Beirut's very first Social Media Awards

English

The beautiful nerds of Lebanon have done it again! After the greatest GeekFest Beirut's ever witnessed (Ok, fine, it was the only one I attended, but still it was pretty awesome) some of the most creative and witty young talents of our webnation have gathered to bring us yet another outstanding event: The Social Media Awards.

We, the online community, proposed nominees in specific categories which were then shortlisted and you can now review them all on the SMA website to vote for your favorites. Now beware, you can only vote once in each category so choose wisely.

Here are some rules that you should take into consideration: 

1. Voting will start on April 1, 2013 and end on April 25, 2013.

2. Your votes will represent 50% of the final results, while the judges re-voting will represent the other 50%.

3. You can log-in only through Facebook and Twitter to submit votes.

4. You can only vote once for each category.

5. You cannot change your votes once you submit them so be careful when you are voting.

6. To navigate to other categories, use the progress bar (white dots) at the bottom of the page.

7. If you vote for all 32 categories, you will have a chance to win 2 tickets to the final award ceremony at Phoenicia Hotel on April 29. Once you vote for all categories, you will be prompted to enter your email address for the draw.

8. You can only vote from a personal account. Votes from accounts that do not represent a person (on Facebook or Twitter) will not be counted.

9. Votes from duplicate accounts (Facebook and Twitter of the same person) will not be counted.

10. Votes from fake accounts and accounts newer than March 30, 2013 will not be counted.

11. The Social Media Awards is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and accounts and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sect, location, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, employment, or any other form of segregation.

12. The Social Media Awards reserves the right to disqualify nominees or users in the case of cheating, dishonest behavior, copyright infringement, trademark violations, promotion of illegal activities, abusive behavior, or promoting explicit content (such as pornography, drugs, or violence).

13. If any of the finalists is found to be cheating or spamming, that finalist will be disqualified from the competition without warning and all detect cheating voters will not be counted.

Source: The Social Media Awards

So who are your judges?

Nemr Abou Nassar (Stand up comedian)

Fida Chaaban Chaaban (Editor in chief of RAGMAG magazine)

Omar Christidis Christidis (Founder and CEO of ArabNet)

Tom Fletcher ( Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic)

Mohammad Hijazi (Online Collaborative)

Ziad Kamel (Founder/CEO of The Alleyway Group)

Leila Khauli Hanna (Professor at the American University of Beirut)

Octavia Nasr (Journalist)

Shada Omar (Journalist)

Darine Sabbagh (Online Collaborative)

Nicholas Sehnaoui (Minister of Telecommunications in Lebanon)

Maya Zankoul (Author and visual artist)

Source: The Social Media Awards

Many of the nominees in my humble opinion, deserve the recognition and I am proud to see Lebanon giving Social Media the attention it deserves. So much work is being done by our online Lebanese community and most of the times, without any media coverage or visibility.

That is why this first edition of The Social Media Awards is so important. It is the beginning of, I hope, a long lasting tradition that will not only allow important members of the online community and their work to gain recognition with the wider public but it will also encourage current and new Social Media actors to come to light and know their efforts are actually appreciated.

This year, it appears some people were bashing (as haters always do) and to be honest, I too was hoping to see other candidates make the list of nominees and as much as I do not have to be in agreement with all the choices that were shortlisted (in my humble opinion, again) one thing is for certain, this is a first step. An excellent one even. And I am confident each SMA edition will be a learning experience to the online community as much as to the organizers, and will raise the bar for the Awards to come. So let us start, shall we? And by doing so, let us get involved and make sure upcoming events will continue to develop and grow.

I am still in the process of casting my votes. It turns out it requires more attention that I expected and since with (clicking)power comes great responsibility, I would like to make sure my voice truly represents me.

So far, I have focused on the categories close to my heart: NGOs.

Two of my favorites are actually competing and not only do I admire the work that these organizations have been doing, I have nothing but absolute respect for the ladies behind them. I am in awe of what they have already achieved and I can only see greater accomplishments in their future.

