Tempo magazine MAY, 2011

the

PAGE

PAGE

south pole experience

tempo goes green

14

MAY 2011

There is nothing as exciting as change. And nothing more intoxicating than the feeling of renewal. We gathered feedback from you, our readers, on what you want Tempo to be, and we went back into our creative lab to experiment with cutting edge design.

We have expanded the size of the magazine and are transitioning it into a monthly. For those readers who insisted on receiving an e-update we will dispatch UPTEMPO in the middle of each month. We will also carry more mobile tags ( Microsoft Tag will continue, but in response to readers’ requests, we are also adding some QR). The tags and codes will link to online information but also to bespoke multi-media content.

We continue to reaffirm our commitment to the environment through the choice of a lighter weight paper that consumes less resources and is more ‘recycleable’. We will continue to spread the green message and will endeavor to carry more information on ways we can all reduce our carbon footprint. On the content front, we will also have more features on entertainment, well-being and more on community.

One thing is for sure, we wanted to create a more exciting, engaging magazine and to bend the rules of publishing and design.

We want to thank our readers for challenging us and our partners for believing in us…. it sure feels great to be out of the box.

Sana Bagersh Managing Editor

bagersh@abudhabitempo.com

letters to the editor uspace what’s hot tempo top 10 songs tech talk | game hedz the conversation city bites | dishes for dummies my style blueprint cover story people calendar

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MANAGING EDITOR Sana Bagersh FEATURES EDITOR Alma Kadragic EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Ellaine Fatima MAGAZINE DESIGN Mark De Castro WEB DESIGN Rizwan Pervaiz MARKETING COORDINATOR Manjul Abhishek Laskar Laipubam DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Melaku Muluneh

ADDRESS To reach editorial at Abu Dhabi Tempo email: editorial@abudhabitempo. com. If you need to find out where you can pick up your copy call: 02 667 3349 or check out the list of Tempo distribution points on our website.

NOTE TO ADVERTISERS Advertisers can request brand tagging with all advertisements.

To reach advertising call 02 667 3349 or email: advertising@abudhabitempo.com.

DISCLAIMER Tempo is a publication of BrandMoxie. Although Tempo Magazine does its best to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of its contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for errors, mistakes and inaccuracies. The publisher reserves the rights of this product and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher.

download www.gettag.mobi to your smart phone run application

click on tag beside each article to have fun with online content, videos & cool tags!

Shahid Saeed Layla Ezzedeen Blakniss Manar Al Hinai

MEDIA LICENCE NO. 1/105866/24295

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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Angeli Castillo Dave Solomon Neena Rai Randy Parker

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dear tempo, I am a regular reader of the magazine Tempo, it’s a fantastic magazine! I am especially interested to take the quiz… please let me know when you’re ready for me. Best regards, } Ramesh We’ll be in touch Ramesh. Ed Dave’s column on what happens in an emergency room has opened my eyes. After reading his last column I’ll be sure to be better behaved with the understanding that the ‘quiet elderly lady’ (who almost died a few hours before) may be of much greater need to medical services than me. I learned that the emergency room is the only place where the ‘queue’ principle shouldn’t apply. } Dana Thank you so much for granting my request to appear on the APRIL PEOPLE CALENDAR. My mom was very happy...Two thumbs up! } Joshua Francisco Just finished reading April’s issue, and enjoyed it!! I was wondering if it’s possible for me to take part in May’s people calendar, you see it’s my birthday I’m tired of reminding my entire forgetful family about my birthday every year!

Thanks xoxo } Fatoom A. Fatoom made it into May’s People Calendar. Fatoom is in May 8th this month. Ed. I loved your story on autism in your last issue. God knows it always needs more awareness….but just wanted to remind you to make sure you get permission before showing photos of minors } Arwa Absolutely, Arwa. Noted. Ed. “OMG!!!! I received the best news ever by your magazine!!! Thanks for the article about the opening of libraries all over AD. I am such a bookworm and one of it is going to open near my house!!!! Thanks a lot Tempo!!!! keep it up!!!! :) ” } Saman Saad

FOLLOW US ON }

Mother’s Day is on May 8th…

MOM AND ME Age 4: Mom knows everything!

At 8: Mom knows a lot!

At 12: Mom doesn’t really know everything.

At 14: Mom doesn’t know anything.

At 16: Mom doesn’t exist.

At 18: Mom's old fashioned.

At 25: Maybe Mom does know something.

At 35: Must ask Mom before I decide.

At 45: I wonder what Mom would think about this.

At 65: Wish Mom was around...

Dedicated, with love to my Mom Cissie K

A STUDENT’S VIEW FROM PARIS-SORBONNE UNIVERSITY ABU DHABI Thirsty for an exciting life, a young Brazilian decided to come to Abu Dhabi to experience the Sorbonne University, an oasis of knowledge, the largest in the region, where I quenched my thirst for knowledge and culture...”I met incredible people, visited the marvelous facilities and learned more than just French. Everything was so wonderful that I never want to leave the oasis; I chose to be part of the ‘Sorbonnian’ journey”.

Michelle Alves (Brazil)

Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi offerrs a unique experience in the heart of the capital. Students of more than 60 different nationalities choose to pursue their higher studies at Sorbonne experience for its worldclass education and academic resources.

! !

L L A C G N I T S A C

Production company screens Abu Dhabi actors for new “WEBISODES”

We are looking for actors to fit the following roles:

Male Age: 35- 50 Arabic

Male Age: 25- 40 Arabic / Persian

Female Age: 30- 40 Arabic

Female Age: 25- 35 Arabic / Persian

Female Age: 35- 60 No specific Nationality

This is a unique opportunity to have your work showcased. Actors will be taking part in a new mode of storytelling. This series is the first of its kind in the region. If you are interested in auditioning please send a recent photo, your age, and a cover letter to: hannamakki78@gmail.com.

GOOD LUCK!

Check out the impromptu “new tempo” promo video on youtube. M.K expresses the magazine’s new vibe while dancing the shuffle!

Watch it here.

ART NIGHT @ CAFE ARABIA Sent in by Jennifer Simon Come to Cafe Arabia on the 2nd of May, Monday, 8 pm, for our first ever Art Night. This forum is open to artists and art enthusiasts alike- eager to discuss and share knowledge about recent art happenings in the region.

From the Sharjah Biennial, Saadiyat, Art Dubai to your own forays into art- we have plenty to discuss over coffee and tasty treats on offer at the new and inspiring Cafe Arabia. Together, we can form our own culturally rich and diverse niche in the fast growing, ever changing city that is Abu Dhabi. Join us!

{ THINGS TO DO IN MAY

{ tiger doing tricks

The Family and Kids Park Zoo in Al Bahia is a cool family attraction that’s only thirty minutes drive away from the Abu Dhabi city. The zoo, which is in the north-east suburb of Abu Dhabi, is undergoing significant expansion and will eventually include 35 motel-style chalets, a full-size ice-rink, an indoor “marine zone” with 26 salt water and four fresh water tanks, a butterfly park, a play and gaming zone and expanded outdoor areas.

“We are unique among the UAE’s zoos in that kids get the chance to interact with the animals and actually feed them; we provide a very hands-on experience that is lacking in other zoos around the Middle East,” said Mark Wright, General Manager, Family and Kids Park Zoo, which is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

However the real attraction is the zoo, with 660 animals, including a majestic pair of white tigers, lions, cheetahs, dozens of zebras and the adorable 31-year-old 300kg-plus Siberian bear who ought to be the attraction’s mascot. The animals are housed in enclosures labelled ‘Predators’ and ‘Wild Animals’ and soon will enjoy more space once the park’s total size doubles over the next 12 months. The existing park-wide ‘misting system’ which keeps animals and patrons cool in the summer months will stretch across the new areas and will also include a ‘Reptile and Amphibian House,’‘Chimpanzee Park’ and ‘Parrot Park’. A new Arabian fort-themed entrance and an expanded food court are also under development.

