Life with Subtitles

In and around Stockholm: This is Rinkeby Over the last few days...

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:59:00 +0000

Face-painting in the main square

Notice how quickly the word spread and the kids gathered around to get their faces painted

This bouncy castle isn't usually in the main square, but how cool is it that it was here today ?

A local kebab/pizzeria on the main square

The grill smelled great.. that is if you're not a vegetarian.

..and all that's left of the riots is but a trace on the asphalt

In and around Stockholm: This is Rinkeby

Over the last few days Stockholm has had its share of international news coverage - mainly because of the riots - and areas like Husby and Rinkeby, suburbs with an already battered reputation, took center-stage in this news coverage that showed them under a very unflattering light.

Having lived in Rinkeby for a while now, I figured I’d give a glimpse of what this part of town is really like, so I went out this morning, took a walk around town and snapped some quick pictures.

Every once in a while it’s important to challenge preconceived ideas, and hopefully today you’ll reconsider the idea that Rinkeby (or any other “poor” or “immigrant-rich” Stockholm suburb for that matter) is a scary place to live.

Don’t let the exaggerated media reports fool you, in spite of last week’s sad events, life here is still good.

Update: My friend Egle dropped by that day and took some stunning pictures. Make sure to check them out

The definite “Start your day with a smile” song I...

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:55:22 +0000

The definite “Start your day with a smile” song

I bet that by the end of this song you’ll have a big stupid smile on your face, that is if you haven’t already started singing along.

Cheers !

Midnight Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:16:00 +0000

I was recently asked to share one of my short stories at "Story Telling Night", an event hosted by Metro Al Madina in Lebanon. The theme of the night was Eroticism, and so I chose to share a rewrite of an old short story I had written in the early days of this blog. For those who couldn't make it, or did but thought they'd read it again anyway, here's the story. Hope you enjoy(ed) it.

I went out for a cup of coffee in the middle of the night.
I needed to clear my head from the utter clutter that had slowly taken over my very ability to.. No wait, I called you.
I needed you there with me, wherever 'there' was going to be, to blow the dust off my soul and show me the way back home.. but you had better things to do and I ended up going out in the middle of the night, without you. Read more »

"Story telling night: Eroticism" this Tuesday at Metro Al Madina

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:05:00 +0000

Beirut’s Metro Al Madina has been hosting a monthly recurring event called “Story Telling Night”. For this month’s installment, they have chosen Eroticism as the theme of the night and will feature short stories by Lebanese writers and bloggers.

When the organizers approached me for possibly sharing one of my short stories, I thought the idea of the event was so refreshing I couldn’t resist saying yes, despite the fact that I wouldn’t be able to read the story myself seeing as I’m out of the country.

Thankfully I was lucky enough to find a surrigate reader who will do more than a great job at conveying the emotional and sensual intricacies of the story I wrote for this event.

All this to say that if you happen to be in Lebanon this week, make sure to head down to Metro on Tuesday night for what I’m sure will be a fun night of literature and erotic-themed stories.

Cheers !

The sign

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:58:00 +0000

As you look outside your window something looks different.. Through a spot of melted snow you can see the road’s asphalt that’s been in hiding for an eternity now, and across the street right beside some rocks, you can almost make out a patch of grass.

In the silhouettes of the people passing by, faces can once again be seen through women’s now shrunken wool scarves and men’s no longer fully closed hooded jackets, and that’s all the confirmation you need.

The trees are still bare, but it’s too late to convince you otherwise. You put away your winter clothes and put on a light sweater. As you put your jacket on and prepare to step outside your winter gloves call out to you in a last bid to hold on to their job. You check the weather forecast for one last confirmation that you weren’t mistaken in seeing all the signs of spring coming: Yup, it looks like you won’t be needing gloves after all, the weather is no longer cold, just a refreshing zero degrees. Spring is here !

And I thought only women used that line..

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:25:25 +0000

Her: We're only speaking Swedish today

Him: You mean for the entire date ? I'm not sure that's going to work..

Her: Well, that's the only way your Swedish is going to get better: You're going to have to seduce me in Swedish. And no you can't argue your way out of this one

Him: Alright, but I'm warning you, if by the end of the date I have a headache I totally have the right to turn down sex

"You want to fix public schools ? Get a working public health care system ? Improve..."

