Mr. Omar Kamal, the Palestinian Frank Sinatra: Isn’t his voice singing for “Christmas from East to West” heart-warming?

Bambi will always be grateful for her cousin Joumana for making her discover Mr. Omar Kamal, as per one of the older posts shown further below. Since that time, Bambi’s friend, Jacinthe, became a fan as well. Who knows? Perhaps you are also fond of Mr. Kamal’s talent [like you, Fatma :)]?

In case you do not know this incredibly talented musician and singer yet, below you can watch a brief five-year-old France24 English-speaking interview with him. From it, Bambi learned that he studied engineering in England. He chose a musical career instead. Thank goodness for us!

Anyhow, if she may, Bambi would like to end this brief post by thanking Mr. Omar Kamal for singing for Christmas from East to West in both Arabic and English!

Welcome winter!

I am still here, even if it is winter time!

Did you know that the name of the winter season comes from an old Germanic term, which means “time of water”? Yes, it does and it refers to both rain and snow in middle and high latitudes (https://bit.ly/3BR8bYf).

Well, today is not just the first day of the winter season. It also happens to be the birthdays of President Macron and Ms. Jane Fonda. Happy birthday to all those celebrating their birthdays on this day, including them! Best wishes to all the pregnant women about to give birth on December 21st!

To celebrate the new season, Bambi will share meaningful songs about the winter in French, with the first having English and Spanish translation. The second Vigneault’s song is entitled “Mon pays c’est l’hiver” [My country is the winter]. It is interpreted by Mr. Mathieu Bellemare. The third video is in French, subtitled in English, in which some of you may recognize the famous and hilarious Têtes à Claque (https://bit.ly/3WfVtdO). Bambi thought of them this morning when she cleaned the car from a mixture of snow and rain :).

As for the last Lebanese song by Fairouz, which is sub-titled in English, it is meant to remind us that, even if the seasons or cycles of life change, some important matters like love remain constant in their depth. As the song goes, we remain in love with someone across the seasons (i.e., “in the summer as well as in the winter“). By extension, this song can be a celebration of another continuity, in an ever changing world, including values, ideas, drive, and/or spirituality or faith in humanity. The latter may seem like a stretch to Fairouz‘ song, which is strictly about romantic love. However, if LOVE with a big L (not just romance) is the glue among all this, what Bambi is trying to say may perhaps make more sense. Indeed, regardless of the season, it can result in the following beautiful outcomes: Loving life, living to love, welcoming affection in and between our hearts, leading an enriched life where the power and warmth of love transcend death.

Without much further philosophy, welcome to winter among us! Be safe everyone on the roads!

Have you been good to deserve a gift from Santa?

There is something comforting in the lights and in the melodies of our childhood. This post is about one of these melodies.

Yes, it is again selfishly about Bambi’s favourite song of all times since her early childhood. She already asked this question. Do you remember or can you still take a guess what she is talking about? Yes, once again, you got it right: it is “Petit Papa Noël” [Little Santa Claus]. Who knows? If you did not get it right, you may perhaps still have another test opportunity before this coming Christmas. If not, there is always next year :).

Below, Bambi will share with you an original French version by our most talented Mr. Maxime Landry. This will be followed by Ms. Mirelle Mathieu’s German version of Petit Papa Noël” and by two versions in Lebanese-Arabic.

For her own fun before sleep, Bambi will conclude this musical post with Baby Lilly kids’ version of the same song and with two different Arabic Santa-related songs from out of Beirut, Lebanon, one of them sub-titled in English.

Thank you Santa for the magic in our lives, regardless of our chronological age ❤️!

National Hard Candy Day: Long live the “Stoptou”!

Mmm! A pcture found online. Unknown source.

In an earlier post devoted to violin, Bambi wrote the following: “Think of anything you like or not, there is an international day for it! Sometimes a single day of the year has been declared to be devoted to two or more events or objects at once; by we do not know whom…“. Bearing this in mind, imagine that today is the National Hard Candy Day (https://bit.ly/3PAB2Wm)!

