tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816973071967426952024-03-13T04:52:10.086+03:00BarryUnoRealistic yet sometimes innane rantings of a guy living in KuwaitBarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-48488874920822637222011-01-18T19:00:00.002+03:002011-01-18T19:05:28.926+03:00<b>Four Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Beginning Any Marketing Campaign</b><br>by <a href="http://www.populararticles.com/index.php?page=author&author_name=Whitney_Hahn">Whitney Hahn</a><br /><br /><p> So you've come to the conclusion that you need to market your service or product. Great! Proper marketing can lead to great rewards. Improper marketing, however, can waste a ton of money. <br /> <br /> How do you avoid the pitfalls? Proper planning. <br /> <br /> Some people get so excited about the ad, commercial or flyer that they don't really think through the whole conversion process. It's not enough to have people notice your marketing; you want them to act on it in very specific ways. Not planning the whole life cycle of your marketing is a bit like planning the wedding, but not the marriage. The day after all the excitement is over, you may be left with nothing more than a headache and a big bill. <br /> <br /> But you can avoid lots of wasted time and effort by asking (and answering) these four questions. It's a list of questions we go over with all of our new clients and many have felt it has brought great focus and accountability to the decisions they were making. Don't let this short list fool you. Knowing the answers to these questions clarifies your business and marketing goals to you AND your prospects. <br /> <br /> <b>1. What are the benefit(s) to your customers of doing business with you over going to another provider or not doing anything at all?</b> <br /> <br /> This is sometimes called your "Unique Selling Proposition” (USP) and clearly defines what you have going on. Notice it asks about benefits, not features, and they are very different animals. Features are like technical spec sheets. Benefits answer the questions, "So what? What's in it for me?" <br /> <br /> If you were picking a spouse, you might describe their features as tall, dark and handsome. But the benefits are really what sells them to you - they make you laugh, feel secure, feel important and loved and so on. <br /> <br /> For example, I could talk to you all day about our 3CCD cameras and how many terrabytes of storage space we have and what whiz-bang software we used to edit with and your eyes would quickly roll into the back of your head. But, I if talk to you about a fun, collaborative working relationship where we coach you through the entire process and suggests ways to enhance your overall marketing goals through video, then we might have a conversation. <br /> <br /> Determine what makes working with you unique and how it benefits a prospect. If you can do that, they are far more likely to become clients. <br /> <br /> <b>2. What business are you in?</b> <br /> <br /> Now, don't say "I'm in the widget business." This is really asking about your position or identity in the marketplace and how your services make the user's life better. These goes hand in hand with the benefits list. <br /> <br /> If I say that I am in the video production business, I haven't done a thing to differentiate myself from the competition or tell a prospect how I can help them solve a problem. However, if I say that we help entrepreneurs establish themselves as experts in their fields while generating passive income though DVD sales, then I've given prospects a very specific example of how working with me could benefit them and make their life better. <br /> <br /> Give this one some thought. Of all the questions on the list, this one usually takes the most time to answer with clarity. It is time well spent. <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>3. What is your target market? (age, sex, geography, income, etc.)</b> <br /> <br /> Asking this question helps you avoid disconnects between your message and your Audience by putting their "face" clearly in your mind. As you prepare your campaign, you will have a thousand decisions to make - everything from written copy to musical underscores - and you will need to keep the prospects in mind. Don't jam a lot of words into a small space if you are trying to reach seniors. Don't use country music in the background if you are aiming at a young, urban demographic. <br /> <br /> Remember, when you go fishing, you don't have to like the bait, the fish do. <br /> <br /> Knowing as much as you can about your target demographic will also help you make decisions on where and in what way your message should be heard. Your favorite stream is not going to be effective if there are no "fish" there. <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>4. What action do you want a prospect to take as a result of seeing your marketing message?</b> <br /> <br /> I know what you are thinking. "Buy my product, silly." Yes and no. That would be like bumping into someone on the street and then asking them to move in. While that would be great in business, most of us don't work that way. Chances are there will be a least one more step between hearing/seeing your message and making a purchase from you. <br /> <br /> So, to follow the dating analogy, the prospect might decide to have coffee with you (visit your website and opt-in for your VIP coupon list), then visit later for a sandwich (stop by your store to get more information or consult with you), then ask their friends what they think of you... you get the idea. <br /> <br /> This question gets you to think about, plan for and implement that series of "dates" so that you can build a relationship and make the sale. People would much rather buy from friends than strangers. <br /> <br /> There they are - the four questions that can make the difference between running an ad campaign and creating a marketing magnet. Please enjoy responsibly! <br /> <br /> Whitney Hahn is the business manager and director of <a href="http://digitalbard.com/">Digital Bard Video. Web. Marketing.</a> in Frederick, MD. She is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and uses her skills to bring more value to her client's projects. Whitney may be reached at 240-566-5931 or by emailing whitney@digitalbard.com. <br><br>Source: <a href="http://www.populararticles.com/article238870.html">http://www.PopularArticles.com/article238870.html</a>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-83799952047136505792010-12-19T23:02:00.002+03:002010-12-19T23:06:52.305+03:00Do we really need Ivy League champions to manage our businesses in Kuwait?It amuses me when I read about how companies in Kuwait are looking specifically for certain type of candidates to fill certain positions. Candidates that have graduated out of prestigious Ivy league schools. Some of you might ask me why?<br /><br />Simply because I don't see any improvements in the way business is done in Kuwait on the whole. There are no seemingly noticeable improvements in the way these businesses are run and more importantly, there is no improvement in service! Why then do these companies insist on hiring candidates that have graduated out the Harvards, Stanfords, Oxfords, Enseads and IIMs of the world? Do they really plan on utilizing the talents of these individuals or is it just a way for CEOs to brag...<br /><br />"I've got 3 Harvard graduates in my BD team"<br /><br />"That's nothing, I've got 2 guys from Stanford, a guy from Wharton and 4 from IIM."<br /><br />Let's face it, Kuwait is a small country. As much as I don't like Dubai, if someone told me they were looking for these kind of people, I'd believe it. Simply because, financial/real estate crisis or not, you can see the big developments in the emirate. You can see that they have a penchant for hiring talented people and getting the best out of them. You see old and new companies taking risks, building brands and engaging customers. You see new projects on the horizon all the time; the world's tallest, fattest, shortest, widest, coolest....arrgh!! The point is, we see developments taking place every now and then. So the need for these people is almost autonomously justified.<br /><br />This is more than I can say for their counterparts in Kuwait. Apart from a handful of companies here, I can't seem to fathom the idea that a fresh Kellogg or IIM grad can do a better job at managing a brand in Kuwait than a guy with hardcore experience. Business ideas lack creativity, overall treatment of employees is below par with the rest of the world and again, customer service in Kuwait is appalling. How then are these companies utilizing the talents of these people positively? Do we see any developments on the horizon?<br /><br />Personally, I think instead of hiring these "Ivy league champions", companies would do better if they just spent their money on training their customer service staff on better (or should I daresay - basic) customer service ideologies; that would be money well spent! Which once again brings me to my question, why hire ONLY graduates from these colleges when you've got talented people waiting for opportunities?