“The educational emphasis will continue in the park’s new features when they come online. We’re a 40-minute drive from Dubai and a 30-minute drive from Abu Dhabi city centre, so pretty equidistant between the two. For families making weekend or day trips between the cities, we’re a perfect and affordable stop-off point,” added Wright.

THE TIMINGS OF THE ZOO

} May- September, 4pm to 9pm } Ramadan timings are from 8pm to 12am

ENTRANCE FEE

} Dh 20 for adults and Dh 5 for children six and under } Dh 5 for the Ocean Park

{ water surface

ABU DHABI’S FAMILY AND KIDS PARK ZOO A zoo-menagerie so close to town

{ diver

{ bubbles

SHARK FEST Relish the Deep End

1-15 May, Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Mall One of the most popular leisure destinations within The Dubai Mall is the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo which is organizing a ‘Shark Fest’ celebration this month.

The highlights of the Shark Fest include the introduction of seven new and exotic species of sharks (Black Tip Shark, White Tip Shark, Spotted Bamboo Shark, Coral Cat Shark, Zebra Horned Shark, Wobbegong Shark and Leopard Shark) at its Underwater Zoo. With such a diversity of species in single spot visitors will gain considerable insight into the world of sharks. Besides shark spotting, Shark Fest offers an opportunity for visitors to learn about the shark community, watch feedings of different species of shark and engage in interactive events showing the operations of the aquarium. The festival also features informative talks on environmental conservation that give fresh insights on the natural diversity and on how individuals can contribute to global sustainability efforts.

For the young ones there’s a scavenger hunt where children find answers through exploration and discovery, and the winner gets a shark tooth. There’s also a choice of children’s fiction on the topic of sharks.

USA TOP 10 CHARTS E.T - Katy Perry feat Kanye West S&M - Rihanna Just Can’t Get Enough - The Black Eyed Peas Forget You - Cee Lo Green Born This Way - Lady Gaga Look At Me Now - Chris Brown feat. Busta Rhymes Down on Me - Jeremih feat. 50 Cent On the Floor - Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull Frickin’ Perfect - Pink Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Listen to the #1 SONG IN THE UAE

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guy with earphone } { land surface

S & M *New Mashup* Rihanna and Britney Spears Party Rock Anthem LMFAO

Please Don’t Go Mike Posner Firework Katy Perry

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Give Me Everything Neyo ft. Pitbull, Afrojack & Nayer

Price Tag - Jessie J feat. B.o.B

Sweat - Snoop Dogg (David Guetta Remix)

Don’t Hold Your Breath - Nicole Scherzinger

Black and Yellow - Wiz Khalifa

Buzzin - Mann feat. 50 Cent

E.T - Katy Perry

Someone Like You - Adele

Bottoms Up Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj Just Can’t Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas

UK TOP 10 CHARTS

Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and Goonrock

On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull

What’s My Name Rihanna feat. Drake

10

Raise Your Glass Pink Just The Way You Are Bruno Mars Just Can’t Get Enough Black Eyed Peas

} Blakniss

} Shahid Saeed

Original game head from Atari to XBox!

The latest tech news and gossip

Quirkat: The Epicentre of Arab Gaming

TWITTER BOOST The UAE’s Twitter community will be pleased to learn that Twitter’s searches are faster, at least according to an announcement from Twitter (that was blogged, not tweeted, via its engineering online resource). Twitter says it speeded up its search through the use of a Java server called Blender. Twitter, which serves over one billion queries daily, says the change has already cut search delays by a third, and had aided discourse capacity and speed since the earthquake-tsunami hit Japan.

Game Hedz spoke to Mahmoud Khasawneh and Candide Kirk, co-founders of Arab game developer, Quirkat, an ambitious studio poised to put the region on the world’s gaming map. Here are highlights of the interview:

FACEBOOK OPENS UP Remember…how can we forget?...Rebecca Black’s accidental smash hit ‘Friday’? Well YouTube has disclosed that the song is not only one of its biggest ‘hits’ but has also been one of its record searches, especially on (you guessed it) Fridays! As it so happens April 1 (aka April Fools Day) fell on Friday this year and in our own backyard a group of AUS students performing on World Day concert shocked the audience by performing a rap rendition of Friday. As a prank. But apparently not many people ‘got it’. Scan the tag below to watch the video.

Arabian Lords

EuroScorers

Al-Moosiqar

Basha

And now, SPEC TALK ACER ALL IN ONE Z3731 The Acer Z3731 is an all-in-one PC has an exciting new look and feel. It comes with a 21.5” Full HD touch screen, Intel Dual Core E6700 (2.66Ghz/2MB) processor, 3GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB Hard Disk Drive, DVD Super Multi Drive, nVIDIA GeForce 9200 Graphics and 2MP HD webcam. It has built-in Stereo Speakers, 802.11bgn wireless LAN, Multi card reader, Digital TV Tuner, Wireless Keyboard & Mouse. Most retailers provide the PC loaded with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium and the Microsoft Office 2010 Starter.

HTC PDA MOBILE DESIRE HD HTC Desire HD is 3G Dual band constructed with aluminum unibody weighing about 164 grams with battery. It has a touch screen of 4.3 inches WVGA (800 X 480) display, 8 megapixel camera, with dual LED flash plus 720p video recording, face detection capability and built-in effects that include depth of field and geotagging. It has a 1GHz CPU, 1.5 GB internal memory, 768 Mb RAM, microSD memory card, GPRS, EDGE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 along with FM Radio & Internal GPS. The PDA has up to 9 hours talk time and up to 420 hours standby time..

SONY DVD HI-FI MHC-GZR888D The MHC-GZR888D Mini Hi-Fi system, 600W RMS, 6600W P.M.P.O and a 3 DVD/CD/CD changer that features a 7” LCD Display Screen and FM/AM Tuner. It has Karaoke scoring, microphone input, Dolby Digital/DTS decoding, USB direct MP3 recording and playback, USB movie playback (DIVX, MPEG-4, JPEG simple profile), GROOVE/Z-GROOVE bass boosting, 3 way hybrid dual woofer and weighs about 17.4 kg.

GameHedz: Given the fierce competition amongst titles for a place in the gaming world, do you intend to break into the mainstream markets?

Quirkat: Since the gaming industry is not quite developed in our region, we are going after the mainstream market. Our products are inspired by the Middle East but are designed with global gameplay appeal.

GH: How is the Arabian market responding to the ‘homegrown’ content and what are you using to measure that response?

QK: Our biggest success was Arabian Lords [PC strategy] it reached the number two spot in the Virgin Megastore chart for over six weeks. We’ve also had really good numbers of EuroScorers [football], our Facebook game; and Tariq’s Treasure [adventure] with mobile users, outperformed the combined sales of over 50 English language titles in monthly downloads over the four months. Al-Moosiqar [music] was ported to mobile and was the winner of Nokia Judges Choice Awards.

GH: Has the current ‘discomfort’ with talk of religion in the some pockets of Western culture/ politics had any impact on the Quirkat’s ambitions or strategy?

QK: Our games do not involve religion or politics. We just want our audience to enjoy our products. So the issue of us originating from the Middle East doesn’t create a problem, on the contrary, it gives us the opportunity to show the world our culture in a positive light.

Quirkat is currently developing games for Sony Gulf’s PSP mini-platform and have several games on the Playstation Network (PSN). Quirkat’s HQ is in the UAE with studios in Amman. Visit Quirkat.com for details.

Hedz Up Look out for Brink later this month and tell us ‘bout your Gears of War 3 Beta experience and see the full version of this interview and other reivews on gamehedz.blogspot.com And make sure to take the polls Tempo Game Heads!! Braap!

See the AUS rappers doing ‘Friday’ on YouTube

SONY DVD HI-FI MHC-GZR888D

GABBY }GERMAN

WHO OR WHAT DO YOU THINK CAUSES IT?