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:22:25 +0000

“You want to fix public schools ?
Get a working public health care system ?
Improve public transportation ?
How about we make a law that every elected politician’s kids HAVE to go to public schools, that their families can ONLY get the government sponsored health care coverage, and make them ride the BUS to work every day ?
Maybe then they’ll feel involved enough to make some changes !”

- Just might work.. or maybe we’d end up with sky high prices for everything, since unlike the rest of us they could still afford it..

I told you those Swedes are tricky..

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:48:09 +0000

Steve Vai came to perform in Stockholm a few weeks ago and well, we managed to embarrass him a little..

For those who haven’t had a chance to watch him live (or haven’t heard of the virtuoso guitarist before reading this post), Steve Vai’s show involves a lot of active interaction with the audience. So towards the end of his set, Vai decided he was going to play a game with the audience: He was going to play a song so new, he hadn’t written it yet. In fact, he was going to pick members of the audience at random, and let them write the song the band would then have to play.

So Steve set out to pick two guys and two girls from the audience and let them onto the stage. And there they stood, side by side, all four of them, introducing themselves at Vai’s request. First guy introduces himself, passes on the microphone, second guy says his name, perfect, first girl introduces herself.. wait a minute.. that’s a guy’s name.. and a guy’s voice. That girl wasn’t a girl at all! In fact [she] wasn’t dressed in a particularly feminine way either. Nope, after close inspection, that’s just a regular Swedish dude with long blond hair and the signature Swedish no-facial-hair face.

I told you those Swedes are tricky..

B018 is so boring, even the toilet seats are square ! As...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:30:33 +0000

B018 is so boring, even the toilet seats are square !

As far as first impressions go, this one was not great.

"Honey I love it when you get all hot and bothered and talk dirty to me.. but you think maybe you..."

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 07:30:05 +0000

“Honey I love it when you get all hot and bothered and talk dirty to me.. but you think maybe you could do it in a language that wouldn’t require me to use a dictionary to understand ?”

- Multilingual couples are the worst..

"I got my driver’s license one third of my age ago."

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 07:30:09 +0000

“I got my driver’s license one third of my age ago.”

- Geez saying it like that makes me sound old..

In and around Faqra While I was in Lebanon, and on our way to...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:30:21 +0000

The natural bridge in Faqra. Under the huge gap in the rocks, a river flows..

Ruins, in restoration mode. Now they just look strange !

The best seat in the house, and the one with the best view probably

There's something about those rocks..

In and around Faqra

While I was in Lebanon, and on our way to celebrate new year’s eve in Faraya, we stopped by for a little sightseeing at the ruins of Faqra, and the natural stone bridge (carved by water through erosion). I hear that when the weather gets better, the stone bridge is a prime venue for rock climbers. Now that, I’ll have to check out soon !

In and around Stockholm: This sign is perhaps one of the first...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:48:00 +0000

In and around Stockholm:

This sign is perhaps one of the first things you see while you wait for your luggage at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. I must say it is not particularly comforting, and quite surprising considering how safe the city is

There's irresponsible, and then there's.. this

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:40:00 +0000

Him: Well there you have it, we broke up
His Friend: What ? What happened ?
Him: Well.. I'm away for the holidays right ? And she figures she'd send me a naughty video as a christmas present
His Friend: Uhuh..
Him: I stopped it halfway through, couldn't watch anymore ! I was so angry.. !
His Friend: Wait wait wait hold up.. what did she do ? Was it something nasty ? Don't tell me she invited another dude into it..
Him: No ! Worse ! She's filming herself taking a shower while taking off her bikini.. five minutes into it she still hadn't turned off the water for a second. I can't be with anyone that environmentally irresponsible..

Impromptu concert at Istanbul airport

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:30:23 +0000

I had a three and a half hour layover at Istanbul Ataturk airport on my way back to Lebanon, and since I didn’t feel like shopping (buying a last-minute ticket at a last-minute price will do that to you), I sat at some random gate with music in my ears and a book in my hands thinking that would be the way I’ll be spending the rest of my evening until my gate is announced.

Then a familiar sound interrupts my reading: Somewhere behind me, a Oud was playing. I turn around, and sure enough right behind me was a middle-aged man, oud in his lap, plucking away at the strings. Slowly the room’s attention starts to turn to this unusual happening, and people start moving closer to the source of the music.