<br /><br />Frankly, I think it's a scam to make their companies look good to the outside world. I know there will be a few naysayers that want to diss this blogpost thinking quality people equals quality output. I'd almost agree with that except for the fact that: it only takes a good mechanic to fix a car, not an automobile engineer!BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-32240402718342291192010-10-31T10:36:00.004+03:002010-10-31T10:41:40.391+03:00How about a 4sim?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TM0c9oWsvjI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/3uwYc3NNKK4/s1600/4sim.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534111362238430770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 414px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TM0c9oWsvjI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/3uwYc3NNKK4/s200/4sim.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I had stopped posting about tech stuff since I figured there are a ton of other people that seem to know more about tech stuff that I do. Besides, we’d be talking about the same thing anyway so what’s the point right? This post however isn’t about the technology. Well at least not entirely. It’s about the preposterousness (I think that’s a word) and the absurdity of the idea. Read on.<br /><br />Have you ever seen guys with more than 2 mobile phones? I have. In fact I know someone with 4 mobile phones although he doesn’t carry more than 2 phones at a time. One of the numbers is always carried while he picks and chooses which of the remaining three he’ll carry with him. Of course, he’s got a Blackberry, an iPhone, a Samsung and another one I can’t seem to remember. The only reason I remember so much is because I was fascinated with this guy’s obsession of being so “in touch” with his network that he had to get 4 phones. I was also curious about his sanity. My guess is he needs just one phone and the others are to keep track of his girlfriends/mistresses! Or maybe they’re for different business? Bah….who knows!!!<br /><br />Eiher way, enter – Dody, a Chinese mobile manufacturer that has taken into accounts dweebs like this guy and made a phone just for the likes of him. Here’s a phone that has slots for 4 SIM chips and what’s even better, the e-flyer attached says you can use them all at once! (If you can't view the flyer, visit: <a href="http://www.dody.mobi/">http://www.dody.mobi/</a> )</div><div> </div><div></div><div>What will the come up with next? Seriously, this isn’t a rhetorical question. What WILL they come up with next?</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-22338854417972307502010-10-03T10:49:00.003+03:002010-10-03T10:53:52.666+03:00STOP getting ripped off by Kuwaiti Mobile Phone companies!!!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TKg1tUCd_jI/AAAAAAAAAFI/u8fQHIaeQQg/s1600/Stop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523723995559362098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TKg1tUCd_jI/AAAAAAAAAFI/u8fQHIaeQQg/s200/Stop.jpg" border="0" /></a> For years now we have been getting swindled by mobile phone operators in Kuwait. We paid the heftiest charges among all the countries in the Middle East despite having more than one operator for the most part of 10 years. Coverage was at best average which in my book is very appalling considering the size of Kuwait and the straightforward topography. After a decade of paying for incoming calls, the arrival of VIVA saw the rest of the bunch allow incoming calls for free.<br /><br />We thought this was the start of something new; a price war between the cell phone companies that would ultimately benefit the subscribers. But after a year for some reason there seems to be no fairness OR logic in the various promotions or schemes announced by either of these companies. To be honest, I don't count VIVA in this because they haven't been in the market long enough for me to commend or berate them. SO it's between Zain and Wataniya that we need to choose from. Which is the devil and which si the deep blue sea?<br /><br />How does logic come into effect when their marketing team plans their strategy? I say this because I am a marketer myself and before I revise pricing, the first thing I would look at is the company's existing subscribers. How do they fit in the new pricing scheme? How will they benefit from it? I've had an eGo subscription for almost 2 years now and I bought the line when there was no special offer or anything of that sort on neither the device nor the subscription. On top of that, I paid a hefty amount for the device itself. After two years of being a loyal subscriber, I find out that they're doing promotions for new subscribers where they get a free device if they subscribe for one year. When I asked one of their customer services reps if I would get a special price on a new device and a reduction in my rate (since the new rates are KD 1.5 less than what I’m paying) the answer I got was a firm “I’m sorry sit but I can’t do that. It’s against the rule. You have to pay full price for the new device.”<br /><br />Bastards! I would like to know who the freaking hell designs their promotion campaigs and who plans their marketing strategy. It’s insanely and cruelly absurd! Cell phone companies in the rest of the world reward you for being a long term customer and give you stuff either at discounted prices or for FREE. Here, I am being charged as though I am a newbie. Why would I want to stay a loyal customer? Are the mobile companies going to make any concessions that make sense in future or are they going to continue ripping us off?<br /><br />Someone please make sense of this for me?!?!?!?!?!?BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-57005206623037996902010-09-30T10:49:00.005+03:002010-09-30T10:57:57.354+03:00Calling all you Authority Abusers: do you think you're better than the rest of us?Thanks to my job, I get to meet a lot of people in influential positions in Kuwait and although that is not always a good thing I can cope with it most of the time. However the one thing that annoys the living crap out of me is people who abuse their authority and more specifically, people who THINK they have authority.<br /><br />Have you ever worked or dealt with people at the British or American Embassies in Kuwait? I mean local recruits, mainly counter staff or lower level staff that aren’t British or American in any way; mainly Lebanese, Egyptians, Syrians, Indians, Pilipino etc.? These people think just because they work for the Embassy, they’re as good as the people of that country. Now I’m not saying the British or Americans are better than the rest of us lot, but sadly this is how people in this part of the world think. And this is exactly how these ignoramuses think as well. To make matters worse, these people are rude, arrogant and condescending and thoroughly unprofessional!<br /><br />Just to educate the rest of you folk who don’t know this; most lower level embassy jobs are cut and dry and as easy as pie….or maybe easier! It’s mainly filling & checking forms, accepting applications, filing, placing orders for supplies, talkling to people that call for information (that is mostly read from a book of ready answers because the nit-wits don't know to handle exceptions) releasing purchase orders etc. You don’t even need to be a brain surgeon’s ass-wipe to get those things done! The nerve of some of those people, pretending that they are more important (and busier) than the ambassadors themselves?<br /><br />The funny thing is I know some real Brits and Americans that work at these embassies and they’re not even half as arrogant as their wannabe colleagues. Maybe the embassies in question need to evaluate their positions on this. Or perhaps they’re happy with employing morons because they accept to work for less? Damn shame!BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-72781811829352312232010-09-27T10:05:00.005+03:002010-09-27T10:18:03.637+03:00Would you "Crowdsource"?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TKBDx-hsKhI/AAAAAAAAAE4/iVgW6W080vE/s1600/crowdsourcing.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521487669033183762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 397px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/TKBDx-hsKhI/AAAAAAAAAE4/iVgW6W080vE/s200/crowdsourcing.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div>For those of you who are not in the know, I work as the Head of Sales & Marketing at a leading ground handling services provider. In a bid to infuse some new energy into our brand, I was doing some research on creating a strong branding image to sort of…clean house and re-create our brand vision; something that is not often done in this part of the world. While I was doing my research, I chanced upon a whole new concept called “Crowdsourcing”, an idea based on a company outsourcing tasks usually performed by an employee or a supplier/agency to a group of people or a community that do not have a direct vested interest in the company. The outsourcing is usually done over the web and the company uses the collaborative results or finding to reach its objective.