Gulf Insider April 2015 by Gulf Insider Media

The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

WORK for PLAY see page 33

The Arabian Review

Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

Issue 123

www.Gulf-Insider.com

Paradise, just a few hours away...

Dutch Bay Resorts, Sri Lanka

Set within an oasis of mangrove forests, and water reservoirs you will find Dutch Bay Resorts, a tranquil sanctuary of 16 Signature Hideaway Mangrove Chalets of 5 star boutique standards. Come escape from the world and pamper yourself with ageless Holistic Spa Treatments. Rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit by selecting from a variety of spa packages and treatments to help restore your natural balance. Dutch Bay Resorts Exclusive VIP Club - Designed for high net worth individuals who care for nature, we provide specifically designed facilities to allow our members to enrich their lifestyle and well-being.

Gulf Financial Insider

Cover Story

BAHRAIN AWARD FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP 54

CONTENTS APRIL 2015

Special Feature

16 WORK Telecoms

ONLY FOR SELECT FEW Property

BOOSTING INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN BAHRAIN Property

SAUDI ARABIA UNVEILS DESIGN FOR MEGACITY Affairs

THE FLOWER MEN OF SAUDI ARABIA Affairs

THINGS I LEARNED WRITING ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST Education

WHY IT TAKES JUST 20 HOURS TO LEARN A SKILL?

PLAY

14 38 24 44

Travel

26 48

Style

28 54

Motors

30 60

Motors

32 62

Art

TRAVEL INSIDER: EXCLUSIVE TRAVEL COMPANIES Life

FINE DINING: RASOI BY VINEET

WATCH INSIDER: SEIKO MODEL 5 10 OF THE BEST PERFORMANCE CARS IN BAHRAIN CAR INSIDER: PORSCHE MACAN TURBO

MOHAMED AL RAEESI

The Arabian Review

COMMENT...

Publisher & Editor in Chief - Nicholas Cooksey Editorial - Agnieszka Piechoska - Shahrazad Al-Sa’ati

Dollar Dominance in Danger

Regular Contributors - Hugh Haskell-Thomas - Nicholas Cortes - Bill Daly

This is huge. Right now, the United States dominates the global financial system. But after years of endless wars, spying, debt, money printing, bailouts, and insane regulations, the rest of the world is looking for an alternative.

Guest Contributors - Nicholas Carlson - Robert Harris

China is coming up with an answer. The soon-to-be-live Chinese International Payment System (CIPS) will provide a way for banks to transfer funds to one another without having to use the US banking system... or the US dollar.

Layout Designs - Dhanraj S Business Development - Redia Castillo

China is also the ringleader behind both the BRICS development bank (called the New Development Bank, or NDB) and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Both of these aim to end the dominance of the western-controlled World Bank and IMF. NDB includes all the BRICS nations-- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. New Zealand was the first western nation to join AIIB in October. Last month, Great Britain announced its intention to become the second. This is a massive, embarrassing blow to the United States, and to the future of the US dollar. Last summer the French Finance Minister explained to reporters how completely unnecessary it was for a European aircraft manufacturer to sell jets to European airlines in US dollars. He also slammed the US government for arrogantly fining French bank BNP $9 billion for doing business with countries the US doesn’t like. His conclusion? It’s time for a ‘rebalancing’ of the global financial system away from the US dollar. Other political allies of the United States have echoed similar sentiment. But now we can see words are turning into action. Evidence suggests that the dollar’s dominance is coming to an end. To repeat the opening sentence – this is huge.

Admin & Finance - Nikesh Pola Photography - Harold Tejada - Bench Medina Distribution Executives - Mohammed Yousif - Muhammed Shareef P - Rafnaj K P

Published by:

Media P.O. Box 60357, Kingdom of Bahrain Tel: +973 1700 4575 Fax: +973 1772 1722

Printed at Awal Press, Kingdom of Bahrain.

WORK

Distribution Bahrain: Al Hilal Corporation, Tel. +973 1748 0800 UAE: Jashanmals, Tel. +971 4341 9757

PLAY The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

PLAY

WORK

for WORK see page 08

for PLAY see page 33

The Arabian Review

Issue 123

The Arabian Review

Issue 123

Inside:

TRAVEL INSIDER

Arabia’s most intelligent magazine Established since 2004, Gulf Insider is the multi award winning Arabian business and current affairs magazine that also covers property and expat news, interviews, car reviews, travel features, even a bit of art and fashion.

Travel Companies Who Pick their Clients WATCH INSIDER

Seiko Model 5

CAR INSIDER

Porsche Macan Turbo 10 of the Best Performance Cars in Bahrain

Complimentary Copy

The monthly print edition of Gulf Insider is distributed to Bahrain’s highest spending consumers and decision makers. There’s also limited distribution in other GCC states via airline lounges, duty free, ARAMCO in the KSA, and other strategic locations.

Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

www.Gulf-Insider.com

Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

www.Gulf-Insider.com

Registered as Gulf Financial Insider with Ministry of Information approval no. TFI-431©. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. All Rights Reserved. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. *Articles by these correspondents are the copyright of Telegraph Media Group, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, England.

Inbox

Send your views to info@Gulf-Insider.com The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

WORK for PLAY see page 35

The Arabian Review

Issue 122

Exclusive Interview

Karim Al-Shakar Business

Explosive views from Arab Billionaire Finance

BAHRAIN 2015 What to expect? Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

Complimentary Copy

Supercomputers take over stock markets

www.Gulf-Insider.com

The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

BAHRAIN ON THE GLOBAL STAGE What an interesting journey down memory lane with Mr Karim Al-Shakar! Bahrain’s history of foreign affairs is short, but interesting. We are a small nation, but we don’t take a spectator’s seat on the global arena. Promoting world peace has always been our priority, and the history shows that we stick to our words. On the side note, I’d like to wish Mr Al-Shakar the best of luck on his retirement! – Jamil

WORK for PLAY see page 35

The Arabian Review

Issue 121

THINGS ARE HAPPENING Thank you for featuring the “Bahrain 2015” review in GI March edition. It’s great to see how Bahrain’s authorities stay on top of things and keep the island busy with new projects and initiatives. I’ve lived here for almost a decade now, so I’ve had a chance to witness some of the major developments in the country; to see how it evolves into one of the region’s most advanced economies. Way to go, Bahrain! – Jason

Also inside:

Art - Mayasa Al Sowaidi Interview - Jamal Fakhro

BAHRAIN’S NEW REAL ESTATE LAW Protects Buyers and Tenants? Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

WORK

I read your article last month on the hard things that need to be done to be successful and I couldn’t agree more! Such an inspirational reminder of what leads us to the occasional hard-earned successes we all are lucky enough to help create. I would love to read more articles like this in the future, we all need a reminder every now and then - keep them coming! – Dana

for PLAY see page 33

Issue 120

Review

UAE Property Market Affairs

Oil Prices - Domino Effect Bahrain Noor El Ain

Entrepreneurship Awards

The Swimming Challenge

The interview with an unnamed Arab billionaire (GI March 2015) featured some very interesting insights on the dangers of political revolts – even when set off for the valid cause. Throughout the history, many nations saw revolutions unleash one after another, only for the wrong organisations or individuals to jump on the opportunity, take charge, and mess things up even more for those who started the whole thing in hopes of improvement. Unfortunately, the Arab Spring is not an exception. Changes are crucial, but the outcome can only be controlled in a calm and rational setting – not in the midst of chaos. I wish we knew how to make use of others’ mistakes, instead of learning from our own, so that the saying, “history repeats itself” does not apply anymore. – Coco

MORE ON SUCCESS IN LIFE!

www.Gulf-Insider.com

The Arabian Review

EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION

Exclusive Interview HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

www.Gulf-Insider.com

Gulf Insider April 2015

www.facebook.com/GulfInsider

www.youtube.com/GulfInsider

@GulfInsider

introducing introducing VIVA VIVA Business-in-a-Box Business-in-a-Box you you won’t won’t need need anything anything else else

Business Business

For businesses that like to think out of the box, we For businesses that like toquite think literally, out of the webox. bring you a solution that’s outbox, of the bring a solution quite literally, outaccess of the box. • Highyou speed 4G LTEthat’s Broadband internet High speed Broadband internet access • Shared SIMs4G forLTE multiple use; fixed & mobile Shared SIMs forcalls multiple use; fixed & mobile • Unlimited VIVA & SMS Unlimited VIVA calls & SMS • Shared Unlimited Data Bundle UnlimitedtoData • Shared minutes otherBundle networks Sharedline minutes to other networks • Fixed Fixedrange line of free smartphones • Best • Best range of free smartphones

News

GULF ROUNDUP NEWS AROUND THE GCC AND BEYOND

BUSINESS & AFFAIRS

Value of ME 2015 Oil Exports Likely to Drop USD 300 Billion

Oil exports in the Middle East and North Africa are expected to decline by USD 300 billion in 2015 due to the recent slump in prices, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). For the GCC, the aggregated current account surplus will shrink from USD 266 billion in 2014 to about USD 40 billion in 2015, and the fiscal position will shift from a surplus of 4.6 per cent of GDP to a deficit of 7.4 per cent, the IIF said in a new report. It also reduced its growth forecast for the Gulf region by 0.4 percentage points to 3.4 per cent in 2015. However, outside the oil sector growth will remain strong at 4.5 per cent, only slightly lower than last year, the report said. It added that non-oil countries in the region will benefit from the fall in oil prices through reduced oil import bills and lower fuel subsidies. In its baseline forecast, the IIF said the price of Brent oil is projected to average USD 60 per barrel in 2015 and USD 72 per barrel in 2016. – ARABIAN BUSINESS 8

Gulf Insider April 2015

Bahrain to Address Possible Money Squandering Ba h r a i n’s government said it would address a report by a state audit body, which alleged 400 million dinars (USD 1.06 billion) of public funds had been wasted by government departments and state-linked firms in 2013 and 2014. Minister of State Mohammed Al Mutawa was quoted by BNA as saying the report did not suggest public money was squandered but identified possible violations of administrative procedures. The amount would represent a significant fraction of Bahrain’s gross domestic product, estimated at USD 34 billion by the International Monetary Fund last year. The National Audit Office told Reuters that the report was not public and had been distributed to select people only. It declined to provide more information. – ARABIAN BUSINESS

Tamkeen and BDB to Expand Business Incubator Support Programme Tamkeen and Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) signed an agreement to expand the Business Incubator Support programme, a joint Tamkeen-BDB initiative aimed at supporting start-ups and fledgling enterprises. Representing the two sides at the signing ceremony were Tamkeen Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Khaled Ali Al-Amin and BDB CEO Nedhal Saleh Al-Aujan. Under the agreement, more incubator centres will be launched to support start-ups across a number of sectors.

News

Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons Participates in Creative Thinking Conference Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons participated in a two-day National Conference designed specifically for the leadership body AISEC in Bahrain. The event was held at the Bahrain Society of Engineers, aiming at empowering youth as work ready graduates, who can create better opportunities for themselves.

Kuwait Plans to Introduce Corporate Tax Kuwait plans to introduce corporate tax for local companies in a bid to raise more revenue, as earnings from oil continue to drop. A visiting delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was tasked to study the tax reforms in Kuwait by the country’s Ministry of Finance as it seeks economic reforms, which include adapting a tax system to be the catalyst to increase the state’s non-oil revenues. Following a meeting with a visiting IMF delegation, Commerce and Industry Minister Abdul Mohsen Al Mudej said the government is looking at how to impose tax on companies in Kuwait. The IMF delegation discussed with the Ministry officials a number of articles of the new companies’ law and the procedures it is taking in dealing with the imposition of taxes in order to reach a comprehensive understanding before handing the final report to the Ministry of finance, Al Mudej said. He added that the IMF has been a consultant for a significant number of governmental projects and development plans in Kuwait for many years. Kuwait’s government budget surplus shrank 26 per cent in the first nine months of this fiscal year as lower oil prices cut revenue sharply, analysts at National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) calculated, using Ministry of Finance data. AFP reports that Kuwait has posted a budget surplus in each of the past 15 fiscal years due to high oil prices but has also increased public spending from under USD 13 billion to more than USD 77 billion this fiscal year, mostly on wages and subsidies. Income from oil contributed around 94 per cent of Kuwait’s public revenues, which has dropped substantially after the sharp drop in prices. – ARABIAN BUSINESS

TRA Sponsors Bahrain International eGov Forum 2015 The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Bahrain extended support for Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2015 as the event’s Platinum Sponsor. Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, the annual forum provided an integrated technical programme, featuring a number of internationally renowned keynote speakers.