Source

The first one is One Wig Stand. They need no introduction if you follow this blog: Bras For A Cause Middle East and Make The Cut: Hair Donation Campaign are two of the many initiatives this NGO has successfully managed to run both locally and on the regional scene offering women battling cancer with support, hope and most importantly empowering them to go beyond taboos and to shine as human beings, fighters and women. Inner beauty and inner strength will grow even stronger when you allow them to glow on the outside as well, and this is what these initiatives are about. Be as fabulous as your spirit, ladies!

My second vote went to The Nawaya Network, a well-deserving organization that has been tirelessly touring the globe to gain means (financial or otherwise) in order to empower our underprivileged youth by granting them access to resources they could not have dreamed of acquiring on their own thus helping them turn their talents and hopes into realities and consequently become assets to our nation. This is the kind of education we need for our children: non-politicized, unbiased, secular support for a united young Lebanon built by intelligent, successful young talents.

Source

It is just my own personal view but I believe many other organizations I love could have been shortlisted too and benefited from the media exposure, such as SANAD, Cupcake Box, Lebanese Laïque Pride, Ibtissama, Skoun, Nasawiya, and the brilliant Take Back Parliament campaign.

But I guess at the end of the day, it is not realistic nor reasonable to shortlist everyone at this stage of the competition, and ultimately, only one will win anyway although I honestly believe all the current nominees deserving of an award. Yet this is not L'École Des Fans, and as much as I would love to hear 'tout le monde a gagné' (everyone is a winner) we all know this is not possible.

Hey, a modest mention on this even modester blog cannot hurt, right?
So there, it is done ;)

Now it is your turn to give your favorite nominees a voice or rather a click... So who will you support?


Bookmarks

• The Social Media Awards official website
• Like The Social Media Awards on Facebook
• Follow The Social Media Awards on Twitter
• Join The Social Media Awards on LinkedIn

 

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All the single ladies... with babies!

English

This one has been in my drafts, waiting to be published since March 6, 2013.
 

Lately, things have been difficult. The kids keep getting sick (the weather in Dubai is in this phase in between "winter-sort-of" and "summery-springy-summer" and you can literally see it in the sand floating the air). 

So far I had been lucky with my mom taking most of the housework load off my back but eventually, she has had to go back home and leave me alone with the kids. 

Well not really alone but it certainly feels like it. I am not a single mom, hubby is well and alive (thank God) and we are not divorced (yet). But he travels a lot and he does not do nights. He has to wake up really early in the morning and needs his sleep to be able to function during the day. 

I came to realize, I too need my sleep to be able to function during the day.
(ha!)

Except when the kids are sick, they do not sleep. They keep chocking on mucus, crying to catch a breath and generally just fuss around because, well, it sucks to be sick. Of course, someone has to be up with them to try to get them to sleep and more importantly give them their meds at specific hours. 

So yeah, it has been feeling like single parenting for a while now.

Kids keep getting well for a couple of days and relapse immediately, we have been at it for over 45 days now. In our case, Mia is two years and three months old and Jad is turning one on March 8 so they often "operate" like twins. And as much as I find a pair of cute identical babies adorable, dealing with them in actual life, well. Well. 

I know I have no right to complain. I am blessed with two precious gifts. I waited for them. I dreamt them and I made them. 

But right now, I am also sleep-deprived and way too exhausted to be gracious, so sue me.

A friend tells me: if you think your husband or even your children will take notice, acknowledge or remember all that you are currently doing, think again. So quit looking for appreciation (or help) and start looking for solutions. Find ways to make your life easier so you can have the strength to continue providing for your children. Or you will break down. Simply.

Ha? Thoughts, other than the obvious "did really sign up for this?" "when?" and "was I high?" which are the only three I can think of at this hour of the night?

So basically, I need to get everyone out of the equation or I will end up fighting more than parenting. Stress, sleep deprivation and exhaustion have a thing against marriages. In a nutshell: they hate families and they will destroy them in a matter of instants. 