<br /><br />This is the latest trend that companies in North America and Europe are following for their marketing needs although it can be used for much more than marketing requirements/problem solving. How it works is: the company broadcasts the problem on to a group of problem solvers or “the crowd” though a medium (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.). The crowd then sends in its version of solutions. In some advanced online communities the crowd may sort through the solutions, finding the better ones and submitting them to the company. The best solutions are then registered as property of the company and the winners get a reward from the company.<br /><br />The concept itself existed as early as the 40s and 50s but presumably, the internet and web technologies do make it a whole lot imaginable …and cheaper!<br /><br />Although I don’t completely agree with this ideology, I think it is new, it’s innovative and does end up bringing new ideas to the table. After all, once you’ve worked in a company for a few years you tend to get a bit stale in your thinking process and a group of people that don’t work for your company may actually have better dieas than you sometimes. That doesn’t make them better than you, it just means their minds are fresher than yours in this regard. Perhaps you can use this opportunity to take a vacation!?!?!?!<br /><br />The bad side of crowdsourcing is the informality and lack of precedures. More importantly lack of monetery motivation for the people involved or "the crowd". Additionally, competitors can plant their own people in these communities to give wrong feedback and ruin the program and in some cases the reputation of your company.<br /><br />Either way, it is an interesting concept and I just thought I’d share it with you guys! What do you think?</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-60024215511193705892010-09-22T11:30:00.002+03:002010-09-22T11:42:19.218+03:00Will we ever live as ONE!<p>The other day I was thinking about how different countries have different defence, military and development programs that it can benefit from. Some countries even go to the extent of setting up bases and platforms in other countries or territories to get the upper hand on their neighbours and rivals. Then I chanced upon watching an episode of “V” a TV show that airs on MBC Action that revolves around a species of aliens that have come to earth from a galaxy far far away. They claim to want to live in peace with the people of earth and exchange knowledge and technology etc.but it turns out they lied and just want to conquer earth. It’s a remake of a popular 80s TV mini series that I watched as a kid. However, the plot of the storyline isn’t the point here. The point is in one of the episodes, their commander or leader tells the people of Earth that from where she comes from, there are no countries and everyone on their planet acts in the interest of the planet.<br /><br />That got me thinking, when will we act like that? For centuries we have fought against one another. Different human configurations have always fought for supremacy and the reasons were manifold; racial, political, geographical and technological superiority. When, if ever, do you think will we ever begin to start thinking as citizens of the world instead of nationals of a particular country? When will we unite as one race? A race of humans! Do we have to wait for a few centuries before we start traveling in spaceships and have no more earth to conquer after the ravages of war? It is definitely something to think about. Either way, John Lennon surmises this best in his unforgettable song, Imagine. Here’s one verse for you to ponder upon!<br /><br />Imagine there's no countries,</p><p>It isn't hard to do</p><p>Nothing to kill or die for</p><p>And no religion too</p><p>Imagine all the people</p><p>Living life in peace</p>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-75168882614962024342010-03-02T09:59:00.004+03:002010-03-02T10:10:20.660+03:00Happy Liberation & National Day to my Kuwaiti friends!<p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/S4y4NiiOUBI/AAAAAAAAAEo/OYkplkfh1ko/s1600-h/Kuwait+flag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443928592332247058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 322px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/S4y4NiiOUBI/AAAAAAAAAEo/OYkplkfh1ko/s200/Kuwait+flag.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p>I must admit, I feel for the Kuwaiti population during the Liberation and National day holidays. I am not saying this just because of the traffic during this time, I say this because I really feel for them.</p>Ok, I don't really love the country to pieces but I do have a certain connection to the place. I was born here and have spent half my life here. I have had many memorable childhood memories growing up watching Knight Rider & Chart Attack on KTV2, collecting Galactica cards and hanging out at Arby's, Pizza Italia and Hungry Bunny in the old Salmiya Souq area as a kid!<br />But what saddens me is that while the country celebrates the National & Liberation day holidays (in more ghastly ways that one can imagine) the people seem to lack a proper sense of belonging to a nation. For a country that is extremely young, there doesnt seem to be anything to look forward to. Apart for the old-timers who used to be proud citizens, apart from a few people we read about in local magazines, the younger generation does not seem to understand the true meaning of being liberated. For them it is about going to the "west" getting an American or British education and coming back to flaunt their degrees to get better paying jobs as opposed to giving back to the country. Physically it may tbe the liberation of Kuwait from Iraq in 1991 that we celebrate but metaphorically to me, it's being liberated from the shackles of complacency and looking forward o a bright future.<br /><br />It's not about spraying cars with foam or not about dancing on the streets of Kuwait with face paint and colorful flags. And it's certainly not about checking out the women through a smokescreen of red, white and green tassles and waterguns. If only these people understood the true meaning of being liberated, there wouldn't be 11 deaths in 65 road accidents in a span of 4 days as reported in the newspapers. Perhaps the country should work towards giving these people what they deserve to realize the meaning of liberation and the true meaning of belonging to a country.BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-48185672079572583752010-03-02T09:31:00.005+03:002010-03-02T09:39:31.587+03:00Taming the beast on the Kuwait roads<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/S4yyNnY-AaI/AAAAAAAAAEg/FjmSQU5euCw/s1600-h/Mclaren.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443921996565840290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/S4yyNnY-AaI/AAAAAAAAAEg/FjmSQU5euCw/s200/Mclaren.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><p></p><p>I just got back from a crazy day driving on the streets of Kuwait City. I must admit, while Kuwait has a decent set of roads; the people on them don't seem to be half as decent. In my 15 minute drive from Kuwait City to the Airport, I got cut off by 4 fancy sports cars (2 Porsches, a Massarati and a Nissan Z350).</p><p>Of course, other people driving other cars also cut of me off but my bitch for the day is the people with the fancy roadsters specifically the Porches, Ferraris, the Lambos and the Masseratis. Albeit the fact that over 90% of the people that own these cars in Kuwait buy them because of upholding their status is true. What pisses me off is that most of the people that drive these machines don't have the slightest idea how to drive them.</p><p>My friend Q8 Apothecary (whose blog seems to have gone into hibernation) has summed it best on one of his posts a few years ago. It's not about how many horsepower your car has, it's about the guy or girl behind the wheel (in our case, the moron) behind the wheel that matters. Super cars specifically the Ferraris and Porches need to be driven specifically. They are not your every day commuter vehicles, they are not drag racing cars and most of all, they are to be driven with skill and precision. This is one of the main reasons we see rash and negligent driving on the streets that results in injuries and death. And we wonder why Kuwait has one of the highest accident rates in this part of the world?