What goes on in the mind of Beirut’s lovely stray cats?
They seem to be as welcoming, resourceful, and resilient, as their fellow human Beirutis.
Like them, they seem to enjoy the present moment to its fullest, especially when they know how uncertain or adverse the past and, may God forbid, future days can be.
Long live the stray cats and may Beirut’s days be more peaceful!
A picture of the Jesuit garden taken by Bambi in her childhood’s neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon.
A picture of a cute cat, enjoying the Jesuit garden, taken by Bambi in her childhood’s neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon.
A picture of adorable cats taken by Bambi in her childhood’s neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon.
A picture of a friendly cat taken by Bambi in her childhood’s neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon.
Life is beautiful when we are a cat living in Beirut, Lebanon. A picture taken by Bambi in her childhood’s neighbourhood.
There is nothing like a brother, whatever the shape he comes in!
Did you know that today is both Brother’s Day (https://tinyurl.com/27jfxtsh) and the National Escargot Day (https://tinyurl.com/4rsd99h2)? What’s the link between both one might wonder? Apparently, none. However, if we take the time to think about it, perhaps we can find a relationship between snails and brothers.
Indeed, and in general, we can learn from snails (or escargots) how to wisely take the time to get to know someone. Taking things slow might perhaps lead to finding in the other person a brother while investing in the relationship, slowly but surely, as a mutual brotherhood. This slower process can foster a deeper, and ideally, stronger connection.
Of note, and by extension, this slowness can be protective, especially in cases where the new encounter is not genuine or manipulative. We thus remain grounded in reality, remembering whom we are, even when we deeply fall in romantic love, in non-romantic friendship, or in a true brotherhood.
Stated differently, emotional wisdom is good for our well-being, whether the rewarding relationship is with a best friend, a relative, or a romantic partner. A sense of true brotherhood can be born out of our shared connection and deeper relation.
So, long live the snails you may enjoy eating and all the brothers in your lives. Thankfully, Bambi happens to love eating escargots while being blessed to have many true brothers she can count on for connection, support, as well as fun moments. This includes brother-in-laws, friends like brothers, and all the good men in her life, starting with her adorable dad.
It is Bambi’s hope that you can think of at least one “brother” in your life who, of course, does not have to be born from your own mother. If you can identify at least one you can count on, you would be lucky too, dear readers. Trust that Bambi would be happy for you.
Mind you, regardless of the quality of human relationships, if we want to have a brother, we can star taking baby steps toward becoming a brother to someone else.
To begin with, at least three old posts were devoted to Rania’s talent, as shown further below. Yesterday evening, while chatting together upon Bambi’s arrival to the Lebanese capital, Rania showed her sister a BEAUTIFUL picture of Beirut. She took it from the skies during a recent business trip to the United Arab Emirates. With much gratitude for her consent, Bambi is now sharing it with you.
Today, for family reasons, Bambi visited the Saint George University Hospital. Upon entering this institution, she was deeply touched when she saw a memorial wall. The latter is a heartfelt tribute for all those who lost their lives in this destroyed, and now thankfully fully re-built, hospital. Of course, Bambi took the time to pause, reading each of the 18 names one after the other. Four of them were nurses in addition to other staff members, patients, and family members or friends. May everyone’s memory be eternal.
As a reminder, the surreal tragedy of the doomed Beirut port explosion took place on the 4th of August, 2020. Almost five years later, families of the victims are still waiting for justice. Of note, a small number of the thousands of those who were injured remain hospitalized. Some of them are even in the coma. Don’t they all deserve truth and justice?
A stunning picture of Beirut taken by Ms. Rania Azar-Berbery on May 21, 2025.A picture taken by Bambi at the Saint George University Hospital on May 22, 2025.A picture taken by Bambi at the Saint George University Hospital on May 22, 2025.
In a few hours, it will be May 20, at least in Atlantic Canada, because it is already tomorrow elsewhere around the world. Well, May 20 has been declared, by God knows whom, as the “National Be a Millionaire Day“.
This apparently odd day seems to be meant to those of us who have ever wondered what it would be like to be a millionaire (https://shorturl.at/CxTrO). Who knows? Maybe this is your personal case. Perhaps you do not care or maybe you have already experienced being a millionaire.
As far as Bambi is concerned, tomorrow she will surely start becoming a REAL millionaire. Yes. At the end of a 24-hour-long journey, she will find herself giving a hug to her dad et al. This is worth millions for her!
To come back to you, dear readers, Happy Be a Millionaire Day. This being said, may you be healthy, and as happy as you can be, regardless of the amount of money in your pocket and/or bank account.