With all due respect to the diversity of candies of the world, in all their shapes, colours, and taste, those who know Bambi well know that she is guilty of having a favourite candy. It is called Stoptou and it can always be found in her purse. It is made in France; yes this same beautiful country that lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup yesterday; bravo to the latter and sorry for Les Bleus, even if a second place deserves celebrations, despite the disappointment!

Anyhow, to come back to Stoptou, this candy reminds Bambi of her childhood in Beirut. Hence the emotional component of her attachment to it. The other part of this attachment to Stoptou may be explained by her love of sweet, despite her age, and her appreciation of licorice. Another advantage of these apparently addictive candies is that they allow you to talk for over three hours without feeling a need to cough or drink water (hence the clever name: Stoptou, which literally means stop the cough).

This being said, if you think that Bambi is being paid to advertise this candy, you are wrong. She is “selling” it to you because she is convinced it is a great product, provided you do not have diabetes and you like licorice. If not, it is surely not for you. She recently learned from her competent dentist and dental hygienist that eating candies is fine still, even in middle-age, as long as it is done in one setting only, not non-stop, to limit the risk of cavities. Phew!

In addition to the picture featured above, here is what the smallest bag of Stoptou looks like. Bambi loves those candies so much that it is her traditional wish for birthday or Christmas gifts [if Santa or anyone asks :)]. They can be found of course in France, also in Lebanon, likely in other countries too… and more recently, they can be purchased online from not just Europe, but also Canada, imagine.

A picture found online. Unknown source.

And look what Bambi just discovered while preparing this post! How come she did not know about this product? Maybe it is new. Maybe it did not exist in Lebanon back then or maybe she forgot about it as she is too old to eat candies :).

Stoptou in a different package. A picture taken from the internet. Unknown source.

If you are interested, now is the time to share with you a video about Stoptou.

OK, enough of serious marketing! Time for a note of French humour, along with two songs celebrating candies; one is romantic and the other is a kids’ dancing melody.

As per older tweets by a French TV show, you can read a funny message that can be translated into English as follows: “No, President Macron did not have a Stoptou on his desk while giving his speech. It was the Medal of the French Resistance”.

To come back to the songs mentioned above, the first is “Les bonbons” [The Candies] of Mr. Jacques Brel. Bambi loves this song. Like its lyrics (subtitled in English), she may prefer to receive “a bouquet” of candies instead of flowers; despite her great appreciation of the latter, of course. This sarcastically romantic song reminds Bambi of her high school teacher of French Literature. If she may, Bambi would like to pause to say: “bonjour Madame Khalifé” :). As for the second dancing melody, it has a Christmas touch and it is meant to bring a smile to your faces in this forthcoming holiday season.

To conclude this post, Happy International Hard Candy Day to everyone. Long live all the candies of the world, including Bambi’s beloved Stoptou!

A question inspired by Ms. Roula Douglas’ tweets: is your solitude a burden or a best friend?

Today, Bambi read the following tweets by Ms. Roula Douglas. She will translate them for you, below the original French:

First tweet:

I hate who steals my solitude, without really offer me in exchange company”. Friedrich Nietzsche

Second tweet:

“I think of all those who suffer from solitude, whether they are accompanied, victims of the indifference of those who are supposed to surround them, or whether they are completely alone.

We do not realize to what extent moral violence can be cruel and devastating”.

Many thanks Roula; or journalist and author Azar-Douglas. Nietzsche’ saying is thoughtful. So are your words filled with compassion and elegantly written, as usual.

When either desired or tamed, so to speak, solitude may be different from loneliness. Indeed, loneliness can overwhelm us with emptiness or sadness, at times, whether we are in an involuntary solitude, isolated, or feeling lonely even in our relationships or in highly crowded places.

However, a desired or well tamed solitude gives us the opportunity, both in terms of space and time, to discover oneself, listen to oneself, be creative, do what we want at the moment we want, and at times to simply do NOTHING. Just to be in the present moment, absorb the latter, that is without thinking about neither the past seconds or the forthcoming ones.

