LebGeeks

beezer

Member

Am I The Only One Who Notices

OK, so as some of you know. I wasn't raised here in Lebanon. And pretty much come and visit here on and off for work.
Well, just as I thought this was going to be my last week here.

Been called upon to start a new project that will last until July! Or sooner if I finish, whichever comes first (Maybe June, since this time I finished a week ahead of time).

Anyways.
These are a few things that I've noticed while living here and just want to know. Am I the only one who notices them and gets annoyed. Or am I alone?

1. The random emblems people put in their cars. I've seen an M3 530i 4.4L
2. How everyone loves Michael Shumacher and Ferrari. Especially the Van's.
3. How a lot of people apex turns taking up both lanes, so if you're in one lane you have to watch out as they dive into you.
4. People driving on the wrong side of the road.
5. The batmobile like effect of black smoke coming out of the back of cars/vans/trucks that burn the hairs in my nose.
6. Horrible service at restaurants and coffee shops as if you're eating there for free.
7. The non-existent area for non-smokers
8. Loud music, or a tv's all over the place, cranked up to everyone's favorite "MelodyHits" at a place where you'd rather be eating in a calm environment.
9. All the "cool guys" have the same freak-ish spiky/wavy hairstyle. Like exact replica's...and if asked why it's because "mooda" not because it looks good on them.
10. The "cool guys" who wear dress jackets and trying to look important as if they've accomplished something in their 20yr lifetime.
11. Cars parking on the corners or on the sidewalk making me have to get off the sidewalk to walk on the street, then jump back on the hill heigh sidewalk.
12. People clicking "refresh" on the desktop background of Windows. For no apparent reason. Over, and over again.
13. The risque billboard advertisments of singers/jeans/or whatever they feel they can add a half-naked girl to. "Proud to be Flat" is just purely comical.

The list goes on and on, and on! But I'm just curious. Am I wrong, or ar these places wrong? Don't take offence to them, I'm just trying to understand the majority here. And see if I should just let go of all these anxiousness and say "TOZ"

teodorgeorgiev

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

I noticed this as well (read my other posts), but.... who cares, man?

Who are you to blame them? You know who they are? Who well developed and educated they are???

If you do not, right now <snip> will come telling you that before 6 million years Arabs used to shit into
a bathroom, whilst the Europeans used to do that thing into the garden. That is the important thing, which
makes them cool. The current situation - who gives a shit???

What about these:

1. Taxi drivers cheating as much as they want, driving at the rate they want. No "digital counters" inside
their cars, no flat rate per kilometer.

2. What about the cars of these taxi drivers - WITHOUT WORKING BRAKES... No air conditioner and so on.

3. They keep voting for the same politicians who bring them to the bottom. And they are so dumb that
these politicians do not even bother to come up with a new set of lies at the new elections, they use the
lies from the old ones, and the crowd still believes that :lol:

4. They still say: "But we have nice nature", when the sea is polluted, air is polluted, they burn tires in
the downtown.

5. Laziness. Oh my God. Most of them are damn lazy. What they like is to destroy / steal, creating is
something they hate and refuse to do. And they hate the other countries, cause they think that
the progress these countries have achieved is with resources stolen from Lebanon :lol:

Do not understand them. That is the way they like to live. Better run, as I did :lol:

Enough.

beezer

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

OK, as I said in my post. I don't want anyone to take offense to these things. If you are one of these people, OK. If you're not, OK. I don't care this way or that way. I was just curious as to the thinking behind these actions. That is all!

And I am Lebanese. 100% Lebanese. I may not have the citizenship but both my parents, grandparents, and the whole entire family tree is from Lebanon. Even my wife is Lebanese...so I'm not ripping on the Lebanese people (because I am one). I'm just curious as to why there are some like that, and is this right. Or do other people agree with my way of thinking...

So please, let's not get this post all messed up and start ripping each others heads off...just curious that's all. And again! I don't mean to offend ANYONE!

teodorgeorgiev

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

beezer,

it is not that all the Lebanese are stupid (or that there is a higher density of fools in Lebanon than in the other countries). It is just that the clever and constructive people (most of them) got sick of the situation and left.

That is why you see/meet majorly fools.  No one wants to live in a country where on one person who creates you have 3 person who destroy (or in the very best case - do nothing).

rolf

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

We live in a retarded country.
When I was in germany, there had 3 garbage bins in the train, 1 for paper, 1 for glass and one for the rest (or something like that). We dont even have trains.
enjoy

battikh

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

OK, as I said in my post. I don't want anyone to take offense to these things. If you are one of these people, OK. If you're not, OK. I don't care this way or that way. I was just curious as to the thinking behind these actions. That is all!

And I am Lebanese. 100% Lebanese. I may not have the citizenship but both my parents, grandparents, and the whole entire family tree is from Lebanon. Even my wife is Lebanese...so I'm not ripping on the Lebanese people (because I am one). I'm just curious as to why there are some like that, and is this right. Or do other people agree with my way of thinking...