If you ever wondered how to get an accurate estimate of how many Lebanese are sitting at a certain gate at the airport (which by the way wasn’t the gate for the Beirut-bound flight, since it hadn’t been announced yet), I believe all it takes is playing a Fairuz song like “Hadir el Bosta” and listening for how many people start singing along.

Somewhere in the middle of his renditions of popular Arabic songs, we hear a sound that we were secretly fearing: Not the sound of our gate being announced, prompting us to leave our seats and interrupting the concert, worse, the sound of a string breaking.. And as we worrisome spectators asked if he had any spare strings, he reached into his suitcase and started fumbling around. When he finally took his hands out it wasn’t a new set of strings he was holding, but a sort of old flute on which he finished the song he had started, before going back to his one-string-short Oud and play as best he could the many songs we kept requesting.

Happy holidays !

..if not, he's a keeper !

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:00:08 +0000

Her: Last night, this guy I'm seeing and I had this long talk and I think that's the first time he really opened up to me..
Him: And.. did it make you wish he hadn't ?

In and around Stockholm In Stockholm’s Historiska Museet,...

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:00:29 +0000

In and around Stockholm

In Stockholm’s Historiska Museet, the section entitled Sveriges Historia consists of a long and winding timeline with important events and famous Swedish quotes, while relevant artefacts and detailed information accompany your walk through the timeline to illustrate the times.

I found this quote in particular, though more than a couple hundred years old, still very relevant in today’s world.

Maybe you should make it hollow too..

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:35:23 +0000

Him: You know, I've been thinking about getting a tattoo
Her: Oh yeah ? Like what ?
Him: I'm not sure, I want something that reflects my personality.. you know ?
Her: Yeah.. How about a square ?

"I’m dating this girl.. she has lousy judgement and a terrible taste in men !"

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:35:32 +0000

“I’m dating this girl.. she has lousy judgement and a terrible taste in men !”

- Wait.. that didn’t come out right..

Concerts in Stockholm you should NOT miss this autumn

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:25:31 +0000

So you’re in Stockholm and you’re wondering where to go to catch a nice concert ? Let me help out.

First up on the list, and first ones to take the stage are The Flower Kings. Performing songs from their new album “Banks of Eden” this thursday the 1st of November at Bryggarsalen, and coming back to the Stockholm stage after a 7-year absence, they are sure to make fans of progressive rock very happy. Similar artists: Transatlantic, Spock’s Beard, Marillion, Pink Floyd

On Saturday the 10th of November comes Devin Townsend Project’s turn to rock Stockholm, bringing their signature brand of metal to Nalen to promote “Epicloud”. Similar artists: Strapping Young Lad, Ihsahn, Periphery, Textures

Later this month, Steve Vai is dropping by. Yes, you heard it, none other than the great guitar virtuoso himself will be performing at Berns on the 25th of November. After another seven-year wait he’s got a new solo record out, and if you know anything about this legendary guitarist, you know that the opportunity to watch him in concert is not one to be missed. Similar artists: Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Jason Becker, Guthrie Govan

Taking the tempo down a notch and going to Jazz territory, next month starts off with a concert by Melody Gardot on the 2nd of December at the Stockholm Waterfront to promote her new album - packed with both sensual slow jazz tunes and uptempo latin melodies - “The Absence”. Similar artists: Katie Melua, Lisa Ekdahl, Diana Krall, Nina Simone

Coming back to the stage on the 4th and 5th of December at Södra Teatern are none other than Stockholm’s own Opeth with something new and (somewhat) unexpected: An acoustic show ! The band, whose style is known for mixing heavy guitar riffs, acoustic guitar parts and long melodic solos has everybody wondering what an ‘unplugged’ version of their set would sound like. Similar artists: Porcupine Tree, Gojira, Anathema, Ayreon

Finally, and I’ve quite possibly left the best for last: MUSE are coming to Stockholm for a concert at Globen on the 6th of December to promote their new album “The 2nd Law”. As far as live performances go, Muse have set the bar very high, and their performances are known to be electric and downright out of this world. Similar artists: Radiohead, Queen, The White Stripes

Looking to buy tickets for shows this autumn ? You’ll probably find everything you need at Ticnet or LiveNation.

