First foray into Arabic blogging | أوراق - أول تدوينة لي بلغة الضاد

I haven’t blogged here for quite some time, been busier on other networks really and with my other projects (Food blog, photography freelance and social media in general). I think I will get back to posting here more often. So here goes! If you think I should also post it in English then let me know :)

لست متعودا على الكتابة و التعبير عن أفكاري بلغتي الأم و لكن لن يوقفني ذلك عن تجربة ذلك. نظرا لخبرتي الضئيلة بالكتابة باللغة العربية و "التدوين" قد استخدم بعض الجمل او المصطلحات العامية في كتباتي هنا فاعذروني مقدما.

 في الشهور السابقة بدأت افكر و الاحظ كيف انه عالمنا يتمحور حول الورق. هذا طبعا شيء غير جديد, بل كان موجودا من قرون. ما هو قصدي هنا؟ دعوني أشرح و اعطي بعض الأمثلة. أهميتنا نحن تمتثل بما نمتلكه من المال و الجاه و الكنوز الآن, ليس بمبادئنا و بأفكارنا و أخلاقنا. اذا كنا "ماشيين دغري" باللهجة العامية فلن ننجح بالنمسبة للبعض و سوف نكون دائما "جاهلين و لا ندري كيف أن نستغل الفرص", طبعا باستغلال الفرص تصبح الفهلوة و الحنكة في النصب و الاحتيال للحصول الى ما يصبوا الإنسان لتحقيقه من غير اعطاء أي أدنى اعتبار لحقوق الآخرين او للأخلاق. كله في سبيل النجاح طبعا.

جزء من هذا النجاح حصد المال طبعا. المال في أفضل صوره يكون نقدا (كاش), طبعا توجد طرق اخرى لكنز الثروات, و لكن ما هو المال في نهاية المطاف؟ المال عبارة عن ورق. ورق مطبوع. في حقبة معروفة بالأوضاع الإقتصادية المتردية و الافلاسات و انهيارات اقتصادية و سياسية عمدت بعض البلدان الى طبع المزيد من النقود على الورق من غير أن يكون لها أي قيمة تسندها من الثروات الوطنية (ذهب, نفط, بطيخ الخ الخ الخ). معنى ذلك أنه يتم طبع نقود كنقود المونوبولي, لها قيمة و ما الى ذلك و لكن ليست معيارا للأداء الاقتصادي الباهر للدولة (او الدول في حالة اليورو) التي تقوم بالطبع. أنا لست هنا للجدال و مناقشة الأحوال الاتقصادية في العالم, ما اصوب اليه هو أنه ما يفرق بين شخص ثري و آخر بسيط\فقير هو رزمة النقود في حوزتهم التي هي في نهاية المطاف عبارة عن أوراق. أوراق مطبوعة.

زرت مؤخرا أحد البنوك مع صديق لي, و عند وقوفنا عند الصندوق ليسحب بعض النقود (مبلغ كبير نوعا ما, بالنسبة للغير أغنياء مثلي) قام عامل البنك ببفتح جارور مليء بالدراهم (الاماراتية) و أخرج رزمة نقود تحتوي مائة ألف درهم (مائة ورقة من فئة الألف). طريقة حمله لها و عدها أوحت بأنه يتعامل مع مبلغ ضئيل أو حتى أنها مجموعة فاكسات لا قيمة مخمة لها (طبعا ذلك لأنه يقوم بنفس الوظيفة بشكل يومي مما أعطى الإوحاء بأنه الكمية ضئيلة أو غير مهمة). هذا المبلغ كبير, و حتى يقوم الإنسان العادي "بتحويش" (جمع) هذا المبلغ قد يأخذ عدة سنوات, أو حتى عقد أو عقدين من الزمان (هذا على افتراض أنه سوف يتم ذلك في العمر الافتراضي للبني آدم).

مثال آخر للأوراق و الأهمية الشبه وهمية المعطاة للورق هي جوازات السفر. شيء لم و لن أفهمه هو أنه كيف نقوم كبشر متحضرين و منفتحين (على أساس) بأن نعتبر أنه انسان معين ليس له الحق بالدخول (حتى لزيارة) لبلد آخر بناء على جنستيه و أصله (أو أسوأ, اعتمادا على ديانته أو مذهبه الطائفي, أو اسمه حتى!). لن أفهم مثلا لماذا يجب على انسان من جنسية معينة أن يقدم العديد من الأوراق التي تثبت بشتى الطرق أنه لديه المال (مقرش بلهجتنا) و لديه الحافز للعودة الى الدولة التي يسافر منها حتى يقوم بالسماح له بزيارة بلد آخر (مثال معروف: دول الإتحاد الأوروبي أو الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية) بينما شخص من هذه الدول بإمكانه مثلا الدخول بكل بساطة كما يشاء الى دولنا العربية كأنه هو صاحب الأرض و السيادة من غير لا سيم و لا جيم.

