We all finished our Christmas shopping. If you haven’t, well sir/madame, you are screwed! Good luck with the traffic and if you manage to get to a mall or souk, good luck in finding a parking spot!

Anyway, in my search for the best present for each person in my life, a LOT of options popped up in mind. I’d have to say my most popular choice was books, because you can find one that suits every person. I did my fair share of accessory and electronics shopping too though.

So, let us know what kind of items you buy for your loved ones, and maybe share why too!

Christmas: A Universal Holiday

Well, a few weeks back I was trolling on Facebook and suggested that Christmas was in fact no longer a truly Christian holiday, but in fact a universal one pushed by what many believe is the kind of world and economy we live in.

I for one believe Christmas is an excuse to be good, charitable and very jolly. Everyone seems to pitch in, we give time or money to charities and we’re all happy about all the good food, family and friends and of course the presents! Whether or not Jesus Christ was born on the same day over 2000 years ago is really irrelevant and isn’t really the driver of all this goodwill and cheer. That’s what I believe at least, feel free to disagree.

Will You Be Celebrating Christmas (Christians, Non-Christians and Non-Believers Versions

I for one definitely will be. I celebrate it because it brings the whole family together, because it makes everyone a wee bit more selfless, because the gigot is awesome, because of the gifts, because of the cheesy but heart-warming Christmas carols

Faraya and Michel Hayek Tie

Seems like most of you guys are going to spend it watching TV or in a chalet in Faraya… Looks like I need to prepare a post about upcoming NYE celebrations!

I’ve been spending NYE in chalets in Faraya for a long time. I generally utterly despise every single New Year’s Celebration there, because everyone is usually drunk well before midnight and by then fast asleep or sitting in front of the  toilet seat. Also, if you’re not playing cards, you’re probably plotting how to have sex with someone who might or might not know you exist. The music also sucks, with everyone wanting to pitch in with “their favorites” which are all coincidentally horrible and non-compatible with each other.

Now that I’ve vented out my frustration, I’m gonna vote with home, watching Michel Hayek because the NYE parties are always the most-overpriced, yet the worst parties of the year (in general). If I find something worthwhile, I’ll definitely share!

Feyez Shukr or Mustapha Alloush?

I’m sure you’ve watched the above, and if you haven’t or don’t understand Arabic, watch the subtitled video above. Anyway, it’s simple, who would win if Walid Abboud didn’t do his pixie-run and stop them? Or, rather who would you be rooting for?

And by the way, respect for the MTV camera man who zoomed out and made sure we saw everything! Love you man/woman!

iOS Most Common OS

As expected, it was a tight race between Android and iPhone, with Blackberry third in line! I’m still not convinced with the iPhone… Sorry guys =P

I know I’ve asked this before, but the blog’s readership has grown exponentially since then. So, I’d like to ask you guys again about what your phone runs on!

As for Jon Stewart versus Stephen Colbert

So, I know most of you watch these two hilarious pundits/news anchors. Heck, I understand American politics and follow its news through these two. I follow both religiously and find them both extremely hilarious and unbelievably witty. I also adore the sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek-ness they both dish out every day. BUT, let’s find out who’s loved more, and that’s why I didn’t add a “both” option

Last Week’s Results

They were to my liking =P

Mine is The Simpsons, hands-down. My all-time favorite show! I love the witty, subtle jokes, as well as the slapstick action.

I have 21 seasons and I’m planning to get the rest. It’s the longest running sitcom ever by the way! More than 22 years and counting!

Last Week’s Results

The percentage of readers whose internet was actually upgraded is dismal. Only 16.67% felt the change, over 76% internet speeds and bandwidth remained unchanged and some 7% have no idea. The new November 1st deadline though, forces us to wait a little bit and see if that change was in fact gradual and is indeed universal. That being said, people like me on WISE for example, or Mobi, remain in the dark about whether or not prices will be slashed, and if so, when?

Amid that confusion and plummeting of confidence in our new Telecom Minister, 4000+ of us are testing out the new 3G network. Honestly, compared to the crappy internet we have, a 1.6mbps connection on my Android phone was like heaven. Keep in mind though, that my friend Ghassan in Austria bought a 3G plan of 21mbps in the same day… So, you can see how backwards we still are. Oh, and btw, it’s 3G’s 10th anniversary this month and the rest of the world is upgrading to 4G LTE connections. So, maybe not much to look forward to, but compared to our nightmare of a connection, this is godsend (if God existed of course =P).

Last Week’s Results

It seems unclear whose plan got upgraded and whose didn’t. Some of my friends assure me their plans have been upped and their surfing of the web is like a dream come true. Others are declaring jihad on Nicolas Sehnaoui, Minister of Telecom.

It’s unclear why Ogero is obstructing the fast internet bill, my bet is that Saad Hariri just wants to mess with us back here while he enjoys fast internet wherever his yacht is docked this week. It also might be that Sehnaoui is just a showman and loves the attention, acting like a diva on TV and Facebook when he was actually trolling us all and knew the Hariri lackey Youssef in Ogero would not release the extra speed and bandwidth.

Anyway, before we pass judgement, let’s find out if the internet got faster for some, or didn’t. For me, my WISE connection still sucks ass.

The indoor smoking ban law, along with other incentives to curb smoking in Lebanon, was past last Wednesday in parliament. It’s already 6 years late and needs 12 months to come into full effect, making Lebanon 7 years behind most other nations (with asphalt at least) in the world.

The opinions are strongly polarized and we’d like to try to settle this once and for all. Personally, I am for the ban for reasons that to me seem painfully obvious. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Last Week’s Results

I honestly cannot believe an Rd vs Crepaway poll would generate over 2500 votes, over 120 comments and thousands of views in a matter of days. The emotionally charged comments, BBM broadcasts and fuss was turly unexpected.

Unfortunately, the results were not to my liking, for I voted Roadster. However, my spirits were lifted up when I read the dozens of comments pro-Roadster compared to a shy retaliation from the Crepaway side. All in all, it seems both diners have a pretty loyal following, and perhaps Crepaway’s wider franchise escapades, have earned it the top spot on this list

So, the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan is upon us and even though I don’t like the idea of religion deciding how you behave, versus your own good nature, I cannot deny that Ramadan does influence my life in this multi-religious tiny nation. There are some plus sides though for me, for example I get to take advantage of the cheap, massive iftar offers in many restaurants. However, there are also tough downsides most notably of which is a drop in clubbing attendance and frequency for either devout reasons, or to spend time with family.

So, I was wondering how many actually won’t be clubbing and how many will, amongst both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Last Week’s Results

It’s a shame only 10.2% of those who responded knew that ALL beaches are free. Technically and legally, they are. But sometimes, establishments encroach on the beach itself and force you to pay to get in. This is the problem the Green Party is trying to tackle, and which I will handle in detail later on this week. So, if you go to Edde Sands, it’s Edde you’re paying for, not the Sands. You can simply walk on to the clean, risk-free sand and spend your day, you just can’t go into the resort and use their facilities without paying. And whoever tells you otherwise, just flick them the finger