Perhaps the above pleasant experience of solitude is like when we are meditating or praying or commuting between cities or continents on a train or on an airplane. The latter is a present moment par excellence where we are being transported by someone else. No need to worry about traffic, whether on the ground or in the air. We can reflect on what we left behind (whether it is work, loved ones, or troubles) and we can dream of what is ahead (whether it is vacation, loved ones at home, or an exciting work destination).

To conclude this post on a musical note, one song comes to Bambi’s mind. It is “Ma solitude” [My solitude] of the late and unique Mr. Georges Moustaki, which has partly inspired the title of this post. The video is sub-titled in English for you convenience.

In his own words on his funeral day: Thanks to Mr. Jean Lapointe for having sung “the song of his heart and life”!

Au revoir, Monsieur Lapointe.

Montreal and Matane, Québec and Canada, along with the entire world, lost a good and a great man on November 18, 2022 (https://bit.ly/3HJZ2Et). Bambi had an earlier post honouring his legacy, shown further below.

Indeed, Mr. Jean Lapointe was a brother, a father, a grand-father, an actor, a singer, a senator, and an inspiring man who struggled yet helped others. He was a man of heart, humility, and of faith. He was a great Canadian and Québecker.

Today, and if she may, Bambi will send her heartfelt condolences to his family and all his loved ones. She will do so with a lovely song by Mr. Lapointe himself entitled “Chante-la ta chanson” [Sing your song]. Below, you can listen to it, if you wish, and read a quick English translation (followed by the original French lyrics). “Merci bien”. Thank you and may your memory be eternal, Mr. Lapointe ❤️.

A quick English translation of the lyrics, with the help of Mr. Google Translate

Sing your song

The song of your heart, the song of your life

sing your song

The bird does it, the wind does it, the child does it too

sing your song

Don’t be afraid, go ahead

Everyone has their own melody inside

sing your song

She sure is pretty

Sing it that your life is beautiful

All the streams run away in the sun

All the flowers of bee romances

Even the rain plays a symphony

Tell me why would you be sad today

Sing, sing

sing your song

The song of your heart, the song of your life

sing your song

The bird does it, the wind does it, the child does it too

sing your song

Don’t be afraid, go ahead

Everyone has their own melody inside

sing your song

She sure is pretty

Sing it; how beautiful is your life

Can’t you hear the concert of joy

Everything that lives lets its voice be heard

Even the gray sky makes its storms sing

There’s a sun behind every cloud

Sing, sing

sing your song

The song of your heart, the song of your life

sing your song

The bird does it, the wind does it, the child does it too

sing your song

Don’t be afraid, go ahead

Everyone has his/her own melody inside

sing your song

It is surely pretty

Sing it; how beautiful is your life

sing your song

The song of your heart, the song of your life

sing your song

The bird does it, the wind does it, the child does it too

sing your song

Don’t be afraid, go ahead

Everyone has his/her own melody inside

sing your song

It is surely pretty

Sing it; how beautiful is your life

sing your song

The song of your heart, the song of your life

sing your song

The bird does it, the wind does it, the child does it too

sing your song

The original French lyrics

Chante-la ta chanson
La chanson de ton cœur, la chanson de ta vie
Chante-la ta chanson
L’oiseau le fait, le vent le fait, l’enfant le fait aussi
Chante-la ta chanson
N’aie pas peur, vas-y
Chacun a sa mélodie au fond de lui
Chante-la ta chanson
Elle est sûrement jolie
Chante-le qu’elle est belle ta vie

Tous les ruisseaux font des fugues au soleil
Toutes les fleurs des romances aux abeilles
Même la pluie joue une symphonie
Dis-moi pourquoi tu serais triste aujourd’hui
Chante, chante

Chante-la ta chanson
La chanson de ton cœur, la chanson de ta vie
Chante-la ta chanson
L’oiseau le fait, le vent le fait, l’enfant le fait aussi
Chante-la ta chanson
N’aie pas peur, vas-y
Chacun a sa mélodie au fond de lui
Chante-la ta chanson
Elle est sûrement jolie
Chante-le qu’elle est belle ta vie

