Mirror Mirror on My Phone

I miss my old phone, the MOTOKRZR  K1, which I initially bought because I fell in love with its elegant gold color and killer signature Motorola flip. Then I discovered how functionally useful it was: the reflective gloss surface doubles up as a handy pocket mirror!

I’d use the mirror numerous times in a day, without anyone noticing how vain i could get, well.. am not vain, but for example if I just stepped in somewhere for a meeting, I’d gracefully glance at my phone, pretending to check for messages/check the time while what I’m really checking is whether my hair is in place (it was windy outside) or I’ll be having dinner with friends and subtly look at my phone to check if there is something between my teeth (you know how bad taboulleh looks between teeth). Or if my make-up has gone wrong (heat + makeup can be disastrous) I’d be able to wipe something off, and of course it comes in handy with the hourly lip balm ritual.

It’s so frustrating though that after around 6 months after I stopped using this mobile (it died on me) I still find myself glancing at my new phone and then realizing that there is no mirror!

Someone once asked me what feature/built-in tool I think mobile phones should have. I couldn’t think of anything as they pretty much have it all there (connectivity, reminders, alarm clock, mini torch lights, games, dictionaries, cameras and so on). Maybe they should utelize the vibrating power so that mobile phone could double as a mini massage device (no I wasn’t going to say “vibrators”), or maybe they should add a swiss knife, or better a nail file.

I don’t know where I’m going with this….for me I’m happy with a phone i can talk & sms with and set an alarm really, I barely use any other features….I just think a mirror is  great feature to have in a phone.

The Obama Protocol Breaches

I’m loving the protocol-breaches of both Michelle and Barack Obama last week.

Watch Michelle touching the Queen of England here and Barack bowing to the Saudi Arabian King here.

They make their own rules as they go, showing that the US administration is not a power above all…now that it kewl change! What’s cooler, they even gifted the Queen an Ipod!

Hand Bra!

This is so funny, you have to see for yourself.

Wouldn’t every guy like to be one?

The Door…and the Face vs. the Foot

Back in college I took a course called Persuasion in Society that was a real eye-opener on how persuasion is used in communication in politics, advertising, PR and in everyday interpersonal relationships; to influence and manipulate judgements.

The course tackled persuasion in detail, analyzing the psychology of persuasion, framing & reasoning methods and applications in political and advertising campaigns, etc, etc.

I totally hate being a calculating or manipulating person…but a few communication tricks are always good in various life and work situations! If anything; it’s good to understand these tactics so that you can see right through them, if used against you.

To demonstrate, below are two common techniques:

1. The Foot-in-Door technique: convincing someone to do something for you by asking them for a small request and then escelating it to a bigger request. This often comes after you make them feel so noble for agreeing to the first small request, e.g. You ask someone for a sum of money to pay for the cab because you forgot your wallet, you then thank them alot for saving your day and being an amazing thoughtful person. You then ask for an additional sum to grab lunch on the way home as well.

2. The Door-in-Face technique: making a big request that you know your persuadee will reject, only to follow it with a smaller request. He will then accept; he will look at it as a compromise from you side, or will feel bad about turning down your first request. e.g. You need a sum of money. You ask your friend for twice this sum so that when they tell you its too much, you ask them to compromise and give you half of the amount (they’ll feel guilty and give you the half of the amount).

I find myself using the latter technique alot at work, for  example:

Me: I need two concepts for this urgent creative brief tommorow morning

Designer: Are you crazy? I’m so busy! This is impossible and unfair…..sulking…nagging..etc…attitude..etc..drama.

Me: Well fine, just give me one concept tommorow morning and I’ll deal with the angry client for just submitting one.

Result: The designer thinks he got his way, the job gets done, everyone’s happy, no harm done. (No am not evil….he’s lying; he’s not that busy at all)

What pisses me off to the max is when someone uses the foot-in-door technique, and in a totally unacceptable way!

The other day at work, this person REALLLYY pissed me off! He was supposed to do a job by Wednesday, being given a week’s notice to do it, and comes on Wednesday morning saying that he didnt have time to start on it etc, etc. Now this was a really bad situation as it was urgent for the client and we have been given a week’s notice. Arguing back and forth, I then decided there is no other solution other than to push delivery of the job till Thursday; and I will take the crap from the client. The person had the nerve to then say no, he will only deliver part of the job on Thursday and the real bulk of it would have to be Sunday!!