</p><p>Who might I ask is to be blamed for this? Is it the dealers who do not bother to offer basic drivers training to new buyers? Is it the parents who indulge their kids with luxuries for fear of being called insufficient providers? Or is it the fault of the drivers themselves who neglect all road sense and sensibility for want of fame and an adrenalin rush? </p><p>Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy a Porchse. In fact, if you can afford it, go ahead and buy one right away. But before you take to the wheel, try and understand how the machine responds to your touch. A super car is like a beast that needs taming. And until you understand how to be one with your machine, please don't take to crazy antics on the streets or think for one minute that you are licensed to thrill by performing meaningless stunts on the streets and endangering the lives of the other commuters that use them.</p><p>PS – I love the Mercedes McLaren SLR but the day I hopefully buy one, I’m going to sign up for a crash course in performance driving.</p>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-9094056157597912002010-02-18T12:27:00.001+03:002010-02-18T13:16:22.295+03:00Give generously...and meaningfully!<span style="font-family:arial;">We all know about the disaster that took place in Haiti in January when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country killing 200,000 people and rendering at least a million people homeless. I must really commend the people that are on the ground in Haiti right now helping out with reconstruction, tending to the injured and needy etc. I firmly believe in humanity and that people come through for you in the time of need. In cases like the Haiti disaster, nuances of human empathy and generosity were clearly evident with online and offline NGOs reporting a record a number of donations worldwide.<br /><br />Of course, for every right, there is a wrong as I like to remind people some times. In this case, there are a certain bunch of people who exploit the situation to make the most of it. My gripe in Kuwait is that although many organizations across the country have volunteered to help the Haitians by collection/donation drives etc, it appears that most of the organizations are doing this solely because it is the "in" thing to do. They're doing it because George Clooney and his friends are doing it and they think it's cool if Hollywood stars do it. They’re doing it because corporate social responsibility is a big thing nowadays especially among the corporate elite and it is compulsory for large companies to adopt CSR practices.<br /><br />The point I am trying to make is; it's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you think of petty gain. What's more important is that the people who really need the money and aid get it before it is too late.<br /><br />So I say to all you people who want to have a fancy looking collection box outside your reception areas, do not do it because it may impress visitors to your company; do it because someone, somewhere needs your help! Make sure you announce the drive within the company and your network of contacts. Make sure someone monitors what is collected and finally make sure that the collections no matter how large or meager are sent to the NGO you’re dealing with.<br /><br />After all, what good is the effort if the end benefactors don’t benefit?</span>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-55474669650583165162010-02-15T12:51:00.003+03:002010-02-15T12:55:19.832+03:00Annoying Online Promotion<p>Have you received an email from "President Nelson Mandela" at "S.A. 2010 WORLD CUP PROMOTION" saying you won their promotion or lottery promo and to contact "MR.OWEN DOUGLAS" to collect your winnings? It is a scam. And don't get too excited if the names are different; the scammers make many versions of this scam!<br />It is actually a very simple scam. They claim you won a promotion, which is giving away millions of dollars based on a randomly selected email address. The scam is obvious: it's simply preposterous to think that any company would randomly give away money to encourage you to buy their product. That would be self-defeating.<br />There are many other signs that this is a fraud that we have highlighted in the email below, not the least of which are:<br />- Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even Microsoft has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.<br />- Terrible spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar - Scammers apparently don't know how to use spell checkers. I assume they dropped out of school before that class. They use almost random CapItaLiZAtion and often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level.<br />- Using a free email account: The scammer is writing to you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization would use its own email, its own domain and website? Wouldn't they want to promote that?<br />- What are they promoting? No one promotes "world peace" or "use of the internet" by handing out millions to random strangers. And if they are promoting a product, then this must be the world's worst promotion, because no one has heard of it, outside of the email you just received.<br />- Pay a fee to collect the prize: Nope, it is illegal for free sweepstakes and promotions to charge you ANYTHING! Of course, in a scam, that is the whole point: to get you to send money to the scammer<br /></p><p>So if any one of you receives this kind of email asking them to be a part of the promotion, you know what to do.</p>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-21012639255984205072009-07-22T16:01:00.005+03:002010-09-22T11:30:12.867+03:00Are you a Facebook Addict?<p align="left">Have you ever experienced some kind of a high after noticing that someone sent you a comment on Facebook, someone tagged a photo of you doing something either incredibly nasty or stupid or possibly both? Are you one of those people that spends endless amounts of time looking through people’s profiles on Facebook and other such community networking sites? If the description fits you, you’re a Facebook Addict!<br /><br />I thoroughly understand when something’s new and we all want to be constantly on it especially in today’s high tech digital world where everything is…..well digital! I was quite excited when I signed up on Facebook 2 years ago. I learnt a few new things about some people I know, caught up with old friends and had some laughs looking at old pics.</p><p align="left">It's always great to catch up with old friends from around the globe and see pictures of their kids and the family vacations I guess. But people, please know when to draw the line. I read somewhere that a lady was prosecuted when she ignored her daughter’s request for homework help because she was too tied up with Facebook. Turns out she spent an average of 10 hours on the website!<br /><br />On a separate note, sites like Facebook promote a certain narcissistic approach towards one’s self. I think it is because we think we are all interesting, we feel the need to let people know about the important details in our lives. But seriously people, know to differentiate between the milestones & the unwanted notes in your status updates. You might want to share the fact that you just got married or gave birth to a really cute baby but please don’t let me know if you’ve just trimmed your toe-nails or shaved your goatee! And yeah another thing; if you’re down and depressed, how about you pick up the phone and call a friend. (this holds true for bloggers as well btw)<br /><br /><strong>Here are 4 signs that you may be a Facebook or Twitter Addict:</strong><br />- You spend over an hour on Facebook a day<br />- You spend half your time at work on Facebook<br />- You’re spending time sending your Facebook buddies virtual gifts, drinks and forgetting the real world of friends<br />- You’re accumilating a lot of Facebook time reconnecting with your high school sweetheart (particularly inappropriate if either one of you or the both of you are married)<br /><br /><strong>Ways you can detox from sites like Facebook or Twitter:<br /></strong>- Disable SMS alerts from facebook and Twitter; these can be quite distracting especially when you’re enjoying a holiday with the family or a quiet weekend with your girl.<br />- Stop adding friends. In real life, you’d never be able to keep up with all the 300+ people on your Facebook or Twitter account so at least when you stop adding friends, you’ll keep your circle of friends down to a more manageable level.<br />- Make friends with people that are not or these sites. And when they ask you if you’ve heard abuot them, pretend you don’t know what they are! ;-)<br />- Call your close friends or try and meet up with them if you can instead of leaving him or her a tweet or a wall posting</p><div align="left"></div><div align="left">The best piece of advice; check your profile once a month (like me) and only make contact with people you know well or knew well but went out of touch with over the years. And remember, making new friends is an art best practiced in person, not online. Cheers!