GO ENGLAND!

So England won! Surprised? Sorta. It was amazing though. All through the game I was hoping Slovenia doesn't get a goal, and thank God they didn't. When the world cup started, the boys thought it'll be easy to win. They thought that since the odds are with them, they don't need to play hard. But later on, they understood the deal: It's no piece of cake. It's real. It's difficult. They proved all those cynical wrong, and they wiped the smile off of their know-it-all faces! I was also flipping through the USA VS Algeria game. It's saddening that Algeria didn't make it to the final 16. I mean they played hard to get there; they should have played a little harder - I believe. It's no luck. It's effort and persistence. And England had those two factors. I know I'm not English - or even British. But I love that team. The show these players put on during their games keeps me at the edge of my seat every time. I started liking them because I had a huge obsession with David Beckham and then I became infatuated by Ronney. But now, I admire them. I admire their determination to get to that place they got to 44 years ago. They've got the stamina. They've got the spirit. They just need us to be with them. C'mon England. 

Crying, a closer look.

"We can't cry the pain away"

It's like we resort to tears believing it'll make things better. It'll take the pressure off of our hearts, but it doesn't. We cry believing that maybe, just maybe, we'll wake up and realize it's all just a bad dream. We close our eyes shut. We press really hard, and then we open them. We're still there. The pillow is wet. The agony is still there. This act of wailing is our way of fleeing away from reality. Crying takes us somewhere far far away. But then, after just a few moments, just when you think it's all better, the pain returns. & it returns even worse. It's like it never left. I'm not being cynical now. I'm just talking out of experience. I'm the crier when it comes to my friends. I'm the one who weeps whenever anything goes wrong. It's probably a sign of weakness. I don't know.I cry, though, because it's my way of telling myself it'll be okay. For some bizarre reason, crying makes me believe that it'll be fine in no time. Shedding all those warm tears reassures me that it'll all just fade away. However, when the tears dry, I reconnect with reality, and most of the time, reality sucks. Crying is my drug -our drug. It's just like ecstacy; it makes things better for a while, but then it destroys your health for the rest of the day.

My First Blog!

All of my life, I've become a fan of tons of artists. I've loved them and respected them with all of my heart. And now that summer has started & I have been getting bored, I've decided to start my first real mission as soon-to-be journalist. I've decided to write my first blog about one of my favorite people ever..

• Carole Samaha: It's not easy writing about my favorite superstar in an unbiast prespective especially that she has this enchanting power in making the whole world fall in love with her, but I will honestly try my best.

Carole has always wanted to become the person she is today. She has dreamt of herself becoming an artist since she was a little girl. Her father also wanted to witness his baby become a prominent artist; he unfortunately didn't get that chance.

Born in Kenchara, Carole started off with acting. She enrolled into IESAV to study acting and directing, a path that will later lead her to Lebanon's leading theatres. Trying to make it big, Carole joined Nidal Al Ashkar, one of Lebanon's most prestigous actors and directors, and acted alongside her in lots of plays. She also renacted the Spanish play, House Of Bernarda Alba. She didn't stop there, her passion also drove her to meet Lebanon's daring director, Michel Jaber. Until then, Carole was merely an amateur like many of the Lebanese trying to become famous. But she was determined. She had a goal. She had a plan. She enrolled into IESAV again to get her Masters degree, and now she was looking forward at the horizon. She wasn't about to give up or end her journey there. She was immensely intrested in combining the two things she knows best, acting and singing. That's why it's not surprising that this lady was able to act under the guidance of Caracalla and Rahbani, the two leading rivals in the Lebanese theatre. She acted with Caracala in the musical "Amira men Haza Al Zaman". She later played the unforgettable role of Theodora in "The Last Of Socrates". Many roles were played by this soon-to-be legend in the Rahbani plays, combining both provocativeness and eleagance. She also had the chance to act in many Lebanese TV shows like Talbin El Ereb, Esmouha La, & Noura, in which she had a main role.

But her aim wasn't fulfilled yet. She still hadn't reached the finish line, and Oussama Rahbani noticed that very well. That's when she was offered -in my opinion- the chance of a lifetime. Written by Mansour Rahbani and composed by non-other than Oussama, Carole amazed the world by singing "Bi Sabah Al Alf Al Talet". She tilted heads with her fascinating voice. People had no idea that this woman had such huge potentials. In her opinion, Carole says that such a step could have ruined her career if she wasn't smart enough. She believes that people would have framed her forever in that genre not allowing her to spread her wings. But being who she is, Carole wasn't about to accept accomplishement. In 2003, she released her first album called, "Helm" - as in, "Dream". She was finally close to becoming that person she had envisioned in her sleeps years ago. She was finally able to sing in front of thousands of a cheering audience. The singles released in that record were "Tlaa Feye" & "Habib Albi". Those two songs made her close to the Egyptian fans. She was no longer a local artist..she was evolving. As time passed by, and after acting "Molook Tawaef" with The Rahbanis, Carole decided to end her theatrical career there; she wanted to focus on her musical one. In 2004, she released "Ana Horra" ,and in 2006, she released, "Adwaa L Shohra". At that point, she was relatively famous, but she still hadn't reach the Class A level. Her collaboration with Marwan Khoury the following year surely did the trick. Together, they performed "Ya Rab", a romantic song that captured the hearts of millions of Arabs. Her success made her the spotlight of rumors and of media trashing. Being the daring person that she is, Carole released videos that made lots of people wonder what she was thinking. Tabloids started talking that this woman has thrown her voice and become like everyone else. She proved them wrong, though. She decided to continue her path alone - actually, with a group of three. She refused all offers for production companies and started her own production company, La Carma. For three years, she and tens of veterans in Art worked ecxeptionally to deliver "Best Album of year 2009": "Hdoudi L Sama". Now, she is no longer a passing breeze. She's here to stay.