WHAT IS IT?

WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT IT?

i am the only person who recycles in my neighborhood

glo ozo bal w ne l arm clim ayer ing ate , thi is de and s is stro tem affec ying per ting the atu ou res r

it’s up to us to conserve as much energy as we can

we’re burning too much gases we need to become more eco-friendly as the human race

we should encourage car sharing and recycling. we need to stop wasting our electricity

we cau are t se he of ma wa glob in rm al ing

we are all to blame, companies, individuals, factories, all of us

MAHER }LEBANESE

ANDREW }ENGLISH

TIM }ENGLISH

Interviewed by } Eli Pearson & Jessica Roberts

GLOBAL WARMING

} Justin Thomas

TO THE USHNA AT THE USHNA The Journey A great restaurant experience begins not with an aperitif, nor with the arrival of the entree.

Even entering a tastefully decorated establishment, and being warmly received by courteous table staff is not the initial precursor to a great meal. No - for the ultimate origins of a truly fine dining experience, we have to begin at the very beginning, starting with the actual journey to the restaurant. My journey began on a Thursday evening…

Driving to the restaurant I realised just how little attention I had paid my urban surroundings over the past few weeks - so obsessed had I become with my research into the origins of insanity. Staring out at Abu Dhabi through an open car

window I was struck by how the city had changed. A radical transformation had occurred, like a Hollywood teen-flick where the plain-Jane protagonist is reinvented beyond recognition - beautified into existence. It's as if the whole city had up and

visited a beauty salon while her inhabitants slumbered. Now the city was beautiful beyond comprehension, the type of beauty that makes no sense, yet arrests all the senses: the type of beauty that commands such a disproportionate share of the brain's limited resources that we forget to breath.

Battalions of blossom had invaded the city from out of nowhere, the Corniche was redolent with the fragrance of flowers. Abu Dhabi had become the unlikely rallying point for the 'million plant march'; what exactly did these floral demonstrators want? More fragrance, more colour, more beauty. In full bloom the flowers projected their intense nature-defying colours onto the irises of innocent passers by - violent pinks, and unearthly purples vied for attention. The colour contrast with the turquoise gulf, and the powder-blue sky was stark, but Abu Dhabi somehow managed to pull it off, she made the look work.

The waiter arrived at our table, always an avid reader, I immediately read his name badge - Jocelyn. My inner schoolboy giggled, where I come from Jocelyn is a girl's name, and our waiter was all dude, dude. Of course my passive politeness forbade me from saying anything.

This is a very British characteristic: if you fall over on a UK street people may not rush to help - this is not stiffened-upper lip callousness, or "bystander apathy", this is simply passive politeness - we pretend not to notice, to spare you any embarrassment.

Jocelyn and the other table-staff at the Ushna are super-efficient, working together like a well choreographed chorus line, everyone plays their position impeccably. There's none of the aggressive bullying some waiters are encouraged to employ, scaring, or shaming customers into ordering more food. Furthermore, none of the staff looked as though they were suffering from mild to moderate depressive illnesses - a common, and particularly unappetising sight at many other establishments. I once had a waitress cry in my soup, minestrone and mascara an ill advised concoction. We struggled a little with the extensive menu in-spite of its excessive use of double adjectives: hot spicy, fresh creamy… Jocelyn however, seemed to possess a service-industry sixth sense, and appeared at just the right moment to effortlessly guide our meal-selections without the faintest trace of condescension.

For starters I ordered dhal makhni with peshwari nam, and for my main murgh makhani with saffron rice. The food arrived without delay, although a delay would have been welcomed in such surroundings, the dhal makhni starter was edible perfection. I actually harboured fairly low expectations of this dish, based on its simplicity, and the fact that, it had been just about the same everywhere else I'd previously sampled it. However, the Ushna's dhal makhni surpassed all its predecessors shaking me out of my complacency towards this humble dish.

gulf. Using my peripheral vision I could just about see both bridges of 'Bain Al-Jessrain' fame, simultaneously if I squinted. Out on the terrace the Grand Mosque was visible, its four largest minarets pointing emphatically skywards, perhaps encouraging us to raise our gaze and contemplate more than our earthbound existence.

No dessert for me, the peshwari nam sufficed, I did however order the chai masala. When the tea arrived I was happily surprised to find that it was un-sweetened, and for once I was free to add, or not add sugar in accord with my own hedonic inclinations. The teapot was aesthetically pleasing, a perfectly spherical cast-iron affair that just begged to be held. My kleptomaniacal better-half took an immediate liking to this uber-cute teapot and spent a good five minutes trying to convince Jocelyn on the merits of gifting, selling, or bequeathing it to her - all to no avail. We left without the pot, but with the indelible memories of a truly great dining experience - which of course included the journey home.

Sent in by Ma. Cheryl Esteban

CAKE BALLS

restaurant's decor was tasteful; there was nothing cliché, no stereotypes screaming "India" through a megaphone, no beturbaned waiters, no elephantine memorabilia, and thankfully no colonial era exotica. The lighting was perfect with a huge window out onto the

YOU WILL NEED: 6 store bought or homemade cupcakes 1/2 cup store bought frosting 1/2 cup melting chocolate 1 tsp shortening candy sprinkles HOW TO 1.

In a bowl crumble the cupcakes and smash it with a fork 2.

Add spoons of frosting and mix until cake is moist enough 3.

Roll cake mixture into balls 4.

Melt chocolate in the microwave as per package directions 5.

Dip the cake balls into the melted chocolate and lay in wax paper 6.

Decorate with candy sprinkles

RATING SCALE: Level 1: super easy Level 2: relatively easy Level 3: medium skills required Level 4: cooking skills a must Level 5: are you sure you wanna do this?

My destination for the evening was the Ushna, an Indian restaurant within the grounds of the opulent Souk Qaryat Al Beri. The joyous drive across town in the cool breeze, taking in the floral roadside displays left me psychologically tenderised. I arrived as a well marinated piece of meat, fully prepared to play my consumptive role in the culinary process. The

The peshwari nam did not disappoint either, although it was so rich in coconut and other sweet stuff it may have served me better as a desert - peshwari nam and custard, a cross cultural culinary experiment I may yet attempt. The murgh makhani was delightful, but the star of the evening for me was the best supporting actress, saffron rice. My favourite colour is yellow, my favourite spice is saffron, even my favourite perfume includes saffron as an ingredient. The Ushna's saffron rice captures everything I love about this spice, the taste, the aroma, and especially the colour - Ushna saffron rice is to yellow, as blood is to red.

The Destination

COLOURS AND PRINTS Abigail Pingul, 25, Filipina steps out of her comfort zone and boldly shows off her true colours and prints!

FASHION STATEMENT: Fashion is a way of expressing oneself. Confidence is not an accessory, but by far the foundation of any fabulous outfit. In-your-face prints are so in for summer…

RED SHOES: Whenever in doubt wear red.

Comfort is my number one fashion priority. Loose chiffon blouses, to vivid floral prints, checks and stripes. It is easy to fall in love with the fabulous decades that brought us these feminine styles.

Break away from the ever-so-common “black dress” and the safety net it offers, and dare to drape in wild prints, florals and colours.

Forever21 is my second home. I could stay there for hours, mixing and matching clothes. Abu Dhabi has great style. You can see it in the way local ladies in their abayas portray simplicity and elegance.

The way I see it, everybody is entitled to their own opinion and their own sense of style. So I say go ahead and express yourself!!

This dress is called “bestida” in the Philippines. I can wear it indoors or outside. But with the sunshine splashing on my skin almost every day, I can wear exquisite, airy fabrics.

CHECKERED LONG BLOUSE: I had no second thoughts when I grabbed it.

FISH LONG CHAIN NECKLACE: I make a statement with large articulated fish necklaces! It is an awesome conversation piece!

RING: A little touch of mother-nature to my floral prints!