</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-13674646062209220512009-06-26T12:21:00.006+03:002009-06-26T12:27:07.112+03:00Michael Jackson - GONE TOO SOON<p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351564470668510034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 227px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/SkSTiELMQ1I/AAAAAAAAAEI/ugKSE0vSekQ/s200/MJ.jpg" border="0" /></p><div>My wife and I are deeply saddened to hear about the untimely loss of Michael Jackson, the undisputed King Of Pop, a man that is considered to have single-handedly changed the face of pop music & pop culture in the 80s and 90s. From his beginnings as the youngest member of the Jackson 5 to setting new standards in dance and music videos Michael was in more ways than one – an icon who through his sheer talent and artistry unified the world through his music. </div><br /><div>We will always consider him a representation of our age; someone who inspired our generation (and so many other generations). We grew up listening to his music, watching his videos, collecting his memorabilia & keeping track of his exploits.<br /></div><br /><div>I “Remember the time” I was a kid and looked forward to doing the moonwalk in front of friends and family to “Beat It” and “Billie Jean”. His music was so universal; it appealed to everyone no matter if they were “Black or White”. He was always trying to do so much, trying to “Heal the World”. We danced to his music and had to “Blame It On The Boogie”. His music is so invigorating, “You Can’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. No matter what anyone says about Michael Jackson, most people will consider his life quite the “Thriller”, most people will always consider the King of Pop an indubitable part of “HIStory”. In one simple word he will always be – “Invincible”.<br /><br />REST IN PEACE & GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-89095568159675328822009-06-25T10:57:00.004+03:002009-06-25T11:05:14.618+03:00Handling the RecessionResearchers and financial analysts (these are the same people that said the US economy was solid for the next 2 decades by the way) say that even through we’re undergoing a recession; some communities are seemingly less affected by the global downturn than the others. This means that if you’re in healthcare or education, you’re less likely to lose your job than if you are in the banking or financial services sectors. Of course this doesn’t mean that teachers, doctors and nurses are recession proof; it just means they are harder to get rid of than the annoying investment consultant bugging you with incessant phone calls telling you to diversify your stock portfolio.<br /><br />Maybe it's about time some of us switched professions? ;-) Either way, I think we're lucky we live in the GCC. Although things are rough at the moment with job-cuts, pay-cuts and budget-cuts, at least we're better off than the people in the US where the scene is almost literally cut-throat!BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-18979869844929356912009-02-05T09:57:00.002+03:002009-02-05T09:58:40.428+03:00My Wife and IFor those of you wondering why I have been out of circulation for the past many months......here is why:<br /><br />It’s hard to get out of bed these days. It’s partly due to the chilly weather outside but it’s more to do with something else. It isn’t like the old days when I’d just slam my hand on to the snooze button on my alarm clock. I used to hit the button about 5 times, toss and turn in bed and jump out of it after realizing I had snoozed for an hour! Now I have to adjust to someone else in bed next to me. The first bit of realization that I’m not single anymore (the first bit of realization of the day I mean). I have to be careful not to let my flaying hands hit my wife who’s sleeping snugly. And I realize the real reason I get up late these days; I just can’t seem to drag myself out of bed with her right next to me.<br /><br />Just to fill you readers in, I got married last month and am just about getting adjusted to it. Honestly, some of my friends told me it would be a piece of cake. Others said it would take a lot of time getting used to. But on the whole, it’s been great!<br /><br />Why? Because after you’re married, you’re a team. I love having a team-mate who will go to all lengths to ensure our team wins.<br /><br />Take shopping for instance. My evaluation of products stems from looking for items in attractive packaging. Men don’t generally look at food-color types, calorie content and most importantly – expiry dates. How else would you describe the heaps of expired products in my refrigerator before I got hitched?<br /><br />Then think about instant foods like making pop corn at home. Unless you’re a chef, you’re not going to take the trouble of putting oil into a frying pan, adding kernels of corn and standing next to a vessel full of them until they’re popped. Men just like popping the stuff into a microwave, giving it 3 to 5 minutes and voila! Pop corn! Or how about salad dressing? How many guys have actually taken the time to prepare the dressing from scratch? Now I am being trained to make every food preparation from scratch.<br /><br />Being married has its other advantages. It’s great that you’ll find someone who laughs at all your jokes no matter how many times she’s heard them just to make sure you don’t look uninteresting or boring.<br /><br />It’s great that you can have someone tell you very subtly via sign language that you’ve something in your teeth while you’re having dinner with friends.<br /><br />Let’s look at it from another perspective. Before you’re hitched, you’re always on the phone to your boyfriend/girlfriend. Endless amounts of text messages and phone-calls later, both your budgets take a hit in the negative. But once you’re married, you’re literally living together. No needs to text or call, your wife’s right there next to you. You can judge the complexity of a situation (if there is one) without having to second guess and what’s better is your thumb doesn’t get stretched typing or dialing.<br /><br />If the two of you are driving together, you have company and don’t have to listen to sloppy radio programming. You can have simple conversations about why the fender of the car in the next lane looks crappy to subconsciously complex conversations like why you didn’t let her know her favorite TV show was on while she was taking her nap. And conversations get even more fascinating if you’re stuck in a jam.<br /><br />Planning a weekend is tricky. When you’re single, you’re more than ready to mingle. You’re more or less ready to set the dreary desert sands of Kuwait on fire with only your thoughts of being in a foreign land sipping martinis. If a friend calls you over, you oblige. Now it’s a different ball game. “I have to check with the missus and get back to you mate” is the reply to those impromptu invitations I have these days. And rightly so. I love saying things in the collective noun way. Like “My wife and I are having a blast” or “my wife and I will be dropping by later” or just plain and simple “my wife and I are planning on staying in tonight” I love saying sentences with “my wife and I”, it sounds so grown up.<br /><br />Another fun-filled task is ordering take-out. Somehow you’re stuck between Chinese and health-food and after tossing a few take-out menus back and forth for 20 minutes you both decide to order a pizza with the works.<br /><br />All said and done, for those of you thinking I’m being a know-it-all on marriage, I most certainly am not. Just treat this as a spiel from a guy wanting to impress readers with his astute first hand views on being married. After all it’s not smart taking marriage advice from someone who’s been married for a little over a month, is it?<br /><br />This is from my January article in the bazaar magazineBarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-85230504463962744612009-01-04T00:18:00.001+03:002009-01-04T00:20:25.846+03:00A New Year's Message from BarryUnoCyberspace has not seen Barry for quite a while and admittedly, it is because of a lot of reasons. Blame it on new responsibilities at work, the new employees we hired, the new Sony Experia and what have you but mostly it is thanks to my wedding that took place in November in Goa, India.<br /><br />Needless to say, planning and executing weddings are arduous tasks that need to be accomplished with the panache and dexterity of a lion tamer on his last bit of meat. My wife and I have worked tediously to ensure a smooth transition from single-dom to wedded bliss which has been attained by the both of us and even though the world bliss isn’t easy to put right next to wedded (except of course in wedding speeches), we’re doing quite well, thank you very much.<br /><br />Any-ho…without further ado, I will now subject you all to my effusive new year’s message as usual to be taken with a pinch of salt and perhaps some lemon-barley water; something I’ve got addicted to since my wedding…makes you piss like a horse!<br /><br />First of all, forget all this hogwash about life being a roller coaster, life’s a bitch etc etc. Life is life. And no, before you smartasses think I am referring to the Opus song of the eighties Life’s is just what we make of it.<br /><br />The past year has taught me just that. The only difference is that we all have a multiplicity of choices to make. Some of us choose wisely while others think we have time and go about knocking the wrong doors. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We screw up, we get ourselves out of the mess we made and move on. That’s the beauty of life.<br /><br />For me, the year 2008 was great. It was great in the sense that I got a new perception on life; in the sense that I moved up a little at work. In the sense that I now get to share the rest of my life with my wife Eva who is now my best friend in the whole wide world. (I know some of you might be cringing now)<br /><br />And so I say: 2009…bring it on baby! Bring on the tough battles along with the light-hearted moments. Bring on the emotional quandaries and the rag tag arguments at work. Bring it on….bring it all on!<br /><br />But most importantly, bring on the good times. Here’s to a happy, wonderfully charged up, excitement filled, (terrorism free) new year! <br /><br />Happy New Year Everyone...!!!BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-24063606861457720272008-03-23T11:19:00.002+03:002008-03-23T11:22:40.220+03:00What's in a title?<div align="left">Some of you might find this post familiar. It's just my article for the bazaar magazine for the month of February. It might be a little too stale and the moment but the topic still makes my head boil at times......and sometimes makes me laugh until I almost puke my guts out! Anyway....read on:</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">What qualifies a person to be a manager? Or what qualifies a person to be a Director or Vice President for that matter? Let’s take a peek at how titles are derived these days.<br /><br />I don’t mean to pass judgment on the people that have gone up the ladder the old fashioned way – hard work, hands-on experience and leadership abilities among many other traits. It’s just that in recent times we have seen an unusual, almost abnormal growth of titles in large corporations and medium sized company. Gone are the days when being a Sales Manager or Product Manager was the “in” thing. Now we have complex titles like Manager, International Relations, Middle East & Africa or Senior Corporate Advisor, Asia & Emerging Markets. They have titles, subtitles and the area in which they function both in terms of the company itself and sometimes the geographical location.<br /><br />Occasionally these fancy titles take about 40 per cent of the space available on a business card (and half your breath away). The people with the titles for the most part are just “suits” or sometimes just “skirts” if I may use that term. People with a fancy degree from an even fancier sounding college or university that speak with a Western accent get fancier titles compared to the rest of the plebeian folk.<br /><br />What dictates your title and your position in the pecking order of a company? Is it your experience? Is it your capacity to handle complicated projects? Is it your ability to supervise people? Apparently some companies in Kuwait have no clear distinctions. You could be a Vice President and have nobody except an executive assistant reporting to you. You could be in a department of six wherein all six are managers with no sub-ordinates.<br /><br />Granted sometimes when you are in a Business Development function and you are meeting with higher-ranking members of the business community, it does help if you have a senior (sounding) title on your business card. However that does not mean you hire people who have just graduated out of a top university and give them a superior title to impress your clients and this seems to be the case in Kuwait of late.<br /><br />In my opinion, companies in Kuwait have to draw a line on how to award titles. For instance, if you are in the capacity of Business Development Manager, are you in a position to draw up a Business Plan for the product or service that you are selling? Are you able to segregate strategic, tactical and day-to-day decisions and create a plan that will incorporate all these fundamentals? In most cases, I’ll tell you right now, the answer is no. Fine, they probably can drum up an exciting presentation in PowerPoint with fancy bells and whistles and sophisticated graphs and pie charts but tell them to do something a little more strategic in nature and they’ll shun you like the plague! They make simple projects sounds as convoluted as knitting sweaters for an entire football team blindfolded in semi-circles!<br /><br />This is something I have experienced. I meet these kinds of people on a daily basis all the time. These are the people who have offices of their own and disapprove of working in cubicles. They are the kind of people who appear to be real busy (taking a page right out of Dilbert) staring into their laptops all day making you think they’re diligent workers who have an urge to make it to the top. Little known to the common folk is that these people are actually silently chatting away their time on MSN or of late (Face-booking their profile). Or they could be YouTubing too! What is amusing is their skill on how to maximize and minimize applications in Windows is so flawless that they can make you believe they’ve been working hard on a global product pricing graph all day when the truth of the matter is they’ve been chatting to some East European girl promising to walk down the aisle with them and bring them to Kuwait for better prospects.<br /><br />Personally I could care less if these people become CEOs within the next year or two. I would rather hone my skills as a professional and climb the ladder – the right way. To those people with flamboyant titles, all I can say is – Damn shame!</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-52114352873080164322008-02-03T10:07:00.000+03:002008-02-03T10:21:42.763+03:00Being well dressed does pay off!<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R6VqVMGacHI/AAAAAAAAACw/WLTy3VqZ1kQ/s1600-h/suits.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162649460108062834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="213" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R6VqVMGacHI/AAAAAAAAACw/WLTy3VqZ1kQ/s200/suits.jpg" width="161" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>I have this reputation of being a sharp dresser and until recently I hadn't given it much thought. Call me boastful or a prude but that is the truth and most of you readers who haven't met me in person might think the same. Both my parents are reasonably good dressers and perhaps I imbibed my dress sense from them. Perhaps it was the fact that I was involved in the fashion industry back home in India in my teens. But what really inspires me to put effort into my dressing is the fact that it makes me feel good about myself. It brings on more confidence and I feel I can take on the world (apart from dressing it's thinking of my fiancé that does that too).<br /><br />What prompted me to post this article on my blog was the fact that a lot of people (while complimenting me on my dress sense) have always remarked that Indians aren't the best of dressers and I for one resent that. I know a lot of Indians who've got very good taste in clothes and accessories. Of course there are a few people who need a makeover desperately but for the most part I think it isn’t that they don't know how to dress, they're just fixed on an era that was theirs and got stuck to the clothes at the time.<br /><br />Here are a couple of tips for guys who work in the office and outside either in sales or business development.<br /><br />Invest in three good suits. They don't have to be designer suits just well cut suits in solid colors or thin pin stripes if you're on the heavier side of the weighing scale. Since we're approaching summer go for one solid cream or beige suit. Your accompanying shits with this one could be a crisp white, pink or light blue. Your second pick should be a blue suit; not dark blue, not navy blue, just plain blue. For shirts you could use plain or pastel colors or even stripes but if they're formal shirts the stripes should be in one single dark color. And no loud ties with these shirts just plain solid or striped ones will do just fine. Leave checkered shirts for weekends and outings with your fashionably challenged friends.<br /><br />While you'll wear these two suits to everyday meetings with clients, the third one should be a dark grey or black one that you will reserve for your meetings with high level officials or when you attend a big event. You could also wear this one to formal events and dinner parties. Make sure you wear a crisp white shirt if it's a formal event and the ties for these night time soirees should be in solid and dark colors.<br /><br />What about accessories you might ask? Timepieces are very important and are very representative of who you are so leave all your Casio Digitals in your drawer at home and stick to analogues. Ideally you should have one dress watch either a steel or leather strap while the other can be for those casual meetings or evening coffee-shop appointments with friends.