Know of other interesting concerts taking place in Stockholm this autumn ? Leave it in the comments section !

Undoing Stockholm: A guide to surviving the big city

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Stockholm may not be among the biggest in the world as far as cities go, however when it comes to hustle and bustle it is your scandinavian destination of choice. Whether you live here or you're just visiting, beware of Stockholm: This beautiful and charming city can eat you alive, or at the very least turn you into someone you don't want to be.

In an effort to counter all that "big city feeling" that Stockholm carries with it, here's my short and simple guide to surviving the capital of Scandinavia, in a few easy-to-follow everyday actions:

1- Keep it in your pocket

In Stockholm everybody and their grandmother has a smartphone. Literally. Read more »

In and around Stockholm Skansen’s Höstmarknad (autumn...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:19:42 +0000

In and around Stockholm

Skansen’s Höstmarknad (autumn market) is the perfect occasion to experience a traditional Swedish market as it would’ve been 100 years ago, and get a feel for the kind of life you might have had, had you come here.. sooner.

One thing seems certain, a child’s life back then must’ve been a lot of fun with all that hay laying around !

Season ticket on a one-way ride

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 06:30:00 +0000

He looks into her eyes and smiles. As their faces draw closer together, her grip on his hands tightens while the tips of her fingers playfully caress his palms. He resists the urge to kiss her right then and there, and instead presses his nose against hers, imagining his fingers lightly grazing her skin through the fabric of her dress..

The noise of an amplifier turning on breaks the silence, and a few moments later the couple's embrace is interrupted by a light cough. Startled, he turns around to find his best friend standing behind him, handing him an electric guitar, his guitar. Seemingly amused, he agrees to strap it on and reaches into his pocket for a plectrum. He takes a step back and away from his girl, looks at her with that wicked look she knows so well, and starts playing the opening chords from AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell'.Read more »

That night they didn't have sex

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:30:00 +0000

"I made a huge mistake"

The thought haunted him. No matter what he did he couldn't chase it out of his mind, and the feeling of her racing breath against his skin was not bringing him any comfort. He dimmed the lights, pretending to set the mood, and tried kissing her again.

Nothing.

Sensing his slow pace, she decided to move things along and reached for his belt. His heart raced in panic, it was all going out of control too fast and he needed to put an end to it somehow, a task that was seemingly impossible if he was to avoid hurting her feelings.Read more »

Oui ! Je m’adresse à vous…

noreply@blogger.com (Hala M*) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:38:00 +0000

Speaking out against the new internet law proposed in the Lebanese cabinet, regular contributor Hala Moubarak writes this beautiful piece (in French) addressed to our politicians. Hopefully this post will reach them.

Rédiger des phrases. Trouver un moyen pour que ces mêmes phrases soient publiées. Aucun mot à raturer. Aucune phrase à détruire. Ne me censurez pas ! Ne coupez pas mon texte en deux ! Mon film, mon documentaire, ma partition musicale, mon article… qu’importe… Ecoutez-moi. Ecoutez cette jeunesse qui n’est autre que votre avenir. Les battements de cœur, les causes proscrites, les droits légitimes. Ma vie, mes matins, mes déboires, mes batailles… mes droits de femme, et ceux de ma fille. Batailler contre la pauvreté, la cherté de vie. Dénoncer un massacre, celui de Cana il y a des années, ceux de Baba Amr en Syrie aujourd’hui… Pouvoir dire… Haut et fort. Ne pas baisser la voix.
Read more »

The human rights tax

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:35:00 +0000

It’s no surprise: The smart phone and tablet markets are where most of the technological competition’s efforts are going. Things got so fierce that at some point Amazon was considering throwing its hat into the ring with a device that it would sell at a loss, hoping the app revenue it could generate would make the overall venture profitable.

Then when a technology giant like Apple announces that ‘Made in the U.S.A’ is no longer a viable option for most of its products, iPhone included, you start wondering where all the manufacturing jobs have gone, and that’s when you stumble upon a name like: FoxConn City.

What was once thought to be the answer to many manufacturers’ hopes to cut costs, is now often synonymous to a Chinese-flavored labor-right scandal, a story of highly questionable working conditions played out to the money-saving benefits of.. You, the consumer. Read more »

The currency of hope

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:17:00 +0000

This is the second post I've written for the LBC Blogs project. The original post can be seen here.