SANDALS- From Dumond.

The simplicity appeals to my feet.

Dana Al Hammadi, the first Emirati woman to set step on the South Pole shared her diary with Tempo….

A JOURNEY TO THE SOUTH POLE, AND A MESSAGE FOR LIFE Like the rest of us Dana Al Hammadi heard for much of her life about global warming, but unlike most of us Dana decided to see for herself.

She attended a conference on global warming, raised the funds for the cost of the journey, and joined an expedition to the South Pole. Now she has come back to tell her story and spread her message...

DAY

1

{ THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP

I attended a conference on 13 June 2010 in Abu Dhabi on “Sustainability and Climate Change” and from the moment I heard Robert Swan, the famous environmental explorer, talk about his “Inspire Antarctic Expedition” I was totally inspired. I wanted to go myself and learn of the continent’s fragile ecosystem. This March I became the first Emirati lady to go to the South Pole…

SAO PAULO DUBAI

DAY

8-9

After what seemed like months of sickness and torture, the sea calmed and reached the South Pole! I stepped out on the deck to find the calm sea calling out to me at around 8am. The stillness and the silence were indescribable. The skyline of the mountains and glaciers were magnificent! We set out in groups of eight on “Zodiac” speed boats that brought us to land. Upon arrival, we were greeted by small penguins and seals.

We took pictures of the wildlife and explored the place. We trekked to Petermann Island and Pleneau Island. On the way there were blocks of ice glittering. I was tempted to eat the ice and I did. It was so pure and fresh… a gift from God.

BUENOS AIRES USHUAIA

DAY

2-5

{ FLIGHT FROM DUBAI TO SAO PAULO TO BUENOS AIRES AND FINALLY TO USHUAIA (TIERRA DEL FUEGO, ARGENTINA)

I took the flight from Dubai with two other Emiratis (both men) who were also coming on the expedition. The flight took 33 hours (inclusive of all the waiting) and it was almost unbearable. It was finally a relief when we touched the grounds of Ushuaia – the southern-most tip of the South American continent and the closest point to the South Pole. While we waited for the rest of the group of 65 to arrive from all over the world we were coached; on clothing and gear, safety and security matters, warm-ups, climbing and hiking, and how to stay fit and get into the spirit. It was totally exciting.

DAY

6-7

{ THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE SOUTH POLE

DAY

{ CAMPING ON ICE

DAY

{ SLEEP AND EXPLORATIONS

10

At 1 am on Day 10 we were divided into groups of two, and ours was the first to go to land. We set up tents for the night, on the ice…it was freezing!

During the day, we took our Zodiac to explore Neko Harbour, Andvord Bay, Leith Cove and Paradise Harbour. By nightfall, it was snowing heavily. Each tent accommodated three people, and I was with two people from China. The mix of men and women in the same tent didn’t bother me at all, but the weather did. It was hard to get sleep; the oxygen was so condensed, it was difficult to breathe and the temperature got colder by the second. The thermal wear that I wore under my clothes, and the gloves and socks weren’t of much help. Just when I was about to get “comfortable” water gathered up under the tent. I learned that our body heat caused the ice below us to melt making it impossible to sleep on something cold and soggy.

{ SAILING THE TREACHEROUS WATERS OF DRAKE PASSAGE

We boarded the Sea Spirit ship, and set sail through the infamous Drake Passage, or the sea of “de Hoces” as the natives call it (It is named after the English Pirate Sir Francis Drake, and the Spanish navigator Francisco de Hoces) and is known as the most dangerous sea in the world to navigate. The passage connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic to the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean. It is a rough sea with rogue waves reaching up to 10-20 metres. It was a wild ride but thanks to the scopolamine patches we were given (which we attached behind the ears and the wrists), and lying down almost the whole way we managed to survive. The hardest part was doing my prayers, which I had to do mostly sitting or laying down.

8-9

I was eager to get back to the ship! As soon as we reached the ship I knocked off all my gear and gave it the second group who were waiting for their turn to camp on ice. They seemed very excited so I decided not to talk to them and wait after they experienced what I had. I was in dire need of a hot shower and sleep! I spent half my day in bed. By afternoon we rode on the Zodiacs to do some more exploring.

DAY

{ PAINTING THE SNOW

15

We reached the top of the mountain and I saw Zodiacs navigating through floating icebergs. Soon there were flashes of green, orange, red, blue and yellow that dotted the snow as everyone proudly flashed out their national flags, and I held up the UAE flag. This was a historical moment and we all got the opportunity to hold up our flags and take photographs with Robert Swan. We were proud of representing our countries and we all made a committment to the cause of a sustainable future.

DAY

{ OUR LAST FOOTPRINTS...

DAY

{ THE END...BUT ONLY THE BEGINNING

16

Our last stop was at Whalers Bay on Deception Island. There we observed the volcanic mountains and the remains of whale hunting. The water that surrounded the volcanic mountain was boiling hot, and as I touched it I had the urge to just dip myself in it and relax. It felt like my icy body needed melting. I knew we came to the end of our expedition when I saw everyone clearing out of the base camp and load all their stuff onto the Zodiacs. The Zodiacs were completely hemmed in with ice but we were able to push our way slowly out. By then the wind was strong and we returned to the ship amid choppy waves, back through the scary Drake Passage…

After two days on the Drake Passage I had double vision, and no appetite. I consulted the ship doctor and he said that I would be able to regain my full eyesight after two days. Great news! As I reached the airport, I felt like I was blind asking people to help me read my ticket. I spent the rest of journey sleeping on the flight, and by now was hardened to the bumpy domestic flight. Now I’m back in the UAE…and I have seen with my own eyes the need for change. I have a mission in mind, and I hope to build on Robert Swan’s lifelong commitment to inspire and educate young people and government entities on the importance of preserving Antarctica. I am ready to tell my story so everyone is aware of climate change, and to encourage people to adopt sustainable, renewable energy practices. For me this wasn’t a two week journey, but the start of a lifelong commitment.

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{ THE MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPE

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{ BREAKING ICE

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Early morning we set out to other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. The high rising glaciers were splendid especially the ones that were painted in hues of blues and whites. The scene was dramatic especially because the sun peeked out the corners of mountains’ silhouette. It was an incredible sight for us all as it was the first glimpse of the sun after days of grey. Time stood still, and for a moment I feel that this was what heaven must be like.

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I learned that the Antarctic is the most pristine of beauties but it can also suddenly change without notice into the most hostile of environments. I watched a piece of the ice break from the mountain and drop into the sea. It was shocking, and the impact set the Zodiac boat rocking violently. It was as if Antarctica was crying out loud before the ice fell. It took us some time to recover from this emotional moment.

But soon, as if to reflect the continuum of nature, we saw elephant seals at Brown Bluff, Tabarin Peninsula. There was the sight of a seal, before us, eating a penguin! Ugh!

DAY

14

{ THE YEAR 2041, E-BASE* AND THE PLAN

We headed to the 2041e-base on Maxwell Bay, where scientists from China and Russia are working on solutions for clean and renewable energy. I desperately want the UAE to be involved in this treaty…this is the Antarctica Treaty that requires nations to focus on the protection of Antarctica and prohibit drilling and mining rights until 2041. We did more trekking by afternoon and I hiked up to the top of the mountain, took in the breathtaking 360 degree views, and I took this moment to spread out a banner with the picture of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa! It was a moment of magic and fulfillment!

* Learn more about Robert Swan’s mission, the 2041 treaty, and his dream to build the world’s first education base (E-Base) in Antarctica. The E-Base is intended to serve as a resource for teachers and to inspire young people around the world.

Visit http://www.2041.com/education Tempo is committed to the cause! Check out the June 2011 Tempo issue to see our list of 50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING !

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TAMAKKAN COURSES: May 3 • Social Media for Business { FREE } May 6 • Entrepreneurship Made Easy May 13 • Entrepreneurship Project Management 2 May 14 • Social Media Bootcamp May 20 • Entrepreneurship Project Management 1 May 27 • Performance Management 101 May 28 • Online Business 101

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READ

VAMP UP Starry Nights At your very own boudoir

“Les Énergies Renouvelables” in Arabic Kalima, the translation project of ADACH, has published the Arabic translation of Jacques Vernier’s “Les Énergies Renouvelables” (Renewable Energies).

Getting weary of your plain and simple, monotonous boudoir? The One’s Spring/Summer 2011 Collection, promises to give your home some luxurious pampering… Hollywood-style.

The translation is by Abdel Hadi Idrissi, a professor at the Higher College of Teachers in Tetouan. The book looks at how humans have made use of different types of energy available on the planet since ancient times.

The One serves p a decidedly romantic vintage modern mix inspired by 50s Hollywood glam.

Recreate your chic bedroom with classic damask wallpaper, a curvaceous bed upholstered in lush velvety fabric and a buttoned floor screen; layer the bed in cool cream and beige; add a couple of cushions in the palest of purples for subtle contrast, then pair it with an eclectic stone-top copper side table or an ornately designed painted wood bedside table. Sweet dreams glamour girls! You can find The One at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

BROWSE

It talks of how humans started by burning wood to produce fire and to cook food, heat up their homes and protect themselves from enemies. The book explores modern day renewable energies, discusses each source with a look at future prospects through the examination of French, European and global statistics and data. Tempo’s verdict: a timely read, and a great Arabic resource on the topic.

LISTEN The “Femme Fatale” is Back!

FACEinHOLE.com Who do you want to be today?

Haven’t you ever wanted to see what you’d look like as a James Bond, a Paris Hilton or a Mick Jagger? Well in this site you can virtually (excuse the pun) become the celebrity you’ve long been dying to be…get those six packs in no time, become the wife of the most powerful man in the world, and get your face on a magazine cover! All you need is a good photo of yourself, a little resizing skill, and voila! And the best part is you can even send it out to all your friends and make them jealous that you went on a date with Justin Bieber! Cheesy, fun and best of all free. Also available as iPhone and iPad apps.

Website: http://www.faceinhole.com

The seventh album released by the Queen of Pop Britney Spears has made an impact, and looks like it could be the redemptive coup for the beleaguered songstress.

Already getting considerable airplay on radio, TV and the worldwide web, her album “Femme Fatale” reaffirms her status in a market thronging with young female talent.

Britney has described her album as “sexy and strong, dangerous yet mysterious, cool yet confident.”

Well what’s for sure is that the album has reached number one on the Billboard 200 with 278,000 first-week sales, went certified gold during its debut week in Australia with 35,000 copies sold, and made it to Germany’s top ten.

Tempo sampled the album and suggests you give a listen to: Hold It Against Me, Big Fat Bass (feat Will.i.Am), and Till the World Ends. So is this Britney’s big comeback? We say YES!

SHOP

DOWNLOAD Palringo’s multiprotocol chat client has quickly become the favorite of many IM addicts. It gives users much of what they expect, as well as something that its competitors lack. First of all it’s free, and second, it offers some unique features such as “Groups” and voice-clip ability.

It supports MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Google, ICQ, Jabber, iChat and MobileMe, QQ, Gadu-Gadu, and Facebook Chat, although it can be buggy at times.

Tempo likes the fact it can send audio messages directly which are received with 10 seconds of sending and that it plays automatically.

Quality is pretty darn good too. We think this really creates a true push-to-talk alternative for people.

Palringo is synchronizable and available on multiple mobile platforms, including Android, iPhone and iPod Touch, Blackberry, Java, Symbian and S60, and Windows Mobile. They have their own IM service, but it requires registration before you can setup your IM account details. IM as often as you like from your desktop PC or from your cell, Palringo might just become your best pal.

Numero Unica!

There is one thing that the Italians will make time for, and strive for perfection to create, and that’s coffee. There’s also one thing that most of us are guilty of spending too much money on, and that’s coffee.

And so enter the solution: your very own Unica coffee maker from Gaggia to provide you with great coffee and long term savings.

The newly launched Unica is a fully automatic coffee machine with a sleek and clear control panel, an adjustable frontal dispensing head and a removable coffee ground container… which makes it easy to clean and maintain, say the guys from Gaggia.

The Unica produces everything from creamy cappuccino to smooth espresso.

But your barista dream comes with a hefty price tag of Dh 3290 (and is available in Dubai Garden Centre).

Coffee anyone?

BUY Swappeez: The limitless sandals What if you have five minutes to pack for a super vacation in the Bahamas, and you have several colourful outfits but can only squeeze in one pair of sandals? Well that must have been the situational dilemma that drove two girls to develop what they think is a universal solution for the world: a single pair of sandals that can be worn in a number of colours and styles. Swappeez sandals come in colourful and interchangeable straps, with buckles and accessories that you can assemble yourself. Their sales pitch is that you can use a single Swappeez kit to build the right shoe for day or night, formal or informal occasion, and all without the wardrobe/ bag space, and without spending a fortune. Worth a try? For you to decide. Where to get them: Sauce and Modern Antiques in Dubai or online at www.swappeez.com

GO ECO

EXPERIENCE IT! THE LOUNGE - Executive Grooming Saloon for Men Courtesy Tempo Value Coupons

BagItWise: Reusable Shopping Bags If you are serious about going green then using reusable shopping bags is probably one of the easiest and most proactive ways you can make a significant contribution. Thankfully the guys from BagItWise have come up with a great idea to get rid of all those plastic bags, which by the way make up most of our city’s waste (actually the top waste collected from our seashores, according to the Environmental Agency, Abu Dhabi).

BagItWise not only made these bags ecofriendly, but stylish as well. They come in three kinds: BAGGU, which is big, bold, and available in a variety of colours, FLIP & TUMBLE, which roll beautifully into a ball when you don’t use it as a bag, and OBOE, which is made entirely from recyclable materials, is very spacious and comes in a range of 50+ designs and prints. All of these bags are made from durable ripstop nylon, can carry weights from 14-22 kilos and comes in a range of smacking cool colours and print designs. They are also machine washable and easy to maintain.

Tempo has already tried these bags and recommends them… take part in being green!

Email contact@bagitwise.com or call 050 5182746 to get your hands on these environmentally friendly bags and pledge to stop using plastic bags.

VISIT

Shaikh Mohammed Usman, Pakistani, 23, decided to visit The Lounge and try out their services. Here’s what he has to say….

WHAT I TRIED: First, I had a haircut. Then I was taken upstairs for a Moroccan bath.

After the bath, I was brought downstairs again for the hair wash and the hairstyling.

AWESOME PART? The fact that the stylist for my haircut was really professional in his work and knew what he’s doing. I didn’t say much. I had a happy haircut. The Moroccan bath was one of the most relaxing things that I have done for months...

AWKWARD MOMENTS? None as such

The Splendours of Mesopotamia For Lovers of Art and History Discover the Splendours of Mesopotamia at the Manarat Al Saadiyat, to learn about the three great ancient centres of Mesopotamian civilisation: Sumer, Assyria and Babylon. The exhibition introduces the history of a crucial region in the development of human civilization and demonstrates how, through trade, Mesopotamia became a great junction where art and literature flourished and gave rise to the world’s first truly ‘international cities.’ The exhibition showcases a stunning array of more than 200 ancient treasures from the British Museum’s iconic Middle East collections, as well as objects from the Al Ain National Museum. Tempo recommends the exhibition, along with its supporting activities of workshops, educational tours and talks. The exhibition is free of charge and guided tours are available upon request. It runs until 27 June 2011 and is open daily from10am - 8pm

HOW MUCH? Well since I used the Tempo Coupon, the offer was “All for AED 100- haircut, hair wash, blow dry, hair style, Moroccan bath”…. cool deal!