<br /><br />Shoes should always be well polished and you could try carrying one of those little shoe-sponges in your car's glove compartment for those times you're forced to park in a sand-patch and walk to a modern building for about 100 yards before getting to your appointment. Remember your belt always matches your shoes so if you're wearing black crocodile leather shoes make sure you're wearing a black belt and so on and so forth.<br /><br />Speaking of shoes another big faux pas I've seen guys make is wear white socks on suits or formal trousers. Let's face it dudes, break-dancing doesn't pay a lot unless you're insanely talented so make sure your socks either match the color of your trousers or are a shade darker. Pointy white shoes are for Cuban drug lords, Lou Bega and Jitender so they're definitely out of style unless you really want to make a point (pun intended).<br /><br />I think I have done my part here so I'll leave it at that. For those of you who have these kind of clothes in your wardrobe, good for you. For those of you who don't, I think it's time you went shopping. And to those of you who think I'm being an ass and don't want to take my suggestions.......just get a subscription to GQ! ;-)</div></div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-11269810696783394062008-01-30T15:46:00.000+03:002008-01-30T15:50:07.441+03:00Parking Woes!!!Parking has always been a problem in Kuwait. From parking at work to parking in crowded streets to even paid parking lots. We find people doing all sorts of nonsense when it comes to parking. Let's break it down into a few categories:<br /><br />Take for instance the Asian expatriates who drive their Kuwaiti sponsor's cars. Man, just because you're driving a Lexus or a BMW 7 Series, doesn't mean you get to behave rude and obnoxious like your bosses! First of all these people drive like peacocks on a mating spree and when they're waiting for their sponsors to come out pf the malls, they wait right at the entrance blocking other drivers from passing. And heaven forbid you blow your horn, they give you that stare that makes you think they're actually the owners of those fancy cars who just have absolutely no dress sense!<br /><br />There those other kind of people who think that it is their God-given right to take all their time when getting into their cars after a bout of shopping. It could take anything between 30 seconds to 45 minutes for ladies (who are heavily made up) to get into their car, get out to throw their Oscar De La Renta bag in the back seat, climb into the driver's seat again, adjust the rear view mirror (while simultaneously checking to see if their heavy make up is still on), turning on the ignition and almost rear-ending the vehicle behind theirs while getting out of a seemingly easy-to-get-out-of parking spot. They might not want to Asian driver waiting for them but this is worse than that; at least for people waiting for their turn to park. Ladies, please learn to differentiate between N, D and R in our gear shift.<br /><br />Then there are stalkers who stalk parking spaces. These people drive slow and steady smack in the middle of the parking lot with little regard for the people behind them. Their only aim is to obtain the parking slot right next to the entrance of a mall or supermarket despite the large number of empty spaces that exist in the next lane. They don't mind waiting for even 15 minutes if it secures their spot right next to the entrance. Now all they need is a red carpet and the steely white flashes of the paparazzi!<br /><br />Then you have those stupid paid parking lots especially in downtown Kuwait City. You pay to enter and despite that you spend about 20 minutes finding a spot. The whole concept of ease of use has been lost here and this happens quite a lot during rush hour. Why don’t they just keep track of the number of cars they let in and stop people from entering once it is full?<br /><br />Let's not forget, there are those dim-wit numb-skulls that think they have the right to park in two spots instead of one. They either don't see the white line separating two spots of they just don't care. They park diagonally and think it's a mater of style or it shows off their driving (in this case parking) prowess. These people really piss me off – selfish fu#ks!<br /><br />Finally, there are the people who block someone else thinking "he's not going to move…..I'll be back in a jiffy". Now these are probably the people who come home from the office for a quick lunch and get caught up in an afternoon quickie that they need to take a small nap after it's done. Forget about the poor soul downstairs that has to get to the office or an appointment on time, he can wait until I finish my nap and get another quickie on my way out!<br /><br />Why do I ask you are people so inconsiderate? Why is it that they are so lazy? Why do they think they're the only people privileged to drive on the roads? Do any of you want to add to these categories?BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-37996740682078065042008-01-10T15:06:00.000+03:002008-01-12T15:08:36.451+03:00What kind of a name do you have?I have always thought of the naming game as a little too cumbersome. Babies should come with name-tags as soon as they're born. Some of us who are fortunate enough to have been blessed with an average intellect have the foresight to give decent names to our kids. First it was the west. Gone are names like John, James, Christopher, Howard and Robert. Nowadays people in the US especially have taken a liking to names like Hayden, Jayden, DiShawn etc.<br /><br />Then you have people who want to make their race obvious with their names. For instance you know babies with the names Keisha, Delroy, Desiree, Tyrone, Francine or Darius are most certainly African Americans. Just like Alexander, Casey, Jamie are predominantly white baby names! Then there are people who like to change the way their kid's names are spelt. So now you have Brayan, Jayson, Jenipher, Nancee & Justyn! Thanks to the Beckams we now have people naming their kids after cities (in the case of the Beckams it was after their baby was conceived. Brooklyn was where their first-born was supposedly conceived so they named him after the New York borough. What will we have next, New Hampshire, Maine, Khartoum, Addis Ababa? Then there are those descriptive names. In a way it's like the names are telling you what the baby will grow up to be. You have Butler, Porter, Fancy (Yes, I met someone with that name), Destiny (what are the chances she won't be a fortune-teller?) and Castro. If you're naming your daughter Ruth, you're making her out to be an 80 year old nun. Blanche might not sound like a nun's name but it's like saying come over and spend some time with old grandma Blanche in the senior citizen's home.<br /><br />Even Indians seem to be getting a little overboard with naming their kids these days. Earlier there were names like Ravi, Shyam, Ram, Shekhar, Rukmini and Gita. Todays names are a little complicated like Rushil, Ramon, Revati and Ruchira. For the most part they're all right one could say. But within India let's take a looksey at a few of the states. Goans like to be considered a different part of India. Apart from the politicians most of the normal people (mostly Christians) think they live in a different country. They wear western clothes, (try to speak with a Western accent) and give everything they do a Portuguese story. When it comes to names, Goans like fancy sounding ones. They think their baby will grow up to be famous with a fancy name. Royston is a favorite among the clan and so are variations of other popular names. Other names like Glenville (Goans actually have these kind of names) are better reserved for small town with populations of less than 200 people. Then you have Goodwin, Godwin, Larry, Gary (and sometimes Garry with 2 Rs). A trend that started in the 90s was combining the names of the father and mother to form a new and improved version of the family! ;-) There's Edlin derived from Edward and Linara. (I know these people) There is Milton from Milagres and Tony (which actually is a real name as gay as it may sound). Here's another one – Alvirita derived from Alvito and Rita.<br /><br />People have also got to realize the implications of naming their kids a silly dorky name. I can't imagine a guy called Willy growing up to be a bouncer or someone called Chantal becoming a UN ambassador someday. How about a president of the US named Porter or Micah?<br /><br />Seriously, I have a few names in mind for the time I have kids of my own but until then, making fun of other weird and interesting names is all I can do? So…..what's your name again?BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-39916605900730655802007-12-30T09:46:00.000+03:002007-12-30T10:07:19.407+03:00Goodbye 2007!<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R3dCPC-15ZI/AAAAAAAAACg/i2VTk_pTE3Y/s1600-h/newyears_champagne_bottle.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149657525187372434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R3dCPC-15ZI/AAAAAAAAACg/i2VTk_pTE3Y/s200/newyears_champagne_bottle.