Gulf Insider April 2015

News

Bahrain, Oman Most at Risk from Oil Price Slump, Says Fitch The divergence between the ratings of energy exporters and importers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is narrowing due to lower oil prices, Fitch Ratings has said. The ratings agency said in a statement that lower oil prices have changed the economic environment for the region’s exporters, with Bahrain and Oman most at risk from the recent price slump. Fitch said the oil market downturn will reduce fiscal and external outturns and hit corporate and consumer confidence in some GCC oil producing nations. It said it expects Brent crude to average USD 70 per barrel in 2015 and USD 80 per barrel in 2016. Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia are the only Fitch-rated oil exporters to have released 2015 budgets so far. Abu Dhabi cut budgeted spending by one-third. Saudi Arabia issued an expansionary budget, but overspending (which has averaged 25 per cent over the past decade) is likely to be curtailed. Fitch said capacity to absorb lower oil prices varies in line with its ratings, adding that Bahrain (BBB/Negative) seems the most strained, with a 2014 fiscal breakeven oil price of USD 130 per barrel and debt/GDP already above the peer median, and was placed on a Negative Outlook in December. The statement added that Oman also requires more than USD 100 per barrel to balance its budget, but has sovereign wealth fund assets and a low debt burden. ‘AA’ rated Abu Dhabi and Kuwait are still expected to post fiscal and external surpluses in 2015 and net sovereign foreign assets in excess of 150 per cent of GDP provide vast buffers in the event of prolonged low oil prices, Fitch said. In Saudi Arabia (AA), the impact on the fiscal position has been aggravated by a spending package worth 3.9 per cent of 2014 GDP announced by the new king. However, Fitch said the kingdom has exceptionally large buffers and virtually no debt, although it is examining debt financing options. “The smooth succession and appointment of a member of the third generation of the royal family in the line of succession removes a potential source of political risk,” Fitch added. The ratings agency also said oil importers are benefiting from lower prices through reduced import bills and lower fuel subsidy costs. Jordan stands to gain the most, with net fuel imports of 16 per cent of GDP and fuel subsidies of around 8 per cent of GDP. – ARABIAN BUSINESS

Gulf Insider April 2015

Bahrain Airport Set for Makeover

Construction work on an ambitious project to expand Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will start in May. The new-look airport is set to be four times larger than the existing complex, and will be completed in four years. Cyprus Building and Road Construction Company (CYBROC) has been awarded the first phase of the project, which will cost BD 1.39 million. The first phase is scheduled for completion by November, said Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal Ahmed. The second phase of the project will be awarded next month and due for completion early next year, he added. It will comprise the relocation of the existing Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) facilities including the company’s maintenance workshops, vehicle fuelling stations and training facilities. Once completed, the passenger terminal will be 201,467sqm, and will be able to accommodate 14 million passengers a year. It will feature a 4,600 square metres departure hall with 108 check-in counters, 24 passport control booths, and 28 security lanes. The Duty Free will be expanded to a 9,000 square metres and will include 24 jetty-served departure gates. Arrivals will feature 36 passport control booths, five eGates, eight baggage reclaim belts, and a 1,000 square metres Duty Free, as well as a 7,000 capacity car park. – GULF DAILY NEWS

Telecoms

ADVERTORIAL

ONLY FOR SELECT FEW The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa opens doors for the VIVA Elite members. NEW PARTNERSHIP VIVA recently announced The RitzCarlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa as its latest addition to the exclusive line up of partners for its Elite programme. “We are pleased to have The RitzCarlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa join us, further enhancing the network of partners and benefits members can enjoy. We are constantly expanding our exclusive privileges, which have been carefully chosen to complement our Elite customers’ lifestyles,” VIVA Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Hanna commented. The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa General Manager Christian Zandonella added, “VIVA is an exceptional partner to collaborate with. We are glad of our historic relationship together, as we share the same focus on providing outstanding value and personalised services for our guests and customers.” As part of the new partnership, VIVA Elite members will enjoy an array of unique benefits, including savings at the hotel’s F&B outlets, spas, and sports club.

Gulf Insider April 2015

“VIVA is an exceptional partner to collaborate with. We share the same focus on providing outstanding value and personalised services.” ABOUT THE PROGRAMME VIVA Elite is an exclusive programme created to reward its most distinguished customers’ loyalty through a host of key partnerships, offering a world of benefits and privileges.

Whether travelling for business or pleasure, they enjoy a range of services at the airport, including free Wi-Fi, complementary snacks and drinks, as well as reading materials to help them relax before their flight. As an Elite member, you can also pursue your passion for golf and play on the Montgomerie-designed Championship course at the Royal Golf Club, taking advantage of special rates and privileges. Members can also enjoy access to a designated priority queuing counter in selected VIVA stores across the kingdom, and a dedicated customer care centre, which can be accessed by dialling 103.

WHO CAN JOIN

HOW IT WORKS

Membership to the VIVA Elite Club is by invitation only, and at no additional cost. The VIVA Elite team will extend the invitation to select customers who qualify for the membership and enrol them for the programme.

All VIVA Elite customers benefit from complementary access to the finest lounges at international airports around the world, with Bahrain Concierge.

For more information, call 103, visit www.viva.com.bh/elite, or any of VIVA stores across Bahrain.

Special Feature

CREAM OF BAHRAINI BUSINESS WORLD Gulf Insider proudly presents the very first batch of Bahrain’s most noteworthy enterprises.

ast month, a red-carpet ceremony concluded Bahrain’s first annual Entrepreneurship Awards, which put a spotlight on the seven finalists for their business-savvy contributions to the kingdom’s economy. In the preceding months, Tamkeen and the award partners embarked on a mission set out to stir up the entrepreneurial spirit on the island. Bahraini entrepreneurs of all levels were invited to enter the competition and, as a result, close to 100 applications poured in.

Reviewed by the award’s technical committee and filtered by a round of evaluation that included interviews to determine the semi-finalists, the winners were finally named by the panel of expert judges. Once the award ceremony fever was over, Gulf Insider’s Agnieszka Piechoska asked the winning entrepreneurs to share a few of their secrets to business success. Here’s what they said…

The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship glittering ceremony was held last month at the ART Rotana Hotel in Amwaj For more information, visit www.BahrainAE.com, follow Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account on @BahrainAE, call +973 1700 0710, or email info@BahrainAE.com. 16

Gulf Insider April 2015

Special Feature

CATEGORY: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

HUSSAIN BIN ALI YATEEM Founder, Yateem Oxygen

Q&A WITH ALI HUSSAIN YATEEM, CHAIRMAN OF YATEEM OXYGEN

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship? The feeling is truly indescribable. We are, of course, immensely proud of winning in the first-ever edition of this award. The win is especially sweet since it comes in recognition of the contributions of our father, Hussain bin Ali Yateem, in developing the business sector in Bahrain and helping it become what it is today. We would like to thank the people involved in this award. First and foremost, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his patronage of this event, which showcases the longstanding spirit of entrepreneurship Bahrain is renowned for. Second, we thank Tamkeen for organising this amazing event and continuous support for companies and Bahrainis in the private sector. And last but not least, our appreciation goes to all the strategic partners and sponsors, who helped produce an event that is fit to carry the name of our beloved kingdom.

Mr Hussain bin Ali Yateem

In your view, what is the value of this award? This award has been a tremendous

success in every aspect, helping promote the spirit and culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. It also highlights Bahraini entrepreneurs – past and present – and their immense contributions to the development of Bahrain’s economy. We appreciate the award organisers’ inclusion of the “Lifetime Achievements” category, as it recognises those entrepreneurs who paved the way for us. We hope to see this award grow in stature in years to come.

We appreciate the award organisers’ inclusion of the “Lifetime Achievements” category, as it recognises those entrepreneurs who paved the way for us. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? Most importantly, they must work hard and persevere; this is a key to business success. Also, before starting their project, they must look at their business idea and study it from all angles. It is preferred that they not merely copy others, rather they must either create a new idea or add a new twist to existing businesses in order to differentiate themselves from the rest. They must study the market well in terms of competition, potential customers, and challenges, to name just a few. They should formulate a solid comprehensive business plan, including marketing, planning, recruitment, growth and expansion plans, etc. Finally, read about the experiences of successful entrepreneurs and seek support from organisations from the public and private sector, which provide programmes and support to entrepreneurs, such as Tamkeen, Bahrain Development Bank, UNIDO, Tenmou, and others. Gulf Insider April 2015

Special Feature

CATEGORY: ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR (LARGE)

ABDULLA AHMED NASS & SONS CO. Q&A WITH SAMEER ABDULLA NASS, CHAIRMAN OF NASS GROUP

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship? It is indeed an awesome feeling. Even more so, as our decision to participate was made rather quickly and last minute. Therefore, to actually win the award was astonishing! All in all, it is very encouraging to be given a chance to showcase what we can do. We feel truly proud of this success. In your view, what is the value of this award? T h e recognition as the large entrepreneur of the year by the

Mr Ghazi Abdulla Nass, executive director of Nass Corporation

Gulf Insider April 2015

Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship committee is especially beneficial to our group, because it makes our activities even more visible to the public; it gives us the right exposure. The strategic value of this award is that it recognises the excellence and innovation delivered by NASS Group towards the social and economic development of the region. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? My career with NASS Group started as a timekeeper back in 1969. The most useful lesson I have learnt since then is to be honest and transparent in my dealings. The importance of being flexible in making business decisions is yet another one, because the nature of our business requires this skill almost all

The recognition as the large entrepreneur of the year by the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship committee is especially beneficial to our group, because it makes our activities even more visible to the public; it gives us the right exposure. the time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we must know how to mould ourselves to the situation, to the current state of economy of the country and the region. Lastly, I always aim to be thorough and to follow through with the strategies of our organisation by fully executing them.

Special Feature

CREATIVE STYLE Q&A WITH ALI AL KHAYAT, MANAGING DIRECTOR

CATEGORY: ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR (SME)

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship? I am truly excited to find myself among the winners of the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship. To be honest, I did not expect such great honours and recognition for our hard work and dedication in effort to establish ourselves on the market. At the same time, I hope that this acknowledgment comes as the first of many that await us in the future, as we plan to do our absolute best to gradually acquire more and more public exposure for the company, in the years ahead. In your view, what is the value of this award? I see the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship as the first and very important step towards acknowledging the laudable efforts of Bahraini entrepreneurs, who largely contribute

The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship opens many doors for the aspiring entrepreneurs on the island by motivating them to be bold and to believe in their own talent and capabilities as the country’s future businessmen and businesswomen.

to the national economy. What’s also important, it opens many doors for the aspiring entrepreneurs on the island by motivating them to be bold and to believe in their own talent and capabilities as the country’s future businessmen and businesswomen; by giving them courage to get out there and not be afraid to think out of the box. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? I believe that entrepreneurs are not born, but they are self-made. Keeping that in mind, you should always challenge yourselves to go beyond the norm. At the same time, make sure you stay true to what you believe in and never forget what your dreams and passions are. In my view, this is a sure way to success. Stick to that, and it will come, sooner or later.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Special Feature

CATEGORY: START-UP OF THE YEAR

In your view, what is the value of this award? The true value lies in the people of Bahrain. The SME culture is very strong here. The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship recognises not just the winners, but also all the nominees – including microenterprises, SMEs, and large corporations. With the support from Tamkeen, this initiative is both rewarding and motivating; it fosters initiative. The organisation itself was of excellent calibre, with smooth procedures, international judges, and a very classy award ceremony.

OBAI AND HILL Q&A WITH WAFA ALOBAIDAT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for

Entrepreneurship? As a star-tup business, when you’re still in the initial stage of your venture, you’re like a one man show – and that’s what it was for me in the first year. Only after that I was able to expand my team. Therefore, this award comes as recognition of both my own hard work and that of my team; our collective input to create the company culture and support the local economy. It’s an acknowledgement of our vision to become a leading PR company in Bahrain.

Gulf Insider April 2015

As an entrepreneur, don’t just focus on making money; pay attention to staff hiring, expansion plans, and your leadership skills. Also, be proactive in your community, be visible, be present. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? It’s worth noting that in the selection process for the awards, there were various criteria taken under consideration, not just the “numbers”. The judges looked at all aspects of running a business, such as growth, opportunities, leadership, or CSR, to name just a few. So, as an entrepreneur, don’t just focus on making money; pay attention to staff hiring, expansion plans, and your leadership skills. Also, be proactive in your community, be visible, be present. My second advice is, never settle – do your best and do what you love.