N’entends-tu pas le concert de la joie
Tout ce qui vit laisse entendre sa voix
Même le ciel gris fait chanter ses orages
Y a un soleil derrière chaque nuage
Chante, chante

Chante-la ta chanson
La chanson de ton cœur, la chanson de ta vie
Chante-la ta chanson
L’oiseau le fait, le vent le fait, l’enfant le fait aussi
Chante-la ta chanson
N’aie pas peur, vas-y
Chacun a sa mélodie au fond de lui
Chante-la ta chanson
Elle est sûrement jolie
Chante-le qu’elle est belle ta vie

Chante-la ta chanson
La chanson de ton cœur, la chanson de ta vie
Chante-la ta chanson
L’oiseau le fait, le vent le fait, l’enfant le fait aussi
Chante-la ta chanson
N’aie pas peur, vas-y
Chacun a sa mélodie au fond de lui
Chante-la ta chanson
Elle est sûrement jolie
Chante-le qu’elle est belle ta vie

Chante-la ta chanson
La chanson de ton cœur, la chanson de ta vie
Chante-la ta chanson
L’oiseau le fait, le vent le fait, l’enfant le fait aussi
Chante-la ta chanson
“.

May Ms. Rebecca Dykes’ memory be eternal…

In a pinned tweet in the Arabic language, the British Embassy in Lebanon wrote the following: “Lebanon’s Court of Cassation has rejected an appeal by Tariq Houshieh and affirmed his guilt for the brutal murder in 2017 of our dear colleague Rebecca [“‘Becky’] Dykes. We are grateful to all of those who have contributed to the final resolution of this case after many months of delay”.

Bambi will never forget Ms. Rebecca Dykes. Upon her arrival to Beirut, precisely on December 16, 2019, the body of Ms. Dykes was found dumped by the side of a road near Beirut. A few days or weeks earlier, she was brutally raped and killed by an Uber driver who seems to have been known for his criminal record, according to international media, including Sky News (https://bit.ly/3W5JIqg). Back then, like her birth country, Bambi was deeply shocked by this tragedy. She kept thinking of the parents of Ms. Dykes, especially around Christmas time.

Actually, Ms. Dykes and her family remained on Bambi’s mind, and surely in her heart, beyond the end of her trip to Lebanon. She wanted to follow this story in the media, but since then, multiple crises happened in Lebanon, in addition to the coronavirus pandemic. There were no more news about this fatal brutality.

Yet, Bambi kept thinking of Ms. Dykes’ parents and wondered about the legal outcome of their tragedy. Same when the Beirut explosion happened destroying the last nice places their daughter likely had fun in with her colleagues, ahead of their holidays, before she called a cab. Instead of taking her home, it took her to a horrible death. If Bambi recalls well, Ms. Dykes’ parents were expecting her at the airport, back home, not knowing yet what had happened to her in Lebanon. Can you imagine a single drop of the ocean of their shock? May their daughter’s memory be eternal. May today’s news, and time, bring more healing to their forever aching hearts. Same for her colleagues and friends. More healing to all of them.

To conclude this post, and if she may, Bambi would like to thank you Ms. Rebecca Dykes for your kind, humanitarian service in Lebanon. Sadly, the latter was the place where a barbaric criminality ended your life. May you rest in peace now and may your memory be eternal… ❤️

Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven, the greatest composer and pianist of all times: Thank you!

Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven (https://to.pbs.org/3Vb2Lyg), the most universal and performed composer in the world, was probably born on December 16, 1770.

To honour the eternal memory of this greatest composer and pianist of all times, Bambi will start by sharing some of his inspiring quotes on music.

Following this, she will leave you with a beautiful tribute to Beethoven, from out of Beirut, by the Antonine University Choir and the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra (December, 2019), which was conducted by Mr. Toufic Maatouk, in partnership with the Opéra de Paris and the Italian Embassy in Lebanon.

Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear”.

I would rather write 10,000 notes than a single letter of the alphabet”.

To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable”!

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life”.