RECOMMEND IT? Yes, I would certainly refer it to my friends. They should go to The Lounge for the service and the nice way to relax and pamper yourself…

Would you like to review a service for Tempo?

Or are you a retailer who wants your services reviewed?

Email editorial@abudhabitempo.com

KAREN NYBORG

THE ABU DHABI CREATIVE CLUB KWAME BUSIA The Main Guy : The others: Bohdan Turok, Luis Grolez, Karen Nyborg, Maria Divina Dipon etc.

KWAME I’m an architect from London but I’m trained in creative fields such as photography, graphic design etc. Our community is for like-minded people to collaborate with, learn from and grow creatively. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice or a professional.

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http://www.meetup.com/ abudhabicreativeclub Kwame Busia: The creative roundtable process works by giving everyone a chance to talk about their work and receive useful feedback. It’s amazing because you realize how differently people perceive the things you create and how they responded it to it.

You become more confident in your creative work and learn loads of great skills.

Karen Nyborg: I’m from Canada. I am a teacher by profession, and I am not a professional artist by any stretch of the imagination but I like to dabble in as many mediums as possible. AD Creative Group has given me the opportunity to take part in cultural and artistic events while practicing some of my own craft.

We have a wide variety of backgrounds both culturally and professionally, ranging from psychologists to teachers and musicians, to advertisers designers and architects.

Maria Divina Dipon: I am a realtor by profession but my passion for arts is seeking out for opportunities to showcase and share my talent…I can hopefully leave a mark on the Abu Dhabi Arts scene.

Karen Nyborg: Since I’ve joined we’ve attended an art workshop on Saadiyat Island, an Arabic jazz concert, we met for lunch and drinks, where we got together and talked.

Kwame Busia: We meet and talk about each other’s work. Members bring their portfolio then pass them around. We discuss them and offer constructive ideas. We also discuss techniques for creating, like how to use your camera, settings, lenses etc.

Karen Nyborg: Generally it’s people’s reaction to what’s being presented and getting everyone’s take on the piece.

Showing your art can be a very vulnerable experience so to have a relaxed place to do it with people at a variety of levels and different experiences and talents is nice.

Now, for a tale of caution…It’s just one of those that make you want to say “what the #&%! were you thinking? However the timing and sentiment aren’t really necessary.

A poor immigrant worker is rushed into the emergency room one evening. He had extensive burns to his face, body, arms and was wide awake.

The first thing he tells me is that he was on fire but thanks to his coworkers they were able to extinguish the flames and rush him to the hospital. “What happened?”, I asked, while surveying for other injuries. “I was cutting a metal drum with a grinder when it exploded”. “Exploded?? How does a metal drum explode??”

} Dave Solomon

A Doc from the Bronx

THE “POWER” AWARDS Let me introduce you to some candidates for my own POWER awards ( Patients of the World from the ER). These action packed super-heros and incidents have actually past through the hallowed doors of our emergency department.

But, before we start, let’s get something clear here- it’s not a competition. Not at all, because, in my eyes..... you’re all winners.

“I think a spark from the grinder caused the diesel inside the drum to explode..., ’he replies. “Say no more,” I tell him.

Poor guy.

Well loyal reader, we have come to an end. But by no means, is this the end. If you have read this far, then you are definitely the type who slows down to look at the car accident. There will be more. Stay tuned.......

Let’s start with this sad tale. The patient was writing a letter to his boss explaining his recent absence, and the need for time off. He had just had a heart attack and was still in recovery. However, while actually writing the letter, he clutches his chest in agony and begins to notice severely laboured breathing. He then becomes sweaty. Oh no, he says to himself.... his worst nightmare is happening. He recognizes this feeling and the timing couldn’t be better. Another heart attack…at the ripe age of 32! He had just had his first heart attack only two weeks ago!!

Here are some helpful tips to start: • •

} Layla Ezzedeen Performance Whiz and Feng Shui Practitioner

SLATE CLEAN Weather changes are inspiring to many of us. For better or worse, the heat is kicking in. It is time to lighten up, dress comfortably and wrap up involvements before the arrival of summer.

Let us power up the usual spring-cleaning with decluttering, a powerful process whereby we get rid of the old to ring in the new. We examine everything we own – and I mean every single thing – and decide what to keep and what to release. It is a serious business of redefining ourselves through our spaces, which are faithful mirrors of our identities, cares and challenges. The key is to become aware and understand why we keep what we keep – then let go what we have outgrown.

• • • • • • •

Give your space a good-clean up first.

Divide objects you want to get rid of into: trash, recycling, repairs, donations, returns, and undecided.

Leave something undecided for up to a month then revisit to make the final decision. Attend to repairs promptly.

Decluttering aggressively or slowly is up to you, and can depend on what you are decluttering. Go with your feeling.

Look for relief; this is key. You know you have decluttered correctly when you experience the sense of “At last!”

Trust life. Avoid the what-if-I’ll-need-it-later and just-in-case mentality and do not worry too much about regrets. That said, think carefully through your stuff.

Start where you like. Decluttering is typically contagious throughout the house.

Decluttering can mean reorganizing. Tidy up and arrange things in a way that makes sense to you.

And most of all enjoy decluttering!

The decluttering mantra says, “Love it, use it, or lose it.” When you hold up that oddlooking thingamajig out of the depths, ask yourself, “Do I love it? Do I use it?” If you answer “no” to both questions, lose it. Also ask yourself how long you have kept it and why. Most importantly, discern how it makes you feel.

Read or download Layla’s Book on Decluttering for Well-being

} Alma Kadragic

Photos } Abdul Rahman

AROUND THE COMMUNITY An Evening with the Abu Dhabi Networking Group

In 2009 a young woman whose name sounds Turkish but who is an expat from the US decided what was missing in Abu Dhabi was an opportunity for people to meet and network for fun and profit. Today Nouvriet Boutros is Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Networking Group and hosts a meeting at the Hilton at 6:30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month.

Multiculturalism at this table with Egyptians Wael Eissa and Nevine Ezzat who have lived in Abu Dhabi four and eight years respectively with Kim Christiansen from Denmark, the new to Abu Dhabi married couple Neri Askland and Henny Borve from Norway separated in the photo by Rizwan Khan from Pakistan who’s been here seven years.

ADNG is non profit, and there is no charge to attend. When the speaker is well known, as happened at the April meeting, 150 people sent in an RSVP. The speaker was Mohammed Al Fahim, author of From Rags to Riches and Honorary Chairman of the Al Fahim Group which he headed for a number of years before retiring to give a brother the chance to be CEO.

Anwar Iman from the US and Moustafa Hamwi both work for the Abu Dhabi Government.

Hamwi is new to Abu Dhabi although he lived 10 years in Dubai. Iman has been in Abu Dhabi 18 months working on the emirate’s technical development.

He treated the group to some of his photos from the 1950s and 60s when Abu Dhabi was tiny, he and other children walked barefoot, and the only school was surrounded by sand. Before cars and roads, it took seven days to travel from Abu Dhabi island to Al Ain. Al Fahim says they would make the trip twice a year in a caravan of 150.

After the talk, Al Fahim signed copies of his book which most expats pick up sooner or later to learn about the country before it became the UAE and to understand some of the history that underlies the present city and emirate.

Later, the networking continued as Al Fahim, Boutros, Ronald Wherry, and Dean Hoke, posed with a giant version of the check for 82,440 AED raised by ADNG to benefit the Future Center for children with learning disabilities.

If you’re interested in ADNG, join the group on LinkedIn and come to a meeting.

The next meetings are May 3 and June 7.

Hisham Al Yahyai, an Omani who has lived and worked in Dubai the past two years, came with his sister-in-law Fariya Al Berky and their friend Rana Akoulan, a Lebanese who was born in the UAE.