Special Feature

NAMASTE BAHRAIN Q&A WITH WEAM ZABAR, FOUNDER

CATEGORY: MICRO-ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship? I am truly humbled, especially because Bahrain brims with innovative, dedicated, and worthy entrepreneurs. To live in a country where those qualities are recognised, appreciated, and rewarded is a true blessing. I also feel grateful for all the support that I have. After winning the award, I received hundreds of congratulatory messages from my students, friends, and family. This reminded me of the impact Namaste has made in the past four years, and I hope to be able to serve the community even more from now on. In your view, what is the value of this award? This award has already opened many doors for me. The pure publicity that comes with it adds a great value to any business. I look forward to all the training I’ll receive as part of the award, which

Once you’re recognised as an entrepreneur - your business partners, investors, and opportunities are much more likely to grow, too. I feel that with this award, there will be many more partnerships and ventures for me to embark on. will help me manage, scale, and be more efficient at running my business.

Once you’re recognised as an entrepreneur - your business partners, investors, and opportunities are much more likely to grow, too. When I was just in the starting phase of my business, I appreciated every person that crossed my path that was willing to collaborate. I have always been fortunate with that. But, I feel that with this award, there will be many more partnerships and ventures for me to embark on. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? Do it for the love. As cheesy as this may sound, if your work is not the reward in itself, don’t do it. Choose something that you are so madly in love with, something that you cannot stand to see the world without, and do it. I read somewhere once that success was a by-product of enthusiasm. I didn’t understand that in the beginning, but I do now. When you love what you do so much, it is inevitable that you succeed.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Special Feature

CATEGORY: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS AWARD

BMMI GROUP Q&A WITH YASMIN HUSSAIN, BRAND, COMMUNICATIONS, AND CSR MANAGER

ow does it feel to win the BAE? Amazing! Winning this award was a proud moment for everyone at BMMI. It was an honour to be recognised for our efforts and investment in local talent, communities, and Bahrainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. It is through our diverse subsidiaries that we can truly make a difference and impact for all our stakeholders. We were also really humbled to be acknowledged by such a diverse and international judging panel. In your view, what is the value of this award? This award provided BMMI with a platform to represent the true diversity of the Group. It has also reinforced Ba h r a i nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to celebrating, encouraging, and investing in its unique business community. BMMI seeks to be a company that enriches all who are associated with it, not just our shareholders. We also understand that sustainability

Gulf Insider April 2015

at BMMI will be an ongoing and continuously evolving journey. However, we are confident we will rise to the challenge. It is a great platform for local businesses to showcase their success stories, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share the progress BMMI has made, and how important sustainability is to our organisation. Winning this award proves to us that we are on the right track. It has strengthened us to continue forward and improve on

I encourage all entrepreneurs to follow their passion and persevere in achieving their goals. I encourage people to believe in themselves and not to let self-doubt creep in. the work we have been doing to develop talent and invest in the community. Of course, we are also very excited about the award prize, which we hope will help contribute to develop a major sustainability initiative and our talent even further. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? I encourage all entrepreneurs to follow their passion and persevere in achieving their goals. The current environment is a fantastic one for budding entrepreneurs, and we are seeing a lot of success stories out there, as evidenced in the BAE nominations and ceremony. I encourage people to believe in themselves and not to let self-doubt creep in.

Special Feature

ALMOAYYED CONTRACTING GROUP Q&A WITH MANNIL THOMAS MATHEWS, CEO Mr Mohammed Farouk Almoayyed, director of Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons

ow does it feel to win the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship? Almoayyed Contracting Group is really pleased to win the prestigious People’s Choice Award. We are extremely thankful to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of Bahrain Economic Development Board for introducing this excellent initiative – for the first time in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It turned out to be a very wellorganised programme, and we are truly proud to be among the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship recipients. In your view, what is the value of this award? To us, having won the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship is an inspiring and valuable recognition of our services; it

CATEGORY: PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD My advice for the future business owners is to always be sincere and dedicated in whatever you do; never cease to improve and grow; and make sure to apply long-term visions and measures. means a lot to all of us – especially when it comes from the Government.

On the whole, it has given a much needed boost of encouragement to each and every one of our team members, so that we can do even better in serving the nation in the future. Can you share some advice with aspiring entrepreneurs out there? My advice for the future business owners is to always be sincere and dedicated in whatever you do; never cease to improve and grow; and make sure to apply long-term visions and measures. It’s also important to be able to identify and involve the right people for your business and utilise all available local resources to the maximum extent possible. All in all, use your best capabilities not only for your own benefit, but also to further develop our economy.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Property

BOOSTING INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN BAHRAIN Resumption of stalled projects will boost investor confidence, says Cluttons.

ollowing the decision by Bahrain’s government in February 2015 to formalise the rights of tenants and landlords through the introduction of a formal tenancy registration process, along with new legislation around the development of new real estate schemes, it has now been announced that the government will oversee the completion of stalled residential projects. This is expected to significantly bolster investor confidence in the Kingdom, according to leading international real estate consultants Cluttons. In February, the government began enforcing the registration of tenancy agreements, marking the first time the rights of tenants and landlords have been formalised in writing. Additionally, the new requirement for developers to obtain a license prior to seeking planning approval and an anticipated ruling on the formal registration of all off plan property sales are adding to the confidence boosting measures being spearheaded by the government. Furthermore, it comes at a time of rising national stability, as the national residential and commercial markets stabilise as

Gulf Insider April 2015

confidence levels grow in Bahrain. Cluttons’ head of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia commented, “This is certainly another very positive step in the right direction. The government’s actions will no doubt translate into increased confidence levels and heightened investor interest, which will directly benefit headline projects such as Dragon City and The Courtyard. “While it is unclear how the stalled residential projects have been selected, projects such as the iconic Villamar development in Bahrain Financial Harbour are being tackled through the engagement of Gulf Finance House and Saudi based Al Rajhi Bank, we can see that there is strong underlying commitment from the authorities to those who are heavily invested in projects that have been on hold for a number of years.” A further nine residential projects are expected to see a resumption in work this year, with Amwaj Gateway Towers, Marina West and Riffa Views all earmarked for completion. Cluttons’ international research and business development manager, Faisal Durrani added, “The government’s

intentions are clear and the timing is near perfect. Bahrain’s residential market is enjoying a period of exceptional stability, with rental value growth coming in at roughly 1-1.5% each quarter for the past 18 months or so. From an investors’ perspective, the stability has a tremendous draw, particularly in a market that is starting to find its feet again.” Durrani concluded: “The stalled projects listed by the special committee, that have been ear marked to be pushed over the finish line, have been lying dormant, tantalisingly close to completion, for a number of years. Not only have these served as a constant reminder of the recent challenges faced by the real estate market across Bahrain, but they have been a source of financial distress for both domestic and international investors. The decisive announcement to now complete some of the stalled landmark schemes sends out a clear message to the international investment community – ‘it’s business as usual for Bahrain once more and we are more investor friendly than ever before’.”

Property

UK’S STAMP DUTY TAX FOR MIDDLE EAST INVESTORS

nder the previous rules, buyers of Central London residential property had to make provisions for Stamp Duty Land Tax rates based on property value bands; however under the new rules introduced on 4th December 2014, the relatively crude ‘slab system’ was replaced in favour of a graduated tax. While this has reduced the tax paid by buyers at the lower end of the market, it has meant that some, particularly in more prime traditional neighbourhoods of the city, now incur significantly higher transaction costs. Faisal Durrani, international research and business development manager at Cluttons commented: “The lower end domestic market stands to benefit from the new banding system for Stamp Duty in the UK, but as our calculations show, prime Central London buyers are likely to end up slightly worse off, leaving significant opportunities for international investors to target the fringe areas of the city.” “Overseas buyers and investors have now only got to make provisions for the same Capital Gains Tax rates as UK purchasers (as at April 2015), but the new Stamp Duty thresholds in London, plus the 50% rise in rates for the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) means that the Government has now created a three pronged tax attack on the main driver of the upper echelons of the market”. Cluttons data shows that the average price of a prime Central London home during 2014 stood at £2.3 million (~ BHD 1.29 million). With the changes to Stamp Duty rates, this has meant that buyers and investors have to make provisions for an extra £29,000 (~ BHD 16,350). In the traditional Middle East investment heartland of Chelsea, Belgravia and Knighstbridge, the cost implications are particularly significant. In Chelsea for example, a buyer will have to pay an additional £33,500 (~ BHD 18,900) when buying a 2-bedroom flat.

On the other hand, on the Isle of Dogs, which sits just south of Canary Wharf, buyers are looking at a Stamp Duty saving of £4,350 (~ BHD 2,450) on a two-bed flat. Cluttons data shows that gross residential yields in prime Central London stand at just over 3%, while this dips to 1.68% in Chelsea. Further afield, on the Isle of Dogs, near Canary Wharf, yields are just over 4.5%, which comes with the added benefit of a £4,150 (~ BHD 2,300) saving in Stamp Duty taxes. Mark Clegg, head of residential investment agency added: “The attractiveness of residential investment opportunities just outside the prime Central London core is not something new. Yields have always been slightly better and the changes to the Stamp Duty, Capital Gains and ATED rates will turn the spotlight on these areas that may have been previously overlooked by the international investment community. There are numerous opportunities for buyers and investors from the Middle East who are willing to look on the fringes of the prime core.” Durrani concluded: “The silver lining of the tax changes will mean that new areas of investment opportunity will emerge, driving investment into areas previously overlooked, while expanding the real estate investment market of London, further cementing its position as the world’s most desireable investment market”.

22%

Forecasts still point to growth of 22% in the years up to 2019

LONDON CONTINUES TO LURE MIDDLE EAST INVESTORS

ondon remains an attractive destination for Middle East investors looking to expand their property portfolio, according to a new report from property investment firm IP Global. A number of outer London locations are showing particularly high potential for strong returns as price growth spreads from the city centre. While the end of 2014 witnessed a small slowdown in growth, this should be put in the context of an average price increase of 11.1% throughout the year amid lingering uncertainty over Stamp Duty and Mansion tax proposals as well as traditional investor caution ahead of the general election. Forecasts still point to growth of 22% in the years up to 2019. Paul Preston, Director, Head of EMEA at IP Global, which has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, said: “Investors in the Middle East have an emotional draw to London – people understand the market and see it as a great place to travel to and enjoy the British heritage. I personally think that more and more people are buying property in London for investment purposes, whereas in years gone by the trend was for GCC buyers to purchase real estate in London more for personal use.”

Gulf Insider April 2015

Property

SAUDI ARABIA UNVEILS

DESIGN FOR $100 BILLION MEGACITY

audi Arabia is building a new megacity in the desert. The King Abdullah Economic City, or KAEC (pronounced â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;), will be home to approximately two million people. Covering over 100 square kilometers, the metropolis is costing $100 billion and located just 100km from Jeddah, the commercial hub of the kingdom, near the Red Sea. So far 15 per cent has been built. 26

Gulf Insider April 2015

Covering over 100 square kilometers, the metropolis is costing $100 billion and located just 100km from Jeddah.

Plans include a port, industrial complex, a financial island, beach facilities and residential neighbourhoods. KAEC is one of four new cities being built to diversify an economy that is overly dependent on oil. Already it has its own website showing plans, maps and including details on how to invest. Fadi Al-Rasheed, the managing director of Emaar Economic City, the publicly traded Saudi company that runs the entire KAEC project, told the BBC:

Property

‘Freight arriving at the port will be taken directly to the capital via the new land bridge. At the moment lots of products destined for Riyadh are shipped to Dubai, but that will change. They’ll be shipped here as it is cheaper and can be delivered more quickly within the Kingdom.’

Image: Bloomberg via Getty images

Image: Alamy

‘We’re building with the 65 per cent of the population who are under 30 in mind, and we have almost 200,000 Saudis studying abroad. Inevitably they are going to change things when they come back.’ The city’s future hinges on many things including the complex relationships between health, education, housing and employment requirements and infrastructure. It will also open up transport links around the kingdom and internationally. ‘We aim to create one of the world’s largest ports,’ Rayan Bukhari, a manager at the King Abdullah port told the BBC. ‘We’re not competing with Jeddah’s Islamic port - but we are going to take business away from Jebel Ali in Dubai. That’s because of our quicker, more automated offloading and customs procedure.’