ماذا يفرق بين شخص عربي أو مسلم من جنسية معينة عن الأجنبي؟ قد يكون العربي صاحب علم و شهادات ماجستير و دكتوراه و لكن لا يتم اعتباره كانسان يستحق أن يزور أقطارا معينة بسبب اسم الدولة المطبوعة على دفتر الأوراق الخاص بهذا الشخص (المعروف بجواز السفر). في نفس الوقت شخص من بلاد الفرنجة العريقة أكثر منا و الأرقى منا قد لا يكون متعلما أو حتى قادر على أبسط أشكال الكتابة و القرائة يرحب به كامل الترحاب, فهو بعد كل ذلك انسان متحضر أكثر منا بسبب أنه كان محظوظا ربما لأن يكون صاحب الجنسية التي هو حامل لها.

الأوراق لحسن حظ بعضنا و لسوء حظ بعضنا الآخر اصبحت هي معيارا لقياس نجاجنا (أو فشلنا) في الحياة. نحن كبشر نحب أن نثبت تفوقنا على الآخرين عبر الأوراق هذه التي لا تجت أن تعطى الأهمية المعطاة لها, و الله أعلم... ما أدراني؟ أنا في نهاية الأمر عبارة عن انسان مع أوراق, مثلي مثلك.

The Nomads

The Nomads

The Nomads. Who are they? Well, long story short it is the name of the amateur (Or to be politically correct let’s call it “Recreational”) football team I have assembled with friends and friends of friends to join a local league. I had the pleasure of choosing this name for it since I am the so-called “team captain”. I’ve only been given that captain title due to the fact that to the organizers I am the contact person whenever anything happens or when there are any updates to be shared. Thankfully none of my teammates have misbehaved so far.

Deciding on the name did not take me long, I think it was a matter of seconds, but it was a name/description of me that I have had in the back of my mind for some time now, for almost a year to be precise. As some of you might know my family moved out of town (Moved to Amman from Dubai) last summer, when they were in the middle of that emotional process I asked my mother what ‘Home’ was to me and my sisters. I’ll come back to what her answer was in a bit.

My actual home, where we were born and brought up is the UAE. Our parents and most of our uncles were born and where we are originally from is a village in the West Bank called Burqa, which is A quiet village in the hills on the outskirts of Nablus province in Palestine. It is right next to Jenin in case you are wondering. I’ve only been to Palestine once in the early 1990’s as a kid, and I don’t remember much of it really. Myself, my parents and my sisters are officially Jordanian citizens, and we have been going to Amman once a year or more for the past 13 or so years and I’ve become quite familiar with it since I’ve had the pleasure of going back more often than they did (Averaged 2 visits a year since 2007).

Alright so I am officially Jordanian, born and raised I the UAE and with strong family and emotional ties to Palestine. Going back to my question, she believes that home is where one was brought up, studied and had most of his or her memories in, which is the UAE in my case (And my sisters). With my family being in Amman that makes me feel that our house there is the ‘most homely’, where it is probably the most comfortable and welcoming place to me in the world. What I would like to be my home one day is Palestine, preferably Nablus or Jerusalem. Far-fetched if you look at the current state of affairs in the West Bank and Palestine in general, but a couple of years ago nobody could have foreseen the uprisings that took the Arab leaders by surprise and already managed to overthrow a couple of people.

Staying away from political issues, I feel that I am a self-proclaimed nomad. Living on my own in the city that I was brought up and spent my whole life in, feeling ‘home’ in the country of my citizenship and wishing for a comeback to a country where my parents and grandparents were born. One day I hope I will be able to look back after living in each ‘homeland’ and call all 3 of them legit homes. Somehow

A nomad

AMD Vision - Learn more about it here

Hello peeps

As a follow-up to my previous post about the AMD Vision technology (and the challenge I’m gleefully taking part in), I will give you some more information on the technology, this will appeal to techies and non-techies alike (I fall under the latter category). Going through these great features will also give you a better idea about AMD’s Vision. After you have read this, you will be able to test your knowledge with a relatively simple 3-question quiz at the following link: (After you click on vote!).