Seriously, after being given a week to do the job and failing to do so, and putting me in a terrible position with the client, you want to push the job a whole 2 days after the deadline?!

It doesn’t work this way…when you mess up and ask for a compromise…you are not supposed to ask for a further compromise!!! You should just be thankful that I granted you the compromise and do your best to fix the mess before I squash your face with my foot!

Flussshhh

Happilly flushed 2008 down the toilet

On Starting My New Job

Wow! It’s been just over a month since I started my new job and I’ve been crazy busy every since. I like it much more than my previous job, but it is work work work….pressure, deadlines, urgent requests….that’s the nature of advertising agencies and Ive been doing it for the past 1.5 years, but at this agency,  it seems to be all peaks…no slowing down at all. I ’m hoping it slows down, bcuz am not sure I have the energy for this. I’ve been leaving the office late the last 2 weeks, cancelling evening plans, barely spending time with the family and barely having time for myself :s

Bad week for radio in the GCC?

Radio hardly comes across as a controversial medium over here; but last week saw two high-profile radio blips, first in Kuwait with the DJ who was drunk on air and got fired and then in the UAE where the DJ aired a prerecorded joke, an offensive conversation with God, and got fired.

The joke wend something like:

DJ: “so god, whats on your agenda?”

god: “world peace, Madonna and Britney”.

Ofcourse a joke like this is a definite no-no in the UAE, and however ignorant a person is…it’s not hard to figure out that a joke like this should be avoided!

A lady called Mariam called the station right after she heard the joke and complained and the DJ was rude to her (she says) so she went ahead and formed a facebook group “Against Virgin Radio God Call” encouraging people to complain and proposing a plan of action to get him fired. Within a couple of days the DJ was fired.

Im really tired of expats in the UAE totally direspecting the county’s culure and sensitivites in many ways, but I’m not sure about the whole firing decision. Atleast not the way it was framed on the internet; articles and the facebook group making it sound like it was all this girl Mariam’s fault that got him fired.

True, she led an online protest (the power of facebook!), but it was a company decision to fire him, regardless of Mariam’s online efforts…it doesn’t need more than a couple of complaint calls to make the poeple in charge at the station consider some type of punishment for the DJ – I think.

Antonio Banderas at MEIFF, Abu Dhabi

I was lucky to have access to the Red Carpet on the opening of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF). Below are the pics I took of Antonio Banderas and wife Melanie Griffith on the Red Carpet

Antonio was in the capital holding business talks about a movie he has been planning to produce/direct/act in for a number of years, about the story of Boabdil, the last Muslim king of Spain. In an interview with The National he says:

“When I was at the Toronto film festival, people I met there said I should come to Abu Dhabi and talk to people here because they might be interested. This is a movie that I can’t do without Arabs. I have to go hand by hand with them, not only for their support but for advice. I also want to do it because I am Andalusian, although I am pretty sure I have some Arab blood in my veins.”

Very insightful conversation with Antonio; he seems to know alot about the Arab culture and he expresses his appreciation of it. He also expresses is concern about the negative perceptions of Arab post 9/11 and their misrepresentation in cinema. He wants to help change these perceptions by doing this movie.

Watch the interview here, or read the rest of the article here.

Also read this piece written by the producer who invited Antonio to visit Abu Dhabi for the festival. He speaks about Antonio’s interest and love for the Arab culture. It’s the same producer who was working on the reality TV show that I got accepted to participate in but declined!

Virtual living

“Facebook is the dorm; Wikipedia is the library; and Craigslist is the mall. One’s for socializing; one’s for studying; one’s for trading.” – Nicholas Carr

I saw this quote on And Far Away, so true for facebook and wikipedia. The mall was souq.com for a while but now its etsy.com for me.

I have to warn you…

my sentences can be very long…longer than any grammar teacher would like

And am still looking for an appropriate theme/header picture..but for the moment I like this one..autumn is my favorite season and I like the connotation of bridges and crossing them.