"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight, whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle, will arrive exhausted."
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

• The Colombian embassy postponed Latifa's and Amale's departure. There was no valid excuses, they just have to wait. Latifa came in the morning with the best gift ever, a "Chiva". It is a handicraft model of a car that carries passengers and supplies from a village to another in the mountains of Colombia (see picture attached). I loved the gift, although it made me think that I will never see these "ninas" again. It was like a" good bye for ever" gift.
• There was this article in a newspaper that made a laughing scene in Cafe Younes. The article was about a Syrian lost in Beirut, trying to find the Southern Beirut Suburbs, to be enrolled with Hezbollah. The newspaper was passed from one hand to another and it helped to ease the over all tension of the suffocating heat and humidity of the day.
• Two explosions at noon. Hamra was empty in minutes. I still don't know why Cafe Younes hosted the biggest crowd ever. People getting in trying to figure what was going on. Since the phone lines were completely jammed, rumors were flying between the cappuccinos and the cigarettes: "It is Dahieh, I know it from the sound of the missile" or "No, they targeted Hariri's palace", or even "It seems they are destroying Beirut Central District". Fifteen minutes later, the info came that the Israelis have hit two old and unused antennas in Ras Beirut and there were no casualties. After being relieved, my coffee drinkers started to debate the political meaning of the bombing: "It is a clear message to Nasrallah's threat", or "They are trying to persuade Hariri to shift to the other camp", or even"The Israelis' last hope to win this war is to surface out the Lebanese tensions among themselves".
• An hour later, Hamra streets were crowded again.