A series of anecdotes with or without any connection to the running of a restaurant.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Temptations...


























Life is all about temptations. Green grass, dreams, ambition, aspirations, etc...
And why not? If you are not happy with your lot, is it really your fault?
The only thing that is real is what your heart tells you. No one can fight that.
Everything else is fantasy.

It is funny because in my business I see very sad people coming and going all the time, and every so often they turn up with new partners, and you will not believe how happy they look, the new sparkle in their eyes, a new kind of rebirth.

My advice to anyone who is sitting on the fence, withering away is:
Follow your Heart or Live to Regret it.

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Monday, February 26, 2007

Mirror, mirror...


















While I was drawing this, I couldn't help wondering what attracts us to or makes us attract other people. Then this morning a good friend of mine sent me this link The shiny spot of your nose

...When you think about other people and what they think of you, do you understand that what they think of you has very little to do with what you are? It has mostly to do with the habits of thought that they have developed. It has more to do with them as thinkers than it does with you as the subject of their thought. If nothing is more important to you than that you feel good, you can form a fantasy about someone who is in your life and they will begin to modify to meet your fantasy, because Law of Attraction is a very powerful thing. Excerpted from a workshop in Asheville, NC, on Saturday, September 5th, 1998

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Saturday, October 14, 2006

Survival of the thickest...

This morning I got up early, strrrrrrrrrretched and yawwwwned.
Had my usual shower.
By the time I was fully awake I realised that nothing had changed overnight.
I still feel as if my world is caving in on me.

A million things.

So I spent half an hour searching for an appropriate YouTube theme to describe how I really feel...
Down... Out... Miserable... Head up my ass... Google...

And then I thought, Moi, Monsieur le Fataliste, that whatever happens to me in life, I may stumble, I may cry but I won't lay down and die...



You got to have faith...


...Off to Algeria to see Papa...

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Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Love is...

I keep checking my "Quote of the day" on the side bar and some days I could shoot myself for linking in to "Said what". The quotes are often attributed to a dull fashion model or a dead general and mean bugger all...
"Beware of the young doctor and the old barber." By Benjamin Franklin.
"You, what?"

But this Wednesday's quote is quite good.
"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young." (Arthur Wing Pinero)

As a teenager in love, I tried with the expert assistance of my friends to understand what love was.
Some said: "Love is a rose that blossoms inside your heart." Others read: "Love is a song that only you can hear!" or "Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise."

All this was blooming confusing when your heart was going "Thump...Thump...Thump..." at the age of 13 or 14.
And your parents became aliens and you cried at the slightest reprimand

Does one ever get to understand love and be able to say: “Yep, I know I am in love because of such and such…”

You can read love quotations for the rest of your life they will never tell you what it really is.

Two brownie points to anyone who has their own explanation of what love is...without using a quotation!




Update: Please comment and share your definition of love...
...

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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The Warrior of Light

Someone sent me this piece from Paulo Coelho's The Warrior of Light....


All the world’s roads lead to the heart of the warrior. He plunges unhesitatingly into the river of passions always flowing through his life. The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment and –sometimes - with just a touch of madness!

He embraces his passions and enjoys them intensely. He knows that there is no need to renounce the pleasures of conquest, they are part of life and bring joy to all those who participate in them.

But he never loses sight of those things that last or of the strong bonds that are forged over time. A warrior can distinguish between the transient and the enduring.

Warriors of light always have a certain gleam in their eyes. They are of this world, they are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals.

They are often cowardly. They do not always make the right decisions. They suffer over the most trivial things, they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

They are not always quite sure what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, believing that their lives have no meaning. That is why they are warriors of light, because they make mistakes, because they ask themselves questions, because they are looking for a reason – and are sure to find it!

Sometimes the warrior feels as if he is living two lives at once. In one of them he is obliged to do all the things he does not want to do and to fight for ideas in which he does not believe.

But there is another life, and he discovers it in his dreams, in his reading and in his encounters with people who share his ideas. The warrior allows his two lives to draw near.

“There is a bridge that links what I do with what I would like to do,” he thinks. Slowly, his dreams take over his everyday life and then he realises that he is ready for the thing he always wanted. Then all that is needed is a little daring, and his two lives become one.

The warrior of light studies the two columns on either side of the door he is trying to open. One is called “Fear” and the other is called “Desire”.