With those heartfelt wishes, Bambi will leave you now. She looks forward to the following posts where she plans to keep sharing thoughts and perspectives on different topics, along with music of course. If you wish, she will also keep interacting with you on this blog through your comments or more privately.
Wow, Canada’s sunshine is brighter since May 15, 2025.
“Félicitations à notre chère Madame Ginette Reno”! Bravo to our beloved Ginette Reno!
Thanks to the great Ms. Céline Dion for her heartfelt tribute, shared below. Same for the most talented Mr. Roche Voisine who officially inducted Ms. Reno into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame three days ago (https://shorturl.at/duBQC)
“You know, I am a singer, I have been singing for 66 years, and honestly I didn’t sing for glory, success or money. And tonight, I’m shaking inside. I’m so honoured and so privileged because I feel I belong” .
“Il y a non seulement une femme en moi en ce moment qui est très fière, mais il y a une petite fille qui a tellement une gratitude“. This means: “there is not only a very proud woman in me right now, but also a grateful young girl“.
Bambi has always been fond of Ms. Reno, even before migrating to Canada in 1990. With much love, she devoted several older posts to her incredible talent. Without her voice, Canada, Québec, the world of music, especially of French songs, songwriting, movies, and even of our superb national anthem would have not been the same. Bless her!
Yesterday, Mr. Hadi Matar, the attacker who stabbed Mr. Salman Rushdie, was found guilty of attempted murder. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Justice was served. It won’t bring sight to Mr. Rushdie in his right eye, use of his arm’s nerves, all his other damaged internal organs, and peaceful sleep. However, it is Bambi’s prayer that it will bring him increased healing to his heart and soul.
As for Mr. Hadi Matar, he is 27 now. When he will get out he will be Bambi’s age today. It is her hope that the US prisons are more reasonable than France’s prisons where inmates become more radicalized there than in the free world outside.
As reported in an older post shown below, USA-born Mr. Hadi Matar is of Lebanese heritage. Acting on, and surely blinded by, a 1989 fatwa against Mr. Rushdie, as per the Times of India (https://shorturl.at/UdArb), he blinded Mr. Rushdie’s right eye, among other serious physical injuries and psychological trauma.
For those who do not know it, according to Britannica, a fatwa is “a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law given by a qualified legal scholar (mufti) in Islamic jurisprudence” ( https://shorturl.at/9K8ds). As a reminder, the fatwa in question against Mr. Salman Rushdie was issued after the so-called controversy over his novel, The Satanic Verses (1988). Apparently because one of the novel’s rows referenced the holy Quran, Ayatollah Mr. Khomeini, allowed himself to issue his famous fatwa that ordered Muslims to kill Mr. Rushdie. How pathetically sad when a man of power speaks in the name of a beautiful, and potentially even more beautiful, religion in such an unwise, inhuman way.
Tragically, a few years later, it was Mr. Matar whose first name means “quiet/calm/peaceful” in Arabic who gave himself the right to move away from peace, reason, and civility as he tried to kill the world-renowned author. Why again? Because a late old man of religion, gave the green light to do so from miles away. Independent of religion, encouraging killing by proxy seems to be an expertise of the current Iranian regime.
Regardless, it is Mr. Matar who ended up forgetting about any personal core asset and/or ethical principle, including critical thinking, common sense, emotion regulation as well as agency, respect for freedom of expression and for humanity. How toxic a radicalized mindset can become. How TRAGIC it is for all its victims, first and foremost for Mr. Rushdie (and the other injured victim)… BUT also for the convicted offender’s parents and for himself lost to his ideology.
To conclude this post, besides music, there is nothing to add except to say the following: Mr. Rushdie, please keep on writing. Bambi did not have the chance to read any of your books yet, but it is her plan to do so as soon as realistically possible, including your so-called controversial novel. Above all, please keep on taking good care of yourself while inspiring us all to be as courageous and resilient. Thank you.
Regular readers of this blog know that Bambi often shares a German song, which won Eurovision when she was 10-year-old, growing up in war-torn Beirut. This beautiful and eternal song is a call for peace in the world.
Today, one of the songs that made it to the Eurovision 2025 final competition, thanks to a courageous young Israeli singer called Ms. Yuval Raphael, moves Bambi’s heart. The song is about healing, with a hope for brighter new days. Its lyrics are in English with some French, along with a few words in her mother tongue.
Of note, Ms. Raphael is a survivor of the Nova Sukkot Gathering music festival, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Her participation was questioned by many demonstrators on the streets wanting to boycott Israel’s participation in the Eurovision. One of them even made a gesture of slaughtering her throat. Can you imagine? She is not any Eurovision singer. She is a survivor of a human massacre or tragedy.
