I’ve recently attended The Bastakia Art Fair in Dubai where I saw some great work. One of my favorite pieces is this photograph by Meera Huraiz entitled Metamorphosis. The exhibition includes drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video and printmaking, by young Emirati women. These young girls have alot to say. Looking forward to seeing more work come from the UAE.

Ellia turned one years old this week!! Wow what a ride! I’m sorry for the cliche but they do grow up so fast. It’s overwhelming to see this tiny little soul transform into a little person. This past year she’s been the source of all my joy, my creativity, my passion, and my love. My new little buddy.

I came across this beautiful image of sand dunes today that I thought would be nice edition to the blog. Saleh Rubat is a photographer and graphic designer based out of Saudi. See more of his work here.

Here it is all finished and oh so retro.

“Open minds lead to open doors.” -Unknown

Haifa Wehbe is a huge pop icon in the middle east.. I love these.. look at the set.. how cool is that fridge.. awesome bubblegum colors.

I’m currently working on spruced up version of my original Miranda painting. It’s looking much more vintage and super retro.

I’ll be keeping you posted on the latest and greatest of the ArabNet 2010 Conference. Meanwhile, check out the website here and the blog here.

ArabNet 2010 is the first international conference for the Arab web industry, bringing together leaders from across the MENA, Europe and Silicon Valley to discuss cutting-edge trends and emerging opportunities.

Through pitch sessions, the conference will feature the region’s brightest ideas and most promising Internet start-ups, and connect them with the internet ecosystem: incubators, angel investors, venture capitalists, established Internet companies, NGOs and influential bloggers

Under the patronage of H.E. the President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Mr. Saad Hariri, The International Business Alliance Group (IBAG) Presents ArabNet 2010 Trends and Opportunities in Arab Web Business

25-26, March 2010
Habtoor Grand Hotel, – Beirut, Lebanon

I love these photos by Krikorian I came across on flickr. Especially the one of the elderly woman..
See more here.

More than 650 publishing houses including book distributors, importers, exporters and retail booksellers from around the world participated in the fair. About 317 Saudi publishing houses featured their books and materials.

This fair is not to be missed. Getting to see locals in their day-to-day environment was quite a treat.

The fair is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information, seeks to promote an exchange of information and ideas among authors, publishers and book lovers. The event, which is likely to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors including students, teachers, researchers, writers and members of the general public, will also include a wide range of cultural activities.