The warrior looks at the column of Fear and on it is written: “You are entering a dangerous, unfamiliar world where everything you have learned up until now will prove useless”.

The warrior looks at the column of Desire and on it is written: “You are about to leave a familiar world wherein are stored all the things you ever wanted and for which you struggled long and hard.”

The warrior smiles because nothing frightens him and nothing holds him. With the confidence of one who knows what he wants, he opens the door

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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Lost the map...

Funny when you think your life has been mapped out for you...

You stop hoarding all those unfulfilled dreams...
Even those greying textbooks you've kept from your school years...They no longer mean anything... Or the broken watch you've always meant to get repaired...
And all that is worth hoarding are the memories going round and round your head... Some make you smile and others make you cry...
You wish you'd had more time for your departed mother, promise to spend longer with your ageing father...

You think you've reached the point of no-return and start getting ready for the downhill slope...


Then, one day you wake up, the old record screeches to a halt... And you discover that you have much more life left in you than you truly imagined...

You find yourself giggling like a teenager about the stupidest things... Drinking more wine than you really should... Prancing around naked sharing fancy cheese at 3 am...
You even begin to enjoy food shopping! And you discover how tasty cold pizza can be!
You add bloody melon to a salad dressed in honey and mustard and still enjoy it...

Most of all you discover that love hasn't died after all...
You may wheeze a little but still find the strength to whisper words you thought you would never hear yourself say in front of a laydeee...

Mapped out? I've shredded the flipping map?




...

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Tuesday, June 06, 2006

How powerful are you?

Your Power Level is: 87%

You have all the tools you need to be a succes both professionally and personally.

You'll probably go beyond reaching your goals.

You'll change the world (at least a little).



How Powerful Are You?



These quizzes are great to alleviate the monotony of a Tuesday morning when all you want is to down tools and sail away into the sunset!
I did it a while ago when I was feeling great and full of zest… I love this word “zest”… the scent of lemons

I am sure that if I tested my power today, I would score a lot less.


I am far from feeling powerless… More like in the hands of destiny…

I have always been the fatalistic kind of guy, never fighting against the tide, philosophically accepting whatever life dished out...

I have travelled this road of mine with very little to whinge about, never really experiencing life’s true hardships, ferocity or unfairness, never tempting fate or dabbling with lady luck…
I devoted my time to solving trivial problems as if they could put an end to war and hunger… Burying my head in the sand and busying myself with picking the fluff out of my belly button…

Over a month ago, I looked in the mirror and noticed my greying moustache…

I got off the slow coach and boarded a high-speed train heading towards an unknown destination … My short hair flapping in the wind, I feel like a teenager once again…

My fellow passengers have shared their bread and wine with me and our long and arduous journey has only just begun…

Do I want to get off this train? The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting second.
Three years ago I got a tiny taste of this ride but could not wait to jump off after just a few miles. My phobia of dark tunnels had won the day…

Today, though I know that this new frightening journey will take me over rough terrain and unchartered territory, I have decided to belt up, brace myself and power away...

Do I still still feel powerless? No way!
...


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Saturday, June 03, 2006

Sunny days and cold pizza...












I took these photos Friday evening! Today has been even warmer!

Our Casa del Mar terrace...











Arty Farty stuff....












I came to the UK at the age of 22 and have lived here longer than I did in Algeria. But I still long for the sun and the Med ...

When days like these manage to break through the grey monotony of the North East coast my heart skips a few beats....

On days like this I begin fancying chargrilled foods, salads, fresh fish, Rosé, ice cold lagers, long walks, a watermelon on a the beach, the sound of cicadas...


Tomorrow: BBQ for sure!



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Thursday, May 18, 2006

Romance...


How does one keep the romance going?

Romance is not a roaring fire

Roaring fires do not last for ever

Romance is a smouldering fire

A warm, comfortable feeling

A little touch, a smile, a kiss

A caress, a familiar look, laughter

Now and then a little poke (sorry)

To stir it and re-ignite the flame

An olive branch, a lump of coal

Romance is a smouldering fire

Turn your back for too long

And it goes out for ever...



Your Seduction Style:

The Natural


You don't really try to seduce people... it just seems to happen.

Fun loving and free spirited, you bring out the inner child in people.

You are spontaneous, sincere, and unpretentious - a hard combo to find!

People drop their guard around you, and find themselves falling fast.

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