What will you get out of this? Well, as you might be aware I am collecting votes for this challenge, and the competitor with the highest number of votes (completed quizzes) under his belt from his followers and online entourage so to speak will win a trip to Austin, Texas (There are 5 challengers vying for this prize). You as a participant in this quiz/voting you will enter a draw to be one of lucky recipients of the brand new DiRT3 game (Full version, totally for free). You may vote here: http://visionchallenge.votigo.com/ara/contests/showentry/816898  

Here you go ladies and gents:

Who is AMD?

AMD designs microchips found in desktop and notebook PCs and popular game consoles like Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Our technology is the heart and soul of your PC experience and enables you to watch a movie, video chat with out-of-town friends and family, or draft a presentation for work. AMD processors and graphics cards are found in computers from companies including HP, Dell and Acer to power your experience.

What is VISION Technology from AMD?
VISION makes you more you. With VISION Technology from AMD featuring the new A–Series APU, you can enjoy smooth, streaming movies in stunning HD. Video chat with far-away family and friends or watch the game-winning goal in crystal-clear 1080p. Edit images and videos like a pro. Discover a fire-breathing, lifelike world of gaming. VISION Technology gives you the power to do what you love and be more you in Brilliant HD.

VISION Technology is AMD’s PC platform technology. It enables users to enjoy smooth HD video playback, edit HD photos and videos with blazing speed, experience the thrill of mega-multitasking, and escape into the world of casual gaming with lifelike characters and ultra-realistic effects. All of this and more in an energy-efficient notebook or desktop.

A8

Brilliant HD Performance

• Gorgeous HD entertainment and ultra-realistic 3D gaming
• Ultimate multitasking with quad-core power, up to 400 Radeon™ cores and dual graphics capability
• Supreme performance, battery life and energy efficiency

A6

Brilliant HD Entertainment

·         Mega-multitasking and video editing with quad-core power and up to and 320 Radeon™ cores

·         Transform any room into a hub of HD entertainment

·         An amazing HD experience with impressive energy efficiency

A4

Brilliant HD Everyday

·         Take your photos to crisp, clear, exhilarating new HD heights

·         Edit HD photos with blazing speed

·         Rich, smooth performance in a quiet-running, energy-efficient system

E2

Smart HD

·         Enjoy smooth, skip-free HD playback

·         Discover impressive speed and performance in everyday applications

·         Energy efficiency without compromising power and performance

ACCELERATED PROCESSING UNIT (APU)

APUs: the power and beauty that drives VISION Technology from AMD.

AMD has always been at the forefront of innovation. But our newest technology is designed to completely shift the computing paradigm.

Why the flow of information needed an innovative solution.

Information inside a computer flows between two critical areas: the GPU (for creative and visual tasks) and the CPU (for analytical and logic-based functions). Traditional PCs have separate CPUs and GPUs which leads to a communication bottleneck. This often results in extensive slowdowns for consumers.

Introducing the innovative AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit (APU):

Powerful AMD processor technology and discrete-class, DirectX^® 11–capable graphics combined on a single chip. It’s the perfect combination of beauty and brawn—delivering smooth HD video, powerful multitasking and energy efficiency.

AMD's new APU features up to 4 x86 cores combined with up to 400 Radeon™ graphics cores in a single microchip.

Learn more about APUs at http://www.amd.com/vision

Definitions of AMD Technology

Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) — AMD’s CPU and discrete-level GPU on a single power-efficient chip.

AMD AllDay™ Power — CPU speed-throttling and power-saving technologies that help reduce heat and noise in AMD technology-based notebook PCs.

AMD HD3D Technology — Supported by an advanced and open ecosystem that, in conjunction with specific AMD hardware and software technologies, enables 3D display capabilities for many PC applications and experiences.¹

Central Processing Unit (CPU) — A microchip that acts as the computer’s “brain,” executing instructions sequentially as if following a recipe for making a cake. AMD Athlon™ and AMD Phenom™ processors are examples of AMD CPUs.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) — A specialized microprocessor that offloads and accelerates graphics rendering from the central microprocessor. It is used in PCs, game consoles, mobile phones and more.

AMD VISION Engine — The foundation of VISION Technology from AMD that enables vivid HD entertainment, blazing-fast Internet browsing and accelerated media applications.

Additional hardware (e.g. Blu-ray drive, HD or 10-bit monitor, TV tuner, HDMI connector, 3D enabled panels, 3D-enabled glasses/emitter, Blu-ray 3D drive) and/or software (e.g. multimedia applications, 3D content, 3D middleware, games) are required for the full enablement of some features.  HD video display requires an HD video source.  Not all features may be supported on all components or systems - check with your component or system manufacturer for specific model capabilities and supported technologies.