A group look at a model of the planned city which aims to create one of the world’s largest ports

KAEC is also expected to become an important tourist stopover for pilgrims, aided by the fact Mecca and Medina are on the high speed train network that links KAEC with the two holy cities. At the moment Mecca is one hour and twenty minutes drive away and Medina is three hours by car. The Haramain train station will open at the end of this year and has been designed by British architect Norman Foster.The station will provide acceleration to area’s developmental plan and will reduce the journey to Jeddah to 30 minutes. The megaproject was announced in 2005 and is largely privately funded. The government has set up an Economic Cities Authority overseeing the four megacities that will be able to deal swiftly with every licence, construction permit and approval needed.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Affairs

THE FLOWER MEN OF SAUDI ARABIA They’ve lived in a remote mountain fortresses for 2,000 years and are so violent even the police are scared of them.

hey live in the Habala Mountains that straddle Saudi Arabia’s southern border with Yemen but take orders from neither government, instead living their lives under the dictates of tribal law. The ‘flower men’, are a tribe of people

Gulf Insider April 2015

descended from the ancient Tihama and Asir groupings and whose traditions, most strikingly the garlands of herbs and blooms they wear, date back more than two millennia. But as photographer Eric Lafforgue discovered, they are the source of much

unrest in the region, conducting crossborder battles and reacting violently should any outsider stumble into their turf - including to Lafforgue himself. ‘In the past, it was totally forbidden for foreigners to enter the area and the villages,’ explains Lafforgue, adding: ‘Some hill villages were only reachable with a rope anyway.’ That remained the case until the early 1990s when the Saudi Arabian government, keen to boost tourism in the region, built cable cars to the villages and hotels for tourists to stay in. But with many of the flower men forced out of their homes by the development, clashes soon erupted and the area remains volatile - not least because of the turmoil in neighbouring Yemen. ‘I had planned to be in the area for a few days but quickly realised it would be very difficult,’ Lafforgue revealed. ‘I had to

Affairs

Many of the homes look more like fortified castles

‘The policemen told me some of the local people really hate foreigners, while even Saudi people aren’t welcome in some villages.’ stop and get a local escort of policemen before I could go into the area. ‘The policemen told me some of the local people really hate foreigners, while even Saudi people aren’t welcome in some villages.’ As a result, when Lafforgue arrived in the village of Rijal Alma, the locals’ initial response was to hide. ‘There were a few old women about who hid from me as soon as I tried to approach them ‘When I arrived in the village, it was market day and a few old women were there. They hid themselves from me as soon as I tried to come towards them.’ The men, however, proved more amenable with Lafforgue able to photograph a group of flower-decked men who screeched up in the back of a battered old Toyota. He was fascinated by their garlands, most of which were made using wild basil and jasmine picked in the foothills

of the Habala Mountains. ‘They do it every day,’ he explains. ‘They all want to look better than their neighbours.’ Not every garland is worn for its beauty, however. ‘They use similar herbs as a cure for headaches,’ he explains. ‘But those garlands aren’t so beautiful to look at. They even put herbs up their noses when they have a cold, which doesn’t look so romantic.’ But their beautiful garlands conceal a penchant for violence, which Lafforgue became all too aware of when he attempted to step into a local restaurant for lunch. Inside, he was threatened with knives by the flower men. ‘Those guys are serious,’ he remembers. ‘The policemen kept telling me that they don’t play games and they were right. ‘For the first time in my life, I saw policemen with guns terrified of men with knifes.’ And they had good reason.

According to Thierry Mauger, a French anthropologist who visited the tribe in the 1990s, the flower men even attempted to rape him. Luckily for Lafforgue, the men soon calmed down and he and his increasingly nervous police escort decided to leave. ‘The police got nervous after an hour,’ he explains. ‘Nobody had stayed so long they asked me to leave. I know I was lucky to meet them.’ And despite his hair-raising experience, Lafforgue has some sympathy for the men who attacked him. ‘It is all down to a lack of contact with foreigners,’ he says. ‘They have also fought for centuries with other tribes who want to take their land. ‘Their villages look like fortified castles with huge towers and walls, and they surround them with rocks for an extra line of defence. You can see that they have had to fight hard to keep their land.’ Gulf Insider April 2015

Affairs

‘DOS’ AND ‘DON’TS’:

THINGS I LEARNED WRITING ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST By Ramzy Baroud

riting about and reporting the Middle East is not an easy task, especially during these years of turmoil and upheaval. From my humble experience in the region, I share these “dos” and “don’ts” on how the Middle East should be approached in writing and reporting.

Question Terminology To question the term “Middle East” is to become conscious of the colonial history, and the enduringly fierce

Gulf Insider April 2015

economic and political competition, which is felt in every fact of life in the region. Then, learn to question many other terms: extremist, radical, moderate, terrorist, pro-western, liberal, socialist, Islamist, Islamic, anti-Islamist, secularist, and so on. These are mostly misleading labels. They might not mean at all what you think they do. Their use is often political as opposed to direct reference to an ideological or political position.

Learn the Language Speaking the native language will gain you more than access, but trust as well, and help you develop real compassion with people who are in greater need to be heard.

Start at the Bottom Every Middle Eastern country has its educated elites. They are often approached by the media out of convenience. They speak one foreign

Affairs

Your best bet as a reporter is to start from the bottom, the people who are mostly disaffected by whatever story you are reporting.

language or another; they know what a sound bite is; they don’t require much training; and they are always ready with their talking points. Although they may be the ideal media guest, they may be the least qualified to comment on a story. Your best bet as a reporter is to start from the bottom, the people who are mostly disaffected by whatever story you are reporting.

Side with the Victim, but be Careful Human rights advocacy, if done for the right reasons is a noble and important mission, but on its own is not journalism per se. One of the greatest flaws in how the Syria war is reported is the simplistic and polarizing approach and terminology. It depends on what channel you are watching or what newspaper you are reading, only one set of victims or refugees matters. Manipulating who qualifies to be a victim, is a highly political question with far-reaching consequences.

Learn History History is essential to understanding any conflict in the region, because every single conflict has its own protracted history, which understanding is essential to fathoming the complexity of the present.

Raise Questions Don’t be afraid to raise questions and provide context that you, and, at times, only you believe is essential to the story. Remember, no such major upheavals happen in a vacuum. Dare to question the motives in the selective reporting of others.

Avoid Subjective Language Terminology could compromise the credibility of your reporting.

Don’t Be a Tourist Reporting, especially from conflict zone is a huge responsibility. Sometimes, misleading reporting can cost lives. Avoid the passer-by casual reporting, as in a young New Zealander hopping from Yemen, to Bahrain, to Egypt, to Tunisia in two weeks, producing a whole number

of articles for whatever outlet willing to publish, but without scratching the surface of a story. You cannot possibly inform others of what you hardly comprehend.

Don’t Get Too Involved The opposite of the hopping reporter is the ‘expert’ journalist, westerners and others who spend many years reporting from a single country. They can be enormously helpful in conveying a truly authentic story, with consistency over time. The pitfall however is that some get too involved, thus taking sides and falling into the trap of the divided politics of the areas from which they report. Lebanon is rife with such examples. Also, the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, for it was accessible to western journalists for many years.

Don’t Generalise When your interest in the Middle East is centred on a single topic, for example, the Arab Spring, you are deemed to oversimplify and generalise. You are compelled to look for common dominators between ‘Arab Spring countries’, while willfully dismissing all else. While the Tunisian revolution may have inspired revolutionaries and opportunists to follow suit or to exploit the transition, the outcomes of such revolts was largely determined by local and regional factors. And finally, always remember, writing and reporting are a learned process, and there is always something new for all of us to learn. So remain humble, and always welcome the opportunity to learn new things.

This article has been abridged for publication in Gulf Insider. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. He is currently completing his PhD studies at the University of Exeter. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press, London). Gulf Insider April 2015

Education

WHY IT TAKES JUST 20 HOURS TO

LEARN A SKILL?

he early hours of trying something new are always challenging, but you can pick up new skills extremely quickly - if you persist and practice in an intelligent way. I just learned how to program, since creating software to automate certain parts of my business would make my day-to-day life much easier. At the beginning, learning how to code was a constant struggle: programming involves setting up your computer in a certain way, learning arcane commands, and trying not to throw your computer across the room when it didn’t do what I wanted it to do. Pushing through the early frustration involved a few simple techniques: 1. I pre-committed to putting in at least 20 hours of practice, which made it much easier to persist when the going got rough instead of quitting at the first sign of difficulty. 2. I learned just enough about the core concepts to start writing real programs, instead of spending a ton of time completing canned tutorials. 3. I broke my program into smaller parts, then worked on one at a time until the software worked, testing and fixing bugs along the way. As a result, I became a reasonably competent Ruby programmer after only 20 hours of practice. Today, my business runs completely on custom software I created. Programming is a now skill that I use every day.

Gulf Insider April 2015

The idea of “mastering” a skill when you’re just getting started is counterproductive: it can be a significant barrier to exploring a new skill in the first place. Dr. K. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University, and other researchers, have found that it takes around 10 years or 10,000 hours of practice to reach the top of ultracompetitive, easily ranked performance fields, like professional golf, music performance, or chess. Most of the time, however, performance in ranked competition against world-class rivals isn’t the goal: it’s far more likely that you want to pick up a new skill to get a particular outcome. For career skills, the focus is on performing well enough to produce a result that’s meaningful to you. For personal skills and hobbies, the focus is on enjoying the process and having fun. You don’t have to “master” every skill you ever learn. Based on my research, you can usually achieve the goals you set yourself in around 20 hours of deliberate practice. When you’re naturally interested in a particular skill, you’ll learn extremely quickly, so follow your interests where they lead, and avoid forcing yourself to grind through topics you’re not really interested in exploring. That said, some skills aren’t exciting in themselves: they’re a means to an end. In business, topics like accounting and bookkeeping aren’t usually superstimulating, but they’ll help you get better results. If the potential results are enticing, you’ll find yourself interested in the topic, and you’ll pick up the essentials in far less time. Are you willing

to rearrange your schedule so you can practice for roughly 40 minutes each day for a month? If not, you’re likely better off learning something else. If you have a clear idea of how good you want to become, it’s much easier to find specific practice methods that will help you get there as quickly as possible. Break the skill down into smaller parts to eliminate the early feelings of overwhelm and make it easier to get started. Practice the most important sub-skills first - the things that will give you the greatest increases in performance, and you’ll see a dramatic increase in your performance after a few hours of practice. The exact amount of time it takes to acquire a new skill depends on your desired performance level. If you don’t make things harder than they really need to be, it’s not at all uncommon to reach your initial objective in a few hours. For example, I learned enough about yoga in three hours to be able to practice safely at home. Given what I wanted to learn, that was enough. Making a serious pre-commitment to practice at least 20 hours before acting at all helps overcome the slippery slope of procrastination. Instead of saying “I’ll get to it later,” you behave in a manner that’s consistent with your pre-commitment. It’s a line-in-the-sand designed to influence your behavior in the moment. 20 hours is long enough to experience dramatic improvements in skill, but not so long that it feels overwhelming to get started in the first place. I’ve tested this method on a wide variety of skills: fine and gross motor movements, cognitive processing, personal hobbies, and professional skills. In each instance, I noticed the most dramatic improvements during the first 20 hours of practice. If you complete 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice in any skill you want to pick up, you’ll be astounded at how good you become.

Josh Kaufman is the author of The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast!. He specialises in teaching professionals in all industries and disciplines how to master practical business knowledge and skills.

