan John Desmond (1903–80), Irish author of many books including “Joe’s no Saint and Other Poems”:
“No tears Should ever come To your dear eyes. They should always be full Of happiness, and laughter, and surprise
Tears are for tired eyes like mine – That the world has made sad Nothing can touch my heart Or wake my fears So surely as Your tears”.
Third, she will pause to recall lovely memories of celebrations of Saint Patrick Day in three different Canadian provinces as well as during a trip to Beirut in which her cousin Rana took her out once at a nice Irish pub.
Last but not least, it is time for music now. First, the much talented Seo Linn singing a unique version of the traditional Irish song “Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile“. Second, the Saint Patrick’s Day kids’ song.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day ?! Bambi is thinking of all her friends (and kids’ friends :), especially of the Patrick, Patrice, and Patricia of this world!
She does not know about you, but a couple of melodies do make Bambi happier almost instantly. She will allow herself to share three of them in this musical post.
First, thanks to Mr. Kendji Girac for singing Aznavour’ Emmenez-moi [Take me along] in such a lovely and skilled way. Bambi will offer this song to… herself; yes tonight she wants to be absolutely selfish :).
Second, thanks to the talented Mr. André Souaid for his fantastic 3 dakat [3 heart beats] on the violin. Bambi will dedicate this musical piece to all of you, especially those who love this famous Egyptian summer love song.
Last but not least, bravo for Ms. Talia Lahoud for her beautiful interpretation of Fairouz’ Amara ya Amara [Amara Oh Amara], which is subtitled in English and Arabic. This is for you, dear Zeina ❤️. Bambi dreams of featuring this song again (among others!) in a future post, which will be devoted to your incredible singing talent. The latter makes your entire family members so happy… and proud!
I love shining everywhere, especially on Atlantic Canada and Lebanon!
In this post, Bambi will start by thanking Brittany for sharing a stunning sunrise in New Brunswick (Canada). If you wish, you can watch the magic of nature in her backyard in the short video shown below in which you can also hear birds singing. What a lovey way to start one’s day.
Following Brittany’s video, you may wish to appreciate a superb picture of the sunset in Lebanon. Thank you Hala for sharing with us this beauty in the horizon of the Mediterranean sea, which you captured from your own balcony… or “cloud”, as you joke. Yes, the cloud of beauty and humanity; despite any bankruptcy or craziness.
Whether you are reading this post following a sunrise, close to a sunset or in-between (depending on your time zone), may you have a good one. To celebrate the sunshine, Bambi will end this post on a musical note with the “Sous les sunlights des tropiques“, as performed by Chico & The Gipsies. Long live the beauty in our world. May it always relax and inspire our minds!
A brief video shared by Brittany (South-East of New Brunswick, Atlantic Canada)
A picture shared by Hala (North of Beirut, Lebanon)
Thank you Gina for making Bambi discover the fabulous culture of the “Brayons”, also called sometimes “Madawaskayens”.
Who are the Brayons? They are the French-speaking inhabitants of Madawaska county. The latter is located in Northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. The Madawaska county forms the Canadian portion of “Madawaska”. Originally, it has been a larger territory that also included Northern Aroostook county in the US state of Maine as well as the upper Saint John River Valley (https://bit.ly/3YUTe08).
Below, if you are as curious as Bambi, you may watch a very brief English video explaining the meaning of “Brayon“. This will be followed by a little bit longer French-Canadian video, made in Québec with a touch of both tenderness and humour, about Madawaska. Next, if you wish, you can enjoy a joyful song by the late Mr. Jean Lapointe entitled “En Brayon voyons” [“In Brayon, come on!”]. Bambi just discovered the latter while preparing this post. Last but not least, the final French-speaking, or also Brayon-speaking, video (sub-titled in French) is about the Brayon Festival, which Bambi is dreaming of discovering this coming summer! In the same video, we also learn about the richness and uniqueness of this culture, with its Acadian, Québecker, Indigenous, Irish, Scotish, and American joint influences. The video also informs us of an apparently delicious traditional buckwheat crepe called “La ploye“. Mmm!
This being said, Bambi is proud of herself. Today, she became truly New-Brunswicker because she now knows the difference between an Acadian and a Brayon, according to Mr. Philippe Melbourne Dufour’s article on her beautiful province (https://bit.ly/3yWe9p3). Long live New Brunswick. Long live Canada with all its cultural and linguistic richness!
“Amto” [Aunty] Salwa, may your memory be eternal… always and especially on your birthday
Today is March 14. It would have been Salwa’s birthday had she still been (physically) among her loved ones; as per an earlier post shown further below. This is why Bambi will send her late aunt a loving wink while smiling to the skies.
Indeed, to highlight this meaningful day, she will borrow Grand Corps Malade‘s beautiful slam poem-song, which is entitled “Nos absents” [“Our absent ones”]. The original French lyrics follow the English translation (https://bit.ly/3mNwvpd). This post will end with the song, which is sub-titled in French.
May your memory keep on being eternal, Salwa ❤️. May God protect your descendants in Lebanon and in Brazil…
“The ghosts do not really exist, but their absence is so much strong that creates in us a presence which makes us weak, which supports us.
This is the absence of those we loved that creates an almost tangible void, because the love we had given to them now is an orphan who looks for a target.
For some of them we were aware of it, we had been prepared for the worst, but the other ones disappeared suddenly.
Without any advance warning.
We did not say goodbye, they had left without our permission.
Because death has its own reasons that our reason is unaware of.