¹AMD HD3D is a technology designed to enable stereoscopic 3D support in games, movies and/or photos.  Additional hardware (e.g. 3D enabled panels, 3D-enabled glasses/emitter, Blu-ray 3D drive) and/or software (e.g. Blu-ray 3D discs, 3D middleware, games) are required for the enablement of stereoscopic 3D. Not all features may be supported on all components or systems - check with your component or system manufacturer for specific model capabilities and supported technologies.

Once you’ve finished your reading, you may take the quiz here: http://visionchallenge.votigo.com/ara/contests/showentry/816898. Remember, you can get yourself a free copy of the DiRT3 game just by taking part of the quiz! (And answering the questions correctly =)). All the best!

Regards

Omar  

Vision - My Latest Challenge

Hi everyone!

I want to start this with a small disclaimer, I don’t usually do this but I’m banking on your support in an interesting new challenge that I’ve entered. Basically it is to promote the products of AMD , their brand new VISION technology to be precise.

Here is the deal: 5 active and well-respected members of the facebook and twitterverse have been chosen to represent AMD in this challenge, each one with the main objective of getting the most number of votes. Votes are acquired by simply visiting the page of the person you are voting for and answering three questions about the Vision Technology from AMD. What does the winner get? Well the lucky winner will win an a paid trip to Austin, Texas to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival and a chance to win a massive cash prize in the second phase (The first phase winner gets to go to the US of A).

The chaps at AMD were kind enough to give each one of the 5 candidates a notebook/laptop (shows you how tech-savvy I am, or not) equipped with the abovementioned Vision Technology to use in this challenge. In all fairness, even to someone who is somewhat technologically challenged I must say I am impressed by the overall speed, performance and clarity on offer (Obviously one would expect that from a brand new machine, but still, having used and changed at least 7 personal, work and family laptops in the past 2 years I guess I can tell when things are going better than expected!). Highly recommended, I will check out some movies and do some testing myself with some video calls and such and keep you posted. I can already tell that this small machine with its uber-advanced AMD chips will serve up a treat.

Ok, enough talking. To cut down, all you have to do dear family member, friend, acquaintance, colleague, stalker, online friend, follower etc etc etc is to visit the following link: http://visionchallenge.votigo.com/ara/contests/showentry/816898 and vote for yours truly. What will you get out of this? Well, for starters, you will be doing me a huge favor! And if you have the slightest interest in video games, you will be eligible to enter a draw for a copy of the DiRT3 game (Winners will get a download link to get the full version. Awesome, eh?)

Hope to see your votes coming in sooner rather than later! The voting window is only open for a week from now (Last day for the votes is on the 20th of August, 2011)

Thank you in advance and best regards

Omar Abu Omar



In case you missed it (and you have a habit of scrolling down to the end of articles, here is the voting link again:

http://visionchallenge.votigo.com/ara/contests/showentry/816898

Julys

I’ve been trying to make time for this for the past month, but it’s been a mad, mad July, just like last year. I made a vow to post this before the end of the month, as otherwise it would be even more pointless than posting it towards the end of July.
So why has July so busy in the past 2 years? (Well, historically speaking it’s been a hectic month ever since I graduated from university). Let’s look at some events:
July 2010: Family going to Lebanon for the summer, football World Cup reaching its climax, reached probably the peak of my fitness of that summer with fitness boot camps, jogging and swimming (not all at the same time but you get the drift), changing jobs and doing 2 jobs at the same time and plenty of socializing and trying to stay in touch with friends and people in general, all in 24 hours. Phew
July 2011: Well, family leaving the country for good, hitting the gym + running track again, not going to run any marathons any time soon, although I would love to somehow become that fit. Also- Getting more responsibilities at work (not a bad thing), coupled with two leisure trips to Amman in the space of 3 weeks, some soul searchin’ and finding my feet in this abyss of ‘living on one’s own’.
It’s been busy, and I am loving it. I still need to manage my time better I reckon, but that shall come with time and practice. Hoping I’d be able to pick up new (good) habits, especially since Ramadan is about to start (i.e. less working hours and more time to do other stuff, traditionally including sleeping, shisha-ing endlessly and whatnot. Hopefully not this year). Maybe I should give cooking a shot, the last time I touched a pan was back at university (Gotta love those hot stoves and cookers).
I have posted some shots of Amman taken on my most recent visit there on my personal facebook profile, I decided to share some of them on my website as well. Check out www.omarabuomar.com =)

أحيانا

One of my best friends sent this quote to me, so true

أحيانا تشتاق لمن لا يشتاقون .. وتعطي لمن لا يحسون .. وتبقى عظيما ويصغرون .. فالحياة أمران .. أما ان تكون انت أو تكون كما يكونون