The multi-award winning Arabian magazine

PLAY for WORK see page 08

The Arabian Review

Issue 123

Inside:

TRAVEL INSIDER Travel Companies Who Pick their Clients WATCH INSIDER

Seiko Model 5

CAR INSIDER

Complimentary Copy

Porsche Macan Turbo 10 of the Best Performance Cars in Bahrain

Bahrain BD2

KSA SR20

Kuwait KD1.75

Oman RO2

Qatar QR20

UAE DHS20

www.Gulf-Insider.com

News

GULF ROUNDUP NEWS AROUND THE GCC AND BEYOND

Qatar 2022 World Cup Dates Set Football’s governing body FIFA has approved holding the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on December 18 at the end of the first tournament held in the northern winter, a top official said. The decision ended a long-running debate. A change to a winter World Cup was forced on FIFA by the scorching temperatures in Qatar in June-July, and European federations are still worried about dates for international matches scheduled at that time. The compromise will probably see the tournament reduced to 28 days instead of the 32 for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. – THE NATIONAL

LIFE IN THE GULF

Dubai Named Top City for ME Quality of Living

KSA: 60% of Divorces Take Place during First Year of Marriage

Mercer released its annual global Quality of Living report, which sees Dubai placed 74th in the global rankings of a total of 250 and number one in the Middle East and Africa region. Abu Dhabi has closed the gap on its neighbour, placed at 77th this year. Doha ranked 108th, followed by Kuwait City (125th), Manama (130th), Riyadh (163rd), Jeddah (166th), and Sana’a (225th). Vienna rated as the city with the best quality of living in the world for the second consecutive year. Mercer’s Quality of Living survey takes into account a city’s political and social environment, medical care and health considerations, public services, recreation facilities and natural environment. – ARABIAN BUSINESS

Sixty present of divorce cases in Saudi Arabia take place in the first year of marriage, said a judge. Official data reveals that divorce rates have reached 35 per cent “which is considered higher than the global average of between 18 and 22 per cent.” Sheikh Mohammed Al-Jirani, the judge at the endowments and inheritances department in the Ministry of Justice in Qatif, attributed divorce occurrences to many reasons, including the lack of Shariah awareness (25 per cent), presence of organic and sexual diseases (five per cent), frequent travel and absence from home (five per cent), financial inadequacy and failure to meet the wife’s needs and leading luxurious life (20 per cent), technological progress and social networking issues (20 per cent), marital infidelity (15 per cent), polygamy (ten per cent) and absence of equity and justice between wives. – ARAB NEWS

Gulf Insider April 2015

News

Saudi King Throws Cash at Citizens The newly crowned monarch of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who acceded to the throne last January following the death of his brother, King Abdullah, has given over USD 32 billion to his citizens in an extravagant celebration of his coronation. The massive handout includes a two-month basic stipend for all state employees, soldiers, students, and pensioners, as well as generous grants to various professional associations, and literary and sports clubs. Several private companies have also reportedly followed suit, matching the king’s generosity with bonuses for employees. Many Saudis celebrated the move by splashing out on luxury items such as jeweller, iPads, flat screen televisions, and vacations. One man even expressed his happiness at the handout by posting a video to YouTube in which he showers his bemused-looking infant with crisp Saudi riyal bills. This is not the first time a Saudi monarch has splashed cash at citizens. In the conservative Gulf country, social obedience and loyalty to the king is tightly tied to the state’s ability to provide decent standards of living and public services, say experts. – BUSINESS INSIDER

Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay Launched Following a series of star-studded opening ceremonies and parties, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay General Manager Greg Pirkle and his team of nearly 600 staff are now welcoming their first guests. The hotel’s inauguration ceremony was held last month, and was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. During the event, internationally renowned celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck unveiled three dining concepts, including the acclaimed Cut and Cut Lounge, and Hotel Executive Chef Stefano Andreoli presented four more original dining options, including the poolside Vento and the Azure lounge. For a limited time only, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay is offering a special introductory rate, as well as the brand’s popular bed and breakfast option, both bookable online.

Saudi Court Gives Death Penalty to Man for Apostasy An Islamic court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Muslim faith, the English-language daily Saudi Gazette reported. The man, in his 20s, posted an online video ripping up a copy of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and hitting it with a shoe, the newspaper reported. Saudi Arabia, the United States’ top Arab ally and birthplace of Islam, follows the strict Wahhabi Sunni Muslim school and gives the clergy control over its justice system. Under the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia Islamic law, apostasy demands the death penalty, as do some other religious offences like sorcery, while blasphemy and criticism of senior Muslim clerics have incurred jail terms and corporal punishment. Executions in Saudi Arabia are usually carried out by public beheading. International rights groups say the Saudi justice system suffers from a lack of transparency and due process that defendants are often denied basic rights such as legal representation and that sentencing can be arbitrary. The Saudi government has taken some steps to reform its judicial system but has also defended it as fair. – ARABIAN BUSINESS

Gulf Insider April 2015

Travel

ADVERTORIAL

SAY YES TO ADVENTURE Citi launches their Travel Series “Discover” campaign.

NEXT STOP… THAILAND The travel buffs are in for a treat from Citi Bahrain – the bank has launched its exclusive Travel Series “Discover”, a campaign through which Citi clients can win airline tickets and explore top destinations around the world. With Thailand next on the map, the winner will get the opportunity to stroll through bustling streets one day and relax on a remote beach the next.

WHO CAN WIN “We are offering this exclusive opportunity to ten lucky couples to reward our customers for using their Citi credit cards while planning their next trip,” Citibank Bahrain Consumer Bank Manager Navneet Kampani explained. To be eligible to win, Citi clients should use their Citi credit cards until April 30, 2015 for purchasing airline tickets, hotel reservations, or transactions in foreign currency whilst abroad. The more a Citi client spends the higher their chances of winning. “Payments using Citi’s credit cards offer added value 36

Gulf Insider April 2015

to our customers that include discounts on car rentals, access to airport lounges, complimentary travel insurance, and more,” Mr Kampani added.

I WON! WHAT NEXT? The ten wining couples will be selected through a raffle draw and will be

informed in May 2015 by an SMS from Citibank. They will receive a statement credit of BHD 450 on their Citi Card statement, which is the equivalent of two tickets to Bangkok.

For more details on “Discover”, visit www.citibank.com/bahrain

Travel TRAVEL INSIDER

TRAVEL COMPANIES SO EXCLUSIVE

THEY HANDPICK THEIR CLIENTS Inside the world of the ultra-travellers... where just planning an itinerary costs $1,500.

or the most elite members of society, the holidays they go on are so exclusive, that money alone is not enough to secure a place. With the exclusivity comes experiences that you would never normally be able to buy. Specialist Italian travel company, Bellini Travel, set up by Emily FitzRoy 15 years ago, is so exclusive that it only caters to a carefully selected list of 100 clients a year. ‘As we look after a limited number of people each year, we can pull in huge favours,’ Emily said. Brown and Hudson describe themselves as the antidote to everything

Gulf Insider April 2015

that is packaged and unconsidered about today’s luxury travel business. Their bespoke service, which charges a minimum of $1,500 simply to create an itinerary for potential clients, has an impressive portfolio of bespoke experiences they have orchestrated for guests. Luxury lifestyle website VeryFirstTo was founded by Marcel Knobil in 2012 to cater to what he calls ‘early adopters of luxury’ who strive for far more than a luxury holiday or an expensive watch. ‘They’re a very special breed of people for whom having it first matters. Whether it’s a new gadget or an incredible

experience or holiday, these individuals want the privilege of getting there fist. Alexander Martin, director of luxury lifestyle website The Envy Group agrees that for the super-rich, it’s not about what you give, so much as the amazing experience behind it. ‘Our clients - or ‘friends’ as we call them - are very successful and generous people, and we help them create unique lifestyle experiences that goes far beyond booking a table at an amazing restaurant. ‘We recently organised the world’s only Tiffany-blue Bentley for one of our friends, and created a 20ft Tiffanyinspired remote-controlled hydraulic gift

Travel

Visit every three Michelin-star restaurant in six months VeryFirstTo - from $250,000

This epic gourmet adventure for serious foodies - or the very hungry -

The Monaco grand prix is synonymous with style and glamour but why not up the ante even furhter and watch it on board your very own private yacht? You’ll be treated to full hospitality during the qualifying rounds on Saturday and race day on the Sunday, including breakfast, lunch and canapés, as well as Champagne all day.

Take part in a hot air balloon race Quintessentially - price on application depending on location Take a moment to enjoy life in the slow lane with an exhilarating race in your very own hot air balloon. And once you touch down, you’ll be whisked away to plan your race tactics for the next day in the comfort of a luxury five star hotel.

Supercar gift box

Brown and Hudson describe themselves as the antidote to everything that is packaged and unconsidered about today’s luxury travel business. box complete to deliver it in.’ But there are some experiences that no amount of money will buy. Alexander is also able to offer his ‘friends’ the kind of experiences that no amount of money can buy. ‘We get to know our friends very well so when Al Pacino was in town he agreed to have dinner with one of them who we knew was a huge fan of his. There are some experiences you just can’t pay for.’ Feeling flash with your cash? Here are some ideas to help you spend it:

takes six months and will visit all of the 105 Michelin 3* restaurants across the globe. Highlights include the delicacies of legendary chef Alain Ducasse in Monaco: and Juan Mari Arzak’s pineapple bubbles in the mountainous Basque country. Business class travel and 5* hotels included, naturally.

Watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the comfort of a private luxury yacht Bon Vivant - from $5,000

depending on the yacht position (flights not included)

The Envy Group - from £20,000

(supercar NOT included!) If you’re searching for a super-special gift with plenty of WOW factor, consider buying your loved one a supercar in a box. This is a fully bespoke tailored to the individual client’s needs.

Watch opera in the Royal Box at the Royal Opera House in London Bon Vivant - from £9,000

Most of us treat ourselves to a West End show if we’re in London for the weekend, but go one better and amaze your family and friends with a night in the Royal Box at the Royal Opera House. It’s the best and most prestigious seat in the house.

Visit every UNESCO World Heritage Site in one holiday Hurlingham Travel - from $1.6 million

If you’ve ever wondered how many UNESCO World Heritage sites there are, and how long it would take you to visit them all, the answer is 922 and roughly two years.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Travel TRAVEL INSIDER

AIRLINE LOUNGE REVIEW

QANTAS

FIRST CLASS, SYDNEY

ulf Insider had the pleasure of spending a few hours last month in this grand lounge on our way back to Bahrain (look out for our Aussie destination report in next month’s issue). In the meantime we thought the Qantas first class lounge deserved a review of its own as its considered by many to be amongst the world’s best airport lounges. First of all, you don’t have to be a Qantas first class passenger to use it. Any traveller with Platinum-grade frequent flyer status is welcome regardless of the type of ticket they are holding, and they can bring a guest with them. Also, anyone traveling first class with Emirates (or any Oneworld airline) can use the lounge. You may check into Sydney Airport’s T1 international terminal at any time, so why not beat the rush hour traffic and spend the hours relaxing in the lounge instead? Providing you are eligible to use the lounge you can use the Qantas First Class check-in and so also beat the airport ques. First impression on entering this lounge is it’s sense of light and spaciousness… and comfort. The entrance is unusual with an ‘art-deco’ typed walled garden of greenery. There are quiet rooms where you can sit and think, relax, or work, including two small and office equipped meeting rooms that can be booked at no charge.

Gulf Insider April 2015

There’s a day spa open seven days a week from 8.30am to 4.30pm offering 20 minute treatments. First class passengers receive a phone call the day before they fly and are asked if they would like to reserve a spa session. I decided to try the latest high tech Samsung virtual reality headset on offer, pre-programmed to give 360 degree real time views of various Australian locations such as standing on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge – I could look all around me at others walking along the upper platforms, up to the sky, and down at the busy traffic rushing by way down below me. Weird!

Qantas have an agreement with Aussie super-star chef Neil Perry who ensures the very best cuisine is on offer, and it’s been said the quality of the fare on offer is as good as at any of his famous Rockpool restaurants. Of course, as you would expect, there’s also an excellent range of champagnes, wines, and spirits on offer. I felt like eating simply, so ordered a prime Australian filet of beef, medium rare, served with grilled vegetables. It was all done to perfection. Verdict – top marks!

