Harry Potter - The Finale

On July 21st 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last book of the Harry Potter Series was released and the story came to an end. The book finally went on sale worldwide. It broke sales records becoming the fastest-selling book ever, selling more than eleven million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its release.

I read it. I enjoyed it. I recommend it.

The Deathly Hallows is an excellent end to an extraordinary series. The book ties together most of the loose ends in a satisfying fashion. I must say that J.K. Rowling is a very talented writer. The narration is thrilling. Like the previous six books of the series, it’s not easy to put down the book once you start reading it.

Even if you’ve never read a Harry Potter book before you’ll be able to follow this last chapter of the saga. The underlying plot is a battle of good versus evil and how we fight our devils, our confusions and insecurities - both external and internal.

The story draws young Harry Potter (about to turn 17) into an unavoidable final showdown with the evil Lord Voldemort. The future of the Magical and Muggle (non-magical person) worlds hangs is at stake.

Harry learns that to win over evil will require the ultimate sacrifice. His death. He learns that he will have to lay down his life so he could destroy the enemy. And he does of course. Through his sacrifice he comes back to life and he wins the final victory.

And... for those who are more into the seventh art, they could get a taste of "Harry Potter World" through the movie adaptations of the first 5 books. I liked them all. I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last week. Very well done and quite entertaining. I can’t wait when the remaining two books become a major motion picture, and especially the Deathly Hallows. At the same time, I always recommend to read the books even if you have seen the movies. The books are richer and full with much more details, hence more satisfying.

Thanks J.K. Rowling.

You made us dream, laugh and sometimes cry with those beautifully written seven books.

It was an exciting broomstick ride!

Take Time

Take Time to THINK
It is the source of power

Take time to PLAY
It is the secret of perpetual youth

Take time to READ
It is the fountain of wisdom

Take time to PRAY
It is the greatest power on earth

Take time to LOVE & be LOVED
It is the God-given privilege

Take time to be FRIENDLY
It is the road to happiness

Take time to LAUGH
It is the music of the soul

Take time to GIVE
It is too short a day to be selfish

Take time to WORK
It is the price of success.

N.B.: I didn't write this, a friend emailed it to me, I liked it and I wanted to share it. I hope you like it.

Away

I was away for a week with no access to the Internet. Therefore, my blog was left unattended ;-) Hopefully I'll start adding some posts soon.

Integrity Despite Hostility

Some bad experiences become obstacles in our journey in life.

Of course, when we notice that some people read us wrongfully, it hurts and it makes us sad.
For a sensitive person, offence, misjudgment, prejudice, deceit, hostile attitudes, intolerance, unkindness… represent a heavy burden to bear, and sometimes that leads to depression.

We just have to put the bad stuff behind us.
Get a grip
Get on with our life.

We’ve got to learn to distinguish between reputation and character.
Reputation is just other people’s opinion based on gossip and interpretation (rather mis-interpretations!).
None of us has any control over that.
But character and integrity, that’s something we can make a conscious effort to improve on throughout our lives.

We can’t let oursleves be distracted by what we can’t control.
Better concentrate on what we can accomplish.

We still have a lot to do.
A lot to give.

Grow Up... but Don't Grow Old!

"Grow up! You should be ashamed of yourself... you're still into this at your age?!"
I've heard this many times over the past years.
I've heard it again these past 2 days.

The reason?
I love cartoons and I still read and enjoy comics...
So yes, I'm guilty as charged, and I don't regret it.

Saturday evening, I watched Shrek the Third, the 3rd installment of this successful computer-animated series. I laughed a lot watching it. I loved the way it was animated. I admired the technology behind it. I enjoyed the humor and the performance of the actors lending their voices to the animated characters.

When I mentioned it,
some friends laughed;
others made fun of me, telling me that this is kids' stuff.
Some were joking;
others meant it.

This doesn't bother me anymore.
I like it and I don't hide it.

It's a way to relax, to have fun... away from the violence that invades our world.
It's a window to new worlds, new horizons, new fantasies...
It's a reminder that simple things could be fun.
It's for me a way to stay anchored to the innocence of my childhood.

Does this contradict being a grown-up?!

I can assure you:
I grew up... but I didn't grow old!

And I'm Happy about it.

Misfortunes Predicted

Poor Lebanon!

How long do you still have to suffer?!

We only aspire to peace.
While our politicians predict wars, civil disorder and large-scale misery, if the other factions don’t agree with them or accept their conditions!

We only dream of life, stability and prosperity.
Whereas rumors foresee trenches, underground tunnels, concealed weapons!

One year already since the war of July-August 2006.
And since then, Lebanon is undergoing a terrible crisis and is sinking in uncertainty.

The rulers of our Country, each barricading stubbornly in a corner, are in a constant need of Arabic and International mediations;
Because they can’t reach some common grounds for the good of good of their own people!

The Land of the Cedars became a beggar, relying on Arabic and International charities;
Because of the daily dose of fear, people are barely struggling to survive, instead of working hard to make Lebanon thrive again.

How long do we still need to wait?

We’ll continue to descend in the obscurity if we only harbor dark ideas.
If we keep talking about troubles, we’ll get them!

One day or the other, - hopefully sooner rather than later -, we will realize that we imperatively have to sit around a table and start a dialogue with an open heart and stretched hands.

When we agree to rebuild Lebanon…

Together…

With an open mind…

Then, we can all live in peace and understanding.

Then, we can prove wrong all the misfortunes predicted!

Friday the 13th... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Here we go again. Another day with numerical implications has arrived.

I debated with myself much this morning to decide whether to write anything about this day or not. Personally this whole phobia makes me laugh. But my curiosity got the best of me and I researched the subject a little.

Media frenzy is transforming some local and limited superstitions in a global phenomenon that attracts more attention and sometimes causes a hysteria!

One of these these superstitions concerns Friday the13th. A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck for some people. This phobia was mostly spread is English and German speaking cultures. But with the globalization, this belief is - alas - reaching many more persons around the globe.

The fear of Friday the 13th is called Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia or simply Triskaidekaphobia (a term originating from Greek words).

This Friday some people will be so paralyzed with fear they simply won't get out of bed. Others will firmly refuse to fly on an airplane, buy a house, or make an important decision.

This fear seriously affects today's world. In USA, Canada any many European countries, people are constantly reminded of this phobia which is substantiated in some civic realities: In those places, more than 80 percent of high buildings lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13. I've seen this personally during some of my trips and I laughed when I noticed these habits. Does changing the number of the 13th floor to 14 really change anything? Go figure!

Like many human beliefs, the fear of Friday the 13th isn't exactly rooted in scientific logic. But the really strange thing is that most of the people who believe the day is unlucky offer no explanation at all, logical or illogical. As with most superstitions, people fear Friday the 13th for its own sake, without any need for background information. Likewise, no historical date has been identified as the origin of the superstition. If you're interested, I found some explanations that have been provided by the National Geographic, Wikipedia and a site called How Stuff Works.

Luckily, Lebanon has not succumbed yet to this hype, although some superstitious Lebanese are attracted to any idea that could justify and give meaning to certain dates.

I approached a similar topic on July 7th 2007.
I'm convinced that no day is different from others.
It's all inside our mind.
What we think about, we begin to feel.
What we feel affects what we do.
And what we do causes how we will become.

Let's think positive, let's do our best and things will get better, on Friday the 13th... or on any other day.