} Randy Parker

Captain America at the Race Track

Visit Randy's blog on your smart phone

FIA GT1 World Championship Race at Yas Marina Circuit Recently, I decided to satisfy my need for ear-splitting internal combustion noise, the smell of burnt racing fuel and the screech of tortured tires. So I went the GT1 race at the local racetrack.

This racing series started in 2010 and Abu Dhabi had the honour of hosting the first race of the 2011. The premium auto makers are represented with the likes of Ford (GT), Nissan (GT-R), Aston Martin (DB-9), Lamborghini (Murcielago) and Chevy (Corvette C6), and there were several teams for each model car.

My schedule dictated I attend on the qualifying day which meant a much more relaxed pace. There was the usual racing but the pit crews moved in a slothlike pace compared to the frantic NASCAR Crews I am used to seeing. I was surprised how few fans were there considering the “Chamber of Commerce” weather and the nice Yas Marina Circuit venue. The good thing was I could stretch out in the grandstand and not have to battle crowds for food and drink.

There were fun exhibits behind the main grandstands, too.

The icing on the cake was the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show happening concurrently and adjacent to the racetrack. There was also an an exhibition hall of presentations by premier vendors of toys for the ultra-wealthy and then through the back door were several docks full of the real thing. There were several yachts were well in excess of 100 feet and resembled small cruise ships, and as I toured one of these marine marvels I decided I would be comfortable to live aboard it for the rest of my life.

This was my first venture to the Yas Marina Circuit.

It is a well planned facility but really spread out. Be prepared to walk long distances and catch shuttle buses. When I first moved to this part of town there was nothing here, but that is now changing rapidly, and now there is definitely something happening here almost every weekend!

To my surprise most girls around me shared pretty much the same interests; a handsome husband with six packs (maybe a moderately thin guy) on a white horse ( now exchanged for a white Bentley) who comes from a long line of kings (nowadays traded for a businessman).

} Manar Al Hinai A Khaleeji girl who overthinks a lot and loves to write

I was looking through my baby pictures and wasn’t really surprised to see myself in the “princess dress”, you know the puffy pink dress we were all forced to wear in Eid. As usual, my mind started to drift... are we being fed the wrong information since our childhood? My mum told me that whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would always say I want to be just like Barbie or Cinderella.

Did watching too many cartoons and playing with just as many Barbies mess with our expectations? Do we expect to meet our Prince Charming at the ball (aka a cousin’s wedding) who would fall madly in love with us and propose marriage before 12:00 am?

Let’s just assume we did go to the ball and stayed till after midnight… will we be happy if we left that Dh 1500 shoe behind? And you know what they say: “you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the handsome prince.” How will that happen when our society forbids dating ?

What if there’s no prince and all there is are just frogs? What if I’ll never meet Prince Charming at the ball because he had food poisoning and threw up all night?

We can’t always expect things to be perfect, because things in life aren’t. On the contrary, they’re the next closest thing to perfect. Don’t wait for your prince to climb up your hair and enter your room to save you from your miserable life! Wake up and look around. This is as good as it gets. Grab it and make the best out of it.

Follow me on Twitter @manar_alhinai

} Neena Rai

An artist with a flair

A STUDENTTEACHER DUO

I have not heard of many student-teacher exhibitions. Its not a common phenomena in this part of the world. So, when I heard of this exhibition, I was very interested to attend. The exhibition was hosted by Art Lounge Gallery, Art Select at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The exhibition was titled ‘Bondings - Vinculacion’ by two prominent artists from India and Mexico. Mexican artist Jose Toledo exhibited with renowned Indian artist Kanchan Chander.

There were some interesting paintings to be seen at the gallery. Kanchan had displayed her ‘Frida’ inspired mixed media works which consisted of paints, stickers, photos and glitter. With the ‘Frida’ collection she also displayed a series of paintings depicting women. Her paintings were bright and colourful, mostly dominated by the use of reds and blues.

Jose had showcased paintings that displayed lovely figures and leaves. The paintings depicted individuals relaxing before taking a bath in Mexico. In my brief chat with him, he gave me a wonderful glimpse of life in Mexico. About how women tie their hair up before bathing and how they lounge around before bathing.

Kanchan and Jose’s friendship had started 16 years ago in New Delhi where Jose had come to study at the Delhi College of Art as a guest student and Kanchan was his teacher. Despite their student-teacher relationship, the pair remained good friends and continued to meet each other at social and cultural events. While Kanchan stayed in India and worked, Jose moved around the world from Sweden to Spain to Palestine before moving to Dubai, where he currently resides. After Dubai, the student- teacher duo plan to have further combined exhibitions in India and in Mexico.

Visit Neena’s blog and website

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Entrepreneurship Project Management 2 COURSE OUTLINE } • Introduction to project management • Managing project scope, time & cost • Managing resources • Managing project risks • Performance monitoring DATE } May 13, Friday | 8 am to 1 pm COST } Dh 1,100

Social Media Bootcamp

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Entrepreneurship Project Management 1 COURSE OUTLINE } • Entrepreneurship; from concept to establishing a business • Understanding the principles of project management • Entrepreneurship and project management • Preparation of sample project plan for a new venture DATE } May 20, Friday | 8 am to 1 pm COST } Dh 1,100

Performance Management 101 COURSE OUTLINE } • Role of performance management in strategic planning • Performance models • Similarites with personal performance • Putting performance management to work DATE } May 27, Friday | 2 pm to 7 pm COST } Dh 1,100

Online Business 101

COURSE OUTLINE } • Introduction to the trends and opportunities in new media (internet, social media, mobile) • Learn how to take an offline business online, and create a good website • Learn how to market your business online and generate targeted traffic • A study of Facebook and Twitter marketing DATE } May 28, Saturday | 2 pm to 7 pm COST } Dh 1,100

FOR ENQUIRIES AND TO BOOK: Call } 02-667 3349 / 050 912 9647 Email } info@tamakkan.org | Website } www.tamakkan.org

5 TIPS TO USE FACEBOOK FOR BUSINESS

by Logicks.com

1 2 3 4 5

Setup Privacy Settings & Lists Many people ask us how to separate their personal Facebook accounts from their Business accounts – and Facebook has made that very easy!

Facebook gives you complete control over your privacy settings so you now have the power to decide who sees what when they access your profile. To do this in the most effective way, you need to set up Facebook Lists where you can separate your friends, family and your business contacts!

Setup a Facebook Page for your Business Many people debate between creating a Facebook Group or a Page for their business. While both have unique qualities and benefits, Facebook Pages give you the ability to customize the page, is SEO friendly (meaning people can find your Facebook page on Google), and best of all, you can create your own unique URL ie. www.facebook.com/logicks.

Build a Community The hardest part of creating a Facebook Page is driving traffic to the page. To do this you need to consistently create engaging material to benefit from News Feed Optimization (NFO ). We recommend that you use techniques like asking questions, posting relevant photos, videos and links, and creating promotions.

Hyper-Targeted Ads Did you know that our Director Abbas Alidina was able to “target” a Facebook Ad so specifically that the only person in the entire universe who was able to see it was his wife!? Now imagine being able to hyper-target your adverts at that level for your business or product!

Just be sure not to link-off of Facebook but instead direct traffic to your customized Facebook Page.

Implement a Landing Tab that Converts When someone clicks on your Facebook Page, you have the opportunity to step above the competition by creating a Landing or Splash page. You can encourage users to click “like”, promote products and create “Fan Exclusive” content to help generate more traffic to your business. It is inviting, compelling and creates a unique experience for the user.

Social Media for Business COURSE OUTLINE } • Introduction to Facebook, Twitter and Linked in for Business • Use Twitter to generate business • Learn how to use Facebook as a marketing tool DATE } May 3rd, Wednesday | 6:30 pm to 9 pm

by BrandMoxie

ANOTHER YEAR FOR FILM IN THE UAE

} Alma Kadragic

INTELLIGENCE IN BUSINESS Is it a brochure, a flyer or a sales kit?

