Mind Soup

After four years of studying at AUB, I think it's time to breakdown a list of typical AUB students that you are bound to meet here: The Westies : are students who have nothing better to do in life but sit outside and around West Hall and socialize 24/7. Some of them even come as early as 7:00 AM even though their first class doesn't start before 2:00 PM.. The Fiskies : are usually the weird English/Philosophy students who hang out outside Fisk Hall and are very culture-oriented. By that, I mean afro hairdos, weird facial hair, slippers, and I'm fairly certain they are high on something other than knowledge. (Also know as the hippies) The Zoo-keepers : are the students who basically live in the area known as the "zoo" which is a small park area facing the AUB cafeteria where they hang out to smoke, cluster, and discuss one-sided politics. The sunbathers : are the students who skip classes to lay down on green oval and get tanned when the sun it out. They are...

Before I start getting disgusted looks and weird boggly eyes, I should point out that this title is misleading - kinda the point of this whole post and advertisement. (And yes it is suitable for work - don't worry :P) And yes, I find it very creative, appealing and eye-catching for the following reasons: Jennifer Aniston <3 Lip-syncing toddler Acknowledgement of the online community, viral videos and including "internet geeks" Cute little animals crawling all over the place Talking parrot that refers to the show "Friends" by calling Jennifer Anniston by her character name "Rachel" Skate-boarding dog in the background Dancing babies Double-rainbow guy parody Kicking a guy in the balls (which is apparently worth 100,000 hits) Herbal Essences sort-of ending which targets the sexy appeal The daring title Some people might not be as daring or risky in a marketing campaign but I think it works. The video has something for everyone and can p...

What better way to end a great year than to sit down and think about the great memories and opportunities it has brought you. Overall this year was a very good year, perhaps one of the best years I've lived so far. This year has been full of achievements and memories that I would like to share with my readers as a tribute to my readers. January: Though I did not know it then, this month has probably set the ground-stone for my career life. In this month I took one of the major decisions that I will ever make. During a period where all my friends were filling in medical school applications, begging for recommendations and stressing over their grades, I decided, and after three years of premedical studies, that I will not be applying to any medical school and forgo the idea of med-school. This decision has came after a lot of considerations and consultations with family and close friends. It was not an issue of grades nor the issue of time, but I had a more clear vision where I wa...

A son stabbed his 100-year-old mother in the neck then told his brother "I've just gone mad," a court has heard. Hannah Fitzgibbon lived in Stepney with her son BBC : Michael Fitzgibbon, 62, admitted the manslaughter of Hannah Fitzgibbon at the Old Bailey. She died from a stab wound to her neck at the terraced home they shared in Stepney, east London in February. Fitzgibbon denied murder and the prosecution accepted his manslaughter plea on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The unemployed former black cab driver was initially charged with murder. But prosecutors accepted a plea to the lesser charge after psychiatrists agreed he was suffering depression of "moderate severity" as well as the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Crispin Aylett QC, prosecuting, said: "This is a case in which the defendant stabbed his mother when she was 100 years old. Deteriorating health "This occurred at a time when it seems that in fact th...

Below is a post from a new blog on the Lebanese scene: TnT: A Blog About Life and Everything in Between . Two of my great friends ( Tom and Tal ) are united to bring you posts about "the sports, the thriller novels, the songs, the lyrics, the village, the city, computers, the environment, chances, differences, fates, people, and everything in between." So head on over there and show them some support! (This post is obviously written by Tal and not Tom :P) Last night [Friday], I was lured into watching the elections of Miss Lebanon 2010 because there were no football matches being broadcast and no newly downloaded episodes of Glee on my laptop. But the main reason I tuned in was out of pure intrigue. The newly crowned Miss, Rahaf Abdallah, and I are both alumnae of the same high school and naturally, former classmates and teachers took their Facebook accounts to show their support and encouragement once news broke out that she would be participating in this year’s pageant. ...

My reader's probably know that I have been a staff writer (on-again off-again) during the past year for Outlook, AUB 's "official" student newspaper. I am very pleased to announced that today afternoon, and after giving it much thought and discussions with very close friends, I have resigned from Outlook. Originally, I had a more criticizing, straight to the point and possibly harsher resignation letter, but due to the requests and recommendations from highly influential people, I decided to go with a more "professional" approach. I didn't want to get in trouble for 'pointing the countless flaws' of the new editor-in-chief [who may or may not be related to powerful figures at AUB]. After all, I don't want to get stuck (again) in AUB's secret intelligence tangled web and get fired tyrannically from something totally unrelated ( reminder ). So below is my simple resignation letter addressed to Outlook's board and staff: Dear Ou...

I should probably starting applying this method, seeing that other methods aren't really working out as predicted.