Whether we like, hate, or are completely indifferent toward her birth country (now back to occupying Bambi’s birth country), it is hard not to be be touched by both Ms. Raphael’s song and personal story. The latter is about a daughter in distress and her dad who did his utmost to save her life during her LONG surreal saga. Indeed, he gave her survival tips on the phone and managed to send help to her et al. How does Bambi know all this? Out of curiosity, she listened to an archived interview on YouTube given by Ms. Raphael. What an ordeal. Indeed, many of those who were hiding with her lost their lives. One person even died on one of her limbs. Thankfully for her and for her family/friends, she is alive today. Thankfully for us, we can discover her song about humanity (regardless of any politics).
As for Armenia now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, or one of Bambi’s relatives/close friends, you probably know how much this country means to her : ). Bravo to the highly energetic Armenian PARG. Good luck for the final!
Of note, among the finalists, there are also other gifted candidates representing their countries, including but not limited to Finland and Greece. Wow, good luck to each one of them as well!
Last but not least, long live music that unites us, regardless of the language or the topic.
Did you know that May 15 is devoted to bringing flowers to someone? Yes, and this is meant to “celebrate why giving flowers plays a significant role in kindness” (https://tinyurl.com/3h2fucam).
From a strictly business point of view, one might argue that this also means that it would be a rewarding day for flower shops owners. Maybe, bravo, and why not? Thankfully also, flowers could be given to someone from one’s own garden or even sweetly offered as wildflowers. The underlying idea of the day is to offer beauty in a meaningful way.
Bearing the above in mind, and surely as a beautiful coincidence, Bambi’s beloved friend Karen sent her 3 beautiful pictures today. She then kindly accepted to share them with you, dear readers.
May each day of your as well as her life be filled with beauty, joy, hope, kindness, generosity, friendship, love, and humanity.
Long live the spring’s charm in Halifax, Atlantic Canada.
A picture taken by Karen in Halifax, Atlantic Canada.
A picture taken by Karen in Halifax, Atlantic Canada.
A picture taken by Karen in Halifax, Atlantic Canada.
In comparison to the United States of America (USA), Canada is not a major military, or even political, player when it comes to the Middle East. Thus, with all due respect, none of the fighting entities cares much about any of our country’s official statements. In contrast, they likely care more, and appear to fear, the USA, which could perhaps explain their most recent release of the American-Israeli hostage (thankfully for him and for his family).
Bearing the above in mind, our new Foreign Minister, the competent Ms. Anita Anand made a rather odd statement, reported in Reuters as well as in local and international media, including Israeli ones. She “accused Israel of using lack of food as a tool in Gaza“. Of note, In the French-speaking La Presse, the title of such article is: “Israel ‘attacking’ Palestinians, says Anita Anand” (https://tinyurl.com/4yzkmmx6). Quite a big accusation, whether the starvation is intentional or not.
Regardless, the outcome of this UGLY and endless war is devastating for the innocent Palestinians, namely Gazan people. Thus, one may be tempted to consider that, with her statement, Ms. Anand seems to want to show Canada’s solidarity with them. Their living conditions are beyond heartbreaking. Indeed those conditions are humanly unacceptable. How could they be when they seem to be missing the basic ingredient in life: dignity?
However, and sadly, Canada’s statement seems to be lacking balance because it omits to mention Hamas. As a reminder, the latter kidnapped, and still seems to refuse to release, many remaining innocent Israeli hostages (https://tinyurl.com/4ybr3tzz).
Furthermore, in the same statement, Canada’s Foreign Minister informed us that Canada is with a two-state solution to the conflict (like Bambi historically): “We need to continue to work towards a ceasefire. We need to ensure that we have a two-state solution, and Canada will continue to maintain that position“, added Ms. Anand. The question that begs itself now is the following: If Canada is for a two-state solution, why isn’t it also equally harsh in its words with Hamas, not just with Israel? Make no mistake please dear readers, Bambi is not writing this post to defend Israel, even if she can acknowledge, and even well understand, its initial touchy position of being under attack on several fronts at once.
Thus, why doesn’t Canada demand that both fighting entities compromise immediately to end this absurd violence, initiated by Hamas’ attack of October 7, 2023 (as Iran’s Islamist proxy) and maintained by Israel’s leaders? The people of the Middle East, and their loved ones abroad, are sick and tired of wars. They want to live in peace… and ideally love.
So, how about a more measured Canadian statement that does not risk appearing to enable terror, even if likely made naively. For instance, an official statement can simply go like the following: Hamas must immediately return all the remaining hostages (ideally alive) AND Israel must stop its harshness in Gaza immediately.
Enough of suffering for all innocent people… for God/G-D/Allah’s/No God(s)’ sake.