Thus we are regrouped with an utopian comfort.
Several of us are stronger but not less sad.
It is in the solitude that we mourn for them, because when we are alone, we feel the effects.
We tame the pain and the presence of our absent ones.
Our absent ones are always there, in our mind and in our memories.
In the video of vacations, in these photos full of smiles.
Our absent ones surround us and remain by our sides. They come back to life in our dreams ,as if nothing has happened.
We are reassured by the suffering that pinch our neck, saying that wherever they are surely have less pain than us.
So we walk, we laugh, we sing.
But their shadows dwell.
In a corner of our brain.
In a corner of our happiness.
We have some projects, we plan our tomorrows.
We decide the way, we look at the future in our hands.
And in the heart of action, in our victories and our hells, time to time we imagine that our absent ones are watching what we are doing.
Every life is a miracle, but the end is annoying.
I am well informed, that we will not leave here alive.
Must learn to accept it for trying to grow old happily.
But every year our absent ones get a little more numerous.
Every new disappearance transform our hearts into lace.
But the time passes and the long lived pains become pastel.
For once the time is a true ally.
Every hour passes is an ointment, it will take thousands.
Me , the dead, the missing ones,
I do not speak much.
I write about them.
I tickle the taboo subjects.
This big mystery which waits for us,
Our ultimate point common to all.
The ghosts do not really exist, but their absence is so much strong that creates in us a presence which makes us weak, which supports us.
This is the absence of those we loved that creates an almost infinite void that inspire first degree texts.
Must say that death lacks irony“.
—
«C’est pas vraiment
des fantômes, mais leur absence est tellement forte
Qu’elle crée en nous une présence qui nous rend faible ou nous supporte
C’est ceux qu’on a aimé qui créaient un vide presque tangible
Car l’amour qu’on leur donnait est orphelin, il cherche une cible
Pour certains on le savait, on s’était préparé au pire
Mais d’autres ont disparu d’un seul coup, sans prévenir
On leur a pas dit au revoir, ils sont partis sans notre accord
Car la mort a ses raisons que notre raison ignore
Alors on s’est
regroupé d’un réconfort utopiste
À plusieurs on est plus fort mais on est pas moins triste
C’est seul qu’on fait son deuil, car on est seul quand on ressent
On apprivoise la douleur et la présence de nos absents
Nos absents sont toujours là, à l’esprit et dans nos souvenirs
Sur ce film de vacances, sur ces photos pleines de sourires
Nos absents nous entourent et resteront à nos côtés
Ils reprennent vie dans nos rêves, comme si de rien n’était
On se rassure face à
la souffrance qui nous serre le cou
En se disant que là où ils sont, ils ont sûrement moins mal que nous
Alors on marche, on rit, on chante mais leur ombre demeure
«Dans un coin de nos cerveaux, dans un coin de notre bonheur
Nous on a des projets, on dessine nos lendemains
On décide du chemin, on regarde l’avenir entre nos mains
Et au cœur de l’action, dans nos victoires ou nos enfers
On imagine de temps en temps que nos absents nous voient faire
Chaque vie est un
miracle mais le final est énervant
J’me suis bien renseigné, on en sortira pas vivant
Faut apprendre à l’accepter pour essayer de vieillir heureux
Mais chaque année nos absents sont un peu plus nombreux
Chaque nouvelle disparition transforme nos cœurs en dentelle
Mais le temps passe et les douleurs vives deviennent pastelles
Ce temps qui pour une fois est un véritable allié
Chaque heure passée est une pommade, il en faudra des milliers
Moi les morts, les disparus, je n’en parle pas beaucoup Alors j’écris sur eux, je titille mes sujets tabous Ce grand mystère qui nous attend, notre ultime point commun à tous Qui fait qu’on court après la vie, sachant que la mort est à nos trousses C’est pas vraiment des fantômes mais leur absence est tellement forte Qu’elle crée en nous une présence qui nous rend faible ou nous supporte C’est ceux qu’on a aimé qui créait un vide presque infini Qu’inpirent des textes premier degré, faut dire que la mort manque d’ironie»
Bambi just read the following shocking yet not surprising article entitled “Feds commit $10 million to help 200 Black families in GTA buy their first home” (https://bit.ly/3ZIQWlL).
Why are the Feds dividing Torontonians, and by extension Canadians, by their skin colour? Why not help anyone who is struggling to buy a house and if this helps so-called “Black Canadians” more because of more systemic barriers, bravo?
Why the systemic discrimination instead, which aims to “help” so-called “Black” Canadians buy their first house through a program called “BNI Homeownership Bridge Program“, officially described as “An Affordable Homeownership Option that Enables Black Families to Thrive” (https://bit.ly/3l387j5).
The irony is that this announcement was made by the Honourable Ahmed Hussein who is supposed to be the Minister of “housing, diversity and inclusion“. Housing and diversity maybe… but where is the inclusion here?
Replacing skin hue with religion, Bambi could not help not to imagine for one second the Lebanese government coming up with the exact same policy to return the savings stolen by them/banks to the Lebanese citizens, according to their religion. Or to help with housing, etc. Only helping Christians or only helping Shia Muslims or only Druze or Sunni Muslims because they are more “equity-deserving”. How would the Lebanese society take the latter? They will run to the streets, citizens of all religions and backgrounds to denounce their government (with a reason). And may God forbid, if such discriminatory practices keep being institutionalized, this could even perhaps fuel another civil war.
So Ottawa, for God’s sake, why are you doing this to ALL of us?