So please, let's not get this post all messed up and start ripping each others heads off...just curious that's all. And again! I don't mean to offend ANYONE!

i wasn't offended by your post, my post was directed to teodor. your post was not just for the sake of mockery and to make yourself look great, unlike teodor, who for some reason, is not even lebanese, so he has no obligation towards lebanon, but still joins lebanese forums, work in lebanese isp, ... and yet, criticize lebanese. if lebanese accept the situation, well, it's our country, we have obligations towards it, while for him, if he doesn't like it, he doesn't HAVE to stay, he could chose to work in another more civilized country with more respectful people.

mir

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

well beezer
yes there are lot of things going wrong in this country
u may notice them more than the regular ppl cuz u are new
i notice them too
i am bothered by them also
i try to change as much as i can by respecting the laws.. and nagging on the ppl who don't till they feel sick of it and start respecting it
every country has its own shit.. it happens we have loads of it.. u know how things are all messed up (i don't like to make political comments)
we struggle in our lives :
1- to stay alive (not die in some stupid bombing or war)
2- make a decent living (without having to beg some politician to get a job - aka wasta)
3- try to fix things

personally i appreciate your post , it makes me always think of how shitty things are.. and it is nice having a constant reminder on having to improve Lebanon.. i hope u do that too :)

All the "cool guys" have the same freak-ish spiky/wavy hairstyle

well.. those are just the teenagers.. in all countries.. u find this
but in general .. lebanese guys are HOT
what about the girls ?

there are some commodities.. like AC in Taxis and being charged by the distance and such
well. there are of those.. u can call them.. and have them pick u up

halla2 for the good nature, yes we have good nature.. OUTSIDE beirut city.. there are breath taking stuff
same goes for history stuff blablabla

as for ppl getting angry when someone tells them.. son of a bitch.. or ppl not acting all polite and good.. it is just cuz there is lot of tension
when things get better.. it will happen

and no we are not an inferior race ... or an inferior or retarded country .. i feel offended by that.. it is not true.. i accept the other comments.. but this one...well..don't think it is true
as for telling non-lebanese or ppl that say the real bad stuff about lebanon to fuck off.. i don't think this is wise

battikh

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

for beezer's post, i also agree on many of his points, but we usually get used to it, so as mir said, it IS easier for him to notice them.
halla2 for the taxi thing, taxis in lebanon do have AC and leather seats and everything. the ones who don't and charge 1500LL for any trip are "service" and not "taxi". and for trips inside beirut these happen to be much easier and cheaper to use than taxis.
and for the people refreshing their desktop for no reason, i've also seen that a lot and it really pisses me off

for the thing mir said, that telling foreigner to piss off, it's not that. we don't want them to piss off, but if they are not happy or find us inferior, who is pushing them to stay? if we are inferior and uncivilised, why do they come from a more civilised country to lebanon? usually people go from the worse to the better, not from the better to the worse.
besides that, all cultures have their flaws, and yes, lebanese do live in a chaotic way and don't follow rules. but that's what gives us an advantage when we go outside. others are used to follow the rules and what they are told, they are unable to move from what is standard. lebanese are just able to adapt, make things work, take decision if if they don't seem to be what standards would say, able to bypass some procedures to make work more smooth and faster, ....
and yeah, we like to live, if we act that way it's due to our lust for life, we enjoy our life and we live it to the extreme. if we buy mercedes and bmws without being able to afford them, yeah, we like it, we like to live the good life, our target is to enjoy ourself and our life and not just to make money.

beezer

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

Thanx for the comments guys. Now I understand things a lot more clearly, much appreciated :)

As for being inferior, or retarded, just to clear it up. I didn't say that :)

The Taxi's. Personally I don't care all that much. From the airport though I do haggle with the guys to get the best price. I find that funny, and also cheaper than a Taxi in another country. I have also called for a Taxi to pick me up at 3am to take me to the airport. They gave a flat fee, and the car was nice.

Service and Taxi are 2 totally different things. And I didn't know that at first.

And the teenagers. That's so true, I didn't think of that! You have the skateboarders, the punks, the hip hop wanna be's...so true!

The girls...I am married. But I do have to say. My jaw drops constantly at the beauty of some of the girls/women here. But some do wear a lot of makeup and look real high maintenance, even if just going to the market. Nothing I can handle probably...hehe

Now for another question. Out of curiousity.
I always take pictures of the things I see here and find them comical.
Say...showing a car parked on the sidewalk. Or showing a car on the wrong side of the road. The tremendous amount of dog poop found on the ground. Things like that...or a M3 550i 4.4L. And I have also taken beautiful scenery pictures, and some of ruins in Baalbak (spl?).

Anyway. Would you think people would get offended for posting them online, or no? I mean, it's not making fun of anyone directly...it's just things that I think everyone could get a good laugh about.

Again, not trying to offend anyone or think I'm superior or anything. Just curious on everyones thoughts about this. Thanx.

mir

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

well personally.. i don't mind u postin funny pics.. but in a different post plz
there are tons of pics like this from around the world i get to my email
i always also take pics with my cell phones
should be a nice topic

But some do wear a lot of makeup and look real high maintenance, even if just going to the market

not me
u never know wein moumkon yitla2ato bil 3aris l la2ta.. so they have to be prepared.. joking

Last edited by mir (January 21 2008)

WizaRd

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

lol I'd love to see the picture of M3 550i 4.4L.

you can even find the M3 logo on BMW 2000 (heideh l adimeh   )

only in Lebanon ;)

battikh

Member

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

would love to see the pics  just blur the car numbers if you want to be nice

samer

Admin

Re: Am I The Only One Who Notices

Topic cleaned up and closed.
I suggest you all review the forum guidelines:

3. Members should be respectful and courteous to other members. Rudeness to other members is cause for revocation of membership privileges.

6. Offensive language is not permitted.

9. Enjoy the company of other LebGeeks users and keep it fun.

As for Battikh and Teodor, kindly resolve your ethical/moral/values issue elsewhere, this is getting way out of hand and you two are compromising a lot of interesting threads.

Both members were PMed for further explanations.

Enough said.