Obviously, I need to choose my battles. At times of crisis (like 40+ days of sickness and no sleep) I should shift my attention and fight against stress, sleep deprivation and exhaustion instead of trying to get other people to act the way I want them to.

I have been working on some of that for the past few days and, well, it takes time.

Source

Why all the ranting? 
Because I want to introduce some new friends.
What do you mean ranting is not the most exciting way to introduce new friends?


Every time I feel all alone in deep shit, I remember that there are women out there who are actually really all alone and who somehow manage to run families. By themselves. All alone (yeah, I know, I already said that). 

Some of them have launched a support group on Facebook: Single Mothers in Middle East.

Now we all know what sorts of taboos, silly myths and scandalous infamies are associated with single mothering in our region. I am willing to bet, there are many the general public is not even familiar with (the nastiest often comes from the closest)!

Sadder and even more dangerous than society's cruel judgements are the disgusting assumptions implied by both men and women against single mothers. After all, she has children (i.e. she is not a virgin which means she has sexual experience, oh my God, that whore, shame on her, couldn't she have orderd her children on Amazon.com like everybody else?) and she has no man in her life (says who?) (i.e. she is available and for whatever reason automatically willing to partake in extra marital intercourse).

So in addition to all the mommy-crap these women put up with, they have to deal with harassment from repulsive men and from brutal women which I believe is even worse (shockingly, solidarity is very difficult to find).

Ironically, a single dad is a hero. Look at him, raising his children all by himself! He is even more caring than a mother, Bless him! (while that may be true and I mean in no way to bash single fathers, I think they are as extraordinary as single mothers; in the interest of fairness, I truly believe the congratulatory poster should read "Look at that single PARENT raising children all alone, Bless that hero!")

I can see my writing is not really top right now but again, feel free to sue me. Or you could come baby-sit so I can get some sleep. That could help me go beyond the high-school diary editorial crap.

Let us stay focused and not loose track of the reason that led to this (inspired?... ahem) post today (actually it is already tomorrow) (also, it appears I am literally abusing parentheses tonight, they are everywhere on this page):

Whenever you get the chance, visit Single Mothers in Middle East on Facebook.
Also, if you are or know single moms, tell them to join the page!
Whoever you are, join the discussion too: follow the page and give your input whenever you feel you can.

This group aims for single moms (and those who love them) to support and help each other in every way. With advices. With assistance. With a shoulder to cry on. With a shoulder to rant on (we know how much I love that). Really, any way and every way needed by and for these women to understand and know that even though they may be alone in parenting, they are not alone in life.


- Published on April 23, 2013

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Dralion roars Dubai

English

When I first got that text on my phone revealing Cirque Du Soleil was coming back to Dubai, I called hubby: "listen, I know you are scheduled for back surgery around that same time and sitting on a circus chair will not be on your to-do list but this is Cirque Du Soleil so either you man up and join me or I go alone". Next thing I know, hubby is picking a date faster than I could say "Cirque". That was on January 13.

For days now, the kids have been sick with a nasty cough and fever so we are not sleeping at all at night. They keep waking up, chocking and coughing and crying to catch their breath. So you can imagine, I have been exhausted, overloaded and preoccupied to say the least. 

Just in case you are not a mother and you wonder, here is how mommy-brains are built: somewhere in that brain, there is a large memory space, pretty much like a building with floors and rooms and in each room lay perfectly aligned filing cabinets which are compartmentalized in categories and clearly identified and colored sub-categories with labels and everything. Sometimes a document will get lost somewhere, granted. These things happen. But overall, that filing system works pretty well. Until, pregnancy. Pregnancy is the brain tsunami that will destroy everything and turn that magnificent building of OCD-filing into a war zone. Forget about filing, all you want is to be able to just see something in all that destruction. And because you have other priorities, cleaning up is not really an option so you keep throwing things in there, randomly, with the hope you will be sharp enough to remember where you put them. And most of the time you do. Except not when you really need them or it is a couple of days too late. A teeny bit unpractical and kind of beats the whole purpose. When that child is finally out of you, you think, at last, it is time to sit down quietly and reorganize. Right? Wrong. The word "quietly" should have been a hint. Now all that is in that mess of a memory is insignificant in comparison to all the new baby stuff that take up humongous space and just literally squash down and walk (and poop) all over everything else.