Use Somebody

Indirectly inspired by Armin Van Buuren's rework of Use Somebody (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00I8pbWXlEI), or maybe that's only the title. Insomnia's effect? Call it whatever pleases you and/or makes you sleep at night (no pun intended)

For every false dawn there must be some silver lining in the sky. Whenever things go pear shaped with someone that you thought she or he could be the one remember that fate has weird ways of working things out (Either with that person or someone else). As hard as it may sound, but try to cherish the good memories, at the end of the day that person brought some sort of happiness into your life and some sort of change, even if you don't notice or feel it. It might be easier to fuel your anger with bad memories and what you despised and loathed in that person, but you won't get far. Things happen for a reason, some things don't work out for various reasons. In a few weeks/months/years, depends on how resilient you are really, you will look back and feel numb about it or have some sort of longing (Or maybe have other feelings, we're human, not robots). If you do feel some longing (even if you are happily married/engaged/in a relationship/single/whatever), then that sensation of longing for someone does not mean that you still like or want that person, it merely means that they did indeed bring some sort of happiness in to your life. We're humans, we learn, we evolve as we grow older. Enjoy the ride that's called life and stop crying over spilled milk.

Ps. I have not broken up with anyone recently (or hooked up with anyone for that matter). This post is made out of ancient memories and feelings, combined with observations, reflections and feelings shared by close friends. Now I wouldn't mind that, but that unfathomable organ that occupies most of my skull thinks I shouldn't be arsed yet :). Excuse any spelling/grammar/etc howlers, it's 6am and over half that organ in my skull is already hibernating (Not that it's any different when I am supposed to be fully-awake, but let's keep that as a small little not-so-secret secret)

Disappear Here

Writing this while sitting outside in the backyard. Was sleepless and had a lot on my mind. Overwhelmed myself with my own thoughts which I’ve somehow managed to escalate (internally) to almost unbearable levels. Happiness is not a destination, this is something that I try to remind myself of. You choose your own level of satisfaction and you, rather than the circumstances around you choose how content you are with life in general, or specific aspects of your life.

Now that you’ve read the above few lines you must be wondering what mess I’ve gotten myself into this time, or what ordeal has taken over my life recently, and in all fairness, nothing happened. It’s my mind going through the motions, looking at things now and what I wanted to do at this stage of my life or at least hoped to be doing I’d be lying if I said that I am doing a horrible job and that I am underachieving, in fact, I’m doing an OK job thus far. I’m (still) very happy with how my career is going (Cobone FTW #justsaying), family is doing well (despite the fact that my father is still in Lebanon) and money-wise, well, it’s not really an issue at the moment, which I am really thankful for since I dread the thought of owing money to anyone (Well I owe my folks a coupla grands, but that's different.)

So, with these things all in order, what more could I want? Well, one of the things that bug me is the fact that I was hoping I’d be doing my masters abroad by now, but I haven’t really saved up enough dough to cover the cost of such a move (Especially since I have no secondary regular source of income, although photography can potentially offset some of the expenses, somehow). In all honesty the main reason why I want to do masters abroad is to, erm, get a chance to live abroad and experience a new culture while knowing I could always come back here to Dubai to my ‘comfort zone’ when I am done, if I want to.

I am due to do my GMAT exam tomorrow, I am far from ready for it, and I know for a matter of fact that I will flunk it (Any score above 400 will be miraculous), but at least it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a step that will help me decide to do some proper research on schools and degrees to see at least if I should attempt to do it again, maybe, just maybe I will find that elusive school in Europe with that perfect program that caters to my ever-changing ideal requirements that just fits with my laughable current budget. There are some other things that are on my mind, but I won’t delve into them yet, at least not now.

Ok I’m going to go a bit random on you now, so here goes: Spider has been roaming around the backyard’s garden for hours and he looks bored and hungry, adorable as f***. He’s definitely one of the things I’d miss if I ever decide to leave, he might show constant apathy and indifference to me and the whole family, but I guess this is part of the ego that fills up any pussy (cat). The weather has been odd, it hasn’t gone ridiculously hot yet, as a matter of fact, it’s kind of breezy and almost chilly now (Was 5ish early morning at the time of writing).

Someone just tweeted this: “What are you looking for? If you know 'you', that's all you really need.” (Thanks @HyperchickAisha! ). True, sometimes all you need is peace of mind, rather than someone or something (This kind of relates to the ‘happiness is not a destination bit mentioned at the start).

Speaking of twitter, the global #twestival event took place on Thursday the 24th of March, and it seems the whole of the city’s ‘Twitterati’ were there, I took some half-decent (or half-crappy, depending on which side of the fence you want to be on). You can view them here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=301213&id=505218165&l=999016418f (Don’t worry, you won’t have to add me as a so-called ‘friend’ to check them out).