Dear readers, I'm sure you have noticed that a few days ago, Mind Soup have welcomed a new contributing blogger, Daisy. This is to officially announce that she is not going anywhere anytime soon. ;) Daisy is an aspiring scientist, an activist and a personal friend. She has also dabbled in journalism for quite some time now. You might also notice that she has a striking resemblance to  Morticia Addams  from the Addams Family , except for the hair. (or maybe not?) I'm sure you will be entertained and interested by her numerous posts on Mind Soup. Daisy, on behalf of the Mind Soup team, I would like to welcome you to the team :)

Here's a few photos from the AUB Yearbook reception dinner that occurred on Monday May 24. I am the associate editor in chief of the 09-10 edition of the AUB Campus yearbook, so I got to say a little speech! So that's me giving the speech! This is the majority of the members of the yearbook team. A photo with the greatest friends :) Maurice, our editor in chief, giving his speech. Cutting the cake with Dean Kisirwani and distinguished guests. With members of the AUB Student Affairs Office: (L-R) Rania Murr, Dr. Maryam Ghandour, Therese Miri'b, Nisrine Fattouh, Mohammad Hijazi, Hiba Hamade, Maurice Salem , Ramza Saad Don't Ask! Here's my thank you speech that I gave on that wonderful night: Good evening. Dean Kisirwani, Dr. Nizameddine, Dr. Talhouk, distinguished guests, fellow members of the campus yearbook team. I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for being with us tonight to celebrate the yearbook team. I will start off this delightful even...

1.A visa is not a credit card. ... 2.You refer to your dad's friends as Um-moe .. 3.You have an endless supply of pistachios, dates, and pumpkin seeds... 4.Your parents say you're becoming Americanized anytime you get into trouble. 5.You curse at your teachers or strangers in Arabic. .... 6.You can spot an Arab a mile away and they have spotted you because they keep staring... 7.After a family meal, the women fight to death over who should wash the dishes while the men sit on their behinds and discuss politics, waiting for their tea. .. 8.Your parents want you to become a doctor or engineer. ... 9.You use your forehead and eyebrow(s) to point something out... 10.Your mother yells at the top of her lungs to call you to dinner even if you're in the next room.... 11. You have at least thirty cousins. ... 12.You arrive one or two hours late to a party and think it's normal 13.You are standing next to the largest suitcases at the Airport 14.You tal...

​Jennifer Daugherty may have been 30, but she was mentally disabled with the mind of a young teen. Still, she seemed to be doing well enough and was involved with a community center in Greensburg, Pennsylvania... ​So her stepdad, Bobby Murphy, put her on a bus to Greensburg on Monday. She'd mentioned meeting a number of friends there, so dad wasn't alarmed when she called later that day to say she was spending the night with someone named "Peggy." She would be back the next day. That didn't happen. She apparently went to an apartment with six people she knew, but for reasons unknown they decided to turn on Jennifer. Perhaps just because they could. They forced her to drink vegetable oil, detergent and urine. She ate spices and medications. They shaved her head and beat her with a towel rack, a vacuum cleaner hose and a crutch. Then they forced her to write a suicide note before stabbing her to death. She was wrapped up in Christmas decorations and clot...

On this day, 5 years ago, two friends of mine who happen to be sisters passed away because of a car accident. So today, we remember them and ask God to bring peace and solace to their families and those who love them. R.I.P Sabine and Nadine.

(Credit: Burger King) Facebook's developer platform has been used for a zillion marketing campaigns so far, but this one is actually dead-on hilarious. Fast-food chain Burger King has created " Whopper Sacrifice ," a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list. Burger King has put out some interesting campaigns as of late ("Whopper Virgin," "Subservient Chicken"), but this one piques our interest because of how gleefully it pokes fun at our social-networking obsessions. "Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships to the test," the Whopper Sacrifice site explains. "Install Whopper Sacrifice on your Facebook profile, and we'll reward you with a free flame-broiled Whopper when you sacrifice ten of your friends. The funniest part: The "sacrifices" show up in your activity feed. So it'll say, for example, "Caroline sacrificed Josh Lowensoh...

Beirut, I Love You (I Love You Not), a short film by "An Orange Dog Productions" about (fleeting) love & the little pleasures in life, all set and in relation with the very inspiring city of Beirut. A Beirut-ish tribute to Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amelie Poulain.

I am proud to present the newest addition to my blog, my closest friend Ramrouma. She is a student in AUB as well. She is very funny, outgoing, exciting and puts up well with my constant sarcasm and teasing. We first met in a civilization class during my first semester in college. She used to wake me up when the common lecture was over and take my attendance when I didn't feel like going to class. I know that this will prove to be a great addition to Mind Soup and you will get to know me better through her. Ramroum, welcome to Mind Soup! :)

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