understanding the region

DUBAI SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You create a website for them and advertise them
in all magazines. You create a Cow City or Milk Town for them. You
sell off their milk before the cows have even been milked to both
legitimate and shady investors who hope to sell the non-existent milk
for a 100% profit in two years time. You bring Tiger Woods to milk the
cows first to attract attention.

QATARI SYSTEM:
You have two cows. They've been sitting there for decades and no one
realizes that cows can produce milk. You see what Dubai is doing; you
go crazy and start milking the heck out of the cows in the shortest
time possible. Then you realize no one wanted the milk in the first
place.

BAHRAINI SYSTEM:
You have two cows. Some high government official steals one, milks
it, sells the milk and pockets the profit. The government tells you
there is just one cow and not enough milk for the people. The people
riot and scream death to the government and carry Iranian flags. The
Parliament, after thinking for 11 months, decides to employ ten
Bahrainis to milk the cow at the same time to cut back on
unemployment.

KUWAIT ISYSTEM:
They do not have cows. Milk is imported since no locals can or would
milk a cow.

SAUDI SYSTEM:
Since milking the cow involves nipples the government decides to ban
all cows in public. The only method to milk a cow is to have a cow on
one side of the curtain and the guy milking the cow on the other.

OMANI SYSTEM:
You have two cows. After a huge public speech in which you declare
cow milking as a landmark initiative and appointing a new government
body in charge of cow milking. You first spend a year doing nothing,
then you spend 1 year on planning to milk them properly and safely,
another one year to get the proper ministry approvals to milk them. By
the time you actually get around to milking the cows, the cows are
dead.

ah, the adrenaline...

today has been - and actually still is - a day like the old days: tight deadlines, rushing from meeting to the desk, briefing people, junk food and caffeine to stay alert. and a presentation due in ten hours and still being worked on. so why do i like it? 'cause i'm an adrenaline junkie. that's why...

perfect day.

friday is sunday and saturday is saturday. at least here in the gulf. but this week, my friday was my saturday and my saturday was my sunday. which gave me half a day off yesterday (making it a saturday) and a complete day off work today (= sunday).

and boy did i have a swell time. after breakfast i went to my first golf lesson, which was made possible by a co-sponsorship unbeknownst to the donors: my meltern and veltern (or marents and farents). while i have to thank my veltern for those beautiful clubs, i have to thank my meltern for the funding of the lessons. thanks to both! and after that, i went to the fitness club and had a day in the gym and at the pool, in the sun, listening to my ipod. after a quick shopping spree at the marina mall (books, polo shirt, fragrance-free body lotion), i'm now at what i call my temporary home. and with cheese and crackers and a bottle of water, i'll finish this day. so, regardless whether saturdays are the new sundays (or fridays): it's been a perfect day.

if you're grounded, start digging.

of all places in the world i have been to, i never came as close to being without gas than over here. i almost happened TWICE while commuting between abu dhabi and dubai in the last week. why i couldn't seem to find a gas station, or somehow could't get to it, is beyond me. esp. here, where 8% of the global oil reserves are right under your wheels.

deserted and desertified

i hübsch angerüscht myself this morning for a new biz meeting - even had a tie with me, just in case - only to learn on my way to the car that the meeting had been postponed. that's not uncommon in this area, but at least it distracted me enough not to notice the haze outside. so i deserted my apartment with, being bündnisgrün after all, the a/c off and the windows open.

upon return, i found my apartment desertified: sand dust en la cama, lo mismo en el living, everything was covered in beige. actually quite fitting with the predominant colour scheme here, but still...

nota bene: a/c not only keeps the heat out, but also sand storms.

happiness is rising.

sonne, funktionierende waschmaschine, frisches obst, freundliche menschen, eine gute, feste matratze: it doesn't take that much to make me happy.

ubiquitous hanky queens.

this country has a kleenex fetish. you'll find those boxes not only in the bathroom or at the bedside – where you'd expect them –, but also on desks, restaurant and boardroom tables. and we're not talking occasionally: always. everywhere. If there's a table, there's a box. and the fun thing about it: the favourite brand is called queenex.