If anyone cares, this was typed while listening to the following #trance & #prog tracks:
Aruna with Mark Eteson - Let Go (Nic Chagall Mix)
Hybrid - Disappear Here (Andy Moor Ecomix)[Inspired the entry's title]
Solarity - North Circ (Steve Haines Remix)
Juventa - Dionysia (Skytech Remix)
Marsbeing & Matvey Emerson - Come Again
Filip Konecny - On the Waves (Alllende Remix)

Till next time peeps. God knows when I will bother to update this blog again

Some trancy tracks for valentine's

I know valentine's day was yesterday, not that I really care. Here is a small list I compiled of tracks related to the event for those who care. Tried to not make it too cheesy. There are plenty of vocal tracks, tried to add in a couple of 'emotional' non-vocal melodic or uplifting choon here and there to mix things up a bit. Not all of them are all chirpy and happy, not everyone out there has so-called 'significant other', some are not bothered or looking

“For That Special Girl” Juventa
“Beautiful Together” Oceanlab
“Do For Love” Vinny Troia feat. Jaidene Veda [Matt Lange remix]
“Amsterdam” Luminary [Super8 & DJ Tab remix]
“Sand In My Shoes” Dido [Above & Beyond remix]
“Not Enough Time” Cosmic Gate
“Far Away” Nitrous Oxide feat. Aneym
“Back To You” Dj Shah Feat. Adrina Thorpe [Aly & Fila Remix]
“Your Loving Arms” Karen Overton
“Body Of Conflict” Cosmic Gate
“As The Rush Comes” Motorcycle
“Far From In Love” Above & Beyond
“One Last Look” Signalrunners
“Barra” Cosmic Gate
“For An Angel” Paul Van Dyk
“Don’t Look Back” Signalrunners
“Louder” Amnesia Brothers feat. Jennifer Rene
“Sun & Moon” Above & Beyond
“Impossible” Matt Hardwick [John O’Callaghan remix]
“Can’t Sleep” Above & Beyond
“Not Giving Up On Love” Armin Van Buuren & Sophie Elis Baxter
“New York City” Paul Van Dyk [Original Mix]
“New York City” Paul Van Dyk [Super8 & DJ Tab remix]
“You Belong To Me” Bobina feat. Betsie Larkin
“Empire” Super8 & DJ Tab
“These Shoulders” Signalrunners
“Without You Near” Markus Schulz
“Read My Mind” The Killers [Gabriel & Dresden remix]
“Thing Called Love” Above & Beyond
Sunlounger feat. Zara - Lost (Aly & Fila Remix)
“Let Go” Aruna with Mark Eteson [Nic Chagall remix]
“Perception” Markus Schulz
“Fallen In Too Deep “ Manvel Ter-Pogosyan feat. Jenni Perez [Amurai Remix]
“Satellite” Oceanlab
“Breaking Ties” Oceanlab [Above & Beyond Analog Haven remix]

Review of Armin Only Mirage - Beirut 2011

Here is my humble review of the recent Armin Only Mirge event in Beirut.

I don’t recall when exactly this was announced, but I think it was back in November 2010 or around that time. Armin Only is basically a huge show that is focused on the man himself, his productions and his collaborations with other artist. This was the 6th installment of the event (Or so I’m told) after playing in places like his native Holland and in Beones Aires, and it is the first time such an event is brought to the Middle East. Mix FM were the ones behind the event, which was held at Biel in Beirut. Biel is a big venue, but I don’t think they have ever had all its halls used for an EDM event, but then again this is Armin, the world’s # 1 DJ (as per the much-maligned DJ Mag annual poll for the past 3 or so years), one of the most consistent performers and the undisputed king (and face) of trance. Millions of fans listen to his weekly radio show ASOT (A State Of Trance). Going back to Mix FM, kudos to them for putting this together. Organizing an event of such scale go almost flawlessly is something definitely worth getting a lot of credit for (Please note that it was ‘almost’ flawless, more details on the small areas where things could have been done better below).

The ticket pricing was a bit steep (But it is justified if you read on), I did not do any research on that other than checking the price of the regular (silver) tickets (Where my friends and I were), there were Gold, Platinum and Diamond, now I have no clue whatsoever what the specific differences between the tickets is, but what I know is that the tickets ranged between $75 to $200, considering that $75 is what people normally pay for a vip ticket at events gives you an idea of Armin’s appeal to the Lebanese crowd (Needless to say it was quite costly to make this event, but still). The high ticket price was no hurdle in stopping people from going to what was advertised as the “biggest event in history to be hosted in Lebanon” (At least biggest of this kind).

