How I ended up at a conspiracy theory dinner - 10 things I did to get out of my comfort zone

The other day I confessed to a friend I had never ever been to a restaurant or a bar alone. As embarrassing as it is, at the time it sounded like the most frightening idea. What do I do sitting alone? Do I stare at the cute waiter or my empty plate? Where do I place my hands? I always speak with my hands! Do I read a book? What book is appropriate?


I promised her to try it at least once, and while at it, I decided I might as well try other things that were not part of my zone..

I committed for the next 10 days to do one thing every day that made me uncomfortable.

1- Zero dollar day – Living a day without spending a penny, in nowhere else but San francisco. 

Instead of lyfting to work, I walked. Instead of a dinner out, I cooked with what I had. Even better, when I told my colleagues I cannot go to happy hour because of my zero dollar challenge, they showed me support and bought me drinks!

Lesson #1: When money is a problem you get to be more creative and the world becomes a more generous place.

2- A date with myself – While frightening (I left my phone at home!), half an hour later of sitting at a wine bar alone, I knew the life story of the owner, made new friends and was there for 4 hours! I have been looking forward to my one date a week with myself, adventure.

Lesson #2: Necessity is a blessing in disguise. When on your own, you make friends with people from outside your circles.

3- Shutting up – For those who don’t know me, I have to always have an opinion. So I finally decided to shut the f"#$ up one day, and refrain from controlling conversations, instead accepting what is. 

Lesson #3: I found out how liberating it is to not always need to formulate an opinion, and reminded me of this quote:"We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say"

4- Not planning – While I am a terrible planner, I always have a plan. And that Wednesday, I decided to make no plans and keep my evening open. My friend Azmeera texted me if I wanted to join a conspiracy theory dinner. An hour later, I found myself at an East Berlin joint in the Mission, talking Middle East conflict, oligarchy, revolution, Edward Snowden and all that fun stuff, with amongst others, a Columbia university professor, hippies who were dressed for Burning Man, an ex CIA agent and nobody that worked in tech.

Lesson #4: Leave room for serendipity, and be intentional about it. With how much we are connected these days, it is no longer a given.

5- Online dating – I am never telling my children I met your dad over the interwebs. My promise to myself, soon to be broken. I chose Tinder. After swiping a few guys I ended up running into my ex, colleagues and finally got a date. And while he was not Mr. Right or Right now, I made a friend.

Lesson #5: Before saying no to something, try it once. It may surprise you. Though in this case, I am still not a fan of it.

6- Fasting – I love to eat, all the time. So fasting is a big deal for me. I don’t think I ever fasted. While I ended up in bed with no energy all day, I got the opportunity to reflect on how much stuff I ate when I stressed. And actually, realized that I stressed more often than I thought.

Lesson #6: Going to the extreme opposite of your behavior can teach you things about yourself you did not know of.

7- Asking a guy out – A Lebanese woman never asks a guy out, never pays for dinner, and never says yes to sex on a first date. Or so I was brought up to believe.  So I broke the first rule, and while I got rejected, it was a blessing, as soon I found out he was gay. I could have waited all my life for it.

Lesson #7: Challenge your beliefs and what you were told was right. They may not apply to the person you have become. 

8- Disconnecting in the city -  No apple products for a day. Hid them in my closet, and soon after forgot about them. I went on exploring the deeper Mission, made friends with a homeless lady and meditated for an hour.

Lesson #8: Disconnecting is the new out of the zone no brainer. And it is easier than you think.

9- Running a marathon – In San Francisco, people run, bike and run again. Last time I biked I was 12, and the most I ran was 4 miles. So I signed myself up for the Big Sur marathon. I will keep you posted, I must start training. 

Lesson #9:Commit to not only yourself but also to the world, and pay for it, it helps you make it happen.

10- Traveling solo –If you haven’t traveled alone you haven’t lived said my Israeli friend Shely. While this was on my list, I was skeptical it is going to happen. But the universe was in on it. And so for passion reasons, my friend cancelled last minute and as I write this I am in the South of Portugal, in a fishing village, on my own.

Lesson #10: If it is too challenging, put it out there, and let life handle it. 

You can choose to live and do what you have known is comfortable or you can choose to get out there every now and then, and do something for the first time. 

The reward of a little bit of unease is life. For what is life if not lived.

And so what is one thing you will do this weekend to get you out of the comfort zone? Share with me, and lets do it!

Photos taken during my trip in south of portugal

Fell in love with Portlandia - 6 reasons why

I had heard it was the capital of hispter and yes i admit that i have a faible for anything hipsters.

Surprisingly, I fell in love with Portland for so many different reasons, not hispter or dream of the 90s related.

Here is a mini guide to falling in love with this magical town (its too cute to call it a city).

#1 - Lebanese restaurants and trucks everywhere. Found 5 Lebanese restaurants within 1 mile radius. in portlandia yes. One of the few places that understands the difference between Turkish, greek, Lebanese and gets that middle eastern term applies to politics only. My favorite is Nicholas family owned and worth the wait. You can also check out habibi that has a great selection of Lebanese wines.

#2 - Books, books, books. Walking into Starbucks i saw more people with books than laptops or phones. Spending a day at a bookstore is the most rewarding thing i have done in a while. I bought 6 books, and read all of them the last time i was here. Obviously you know where to go: Powells. Apparently you could get print on demand books over there.

#3- Sweet and lovely locals. It feels like everyone works at a Four Seasons. Excellent customer service across board. Wether at a coffee shop, at a retail store or even cab drivers. Portlanders seem to genuinely care about your happiness. One of the best service I received was at the best coffee maker Stumptown. I am not near a coffee connoisseur but i can tell you it was flavorful.

#4- Relaxed environment. The city moves in a harmony. Nobody is in a rush, yet people seem to get their stuff done. While my manicure took longer than normal, my nails looked fabulous.

#5- So much to do in such a small town. My favorites are the Japanese gardens, 5-10 min from the downtown, Chinese gardens, the wine country and Strip Clubs. yes, you heard right. Known for the highest strip clubs per capita, my friend dragged me to a few. oh my how eccentric some are. My favorite was Sassy. The strippers were hipsterish, one even used hipster glasses as part of her act.

#6- the cocktails. I could not get enough of these eclectic magical potions. Check out rum club, whiskey soda lounge, olympic provisions (also great spot for meat lovers), ron toms a great music venue as well, but basically almost everywhere you go.