Attention Lebanese Expats: You Can Vote in 2013!

Having my American family over these past 3 weeks, Lebanese politics and elections were always a topic of discussion whenever we got together. And one of the recurring elements of that discussion was how much those family members wanted to vote in the Lebanese elections that took place in 2009. Some of them were even wondering if voting would be worth a trip to Lebanon in 2013.

Lebanese expats everywhere, or at least in the United States, wonder no more as by the looks of it, you will be able to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, set to take place in 2013. All you have to do is register by December 31st 2012 to be eligible.

A friend brought my attention to this as he stumbled on a pdf document posted at the website of the Lebanese consulate in New York.

The document, which you can download here, discusses the registration procedure as either one of two ways: go to the consulate personally with the required paperwork (valid Lebanese ID or passport) or mail the attached affidavit, after having it notarized, to any of the three Lebanese consulates in the United States, along with a copy of any Lebanese identification document.

Nothing is said, however, about the practical aspects of this vote. It is mentioned that the ministry of of Interior and Municipalities is undertaking the necessary measures to allow such a vote to happen.

This is definitely a step in the right direction for the political system in Lebanon. Now let’s hope for a voting system that allows fair representation to all.

Happy Fathers’ Day

It is the summer solstice and also fathers’ day in Lebanon.

My dad and I are, for lack of a better description, gunpowder and fire. Whenever we clash, things are going to explode. It could be because we’re more alike than we both want to admit.

My dad is a great man. And these last few weeks have only proven to me how lucky I am to have him as my father. Be it when I hugged him to say so and he almost cried or when he stood with his sister for their brother/sister wedding shot and they both chocked up.

My dad is a mountain of feelings that are always hidden beneath a surface of might. He always aims to give us the best life he can, even though that’s not always a possibility in a country like Lebanon. But the words: “you don’t need to worry about anything, whatever you want, just ask” are always coming out of his mouth.

I remember a night this winter when it was almost snowing in my hometown and my dad had to go fix the family’s main source of income. He begged my mom not to let me go with him but I went. I couldn’t have imagined any person going through that night alone. Imagine being out in freezing temperatures as the wind howls and rain/snow pours on you.

I am who I am today because a great man like him had a hand in raising me. My dad has his faults. But for what it’s worth, his faults make me love him even more.

And the fact that his birthday also happens to be on Fathers’ Day is not a coincidence. So to my awesome dad, happy birthday and happy fathers’ day.

200 Km/h

I woke up today to the news that a friend of mine had passed away at 4 am on Sunday, June 12th.

Age? 31. Cause of death: Car accident. Approximate car speed: 200 km/h

The man’s neighbors woke up to the sound of his mom weeping and shouting. So the next time you and your friends decide to race on a Lebanese highway going at a ridiculous speed, at least have a flashback to your mother’s face and how devastated she would be if you were no longer there to speak to her, hug her or kiss her cheek.

My friend’s car went into a collision with an SUV. It was a convertible BMW and he didn’t have his seat-belt on. He got propelled over forty meters on the tarmac, out of the car.

So a word of advice for the next time you decide to turn your car into a space shuttle wannabe: don’t. Or at least put the seatbelt on – unless you’re experimenting with human projectiles.

Biology 101: The Myth Of Multitasking

As society advanced, the thought that people can multitask (do multiple things at once) grew even stronger. And it has become a concrete belief of many: “Oh yeah, I rock at multitasking” is a sentence you hear often when someone is asked how they pulled something off.

Well, as my first post in the major I have a degree from, I hate to break it to you but multitasking does not – scientifically – exist.

Don’t cry. I shall elaborate.

Sure, it might seem that a person can do two things simultaneously. But a person cannot do two things simultaneously if both of those things require conscious activity.

Meaning: you cannot drive and read at the same time and be 100% aware of both. You cannot watch TV and study and be 100% efficient in both. One of the two tasks has to go into the background.

When you answer a phone while driving is not an example of multitasking as well. Driving, especially after years of expertise, becomes an automated action (thanks to a part of your brain called the basal ganglia). So you actually drive without putting much conscious effort into it. It is an automated action. Therefore, you’re not really doing two things at once, since only one of those things (answering the phone) requires you to be mentally active.

The brain is very good at deluding itself. Most of you might have closed this tab or browser window in outrage by now, thinking that you are the exception. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not. This is how all of our brains are wired. There’s a limit to the amount of information we can process and the speed with which this processing happens. The brain sometimes gives the illusion that you are doing many things at once by quickly switching tasks, in which case you’re not actually doing all of those things at the same time. You think you’re actually fully aware of everything around you, but you’re most definitely not.

Even while writing this, I’m listening to Adele’s “Set Fire To The Rain” and if I focus on the song, I lose focus on what I’m writing. However, when I switch fast enough between focusing on the song and writing, I get the illusion that I’m doing them both at the same time.

Think about two tasks that require you to be fully mentally aware while doing them: talking on the phone, while writing a paper. Have you tried doing a combination of those? It’s pretty difficult to accomplish writing the paper if you’re busy talking on the phone because the two tasks interfere with each other in the brain, each wanting full attention – and ultimately, you fail at one of them.

So next time someone asks you how you pulled something off, tell them you’re good at organizing your time or something. Do not brag about an excessively powerful mental faculty you do not possess.

Lebanon’s Sacred Valley – Qadisha

The Qadisha valley (also known as Annoubin) whose pictures you see below is a world heritage site. It is a magical location, deep in the Lebanese mountains, used for centuries to harbor Maronites from persecution.

The pictures are for the western tip of the valley, for a location known as St. Elijah’s convent. I took family members there earlier today and, even though I’ve been there numerous times, the place never ceases to amaze me.

The valley is crowned by the majestic Lebanon mountains, which also harbor the Cedar Forest. In winter, the mountains are adorned with snow.