Life

o. N e l i f o r P Insider

SUNNY KULATHAKAL Gulf Who’s Who Publisher and Managing Editor

ow did you come up with the idea for Gulf Who’s Who? I first came to the Gulf region in 1977, on a mission to write for a major publication called The Illustrated Weekly of India, about Indians living and working in the Gulf. This visit was an eye-opener for me. It was extremely difficult to get the information I was seeking, and after a visit to the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, I was shocked to find out there was no directory. That’s when the idea of Who’s Who publication came to mind - a directory featuring photos and profiles of people representing different groups who have contributed to the development of business in the region. In 1978, I published a 1,200-page directory, turning my idea into reality. How did you manage to collect so much information in such a short period of time? With the help of a few friends who happened to be journalists, the job was done. It wasn’t perfect – but it was the best we could manage in the given period of time. I spent a few days collecting information at the Chamber of Commerce, where I took the opportunity to meet some of the leading personalities in person.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Where was the first edition published and where did it go from there? The first edition was published in Muscat. After that, I worked on a Gulf Asian magazine, which I published in Dubai between 1983 and 1984. It was doing well, but with a few restrictions here and there, the publication had to stop for a while. It was then that I shifted my undivided attention solely to Bahrain. Why Bahrain? Since 2000, I have focused on Gulf Who’s Who, Bahrain edition. With its success, I planned to launch in Kuwait and Oman, but that didn’t work to my expectations. Moreover, I have not entered the UAE market yet, as Dubai continues to grow and one directory is insufficient to cater the entire community. My current focus is on Bahrain, where my efforts are appreciated – and it is the greatest incentive of all. Based on what criteria do you select the entries for your directory? We usually follow certain criteria, highlighting the boards of directors and top executives of major firms and organisations in the kingdom. We also carry a general section featuring media figures, etc. I know personally most of the people published in the directory. Do you call Bahrain home? I have been living in Bahrain since 1993; it is one of the two places I consider home, the second being Bangalore in India, which is my favourite place in the world, climate-wise and people-wise. What do you think of networking? I believe that networking is very important; people should not be segregated based on their country, religion and social class, and they should be all included and treated as one.

LIFE IS A GAME. MAKE YOUR OWN RULES.

COMING SOON

Bahrainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first sports and wellness magazine is underway.

PowerUp. Design Your Life. T. +973 1700 4575

www.powerup-mag.com

Life

RASOI BY VINEET Gulf Insider’s Shahrazad Al-Sa’ati eats her heart out at Gulf Hotel’s signature Indian Restaurant.

onveniently located in the legendary five-star The Gulf Hotel of Bahrain, Rasoi by Vineet is the first fine dining restaurant in Bahrain operated by a Michelin starred chef, offering a delectable journey into the world of contemporary Indian cuisine. Created by renowned chef Vineet Bhatia, Rasoi means “kitchen” in Hindi and, in this case, also means fabulous, award-winning, bravura cooking. Inspired by traditional Indian cookery, Bhatia uses his imagination to blend flavours and textures in a uniquely modern way.

THE PLACE As we walked in, we came to know that Rasoi is the biggest fine dining Indian restaurant in Bahrain in terms of capacity, catering for 130 covers for

Gulf Insider April 2015

lunch and dinner in addition to featuring a private ‘Chef’s Table’ dining room. Aside from the impeccable décor, we were seated facing a show-kitchen — full of Indian chefs, food, fire, and more!

THE FOOD

FINE DINING

The menu isn’t the laundry list of standard Indian staples, but instead it’s a creative presentation of recognisable Indian dishes. It sticks reasonably close

Life

you’re used to standard Indian offerings, don’t be surprised when you bite down on the paneer makhani and find that it’s completely free of the squeaky rubberiness that can plague the fresh cheese. The menu also offers a wide selection of striking vegetarian dishes, ensuring there is a selection to cater almost everybody. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat any more, dessert arrived. Rasoi choco cravings — a mouth-watering selection consisting of chocolate-chikki delice, chocolate hazelnut mocha, peanut butter fudge, cocoa soil, and white chocolate kheer – left us incredibly full and blown away.

to the classics we recognise: tandoori meats, kebabs, and flatbreads. As well as mini-poppadums, served with mint chutney, beet yogurt and the indispensable mango chutney, there was an amuse bouche of vegetable cutlet. The ‘evolved’ Indian menu includes starters, such as sundried tomato chicken tikka, tandoori prawn, Malabari lamb baked in banana leaf wrap, and their celebrated almond tikki, which left our taste buds tingling. In a reversal of the usual way of things, main courses are even more compelling. The chicken biryani is out of this world, not to forget the delicious Dahi Baingan, basically sautéed eggplant with yogurt served with a platter of assorted naan bread to compliment it, a combination worth coming back for. If

There’s something to be said about polite waiters, great cocktails, a nice wine list, and a beautifully elegant setting.

THE VERDICT In my head, Indian cuisine is not normally associated with fine dining, but my experience at Rasoi opened my eyes to it. Rasoi delivers a culinary experience as far from the traditional Indian house as can be imagined. Where the a la carte menu is reassuringly familiar on paper, the finesse of execution and the twists on the traditional leave you delighted with the skill of Vineet Bahtia. I’ve enjoyed Indian food before, but never have I had this quality of ingredients and this obvious expertise in preparation. If you’re looking for a creative and unique dining experience, Rasoi is the place to go. At Rasoi, the dishes are no doubt better than any you’ll find at a hole-inthe-wall Indian restaurant in central Manama, and there’s something to be said about polite waiters, great cocktails, a nice wine list, and a beautifully elegant setting. If Rasoi has a mission, it’s to show that Indian food is just as deserving of linen napkins and the fine dining experience as any other.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Life

THE 3 BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

HIGH PERFORMERS AND WORKAHOLICS High performance and workaholism look the same on the outside, but they are in fact very different.

Focus on results -

A high performer designs their day and anchors the most important things to be done first, and then they allow fires and other unplanned events to fill in the rest of their day. They don’t allow distractions to deter them. A high performer’s goals are all about results. If they can’t see a way to create value in the moment, they facilitate or strategize instead. They know that like the economy, business comes in waves, so they get ready during the dips so they can capitalize during the upswings. A workaholic is reactive. They allow other people to choose how their time gets spent by reacting to emails and other distractions. A workaholics’ main goal is to be busy. They fill any space in time with busy work because they feel 46

Gulf Insider April 2015

insecure doing nothing. The insecurity comes from not knowing their value. They believe that the busier they are, the more important they must be.

Know when to give 100%

-A high performer knows when to turn it up and give everything they have, and when not to. A high performer knows when to stop. This comes from having a clear definition of success. A workaholic is always focused on more and seeing to maximize everything because they don’t really know what success means to them. They have difficulty prioritizing what’s important, therefore, everything is important in their mind.

Freedom

- A high performer knows their self-worth and can work with a sense a freedom. They create their own feedback rather than waiting on feedback from others. They puts themselves first because they know that by doing so, it allows them to serve others at a higher level. At times it appears to be selfish, but it’s actually the most effective way to give first-class service to those they work with and for. A workaholic relies on external evaluations to understand how well they are doing, and puts others before themselves. This appears to be selfless, but it’s not sustainable.

Integrated Systems

BE SEEN. STAND OUT. HYPNOTISE.

Complete Digital Signage Solutions

LED / LFD

}

Ideal for banks, hospitals, retail, restaurants, ministries, receptions etc.

}

Windows or Android based

}

Professional stand sold separately

VIDEO WALLS For more details, contact

VIDEO PROCESSORS

+973 17 54 0303 - info@mbafakhro.com

IP TV

Style WATCH INSIDER

SEIKO MODEL 5

PROBABLY THE BEST WATCH YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

than just being rugged, the Seiko 5 had style. The stainless steel lugs were brushed, the day and date were displayed in the same window (a novel idea in those days), and the crown, recessed behind the 4 o’clock position, gave the case a clean look. A half a century later, this Japanese classic remains in production. And a growing community of Seiko modders has made it much more than the poor

Like its luxuryoriented Swiss counterpart, the Model 5 had a metal band and an automatic movement that eliminated the daily winding ritual.

A Seiko Model 5 masquerading as an Omega Planet Ocean

he Seiko Model 5 probably is the best watch you’ve never heard of. Seiko sold more than 5 million of them in the four years after its introduction in 1963. Never had so many paid so little for a high quality watch. Critical parts were machined to within 2 microns (1/25,000th inch) of spec, a tolerance not typically seen in a $20 watch. Here, at last, was the poor man’s Rolex.

Gulf Insider April 2015

Like its luxury-oriented Swiss counterpart, the Model 5 had a metal band and an automatic movement that eliminated the daily winding ritual. It was also water resistant and ridiculously overengineered: The mainspring was made from a nearly unbreakable alloy called Diaflex; an ingenious shock absorption system protected the movement from violent impact; and the patented Hardlex crystal was virtually shatterproof. More

man’s Rolex. It’s also the poor man’s Tag Heuer, Panerai, Omega, and a bunch of other expensive brands most people can’t afford. These “homage” Model 5s are attractive in a way black market counterfeits never can be. For one thing, they’re made to last. The surprisingly accurate 7s25/6 and 7s35/6 calibers that power these affordable timepieces— some new models sell for under $100 on Amazon—are workhorses that can go decades without maintenance. Although they frequently are mistaken for luxury watches, these Seiko mods are tweaked just enough to have their own cheeky personalities. Subtle details that set them apart from their pricy doppelgangers can include hand variations, glass bezel inserts, domed sapphire crystals, day/date discs and dials that look like the real deal, sans logo. Wearing one is like bringing a respectable $20 bottle of wine to a formal dinner party and having the filthy rich host mistake it for Pétrus.

sid

summit interior design hospitality, workplace & multi-residential interior design +973 17305353

info@summit-uk.com

www.summit-uk.com

Style

Veneta now. They are more exclusive.” Gucci is similarly suffering from a reputation problem, while bespoke goods and less-well-known European labels like Bottega Veneta are soaring. Louis Vuitton is now “a brand for secretaries,” according to Rambourg’s research. High-net-worth consumers are particularly keen on obscure luxury brands, while bespoke items remain the ultimate luxury goods. “Whether it’s a bespoke Louis Vuitton trunk for Scotch and cigar fans or an exceptional stone at Graff, the ultra-highend and bespoke category is a no-limit segment where all the craziest dreams (and prices) come true,” Rambourg writes.

THE HIERARCHY OF

LUXURY BRANDS

SBC managing director Erwan Rambourg has written a new book, “The Bling Dynasty: Why the Reign of Chinese Luxury Shoppers Has Only Just

Begun.” In it he created a brand pyramid to show how major brands range in accessibility from everyday luxuries like Starbucks to ultra-high-end luxury like Graff diamonds. This is the luxury power ranking:

“THE BLING DYNASTY” Brands that become too accessible become less appealing over time. Louis Vuitton, for instance, is considered a “brand for secretaries” by many wealthy Chinese. “Louis Vuitton has become too ordinary,” a billionaire woman told China Market Research Group managing director Shaun Rein in 2011. “Everyone has it. You see it in every restaurant in Beijing. I prefer Chanel or Bottega

Gulf Insider April 2015

Motors

CAR NEWS COVERING THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE REGION

MERCEDES CLA Al Haddad Motors launched the MercedesBenz Concept Style Coupé - CLA-Class last month during the official ceremony held at the dealership’s showroom in Tubli. “The CLA-Class is a style rebel and, although serially avant-garde, it remains true to Mercedes-Benz core values,” Graeme Newport, general manager at Al Haddad Motors commented.

BMW Euro Motors introduced the 2015 BMW S 1000 RR, which arrived to Bahrain last month. The new model – 204 kilograms of pure motorbike muscle with a 199 hp output – has been completely revised, including technology, design, and fittings.

ISUZU MU-X NOW IN BAHRAIN Motorcity Holding has launched the all new ISUZU mu-X 7-Seater SUV that comes loaded with advanced technologies and design features. The launch gathered Motorcity top management, ISUZU officials as well as ISUZU customers in a special event last month, at the Motorcity Commercial Vehicles Showroom in Nuwaidrat.

Gulf Insider April 2015

NEW LAND ROVER DEFENDERBASED FLYING HUNTSMAN 105 LONGNOSE British coachbuilder A. Kahn Design is branching out into fully bespoke cars, some of which will come with unique bodies. The first of these will be a family of Land Rover Defender-based models falling under the Flying Huntsman name. The 105 Longnose is based on the three-door Defender and adds 15 inches to the standard 90-inch wheelbase. Power comes from a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 engine and drive is to all four wheels via a button-operated six-speed automatic transmission. Brake and suspension upgrades complete the engineering overhaul. Peak output is between 400 and 450 horsepower. Pricing is yet to be set, but is expected to be in the region of USD 188,000).

Motors

2015 FORMULA ONE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW THE THRILL What: The Grand Prix: “Light up your nights” When: April 17 to 19 About: The fourth of 19 races in the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship and the second night race, the Grand Prix will be held over 57 laps around Bahrain International Circuit’s 5.412-kilometre Grand Prix track. What: Support Series When: April 17 to 19 About: The weekend will feature plenty of other racing in the two support series, including the first round of GP2 Series 2015 season and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, which will be staging its final race of the 2014/2015 season during the F1 weekend.

will perform on the Friday, including legendary Kuwaiti singer Abdulla Rowaishid, Lebanese songbird Najwa Karam, Iraqi singer-composer Waleed Alshami, and Lebanese superstar Amr Zain.