Getting to the venue was straight forward if you did not have a car to park, if you had one then you’d have had to wait for quite some time to get into the parking as the roads were narrow and there were hundreds of cars queuing to enter the parking. Anyhow, not a major thing there and it is quite expected since the roads surrounding Biel (The venue) are narrow 1-lane roads. Once in front of the venue there was a huge queue waiting to get in at the Regular tickets entrance. Now what was communicated by the organizers is that the doors will open by 21:00 and that AvB will start his set at 22:00 sharp, I was outside at around 21:30 and the doors were still not open. People were allowed in once the doors opened in small patches, but a weird route had to be taken (Instead of a direct entry from the side entrance we had to enter a small foyer sort of hall then into the venue, which took time. We were standing outside for 20+ minutes and tickets were checked twice. I understand the logic behind gradually letting people in to the venue but the process was risky, some pushing here and there may have resulted in a stampede and at least people getting hurt. The last ticket check was at the door leading to Biel where there were only 3 or 4 people admitting thousands of people. Another thing (bit minor though) which could have been done is to double the number of people with one checking the tickets with another person giving the drink vouchers instead of the same person doing both.

Once in (at around 22:00), you could tell how massive the venue is. There was only some atmospheric music, hardly any edm really. There were no signs of AvB and it was rather obvious that he won’t start his set before 23:00. All the areas of the venue apart from the very back where the massive bar was were pretty much packed, but we managed to make our way through to the front with relative ease, and that is where we stuck for most of the time. Music started playing at around 22:40 and went on for 2 hours (The Armin intro started at about 00:40). The tracks in the warm-up ‘set’ (Which was probably pre-recorded) varied, kicking off with some prog and going on with some big trance hits from the past few months. A couple of live tracks (“Who’s Watching” with Nadia Ali & “Closer” by Susana) were teasers to what would soon follow. Personal favorites from the warm-up were Schulz’s “Perception” (vocal mix), Mark Eatson’s “Let Go” and AvB’s brother (Eller, no?) playing Zocalo out live on his guitar. There was a (fitting) grand 5-minute into to the Armin-thon that would follow, think the track was Mirage, with Eller, Susana, several performers and a band with all instruments in support (and of course some smoke machines, lasers and fireworks). The stage was basically hidden behind two big moving screens which were moved around the whole night, the visuals on these and on the main screens behind the stage were breathtaking and complemented Armin’s set throughout.

Amin’s set was definitely prepared for in advance, it certainly had chaotic flow to it (in a good way), as the bpm and the energy would shift with every transition and sometimes every single minute, he’d be dropping a monster uplifting big room choon then suddenly you’d have Sophie Elis Baxter (The much-talked about surprise apparently) popping out of nowhere for the sound to tone down a bit before it suddenly pick up again with another massive track. The night was full of unpredictable twists and turns that would make it akin to a thrilling bestselling novel with endless plots, sub-lots and the likes. A lot of tracks (especially his) were tweaked with unidentified remixes, but then again this show is his baby so it’s not surprising. I gotta say that as hyper and energetic Armin seems to be, I’ve never seen him that pumped up before, his excitement lasted for the whole set. Epic.

Now I have been fortunate enough to see Armin Van Buuren play live at least once a year since 2006 (In 2009 I saw him thrice), but this has truly been one of the biggest and most impressive performances I have ever witnessed by a producer/dj live. “Life is made of small moments like these” is what the marketing guys behind Above & Beyond would say about their gigs, and moments and majestic performances like these make you appreciate trance even more an they make the cold that I got right after heading out of Biel at 7am seem like a minor nuisance. Thank you Armin, MixFM and Beirut for throwing one hell of an event. The visuals, speakers and sound, lasers, set-up, crowd etc etc were top notch.

For fellow ID junkies, here is a draft. I copied and pasted it from my phone with minimal updates (So expect a lot of “ID”, “Vocal choon”, “some adjective + choon” etc etc etc. If you happen to recall specific IDs of tracks, remixes etc. There were several classics which I totally forgot their names and/or the producers’ names then please let me know :). Thanks Ramy Barghoud for helping out IDing several tracks.
Warm-up:
Some IDs
“Who We Are” Luigi Lusini
“Closer” Susana feat. Omnia & The Blizzard (Live performance by Susana)
“Departures” Robbie Rivera (Cosmic Gate remix)
“Let go” Aruna with Mark Eteson (Nic Chagal remix)
ID
“Right back” Yuri Kane
“Who’s Watching” Armin Van Buuren ft. Nadia Ali (Live performance)
“Back To Earth” Cosmic Gate (Arty Remix)
ID
“Zocalo” Armin Van Buuren feat. Gabriel & Dresden (Live performance by Eller Van Buuren, Armin’s brother)
“Perception” Markus Schulz ft. Justine Suissa (Vocal Mix)
“This Moment” Nic Chagall (Prog Mix)
ID (vocal track, “Drowning in your love”?)
ID (vocal Armin track)
Couple of other IDs