It’s not always easy for me to explain why I left Lebanon.

I usually lie, by omission that is. I talk about my education, my career, the experience of living in a different culture… and while that all may be true, it overlooks the painful truth that I had come to terms with abandoning my own beliefs: I thought that we could fix this country. I believed that hard work, not emigration, was the answer. I figured that we, the post-war generation, would know best how to avoid the mistakes of our parents, and build this country anew, set a clean slate.. but many thought differently..
Read more »

Of scarlet letters and sexual harassment

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:35:00 +0000

I have a beef to pick with women today: I'm giving up on trying to understand them. I'm not saying this in that cute way like when a man tries to find a common ground with his girlfriend, I'm dead serious: I give up, clearly you're not serious about solving your own problems.

Naturally, you wouldn't think I would come to this conclusion hastily, so let me tell you about the little straw story I heard about that broke my empathetic camel's back.

A friend of mine is being sexually harassed at work. Not by her boss or a superior, but by a colleague who relentlessly asks her out, sends her messages as explicit as "I want you" during work hours, and doesn't pass up a chance to rub up against her every time he approaches her desk.Read more »

Working in Sweden: The Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Sweden is home to many companies we know and love, in addition to having a very friendly and relaxed work culture. Today's post is about the steps you can take to increase your chances of finding work in Sweden.
Whether you're already in Sweden looking for work, or in your home country trying to find your next dream job, these tips might come in handy.

Allow me however one disclaimer before we get started: This post is based on my own experience with the job hunt, and therefore might be slightly more focused on engineering jobs. While that might be true, it should still be quite helpful for people looking for work in other fields.
Read more »

Keep it secret, keep it safe

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:13:00 +0000

This post was written for the LBC Blogs, a new project launched by the mainstream Media outlet LBC Group. The original post can be seen here.
"Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day I was raped".

I don't think there's much you can say after someone reveals a story this personal. That day, as I later found out was also the first time she had decided to acknowledge it to her friends and talk about it.

There was a look on her face that spoke both of the sadness the memory of the incident brought back and an immense relief to finally share the burden of her story.
Read more »

Advertising space, advertising face

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:24:00 +0000

There is one aspect of Beirut that never fails to shock me every time I visit. Forget about the traffic jams, how utterly rude people become as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car, the honking, the blatant disrespect of the law, the rise of the superficial culture, I could go on forever.. All of these, although granted make up the bulk of the inspiration for my rants, I'm used to. I'm not saying I could live with it all, but somehow in my head it has become part of what I expect to see when I go to Lebanon.

The one thing however that always catches me off guard as soon as I step foot in Lebanon is the overabundance of advertising. Billboards have taken up so much space in this country, we might as well start advocating for the use of beautiful scenery in billboard ads, because let's face it while we're driving, we only have two things in sight: Other cars, and billboards. Read more »

Au nom de ma conscience!

noreply@blogger.com (Hala M*) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:22:00 +0000

Today's post is by friend of the blog Hala Moubarak, better known for her "Je suis un cri" series, and her more recent venture into art blogging: Pause Art. Enjoy !

Parce que tu tues, je dois te tuer à mon tour… parce que tu violes, parce que tu voles, parce que tu prends la vie à l’envers, je dois te montrer le droit chemin et demander la pendaison. Qu’on installe la potence ! Qu’on remette à neuf la guillotine ! Qu’on déterre Danton ! Qu’on cire la corde… Qu’importe !!!
Cet homme a tué, donc je tue à mon tour.

Moi qui croyais que mon œil pour le sien, et que ma dent pour la tienne n’est plus de ce monde, voilà que je me rends compte qu’ « œil pour œil et dent pour dent », est toujours à la place d’honneur d’un système juridique qui se détériore jour après jour.Read more »

Where else could you find a bigger line of schmucks ?

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:22:00 +0000

There's a story I've been following recently which has so far left me gasping in disbelief at every turn: The USA Presidential race.

What can you say about either of the Republican party's 2012 presidential candidates that can not be better described by the word "Schmuck" ? I can almost swear election candidates in Lebanon tend to better understand policy and make more sense during debates.. and that's not a compliment !