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Someone once said, “People often worry about what they eat between Christmas and New Year when they should actually worry about what they eat between New Year and Christmas”. Hopefully all you people doing the binge eating (and drinking) should learn from this! ;-)<br /><br />The year 2007. The year that was. At least for me! Those of you who know me well probably know I'm not one to send cheesy e-greeting cards via email. I believe in the sanctity of the written (in this case typed) word. So I thought I'd just put some of my thoughts on cyberspace as this year comes to a close. and this is a little different because it's my first blogging year!<br /><br />As we ponder upon the year that's just passed us, we think about how we could have done things differently. We think about how we could have made better decisions and altered our fate. We think about what we want to achieve in the coming year and the rest of our lives. As for this year, some things went wrong, some things went right and some things simply happened. We partied till morning, we drank all night, we got raises, we got promotions, we got married and we got children. We got chicken pox, the flu, diarrhea and some new strain of virus that got our bowels doing a different dance! But we survived! At least those of us reading this did. Those of us that didn’t are probably in a better place where there’s no need to file your tax returns, no need to think about entertaining surprise guests and no worry in the world (and more importantly they do not have to listen to Himesh Reshamiya and Lindsay Lohan sing anymore!).<br />As for me I always believed even numbers were good for me. The 2s, 4s, 6s and 8s were usually good for me. But this year was different. A lot happened in 2007. I got a new perspective at work after sorting out some stuff (and some people). I got a new perspective on my love life. I realized I'd finally found the woman of my dreams and proposed to her. For those of you wanting to make a trip to Goa, India next year, the wedding's tentatively set for the 8th of November 2008. And finally, I got a new perspective on life!<br /><br />I'm thoroughly happy with myself (those of you with naughty thoughts, it's not what you think). I'm just happy with the way things have turned out. While we all give thanks to God (or whoever you think is responsible for the great big jig we call life), here's raising our glasses and cheering on the New Year; a year filled with new hope and promise. A year filled with joy and pleasant surprises. A year that will hopefully be – the best one of our lives!<br /><br />Here’s wishing you all a Happy New Year!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>PS - Special New Year greetings to my homies - Lord Raj, Rubick, Rayboy and a few anonymous characters for keeping this blog alive.</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-45296798073701049382007-12-25T14:44:00.000+03:002007-12-25T14:47:24.846+03:00Merry Christmas!!!<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R3Dtgy-15YI/AAAAAAAAACY/wBMqtxrVdVo/s1600-h/motorcycle-christmas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147875521781425538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_BQIWnf9VyPM/R3Dtgy-15YI/AAAAAAAAACY/wBMqtxrVdVo/s200/motorcycle-christmas.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A little poetic banter from BarryUno for the people of the bloggin world:</div><br /><div></div><div>Christmas is more than just a festival,<br />It's more than having lots of fun and merriment.<br />It's more than exchanging presents and gift giving,<br />It's more than kissing under the mistletoe with sentiment.<br /><br />Christmas is about celebrating life with new spirit,<br />It's about trying to make all wrongs right.<br />It's about taking it to the next level,<br />In this great big journey called life!<br /><br />Wishing you and your loved ones a fun-filled and blessed Christmas!</div><br /><div></div><div>Peace!</div>BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-14489893709371827642007-12-18T09:32:00.000+03:002007-12-18T10:36:35.301+03:00People and cars!I have made an astute observation. The car you drive speaks about your personality. For the most part it does........and definitely more-so in this country!<br /><br />For someone to drive a Toyota Echo or Nissan Sunny simply means that he or she has absolutely no knowledge about cars and couldn't give a damn! He or she wants to get from point A to point B and couldn't care how that trip is made. The interiors are shabby and cheap. Albeit all the improvements and additional accessories Nissan has introduced in the new Sunny, it still feels like driving a gypsy caravan without prizefighter Mickey O'Neil in Snatch!<br /><br />The same goes for people that drive the Echo. Looking at the instrument panel is like looking at a cheap Casio calculator. Needless to say the shape of the car is a complete turn-off. It's like a frog made of fiber! Or maybe something you'd get if a Corolla spat out a car! I'm glad they stopped making it. The replacement - the Yaris also has a lot to be desired but at least it looks better than its predecessor!<br /><br />The people that drive these cars; what can we say about them? According to my observation, these are the people that do 80 kmph on a 120 lane! They're the ones who'll wait for an eternity to cross an intersection. And they'll drive so defensively that you get the feeling they're driving like everyone else on the road wants to kill them. Pisses the hell out of me!<br /><br />Bottom line; if you can't afford anything else, wait. Get a used Lancer, Corolla or Peugeot 207 but don't buy an Echo or Sunny!BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-61778120481820269442007-12-17T09:39:00.000+03:002007-12-17T09:59:00.568+03:00Full Circle!Life is a full circle! Of course most of you know that already and for those of you who don't.....I'm sorry, you've got to either read more Buddhist philosophy or marry Richard Gere!<br /><br />I have noticed of late that I keep bumping into people I used to hang out with in school and college. I randomly meet people I first started working with. I even meet people I've pulled nasty pranks on when I was growing up! Which brought me to thinking last night......about what Baz Lurhman said in his rant Sunscreen a few years ago. "The more older you get, the more you'll run into people you knew when you were younger" or something to that effect. And this is so true!<br /><br />I'm probably reflecting on this cos I turned a year older last month and it's the end of the year etc etc. But it is something that hits home nonetheless. And as I grow older/younger and wiser I look forward to seeing more of the people I knew. Talking about the good old days when we used to blow up condoms thinking they were balloons and set them across the village river about 2 decades ago (we couldn't possibly have known what they were actually meant for).<br /><br />Have you fine people experienced this?BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281697307196742695.post-81260073490875309272007-12-11T10:57:00.001+03:002007-12-11T11:15:42.329+03:00The "Yesterday" syndrome!I'm perplexed by the "yesterday" syndrome. What do you do when your boss or one of your colleagues from another department comes over and asks you to do something? Most of us decide to take the project on and start preparing for it. It's only when the person who assigns you the project says "I want it yesterday" that you start doubting your decision of joining your present company.<br /><br />Let's face it; the whole "I want it yesterday" syndrome was pretty cool back in the day when it was first made popular. It showed passion and determination. It was used sparingly and with meaning and you sort of respected the people who asked you for stuff yesterday. Nowadays about a decade after it was made popular, a lot of the people at work use that phrase a lot. I want that report on my desk yesterday. I want my car serviced yesterday. I want to be able to fly to the moon and back after going to a tanning salon on Jupiter and a gambling trip to Las Venus – yesterday! Come on people, give it a break!<br /><br />It's bad enough that we've got so many things to in so little time at work because our superiors keep dumping work on us like we're a sate-of-the-art food processing plant in France. Now we have to deal with morons who ask us to time travel to the past and get stuff done. What initially was seen as passion has been transformed into a rabid joke that is taking over every office. What does that mean in one line? Our bosses are procrastinators. If you think the task had to be completed yesterday, you should have given it to me the day before! It's as simple as that! Why wait until today to assign it to me? What it proves is that these people are not good managers and collaborators and they're even worse at planning!<br /><br />Do you people have any such gripes about the "yesterday" syndrome?BarryUnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16479596506392101890noreply@blogger.com4