Avb's set actually started at 12:40
Mirage (Intro Mix with a live mini-orchestra)
“Alpha” W&W
“Exploration Of Space” Cosmic Gate (Back 2 The Future remix)
“ThIs Light Between Us” Armin Van Buuren ft. Christian Burns (Live Performance)
“Tomorrow” Marcel woods
Mirage (I think, lol)
ID (famous track Schulz plays it often, several ID tracks during the next hour or so are tracks played quite often by Schulz on his live sets and his weekly radio show GDJB)
ID another Schulz fav track
“Aisha” Armin Van Buuren presents Gaia
“Tuvan” Armin Van Buuren presents Gaia
ID techy track
ID another Schulz fav
“These Silent Hearts” Armin Van Buuren ft. BT
“Loneliness” Tom Craft (Remix ID)
“Jurame” Miguel Bose (Armin Van Buuren remix)
“This World Is Watching Me” Armin Van Buuren vs. Rank 1 ft. Kush
“Begging you” Cerf Mitiska ft. Jaren (ID remix)
Aly & Fila track (Can’t recall its name at all :()
“Not Giving Up On Love” Armin Van Buuren Ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Live Performance)
“Pandorra” Ali Wilson
“As The Rush Comes” Motorcycle
Some new track by Nadia Ali (Live performance)
“Rapture” Nadia Ali (Live performance)
What The F**k, some remix of it (O_o)
ID (Schulzy track)
ID (Melodic track by Armin)
“Found A Way” Jon O'Bir feat. Fisher (Joint Operations Center remix)
ID Anjunabeats track \o/
“Broken Tonight” Armin Van Buuren ft. Van Velzen -
“Nothing Else Matters” Max Graham ft. Ana Criado (Aly & Fila remix me thinks)
“Banshee” Sean Tyas
ID (slightly vocal)
“Every Other Way” BT ft. Jes
“Not Going Home” Faithless (Armin Van Buuren remix)
“Unforgivable” Armin Van Buuren ft. Jaren
“FAV Rain” Armin Van Buuren vs. Cosmic Gate
“In and Out Of Love” Armin Van Buuren ft. Sharon den Adel
“Never Say Never” Armin Van Buuren ft. Jacqueline Govaert
“Communications Part 3” Armin Van Buuren
3 or 4 IDs
“Going Wrong” Armin Van Buuren & DJ Shah
ID live performance (I surrender?)
“Who Will Find Me vs. Not The End” DJ Shah ft. Adrina Thrope (Armin Van Buuren mash-up)
“Use Somebody” Kings of Leon (Remix ID)
“Remember Love” Armin Van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold & Paul Van Dyk
ID (uplifting techy choon)
Few more IDs
“Sanctuary” Gareth Emery (Sean Tyas remix)
Coupla uplifting choons
“For An Angel” Paul Van Dyk (Played out live)
“Satisfaction” Benny Benassi (lol)
“Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes (Played out live)
A few classics, forgot their IDs
“Synaesthesia” The Thrillseekers (Not sure if it was the original or the Alex M.O.R.P.H. remix)
“Till The Sky Falls Down” Dash Berlin (Remix ID)
Few more IDs
“Shivers” Armin Van Buuren
“Burned With Desire” Armin Van Buuren (Live with the all the vocalists)
Set ended at 6:44am. 6-hour set
Several tracks I did not ID but Ramy Barghoud helped with, in no particular order (Please note that in my own tracklist the track name came first, in Ramy’s track list it is the other way around. Can’t be arsed to change the order!):

Funkegenda VS Steve Angelo What the knas
Steve Angelo - Rave and Roll
.W&W - AK47
Marcel woods - advanced
Ernesto Vs Bastian - Thrill
Till the sky falls down is the nitrous oxide remix
AVB - Serenity
AVB - Orbion
Daniel Kandi - Symphonica
Marc Simmz - Forbidden city
Binary Finary - 1998
AVB - Down to love
AVB - Virtual friend
AVB - Sail
Rank1 - Airwave
Rank1 - Led there be light
ARmin And Ferry - Minac (with some vocals saying turn off the lights)
Energy 52 - Cafe del mar

Feel free to add any tracks/IDs etc that you recall from the night! Hope you enjoyed the review