What it will essentially come down to in the end is a choice between an incumbent president who was elected on a platform of change and hope, awarded the Nobel peace prize, yet ended up disappointing his country and the world on most of his promises, and the republican candidate: one of many hopeless schmucks.. Read more »

It's time to leave the city of dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:10:00 +0000

- So how are you feeling ? Excited about Stockholm ?
- Honestly.. I don't know. I think I'm mostly in denial.

I must've had this conversation at least half a dozen times in the last month. I kept trying to figure out why the idea wasn't sinking in, to no avail. Somehow I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that I was moving to a new city. In a way every time I pictured my new life, I imagined having my Göteborg friends around me, in Stockholm.. except I'm the only one who's actually moving.

Then one event changed everything for me: I sold my couch.
When I got back into my apartment, and looked at the empty spot where my couch used to be, it hit me: This was the beginning of a big change. Then as the days went by and cardboard boxes started piling up in that same spot, it sunk in a bit more. Read more »

Fairytales are SO "once upon a time"

noreply@blogger.com (Ask Fluffy) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:22:00 +0000

And the guest post saga continues, with dear friend of the blog "Fluffy". If this goes on I might never have to write again.. Enjoy !

I've been wanting to write a "relationship column" for Life with Subtitles for quite a while.
What pushed me to do it now is that I recently got engaged, and since it's a little thanks to Fadi, I think I owe him one.

About a year ago, on a lonely winter's day (cue in violins), I was chatting with our dear Geeky Pants (Fadi's note: that would be me), and telling him that I was sick of dating and train-wreck relationships. After all the hardships, it was time for my happy-end (not THAT kind of happy-end, you pervs.) I told him that I longed for the day Prince Charming would come on his white stallion, fall in desperate love with me and ask me to marry him. And Fadi said "why don't YOU propose to him?" People, my mind was boggled.Read more »

Identity: my precious

noreply@blogger.com (TinyRage) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:20:00 +0000

Today's post is by Life with Subtitles' recurring guest author TinyRage. Enjoy

In light of the recent changes in the Arab world, and particularly the ones that concern my country, Tunisia, my attention was brought to the recurrence of the concepts of identity, and specifically how identity, nationality and government policy are -still- linked in our political conscience.

This, to my understanding, has been the central point of the elections of the Assembly that was elected on October 23rd to write up the new Constitution for the new, liberated-from-dictatorship Tunisia.
Read more »

The debt of luck

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:28:00 +0000

It starts with a bit of a dream, a fantasy.
You take a leap of faith and leave the rest to chance. Of course not every dream is a winner, but every so often the skies clear up and you get a lead, an opening, the start of something that could be beautiful. "All my hard work is finally bearing fruit" says your pride.. or perhaps it's just your sense of entitlement..

Then something else entirely happens.

The pieces start falling into place, and your lead turns into an adventure far beyond your expectations. You're overwhelmingly happy, and yet an unshakable thought keeps echoing through every fiber of your being, the worrisome thought that perhaps you didn't deserve all of this, and that your new found luck comes with a cost, a debt.
Read more »

No.. Camping is not an option

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:01:00 +0000

There is nothing more practical and relaxing than living in a Swedish city, that is once you settle in. Moving to a Swedish city on the other hand is an entirely different headache.

When I first moved to Göteborg, I dealt with all the usual stress that comes with moving to a country where you don't speak the language and don't really know anyone, a large portion of which was related to a very important question: "Where am I going to live ?"

Recently, I've taken the decision to move again, and this time to Stockholm. While I wasn't looking, that same question slowly took over the bulk of my free time and has become the topic of almost every conversation I've had with my friends in the last month.. And when something of supposedly little consequence takes over your life in such an unprecedented and ruthless fashion, you just have to give in and blog about it.Read more »

Say it right: When did the Lebanese (and arabs) forget their own alphabet ?

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:05:00 +0000

I've always been fascinated by the Lebanese people's pronunciation of French and English. No scratch that. Let me rephrase: I've always been fascinated by the Lebanese people's Mispronunciation of French and English.

I get it, languages are hard. Anyone who's heard me stuttering in Swedish knows what I mean. Although with the Lebanese things are different. We choose to mispronounce the things we should be able to pronounce properly, and amazingly don't mess up the things we should, and this goes for most of the population, including those who have a perfect command of either language's grammar.

