Oh, almost forgot.
Three cheers for finally getting rid of Tony Blair. So happy am I...
Monday 2 July 2007
"I've got the power!" Or not...
Yet another power cut leaving me typing this on my balcony by the light of the street lamp just opposite my flat. They’ve been happening literally daily for the last couple of weeks – each normally 1 to 2 hours and apparently everywhere in Beirut.
I seem to have pretty badly as my block of flats doesn’t appear to have a generator so it’s really REALLY annoying. Especially during a bloody heat wave when the only time you feel like you’re not in a sauna and about to melt in a puddle of sticky sweat is when the AC is working. And even more especially after just having bought some rather expensive imported French cheese from the local Monoprix as a treat only to watch (or rather, smell) it going definitively off. Oh yes, and having invited a friend for a DVD night which become more of a game of watch the screens grow smaller with us graduating from my TV, to my computer screen to my tiny portable DVD player. Forget bloody global warming, I WANT MY ELECTRICITY. WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Yess!!! It’s back on again. And off ten mins later. And then on. Can’t really seem to be making up its mind this evening – maybe it’ll shake it all about. It’s rather getting in the way of watching my latest rental: “The Lost World”. Even the bloody Victorians had electricity. OK, not when sailing up the Amazon and running from dinosaurs but still…
Well, at least I can look forward to another gossip session in the office tomorrow about the latest conspiracy theories. Whereas other countries have people gossiping about celebrity lives and who’s shagging who in the office, here we talk conspiracy theories and play the blame game (rule no 1: everything that’s wrong with Lebanon is the fault of some other country. Even the weather.). According to the last one I heard, the ones most hit by the power cuts are opposition supporters. Hmm – now wondering if waving Lebanese Forces flags would actually help the situation. Although, it would probably get me lynched by either my neighbours and, if they don’t finish the job, my colleagues. So probably not the most constructive solution.
In other news, did plenty of shopping yesterday and spent an obscene amount of money (on my rather limited budget anyways). Bought a Nike top which apparently can be worn eight different ways but is only really comfortable in one. But the advertising was pretty. Also a white hoodie and some faux wooden wedge sandals which I can only walk in for about ten minutes at a time. Sensible choices. This was along with the very expensive French cheese. And my geeky purchase of the week: series one of “Highlander, the series” – mostly getting for the very cool Queen theme song, the very sexy Adrian Paul and the nostalgia factor of French 1990s late night viewing. I rock so so hard.
For those of you still interested in visiting (come on – there hasn’t been anything scary on Lebanon the BBC for almost a week…), security situation remains as always. As one of my colleagues said, I’d much rather be here than in South Africa which appears to have been a free for all over the last couple of weeks with the public sector strike. Don’t see how, by any measure, South Africa is safer than Egypt for the next World Cup but hey, welcome to the world where the rare targeted bombing trumps ubiquitous car-jacking.
One last thing – finally did some tourism last week and went to the Jeita grotto: mostly because my camera was still being fixed and I knew I couldn’t take pictures there anyway. That place is f**king gorgeous. The upper grotto is huge and like some magical mystery world with these alien-like tites and mites (as I call them) and other weird and wonderful rock formations. The lower grotto was basically an underground lake that we took a far too quick spin in a boat. Although the rock formations weren’t nearly as impressive, come on – it’s an underground lake with electrical lights placed strategically under the water. Have to go back. Strange to think that militias used to keep armaments there during the civil war. I’d never get out of the store room, if only for the mild temperature of the place.
Right, back to Victorian dinosaurs and here’s hoping the electricity manages to hold out.
I seem to have pretty badly as my block of flats doesn’t appear to have a generator so it’s really REALLY annoying. Especially during a bloody heat wave when the only time you feel like you’re not in a sauna and about to melt in a puddle of sticky sweat is when the AC is working. And even more especially after just having bought some rather expensive imported French cheese from the local Monoprix as a treat only to watch (or rather, smell) it going definitively off. Oh yes, and having invited a friend for a DVD night which become more of a game of watch the screens grow smaller with us graduating from my TV, to my computer screen to my tiny portable DVD player. Forget bloody global warming, I WANT MY ELECTRICITY. WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Yess!!! It’s back on again. And off ten mins later. And then on. Can’t really seem to be making up its mind this evening – maybe it’ll shake it all about. It’s rather getting in the way of watching my latest rental: “The Lost World”. Even the bloody Victorians had electricity. OK, not when sailing up the Amazon and running from dinosaurs but still…
Well, at least I can look forward to another gossip session in the office tomorrow about the latest conspiracy theories. Whereas other countries have people gossiping about celebrity lives and who’s shagging who in the office, here we talk conspiracy theories and play the blame game (rule no 1: everything that’s wrong with Lebanon is the fault of some other country. Even the weather.). According to the last one I heard, the ones most hit by the power cuts are opposition supporters. Hmm – now wondering if waving Lebanese Forces flags would actually help the situation. Although, it would probably get me lynched by either my neighbours and, if they don’t finish the job, my colleagues. So probably not the most constructive solution.
In other news, did plenty of shopping yesterday and spent an obscene amount of money (on my rather limited budget anyways). Bought a Nike top which apparently can be worn eight different ways but is only really comfortable in one. But the advertising was pretty. Also a white hoodie and some faux wooden wedge sandals which I can only walk in for about ten minutes at a time. Sensible choices. This was along with the very expensive French cheese. And my geeky purchase of the week: series one of “Highlander, the series” – mostly getting for the very cool Queen theme song, the very sexy Adrian Paul and the nostalgia factor of French 1990s late night viewing. I rock so so hard.
For those of you still interested in visiting (come on – there hasn’t been anything scary on Lebanon the BBC for almost a week…), security situation remains as always. As one of my colleagues said, I’d much rather be here than in South Africa which appears to have been a free for all over the last couple of weeks with the public sector strike. Don’t see how, by any measure, South Africa is safer than Egypt for the next World Cup but hey, welcome to the world where the rare targeted bombing trumps ubiquitous car-jacking.
One last thing – finally did some tourism last week and went to the Jeita grotto: mostly because my camera was still being fixed and I knew I couldn’t take pictures there anyway. That place is f**king gorgeous. The upper grotto is huge and like some magical mystery world with these alien-like tites and mites (as I call them) and other weird and wonderful rock formations. The lower grotto was basically an underground lake that we took a far too quick spin in a boat. Although the rock formations weren’t nearly as impressive, come on – it’s an underground lake with electrical lights placed strategically under the water. Have to go back. Strange to think that militias used to keep armaments there during the civil war. I’d never get out of the store room, if only for the mild temperature of the place.
Right, back to Victorian dinosaurs and here’s hoping the electricity manages to hold out.
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