Often at BrandMoxie we have a client who comes to us asking for a ‘brochure’ without a clear idea of what the piece of marketing collateral is intended for. Here we offer insight on how to fine tune your marketing collateral to fit your specific business needs. Usually marketing literature are required to help a customer make a buying decision. Because the development of such material can be costly in design, content creation and production, it is important for the business to determine the kind of ‘collateral’ required to achieve the specific business goal (which is almost always to convert a potential customer into a real customer).

The “Hand Out and Leave Behind” Brochure As the name suggests, this is the brochure that you leave behind after your contact with the prospective customer. This brochure provides a good outline of your products and services and with it the specific benefits it offers the customer. It is important that your copy is punchy and has a clear ‘call to action.’ It also has to be relevant otherwise your ‘leave behind’ brochure will probably be left behind in the garbage bin!

The “In Response’ Brochure This is the brochure that you send when someone is interested in your product or service and you want to provide information that could help them make a buying decision, basically to take them to a ‘stage two.’ This brochure should list all the strong benefits and features to persuade the customer, and hopefully close the deal.

The Catalogue This is ‘brochure’ that is a listing usually in photos and prices. It is important that the catalogue does justice to the products otherwise it is best that it should be produced at all. So the quality of the photos and printing are immensely important to market the products. Such catalogues can be expensive to produce, and distribute, if they have many pages. These days ‘catalogue’ dependent businesses produce small printed versions and ask customers to browse more expanded online versions.

The Point of Sale Flyer This is usually located strategically at retail points, and usually come in the form of a quick and brief read – often a flyer - to help the customer progress towards the buying decision as they come close to the ‘buying window.’ Or it is something the customer may scan over quickly and take with them to read at home. For the sake of convenience, visibility, attractive design and brevity of copy are all important.

The Direct Mailer Sometimes a marketing strategy calls for a direct mail campaign, and this works best when the target group is relatively small and identifiable, and that the contact information is available to the marketer. In this case, the best collateral type is the direct mailer. Here the mailer should provide your product or services’ key selling points, and also some level of personalization so the recipient places a greater value since the mailer is intended for him or her. Here try to include the person’s name, title and address, and if at all possible personalize the letter (rather than sending it to ‘dear customer’).

The Sales Support Brochure In some businesses a sales person has a short time to make a sales pitch to a customer, and that might involve showing the prospect a ‘brochure’. In this instance the brochure needs to serve as a selling aid, and showing the products in large photographs and headlines helps.

If produced well, this kind of brochure, even if it is left behind with the potential customer, doubles up as a ‘leave behind’ brochure.

Unleash is an innovation initiative by BrandMoxie, a marketing agency based in Abu Dhabi that provides advertising, PR and strategy services. www.brandmoxie.com | www.unleashmoxie.com

No way to escape film in the UAE even if you wanted to. The Gulf Film Festival (GFF) that featured 153 films from 31 countries ended late last month. The Gulf - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, plus Iraq and Yemen - contributed 108 films with the UAE at 45 leading the pack, almost double the 23 from Iraq.

As Festival Chairman Abdulhamid Juma said, “The Gulf Film Festival is unique in the world as the only platform where filmmakers from the Gulf nations, Iraq and Yemen can share what’s on their minds and their hearts with the rest of the world in an open setting."

15 women filmmakers showed their works including several Emiratis. Ghafet Osha, directed

by Emirati Hana Al Zarooni with Tarek Ghattas is a short film about a little girl who sacrifices her life for her dying young sister in the desert.

People who attended the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in December may remember another film by an Emirati woman director, Nujoom Alghanem’s Hamama, a documentary about a 90-year-old female healer in the UAE. It won the Special Jury Prize at the Muhr Emirati competition and was shown again at GFF. If you've been working on a film or thinking about making a film - which can be as short as 5 minutes and as long as a feature film - you still have time but not much. The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) (October 13-22) has announced July 1 as the deadline for entering any of its competitions. The focus of ADFF is international but there is a category for films from the UAE, meaning by Emiratis or expats who live here.

Down the road is the Dubai International Film Festival (December 7-14). If you miss ADFF, there's always Dubai which hasn't yet announced the deadline for submitting films.

Aries (March 21-April 19) It will be a cool month for Aries people. You have worked like workaholics in the past and this month is apt for Aries people to relax and take a chill pill, get a short break from work and be in a holiday mood. This will not only help in regaining the lost energy, but will also make you motivated and optimistic to perform better at work.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) The first week of the month will mark the beginning of a new phase of the year. New moon entering the Taurus zodiac sign is symbolic of a new beginning and new thoughts.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Social events and activities might keep you busy during the end of the month. Gemini people will enjoy the company of their friends and new acquaintances to a great extent.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) People born under the Cancer zodiac sign will have a month to cheer upon. Whether it is the personal life or the professional one, the Goddess of happiness is showering all her love and care for you.

Leo (July 23- August 22) This might not be a good time for love and romance. Those who are looking to propose to their loved one should postpone their decision for a while.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This month will be challenging for many Virgo people. Work will take up most of your time. There might be new career opportunities waiting for you.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Money matters will be in the favor of Libra people. Second and third week of May will be all the more important for money and finance.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Business people need to be very cautious at work. Do not to depend a lot on your colleagues or partners. There might be issues relating to finance.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Sagittarius people will be lucky enough to meet someone special at work. This new acquaintance can slowly and steadily turn into a long term relationship if given enough room.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Capricorn people will have a mixed month with an increased mixture of happiness and less of trouble. At work things will go on normally, with minuscule issues coming in front.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18) Focus turns to your career around the 17th with elevation in your status or getting special attention from the decision makers. Promote your skills tactfully especially with the people responsible for the advancement of your career.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This is the month that the Pisces will find themselves extremely talkative and friends communicative. And because of your lucky planetary alignments this month, the potential for financial gain is possible.

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TEMPOVALUECOUPONS TEMPO VALUE COUPONS IS A COMMUNITY SERVICE.

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TEMPO FEATURED RETAILERS Vasco’s Type: Italian and Indian dishes Specialty: Pastas and pizzas Location: Hilton, Corniche Tel: 02- 6811900

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Mai and Mar Beauty Center Type: Beauty and Spa Treatment Specialty: Bridal preparations Location: Khalidiyah, Behind Emirates Islamic Bank, Mezzanine Tel: 02- 6655808

Hatam Type: Iranian Cuisine Specialty: Grills and basmati rice Location: Marina Mall Tel: 02- 6818585

La Roche Type: Coffee Shop and Bakery Specialty: Coffee and pastries Location: Khalidiyah, 33rd Street Tel: 02- 6505558

Madonna Beauty Spa Type: Facial and Body Treatments Specialty: Facials, Thai massage, Moroccan Bath Location: Mezzanine Floor, Al Salam Tower, Al Salam Street Tel: 02- 6740666

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TEMPOVALUECOUPONS DISCLAIMER

Tempo Value Coupons Disclaimer: Each magazine coupon is limited for per customer. Online coupons can be downloaded from http://abudahbitempo.com/tvp/category.html. Tempo provides these offers as a service to the community, as provided by the retailer and takes no responsibility on any service shortcomings. These coupons do not carry any cash or credit value and can be redeemed only as dictated in the coupon by the retailer.

AL SAJ CAFE

Offer available @ Al Najda Street, Al Yasat Tower next to Standard Chartered Bank, Abu Dhabi Tel: +971 2 6766568

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Offer available @ Hamdan Street, Opposite to Sun & Sand Sports, Abu Dhabi Tel: +971 2 6725505

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One voucher per person Mother’s day package applies from 1–14 of May 2011

DENISE FLOWERS

Offer available @ Airport Road, Khalifa Street, Amiri Building, Shop #9, Abu Dhabi Tel: +971 2 6620902

EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS Offer available @ Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi Tel: +971 2 6581116

HAOS

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