MORE FUN What: MC Gil and DJ Tony Where: Formula One Village Vending Area, Main Stage About: With the experience of hosting countless red carpet events, Gil’s infectious energy is perfect to kick-start a spectacle as amazing as this. DJ Tony will be on the main stage through the day, keeping you pumped up for the next show.

SNOW VILLAGE EXPERIENCE For the first time ever, witness the beauty of snow in Bahrain. With larger than life décor and roaming entertainers, key attractions will include synthetic ice rink, snow garden, cross-country skiing area, climbing wall, and tube and freestyle slide.

THE EXTREME Zip Line For those who dare to challenge their limits, the 150 metre Zip Line Extreme Activity is available only at the 2015 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. High Ropes Adventure Course An obstacle course in the sky. Attached to ropes, participants will have to keep their balance and work their way around the course. Gorilla Circus An institution of Professional Flying Trapeze Artists from the UK.

FOR THE MUSIC LOVERS What: Pitbull Live Concert When: Saturday, April 18 Where: BIC Formula One Village About: Global music sensation and a Latin Grammy Award winner, Pitbull will be the headlining act in a series of live concerts taking place over the weekend. Free entry for all Grand Prix weekend ticket holders. What: Arabic Night When: Friday, April 17 Where: BIC Formula One Village About: Four of the region’s biggest names in music

THE F1 GAME ZONE What: Roaming Acts Where: Formula One Village Vending Area, Main Stage About: An exciting mixture of worldclass entertainers! Get ready for Banda às Riscas, Dr Bubbles, Daniel Waples, Mattacchioni Volanti, Spark!, Shade Makers, BE-DOM, Team Power Stilts, The Freaks, Candy Floss Dancer, The Cossack Show, Flava, AND The Walking Fun Fair.

Test your reactions on the Batak Pro, a simulator used by real F1 drivers, and compete against your friends at the Pit Stop Challenge and Slot Car racing on a customised BIC track.

Tickets to the 2015 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix can be purchased at the BIC sales outlets in Bahrain City Centre and Seef Mall, online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973 1745 0000

Gulf Insider April 2015

Motors CAR INSIDER

OF THE BEST PERFORMANCE CARS… IN BAHRAIN

By Nick Cooksey (NC) and Hugh Haskell-Thomas (HHT)

he cars we have chosen do NOT represent an exhaustive list - we have only included cars that we have actually driven, which is why, for example, the Porsche 911 is not in this feature. Then there’s the new McLaren 650s which deserves to be here, but we published a full review on it only last month so didn’t want to repeat it. The cars we do include are a bit of a ‘mixed bag’. Some are very affordable, others not so. And, many are not really comparable with each other. But, they are each special in their own way.

NISSAN GT-R

1 BENTLEY FLYING SPUR The new Flying Spur is Bentley’s most powerful car yet. While enjoying the super smooth drive I admire the carefully handcrafted interior. Bentley’s designers have created a luxurious, spacious cabin featuring soft leather and mirror-polished wood veneers. On the outside, unusually sharp and defined wings flow from front to the back of the car making it look... well, ...muscular! 54

Gulf Insider April 2015

The huge 6.0-litre, quad-turbo 616 horsepower W12 engine burbles and then roars when you put your foot down. And with permanent four-wheel drive the car grips the road perfectly, delivering a top speed of 320 kph and a zero to 100 kph acceleration of 4.3 seconds.

Bahrain Dealership - Ahmed Zayani, +973 1723 8822, 1723 8190 Price Ranges from BD 90,000 - 105,000

Nissan is mostly known for affordable, practical, and reliable family cars, but that’s not all they do and their iconic GT-R brings the company a special sporting cache as it’s considered by many to be one of the best handling high performance cars that money can buy. It has a commanding presence, and its big front air vents are not just for show either; they provide front downforce and optimal side airflow for when high speed driving. Push a button and the all wheel drive GT-R with its hand built twinturbocharged direct-injected 3.8-liter V6 engines comes to life, offering 545 horsepower and 463 lb-ft of torque which smoothly and very effectively takes you from zero to 100 kph in a staggering 2.9 seconds – YES, 2.9 SECONDS! On the track (yes, I took it on the race track) I found the GT-R’s steering to be precise and direct, and the big Brembo brakes performed perfectly despite much hard braking. It’s a car that offers extreme performance while engineered to offer driving safety. Inside the cabin I felt cocooned by the comfortable and figure

Motors NC

hugging leather seats. The GT-R is really suitable for two occupants only as the rear seats are good only for small children and luggage. Driving it on the road I found it slightly unrefined at low-speed, but if you want a car with this sort of extreme power and agility it’s a small price to pay because, make no mistake, this is not just another

NC sporty styled coupe with a big engine, this is the real thing; a genuine supercar that’s the equal of many exotic European marquees costing many times its price.

BMW 4 SERIES

Entry Price BD 45,000

HHT

3 FERRARI CALIFORNIA T In the design department, the looks of the new California T far exceed the older model. A combination of Ferrari and Pininfarina designers have worked their magic to produce a sleeker more menacing design. The swept back front light clusters and smiling grille are highlights as is the aggressive rear diffuser. The boot is a little high, but they had to leave some room for the folding roof and luggage; it’s a Tourer after all! 552bhp and 557 lb-ft of torque push this car onto a top speed of 316kmh via its 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. With launch control, the car will hit 100kmh in just over 3.5 seconds. Despite being front-engined, with its rear mounted transmission, magnetic dampers and carbon-ceramic braking system, the pads and discs (incredibly projected to last the entire life of the car), the handling is precise and

Bahrain Dealership - YK Almoayyed +973 17 732 732

predictable. The collapsing roof, Retractable Hard Top in Ferrari speak, is both fast (14 Seconds) and serves to transform the car from a sleek touring coupe to an open top roller skate! Even with top down there is ample room for luggage and, with some clever dropping panels, even skis or a golf bag.

Bahrain Dealership - EuroMotors +973 17 750 750 Price Ranges from BD 90,000 - 110,000

The new BMW is based on the 3 Series coupe with various improvements both in design and engineering and comes about due to a change in BMW’s identity strategy. This car is lower, longer and wider than the current 3. It also has other features to distinguish it such as angled headlights, unique air grills, and just looks better. Under the hood of the 428i a powerful 4 cylinder engine that enables this beauty to zoom from zero to 100kph in 5.9 seconds. Top speed is limited at 250kph. Inside there’s plenty of space in the front, and enough room for 2 adults to sit comfortably in the back, which is not often the case in a 2+2 coupe. There’s also plenty of boot space. Buyers can choose between Luxury and M Sport – which comes with a 3 spoke steering wheel and more aggressive front. I found the overall driving experience similar to the 3 series, although due to the car being 16mm lower the seating has been lowered by 9mm hence a sportier driving position. The low center of gravity enabled BMW to lower and stiffen the suspension. By putting it into Sport mode, which further tightened the suspension, it became a different car. The new 4 series costs more than the equivalent 3 series. But though getting 2 less doors, you’re actually getting a lot more in power and style. Unless I really needed those 2 rear doors on a daily basis I’d opt for the 4 over the 3.

Bahrain Dealership - EuroMotors +973 1775 0750 Price Ranges from BD 19,500 - 27,000 Gulf Insider April 2015

Motors NC

Yes, both cars are genuine Super Cars, but the F-TYPE is wider, stockier, heavier, and is an honest 2 seater. Its style is big and brash compared to the more simple and understated competence of the 911. Criticisms? Well, for such a big car I was surprised just how small the boot space was. The car I drove had a spare tire sitting in the boot which left about enough space for a few groceries for

a single person and perhaps a small box of pencils. But this car is amazing so who cares about petty bourgeois practicalities?

Bahrain Dealership - EuroMotors +973 17 750 750 Price Ranges from BD 47,000 - 51,000

JAGUAR F-TYPE 5 V8 S CONVERTIBLE

The F-TYPE comes in three versions. The 5 liter supercharged V8, knocking out 495 horsepower with 460 lb ft of torque making it capable of going from zero to 100 kph in 4.2 seconds! At moderate speed the rear spoiler pops up to ‘assist’ (look sexy more like). So as not to spoil its perfect lines with door handles, press the key fob to open the car and the previously hidden door handles pop out for you. Get inside and you may notice that the seating position is slightly lower than usual, even for a car like this, thereby lowering the center of gravity to increase sporting performance. Inside the cockpit feels comfortable, sophisticated, and leather is everywhere. Control buttons are finished in aluminium. Driving on the roads of Bahrain I was unable to do the F-TYPE any justice whatsoever. At one point on the highway, upon finding myself at last with a clear run ahead of me, I floored the accelerator pedal and experienced the massive engine scream (aided by Jaguar’s Sports Exhaust System) as the immense power of this car seemed to project me forward at near supersonic speed. I keep hearing that the Jaguar F-TYPE was created to rival the Porsche 911, but to me the British and German cars are such different creatures from each other. 56

Gulf Insider April 2015

6 INFINITI Q50 The Infiniti Q50 is packed full of the best in car technology known to man such as its digital steering system, something that has been used in aviation for decades but never before in cars. Essentially this technology, ‘Direct Adaptive Steering’ is set up like a video game - there’s no direct connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. This allows the driver multiple settings of steering weight and response speed, giving drivers a choice

of driving experience beyond anything available from ‘traditional’ steering. To really test its effectiveness I drove the car across some rough ground and was impressed that the steering wheel did not vibrate even the slightest in my hands. I will remember my test drive of the Q50 for the rest of my life because it’s the first time I have really engaged with a technology such as Infiniti’s Active Lane Control which helps the car to remain safely in the middle of the lane while driving. I was able to take my hands

Motors NC

away from the steering wheel for long periods and experience the car steering itself - a strange and at first slightly disconcerting feeling. There’s plenty of passenger leg room room in the back and it boasts not one touch screen control panel but two, and is enabled for reading emails and even accessing Facebook. There’s a 7-speed auto transmission with paddle shifters (made of solid magnesium). The Q50 offers, I’m told, the fastest hybrid for a sedan in the world. Compared to the standard 326-horsepower 3.7-litre V6 engine, the hybrid combines a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine with a hybrid system delivering 350 horsepower and 536Nm of combined torque making it capable of zero to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds. Not so long ago I didn’t believe hybrids would really take off in the Gulf. Now I’m having to reassess that view. Switching to Sport mode I instantly noticed a major and exciting change come over the car. It suddenly turned into a performance car and felt so much firmer and tighter. Handling was excellent. The Q50 is available in Premium and Sport grades; the latter featuring sport styling, brakes and suspension tuning. Infiniti clearly want to be seen to be a serious player and stand head to head with the best German brands and seem to be doing everything right and taking a long term view to achieving this aim. The new Q50 is a very good car and will help Infiniti towards their ultimate goal.

7 MASERATI GHIBLI S The new Ghibli is basically a shortwheelbase, slightly lighter version of the Quattroporte. Its construction is similar to the Quattroporte and it shares the same drivelines and suspension, though the interior is different. Ghibli (pronounced “gib-lee” named for the Italian word for hot desert wind) has great curves - and a great engine beneath the curves. I was given the sportier of the two models available – the “S” has just over 400 horsepower compared to the standard 345 horsepower. Both models have twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6s mated to an eight-speed auto gearbox. Inside the Ghibli the cockpit design is uncluttered and uncomplicated. The dash is dominated by a TFT touch screen that operates all sorts of stuff. There’s a spacious 18-cubic-foot trunk, but there’s not much rear leg

room for anyone sitting in the back. You can switch on the engine remotely so the AC can cool down the car before you get inside – great for the summer. For most of my drive around the highways of Bahrain I took manual control using the steering column’s paddles. I found this to be a lot more fun than driving in automatic which was noticeably less responsive by comparison. Well, that was until I put it into sport mode which gives the car a more aggressive ‘personality’ and locks out eighth gear. Achieving zero to 100 kph in 4.5 seconds, the more I drove the Ghibli, the harder I found myself driving it and the more fun I was having. This car is designed to be driven hard, which bearing in mind its evocative brand image, it should be.