So yes, Cirque Du Soleil was lost in my mess and I would remember it every once in a while when I would see an ad or a post about the show somewhere on Facebook. But the minute my eyes would be off that precious reminder, I would completely forget about Dralion!

Until yesterday when hubby suddenly barges in the living-room (he is spending his days lying in bed, recovering from his back surgery) and asks me with a teasing smile: "You do know we have tickets for Dralion tonight, right?" 

Of course I know we have tickets for Dralion. What do you think I am? A senile 90 year old who cannot remember what she had for breakfast? Actually my 90 year old grand-mother can remember what she had for breakfast every day of last month, Bless her... Meanwhile, I cannot even tell whether I ate at all today. So yes, Alzheimer might become an issue one day (tomorrow). 

My mom, my savior forever, tells us to go and the kids will be fine so we agree that if the fever is under control and they both go to bed before we have to leave, then we will go. And for the first time, poor little Mia fell asleep, exhausted on the couch while I was feeding her brother who on the other hand, had no intention of sleeping whatsoever. So we dumped him on my mother and ran as fast as we could! Parents Of The Year Awards, here we come!

Bottom line, we made it!

And I can prove it:

Parking at Dubai World Trade Center

They extended the dates in Dubai until February 16 and you can still catch the show in Beirut, and although there was a possibility to book tickets in advance for Lebanon in October (10-13), it appears the dates have to be reconfirmed now.

So I will be kind if you have not watched it yet: No spoiler alert ;)

I will just say that we missed Alegría when the show was brought to Dubai but I remember very well Quidam, my very first live Cirque Du Soleil and to be honest, nothing beats it yet. It may be because the first one is always extra spectacular, or just that it spoke to me more. I do not know.

That being said, all the performances were  outstanding last night and some truly breathtaking. Here is a sneak-peak if you want to get in the mood for more (I promised no spoilers and this is just the official trailer released for Dralion).

As usual, the costumes, make-up and set were as impressive as they were beautiful. All the performances were so fluid, some even appeared to be lighter than air! And in addition to the traditional circus acts like the clowns, acrobats and jugglers, we were introduced to Asian scenes which reminded me of the Shaolin monks.

The Eastern mood was ever-present, Dralion being the main character and I loved how they inserted pure asian art like the gigantic shadow theater, while merging that world with Western art. The clowns spoke italian and the live singer, whose colossal voice filled the room, sang in various European languages (I think I recognized Spanish at some point). Not to mention the brilliant live orchestra which the clowns made sure to show us. Don't you just love it when artists respect their audiences so much, they keep it all true, genuine and live? That implied a couple of mishaps by the acrobats which made the show all the more impressive and dramatic. Watch for those who will make Spiderman crawl in a hole and hide in shame for all eternity and expect the most flabbergasting juggler ever!

Everything wrapped with a sense of humor that kept the whole play as entertaining as it was gorgeous and astonishing.

If you plan on taking your loved one to watch the show on the 14th, there even is an acrobatic scene which gives an entirely new dimension to "Love is in the air". Valentining at Cirque Du Soleil anyone?

Since we were not allowed to take photos during the show (understandably, although as usual, many did not care), and anyway, what sort of photos would you get on your mobile phone, I decided to steal one of the empty stage on our way out.

Oh and if you are wondering which tickets to buy, I can confirm that wherever you choose to sit, you will enjoy the show but I feel the middle is best because many scenes happen in the "air" and if you are sitting too close to the stage, you cannot possibly see all that is happening right above your head.

Leaving Dralion's arena

Enjoy the show Dubai!  

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