Thursday, April 2, 2015

Juggling Life

An inspiring speech by Bryan Dyson, CEO Coca Cola

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.

How? 

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. 

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. 

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless. 

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life. 

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. 

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together. 

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. 

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings! 

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going. 

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. 

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily. 

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way...

By
Bryan Dyson

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Orangery - Tea Room

A delightful experience at The Orangery, the new Tea Room that just opened by Masso. It recently soft-launched its dessert section, as savory dishes are still being tested. 
We enjoyed the experience & the well presented & well prepared dishes. 

1- The Strawberry Gateaux. Super fluffy, cream is very light & fresh. Strawberries ripe & tasteful. Loved every bite of it



2- A large selection of cakes. Rose cake, Napoletta, Chocolate Mousse & a baked Vanilla Cheesecake. But the one that was by far the most delicious piece of dessert that I have tried for a while- the Kunafa Swiss Roll. A Must Have ! 



3- Chef Suzy took the lead in recommending to us a few sandwiches & items of their savory menu.We loved everything. The Bresaola & Goat Cheese Sandwich. The Trio Hummos. A Mixed Grilled Vegetables Foccacia Bread Sandwich paired with crispy hand prepared fries. 



You will also enjoy the perfect selection of bread & hi quality butter. 

Located right behind Masso in Adliya.
Enjoy it. 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Arab Idol'ing LIVE

I was lucky enough during my short visit to Beirut earlier this month ( Nov 2014 ) to attend the live prime show of Arab Idol. It was my first experience to attend such an event, so I really didn't know what to expect. 
I put on my high heels, wore make up & luckily packed my new coat. 
We had to be there at 6pm Beirut time & due to Beirut's unpredicted traffic jams, we decided to leave at 4pm to avoid it. Lucky us, we reached in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we waited till 7 pm to enter! Yes!!! Wrong choice of shoes indeed as we stood outdoors for almost 3 loooooong hours. The coat came in handy though as it was chilled. 

In we walked, thru tough security. 
Zone B, seat 81 ( Perfect! I thought) . I trip at the entrance, almost slipping off the stairs as I look for our seats. Funny that the chairs were basic plastic ones! The hassle I went thru to look for my assigned seat was useless as the chairs weren't numbered! 
Anyways! 
We sat by Wael Kfouri's side :)
The set is much smaller that what it looks like on TV. 
Wael is way shorter than Hassan Shafei
Nancy is too skinny!
Ahlam freaked me when she turned all of a sudden but she is so much fun to watch.
Elissa is 'Mahdoumeh' on stage and very elegant. 
Before the final session, A manager came to the jury and asked them to get close and told them something. It seemed very serious & It felt like they knew what the result was before they'd announce it.
Nice audience briefing by the producers asking everyone to clap, cheer up for all contestants as all of them are Arab. They asked everyone to refrain from saying bad words to the jury otherwise they will be asked to leave the set)
انتو ضيوف ال ام بي سي

It was a great experience indeed. Tiring & restricted, though memorable.

Here are a few shots 


Wael keeps on going back stage at each break 😉 واحد من الجمهور قال له ( روح شوف مرايتك مزبوط

الاجتماع المغلق عند اخر بريك- هممم

Monday, November 3, 2014

بيروت ما بتموت

Inspired by the beauty of this city. By the strength of its people despite their weakness. By their souls that will never know how to stop enjoying life by the second.  As I Walk along the sea shore of pretty Beirut one breezy morning, these words came to my mind and had to be written... (PS: I'm not a writer) 

في قمة حُزنهم، يُغنون

في أتعس أيامهم،يرقُصون

و على ذكرياتهم الأليمة،يضحكون

 قديمهم جديد 
و جديدهم أرتيزانا

عربيتهم فرنسية

هم كذلك لبنانيون
**********






Saturday, September 20, 2014

Trufflicious

IiMasso. An Itaian fine dine spot in Bahrain, infamous for their 'trufflicious' dishes. Chef Suzy does a great job handpicking all the top notch ingredients to orchesterate delicious dishes. 
The place will warm your heart with it's huge candles lighting it up, the long table with wooden benches will remind you of the signing scene in ( My Best Friend's Wedding) where they all sing a little prayer for me :) 
The waiters are well trained & know exactly what to recommend. 

The food! A blissful blend of flavors. It is indeed my happy place. Here are my usual picks (everytime)! 

- Barrata ( Fresh Mozarella with lemon/basil dressinng)



- Dried Goat Cheese Salad



- Mushroom/ Truffle Oil Pizza ( You can take a half & half ) 



- Rib Eye Steak ( Medium Well) The crunchy crust will be soaked with Truffle Oil 👌 perrrrrrrfection at every bite



- This is the Salmon dish. I will also recommend the Jumbo Shrimps with fennel & Mashed Potato


Finally, their top recommended desserts are the Suzy Tiramisu ( ask for the Non alcoholic) the trio ( Ice Cream, dark chocolate ganache & fresh cream- topped with my best part - A  Honey Comb log ! ( crunchy) 

My newest obsession has been the ( Affogato) . I've been trying it at almost every Italian restaurant in Bahrain. By far, the one at Masso is the best, as the esspresso comes hot on the side and you get to pour it over the delicious homemade vanilla ice cream 


Follow them on Twitter @MassoRestaurant  
http://massorestaurant.com/contact/



Saturday, August 9, 2014

A Makeup-ful event

It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Congratulations to the sweet Mai AlMoayyad for realizing her dream & opening up a very unique make up store in Bahrain. 

I came to know this young lady from her social media messages about make up trends, product reviews & actually applying some of her very useful tips. It got a tad bit interesting when she started giving make up classes ! My cousin and I applied. We enjoyed it as much as all the other attendees. Mai was very sweet, funny, practical & I thought to myself- YES. This young lady knows what she's talking about- most importantly, she LOVES what she's doing. 
She's a trend setter! Her classes were demanded in Dubai & always fully booked ahead of time mashalla. 

Bahrain should be proud of her talent.

Here are a few pics of her store's opening last night. It's located at the mew Sgaya Mall ( exactly next to Mothercare) & opposite to (AlHaya & Tala Plaza)

(This photo is taken from @themakeupmanual post)




Instagram & Twitter Accounts
@TheMakeUpManual 

http://www.themakeupmanual.com 

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Take it or leave it!


As a child, we merely had two choices imposed on us by our loving parents: ( Take it or Leave it)! 

Growing up, one would come across many incidents that would require a wider variety of choices...  but in reality, it all boils down to these two choices! You either 'take' the situation you're in and dwell upon it ( be it a bad day at work, a tough boss, low grades, sickness, to name a few) or you can choose to (leave it) behind. Ignore it ever happened and look for alternatives. 

My recommendation though is, to 'Take it' AND 'Leave it'

Take in the learnings from each situation, look for life's teachings in the deepest problems you face ( there has to be one somewhere) then stand up & 'Leave it' like there's no tomorrow! 

Now to a bit less serious talk. Adapting to a new food diet exposed me to a new choice ( Take it, Tweet it & Leave it) 😄 for the choices Of food are endless & far more than what my tiny heart/stomach can handle. 

Here's a few of my favorite things in Houston:
Five guys, chipotle & Jack-in-the-box
Fresh juices at Jamba Juice 


Crunchy crisps at Starbucks


Chai Pie at Pondchiri 


Steak at Eddie V's

Tacos at Chipotle

Salmon on a bed of lobster mashed potatoes! At Eddie V's 

... To name a few 😄