Bahrain Dealership - Euro Motors +973 17 750 750 Entry Price BD 42,000

Bahrain Dealership - Infiniti showroom +973 1773 2732 Price Ranges from BD 14,000 - 23,000 Gulf Insider April 2015

Motors NC

PORSCHE BOXSTER GTS & CAYMAN GTS The Boxster and Cayman, are essentially the same car; the Boxster being the convertible version of the Cayman which, being incrementally lighter is therefore slightly more powerful. Of course there are other differences but they are relatively minor. The Cayman/Boxster is incredibly well balanced, super responsive, comfortable, good looking, has near perfect steering, and can leave even a moderately competent driver feeling like a pro. The car can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in around 4.7seconds, and produces 330 bhp. So what exactly is a GTS? And what makes it different (and about $10,000 more expensive) than the standard S model? Well, Porsches like every other premium German car brand are sold as base models unlike, for example, Japanese cars which typically come fully loaded. So if you want Suspension Management (which you should – it lowers the car and improves handling), or you require smoked headlamp lenses (why?), then you must buy them as optional extras, and as you probably already know, they don’t come cheap. Well, GTS is a fully loaded Porsche and a bit more – it also has different bumpers, black 20” alloys (instead of 19”), an extra 15 horsepower which frankly is hardly 58

Gulf Insider April 2015

noticeable, and of course a GTS badge which will mean more to some people than to others. So is the GTS worth the extra money over the S? Personally, if I were considering buying for myself I would want probably two thirds of the extras and so would opt for the standard S model and save myself a bit of money.

SUBARU BRZ/TOYOTA 86 The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 are essential the same car, (though there are a few ‘personality’ differences between

Bahrain Dealership - Behbehani Brothers W.L.L +973 17 45 99 11 Price Ranges from Porsche Boxster GTS BD 27,640 - 32,000 Cayman GTS BD 28,000 - 34,000

Motors HHT

them.), the result of a joint project between Toyota and Subaru, to produce a performance car in the true sense of the word. At the risk of sounding a bit technical, its rear-wheel drive and flat-4 engine allows the powertrain to be set far back and low in the chassis creating a low center of gravity and an ideal front/rear weight balance. Along with wonderful and communicative steering, the result is a superbly balanced sports car that’s rewarding to drive for those who will appreciate such things. But - if you’re looking for a car with hair raising acceleration then this car will not be for you. It has a not very fast zero to 100 kph of 7.9 seconds. But - if you love driving and want a car you can push to its limits, engage, and that will be fun taking corners then maybe this could be just what you’re looking for. The BRZ/86 comes with the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated 200 horsepower boxer engine… and it looks good. The cabin is simple, even a bit bland compared with many other cars in its price range, but that’s deliberate - this is designed as a back-to-basics driver’s car. Yes, this 2 door sports car has seats in the back, but if you’re an adult you won’t want to sit in them, well not for very long anyway as there’s little leg or head room. And there’s not much space in the boot either - just 6.9 cubic feet, although those uncomfortable back seats can easily be folded to make for much more comfortable boot space. This car offers superb handling. Steering is precise, the ride is firm, it’s comfortable (in the front), and Subaru’s boxer engine in the BRZ that I drove makes a great sound. I can see that this is a special car, and so for everyone that loves it, someone will not love it. I think it’s only a matter of time before

10 VW GOLF R 295bhp and 380Nm of torque, from a turbocharged 2.0 liter lump, – wow! The Golf R’s four-wheel drive system and six-speed quick-shifting dualclutch DSG gearbox sees 0-100kph dispatched in a little under 5 seconds. Pressing on relentlessly towards the limited top speed of 250kph, with its four tailpipes emitting a wonderful howl in Race mode, the experience is electric; a hot hatch in raw form. The interior is little different to other high spec models in the Golf range,

Subaru and Toyota produce a more powerful version of the BRZ. Maybe a 3 liter V6… maybe a turbo… And when they do… WOW!

but the sports seats, with light grey inserts and aluminum pedals ensure you know that you’re in something a little more focused than the rest of the range. The electronics are all there, of course, great audio, navigation and the now ubiquitous iPhone integration, however, the tunes are nothing in comparison to the roaring and popping coming from those tailpipes!

Bahrain Dealership - Behbehani +973 1745 9977 Entry Price BD 16,200

Bahrain Dealership - Motor City in Bahrain, +973 17 73 62 22 Price Ranges from Subaru BRZ BD 10,600 - 11,100 TOYOTA 86 BD 11,000

Nick Cooksey, in addition to being publisher of Arabian Magazines and Gulf Insider Media, is a jury panel member of the Middle East Motor Awards. Gulf Insider April 2015

Motors CAR INSIDER

PORSCHE MACAN TURBO Nick Cooksey tests the quickest and sportiest version of the Macan you can buy.

he Macan is based on the Audi Q5, though with a lower roof, and The Macan Turbo is the quickest and sportiest version of the Macan sports crossover range. Dynamically it’s ahead of the Audi Q5. It can achieve zero – 100kph in 4.2 seconds (the Audi SQ5 takes 5.2 seconds). There’s no crossover that even comes close to this. The twin ¬turbocharged 3.6-liter 400 bhp V-6 is from the Panamera, and it

Gulf Insider April 2015

provides 406 pound-feet of torque at 1350 rpm. It has a four wheel drive, sevenspeed dual-clutch PDK transmission rather than a Tiptronic torque-converter as used in the Cayenne. I very much enjoyed my couple of days driving this car. I found the raised driving position – high but not too high, combined with sports car performance to my liking. Depending on your perspective, the Macan either looks like a scaled down

Cayenne or a pregnant 911, and it doesn’t come cheap. The Turbo costs a third of the price again compared with the ‘standard’ Macan S. Despite this big increase in price it looks almost identical. The only really noticeable differences are that the Turbo has bi-xenon headlamps, LED fog lights, staggered-width 19-inch wheels, and squared-off quad tailpipes... oh, and of course a Turbo badge. Inside this car screams sports luxury.

Motors

It’s beautiful. In addition to the usual abundance of leather and quality materials there’s a huge amount of buttons all over the dash and console which can look a bit confusing but which all make perfect sense once you know what’s what. There’s a contoured three-spoke multifunction steering wheel with proper paddle shifters which is the same as that on the 918 Spyder. There’s all sorts of additional options you can go for – a superior surround sound system at ($4,290), Agate leather interior ($1,730), park assist front and rear including camera ($1,460), thermal

Starting Price: BD 36,500 and noise insulating privacy glass ($990); carbon fiber interior package ($940), voice control ($595)… and loads more! Some options make particular sense, such as air suspension with PASM (adaptive dampers) for $1385, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus for $1490, and the Sport Chrono package with launch control for $1290. I have a tip for anyone buying – don’t go for the 21-inch wheel/tire package. While it looks good it makes for a less comfortable and noisier ride. They also cost an extra $3,300 and you will also have to pay out more money every time you change the tires. So why would you choose a Macan

instead of the larger Cayenne? Well, If you like driving the Cayenne, you’ll love the Macan’s lighter weight and lower center of gravity. And, there’s sufficient space to stow luggage. It makes more sense for many people who don’t require so much interior space than buying a bigger Cayenne or Range Rover Sport. But sense doesn’t always figure in decision making when it comes to top end premium cars.

To arrange a test drive in Bahrain contact Porsche Centre Bahrain on +973 1745 9911.

I have a tip for anyone buying – don’t go for the 21-inch wheel/tire package. While it looks good it makes for a less comfortable and noisier ride.

Price Comparison Porsche Cayenne Turbo From BHD 53,500 Audi Q5 Turbo From BHD 17,420

Range Rover Sport From BHD 45,000

The author of this article, Nick Cooksey, in addition to being publisher of Arabian Magazines and Gulf Insider Media, is a jury panel member of the Middle East Motor Awards. Gulf Insider April 2015

Art

Mohamed has been drawing and painting since the age of ten. Now a 24-year-old, he has made his name in the world of art. The Bahraini artist’s “secret” formula is to mix the old with the new; the modern with the traditional. “Each piece I make has to be one of a kind and outstanding in terms of quality, in order to have my name on it,” he told us.

MOHAMED AL RAEESI Mohamed

Gulf Insider April 2015

Art

You can see more of Mohamedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work on Instagram @raeesi99. You can also reach him on +973 3667 1212. Gulf Insider April 2015

Off Topic

7 HABITS

OF VERY TOUGH PEOPLE

Always act as if you are in control - Most

successful people don’t wait for good luck... or worry about bad luck... they act as if success or failure is totally within their control. If they succeed, they caused it. If they fail, they caused it. By not wasting mental energy worrying about what might happen to you, you can put all your effort into making things happen. You can’t control luck, but you can definitely control you.

Put aside things you have no ability to impact

- Mental strength is like muscle strength--no one has an unlimited supply. So why waste your power on things you can’t control? Fine. Do what you can do: Lend a listening ear. Be your own change--but don’t try to make everyone else change (they won’t.)

See the past as valuable training, and nothing more - The past is valuable. Learn from

your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others. Then let it go. Easier said than done? It depends on your perspective. When something bad happens to you, see it as an opportunity to learn something you didn’t know. The past doesn’t define you.

Celebrate the success of others - Many people

see success as a zero-sum game: there’s only so much to go around. When someone else shines they think that diminishes the light from their stars. Resentment sucks up a massive amount of mental energy-energy better applied elsewhere. When a friend does something awesome, that doesn’t preclude you from doing something awesome. In fact where success is concerned birds of a feather tend to flock together--so draw your unsuccessful friends even closer.

Never allow yourself to whine. (Or complain. Or criticize) - Your words have power, especially

over you. Whining about your problems always makes you feel worse, not better. So if something is wrong don’t waste time complaining. Put that mental energy into making the situation better. Fix it now. Don’t talk about what’s wrong. Talk about how you’ll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

Focus only on impressing yourself - Genuine relationships make you happier, and you’ll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself. And you’ll have a lot more mental energy to spend on the people who really do matter in your life.

Count your blessings - Take a second every night

before you turn out the light and in that moment, quit worrying about what you don’t have. Think about what you do have. You have a lot to be thankful for. Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? Feeling better about yourself is the best way to recharge your mental batteries of all. 64

Gulf Insider April 2015

The Bahrain based lifestyle and luxury magazine with style and editorial flair that is enjoyed by affluent customers - both

Arab and Expats. Online edition at www.Bahrain-Confidential.com

147 Issue

FIND YOUR TRUE SELF HEALTH AND WELLBEING

WIN TICKETS TO MICHEAL BUBLÉ AND DRAKE IN DUBAI!

GULF AIR TICKETS, CONCERT TICKETS AND MORE

PLANNING AN OUTING? THE BEST DEALS OF THE MONTH

Guide to Arabian life, luxury and fashion! BAHRAIN BD2 KSA SR20 KUWAIT KD2 OMAN RO2 QATAR QR20 UAE DHS20

You can now read our magazines virtually at

www.bahrain-confidential.com

Last Word

always want more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes - I already have everything that I really need.’”

12. “Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, and that’s very important for good health.” 13. “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” 14. “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

THE DALAI LAMA 24 QOUTES

A few words from a wise person often reveals a wealth of knowledge. Below are 24 simple quotes from the Dalai Lama.

15. “Home is where you feel at home and are treated well.”

16. “Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” 17. “Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.”

18. “In education we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted.” 19.

1. “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

7. “Sleep is the best meditation.” 8. “When we meet real tragedy in life,

2. “Old friends pass away, new friends

appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.”

we can react in two ways - by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength. “

10. “Physical comforts cannot subdue mental suffering. Those who have many possessions are not necessarily happy. In fact, being wealthy often brings even more anxiety. Yet even when we have physical hardships, we can be very happy.”

“Love and compassion necessities, not luxuries.”

Gulf Insider April 2015

are

20. “Generally speaking, if a human being never shows anger, then I think something’s wrong. He’s not right in the brain.”

22. “Some mischievous people always there. Last several thousand years, always there. In future, also.”

4. “Be kind whenever possible. It is

must develop a positive vision.”

something

21. “The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life. It should be something useful, something good.”

happy. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

5. “In order to carry a positive action we

9. “The purpose of our lives is to be

3. “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.“ always possible.”

“Disagreement normal.”

11. ”When you are discontent, you

23. “I have no trouble sleeping.” 24. “Death means change our clothes.

Clothes become old, then time to come change. So this body become old, and then time come, take young body.”

For design requirements

Call 1700 4575