To help illustrate my point, consider this sentence, followed by how you're likely to hear it in Lebanon:Read more »

Hate is a four letter word

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:48:00 +0000

This post is very closely based on recent events and deals with a somewhat sensitive issue. Any advice you might want to share is welcome, as the person involved will be reading this post. Thank you

A girl in her mid-twenties sits in her room surfing the net, when her brother walks in:
"What's this ?" he asks holding her cell phone, "planning to see him this evening? We told you he's not right for you. You still want to date this filth?!"

Not a moment later the voices of her parents join in on the symphony. She barely has time to recover from the initial shock that her brother has in fact gone through her phone messages when she hears her mother calling her names: "Ya Charmouta! Chou baddik t2oul 3anna el 3alam, bentna dahra ma3 wa7ad mejweh ?" [You whore, what do you think people will say about us when they learn our daughter is dating this kind of filth ?].
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Awaken Your Inner Engineer

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:49:00 +0000

Before you read this post I would like you to take a look around you. I say this hoping you're sitting in the comfort of your own home, but I'm well aware that you may be reading this to take a break from work at the office. I want you to imagine yourself walking around your apartment, and as you walk, point out all the things about it that you don't like. All details are important, from that wall whose existence you cannot for the life of you justify and would've liked nothing better than to just knock it down, to the messy things that never seem to find their way back to whatever shelf they are supposed to be on. Now use your imagination..

Let's pretend you could have whatever you want with a flick of a switch, as long as it is something that would improve your living space, what would you change (no Cinderella dreams please, I know I said use your imagination, but let's stay somewhat realistic here) ? It's not easy to figure out, I know.. I'll go first:
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To flirt with a god

noreply@blogger.com (Argumenthol) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:29:00 +0000

Today's post is brought to you by Argumenthol, who in spite of having recently started his own blog, was kind enough to guest post here on Life with Subtitles again (you might recall his previous guest post) while I'm on leave. Enjoy !

It was my first time, and I could hardly sit still.

I could feel the excitement wash over the room in waves of excited whispers, mirroring my own. We were eagerly waiting for the plenary talk by Thomas Schelling, one of the highlights of the conference. The tension was electrifying. It is not every day that you hear a Nobel laureate speak. When you do, subtitles are in order. We were in for a treat. I knew that. What I did not know was that we were also in for a surprise that made this Kubrick fan very happy.
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… Peaches … So she smells like peaches … [Part 3]

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:22:00 +0000

And here it is, the last part of this story. I hope you like the ending. For those of you who just tuned in, you can find the first two parts of the story right here. Cheers!

Monique, from the library, was a literary critic by day, and bartender by night. Quite an interesting match, “the best of both worlds” as she told me when she saw how shocked I was at her choice of career. Being in her company was bliss, I finally had someone to talk to, and she helped me learn French, his language, the language I had to speak as long as I wanted to be away from him. She also helped me get a job at the library, rescuing the remains of my savings: She managed to find out they needed someone to help reshelf the books, for what was more than enough to feed me and keep me busy, so soon enough I was part of the library staff.Read more »

… Peaches … So she smells like peaches … [Part 2]

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:22:00 +0000

Hope you're enjoying this series so far. You can find the first part here. Cheers !

Feeding pigeons in the park quickly became my favorite activity. At least with them, language was not a problem. For the first few days, I was amused by TV characters speaking French. Something about the tone of the language was very charming, but everything in France was in French, even American movies, so I resorted to pigeons, which turned out to be a lot more interesting.
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… Peaches … So she smells like peaches … [Part 1]

noreply@blogger.com (Fadi Bitar) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:20:00 +0000

I thought I'd share a short story i wrote about seven years ago. You get the first part today, and the rest over the next couple weeks. PS: Excuse the rudimentary style :)

I took the coat off the hanger once more, and hesitantly pressed it against my nose … Standing in front of the closet mirror, I watched myself pull it closer to my heart, then up to my face, but I didn’t smell it, at least not for the first few moments. Somewhere between fear and curiosity, my breath was held hostage, and I was there, blindfolded, stuck on a high wire, balancing my foot in all directions, looking for safer grounds. But this time, there wasn’t any. I had doubted him. Maybe she smells like me, and I’m pulling us under … but I’d sink just the same if it was peaches …
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