Tempo January 2014

THISVISUALLYBREATHTAKINGWATER-SPORTOF
KITE-SURFINGISGAININGPOPULARITYINTHE
UAE,ANDONEOFITSLEADINGPROPONENTSISSAMEHELSAGHIR.
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CREATIVITY • SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS • INSPIRED THINKING
JANUARY2014
HAPPY NEW YEAR
2014
PLUS
> UNWIND: DREAMPLAYER JAE FRANKLIN
> NANOWRIMO UPDATE
> FLASH FICTION
> THE SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
> TRENDING
> RESOLUTION KEEPER
> TAMARA NOORI: SURREALIST SRI LANKAN

MANAGING EDITOR
Sana Bagersh
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Ajir Shujahi
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Manjul Abhishek
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Mark De Castro
WEB & VIDEO
Subin John Mathew
PHOTOGRAPHER
Angeli Castillo
DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR
Melaku Muluneh
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS:
Aisha Mohammed Al Mahri
Alma Kadragic
Anna Moore
Azza El Masri
Blakniss
Daniela Raykova Ainsley
Diji Shujahi
Dorian ‘Paul D’ Rogers
Dr. DMS
Emma Kirkman
Jorge Barba
Myriam Bunni
Mugdha Sunil Polimera
Paul A. Freeman
Ruksana Ajir
Sanah Chauhan
Seumas Gallacher
Shaheer Akbar
Shahid Saeed
Theresa F Weber
Tomislav Buljubasic
Xavi Joe Augustine
TEMPO GROUP: HOW TO SCAN
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3 Scan each page that has the icon and
have fun with videos, images, links and lots
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DESIGN BY:
ADDRESS:
To reach editorial at Tempo email: editorial@tempoplanet.com. If you need to find out where you can pick up your copy call: 02 491 8624/25 or check out the list
of Tempo distribution points on our website.
NOTE TO ADVERTISERS:
Advertisers can request brand tagging with all advertisements. To reach advertising: tel: 02 491 8624/25 | fax: 02 491 8626 | email: advertising@tempoplanet.com
DISCLAIMER:
Tempo Magazine does its best to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of its contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for errors, mistakes and
inaccuracies. The publisher reserves the rights of this product and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the
permission of the publisher.
MEDIA LICENCE NO. 1/105866/24295
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notes & cyberchatter / uspace
talking books / the blog
what’s hot / people calendar
rejig it
phototripping
shutterbug adp
top ten songs / #temporeviews
unwind dreamplayers
city bites
blueprint
fashion view
cover story – surf away
nanowrimo
flash fiction
social media report
articulate café / youth talk
#temposwag
trending / resolution keepers
game hedz / tech talk
media / women in business
unleash moxie
doc in the house / the planetarians
surrealist Sri Lankan
ontents
www. tempoplanet.com
At Tempo we love new beginnings - and
there's nothing quite as new as a brand
new year!
There's already a tremendous sense of
rejuvenation, a great deal of optimism, and
a feeling that 2014 will be packed with
incredible change and positive energy.
We concluded 2013 with news of the UAE
winning the opportunity to host Expo
2020, and heard lots of announcements
about new projects in hospitality, retail,
tourism, real estate, education and more.
All of this will hopefully spur greater
initiative, resourcefulness and creativity.
Sometimes there's also change that you
don't want to happen, like saying goodbye
to people you care about. In Tempo's
family we say farewell to art director
Mark De Castro, who shaped Tempo's
creative vision over the past several
years. Mark will be moving back to the
Philippines to be with family, and he
knows that this is not so much 'goodbye'
but more 'au revoir'.
In December we also heard the sad news
about Rahul Sarkar, our accountant, who
learned that he had leukaemia, at the
same time that his wife told him they were
going to have a baby! Rahul is currently
receiving treatment at a facility in India,
and he needs all of our help (see page 4 to
help Rahul).
We wish an amazing year to all our
wonderful writers and contributors, to
our dear readers, our partners, and to
everyone in the UAE - and beyond.
Peace and happiness!
Sana Bagersh
Managing Editor
Bagersh@tempoplanet.com
Twitter @bagersh
If you haven’t been
taught by Tamara Noori,
an art teacher at the HCT
Women’s College in Abu
Dhabi, you may have been
lucky to study under her at
the National Theatre...
30
d’s
note

When Nelson Mandela died last month, I
said my farewell via Twitter to a man I had
met fifteen years ago, and who has made
a lasting impression on me. I immediately
received messages from people asking about
the circumstances surrounding my meeting
with Mandela. Well, here they are….
I was Bureau Chief of Gulf News Abu Dhabi
then, and in December 1998 I received a
media invitation from the UAE Foreign
Ministry to a press meeting with the South
African leader. A few of my colleagues – if I
recall correctly – from Al Ittihad Newspaper,
Al Khaleej and Al Bayan (these were the
main papers then) and I, all went to see
Mandela at the “Guest Palace” in Mushrif in
Abu Dhabi.
Mandela when he entered the room to
meet us, walked in tall and smiling. Yet we
could all see that he was under the weight
of tremendous pressure; he was slightly
stooping, tired, and looked unwell. He
waved his hands to stop our photographers
as the flashes of light were unbearable to
him. Mandela joined us at a meeting table,
sitting near me.
To provide a bit of context, Mandela in
December 1998 had turned 80; this was nine
years after he was released from prison and
four years after he became the President
of the South Africa. It was also one year
before he stepped down as president. It
is surprising that he was only a one term
President of South Africa, and yet became a
towering figure in the freedom movement
and became known as a global symbol
of pragmatic, compassionate and moral
leadership.
Ironically, this past month also marked the
25th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing;
the very reason Mandela visited the UAE
in 1998. He was presenting his position to
the UAE, as mediator in the rift between
Gaddafi and the West, in the Lockerbie
trial. Pan Am flight exploded in 1988, over
Lockerbie Scotland, killing 270 people, and
to this day the truth behind the bombing is
unclear.
Mandela had played a central role in
facilitating the handover of Abdelbaset Al
Megrahi, the Libyan man convicted of the
Lockerbie bombing, and his fellow accused,
from Libya to the United Nations, so they
would stand trial under Scottish law in the
Netherlands. Years afterwards, suspecting
the innocence of Megrahi, Mandela also
facilitated Megrahi’s release from prison, on
humanitarian grounds - the ailing Libyan
yearned to die in his homeland. Although
not entirely popular, Mandela’s role did
not detract from the world’s opinion of
his character and reputation. Indeed,
in remembrances for Lockerbie victims
last month, Alex Salmond, Scotland's
first minister described Mandela’s role.
"His interest and involvement continued
after the trial, after visiting Mr Megrahi
in prison,” he said. "We have seen that
Nelson Mandela has come out firmly in
support, not just as the towering figure of
humanitarian concern across the world in
the last generation, but of course somebody
who brokered the agreement that led to
the Lockerbie trial in the first place. Many
people believe that you will achieve more in
this world through acts of mercy than you
will through acts of retribution."
That day on the 9th of December in Abu
Dhabi, Mandela told us that his discussions
with Muammar Gaddafi, Bill Clinton and
Tony Blair on the impasse (over the trial
of Megrahi and the other Libyan), were
fruitful and that he was on the ‘verge of a
breakthrough’. He was especially concerned
about the debilitating effect of the sanctions
on the Libyan people. Some years after his
visit to Abu Dhabi, he called upon his own
experience in incarceration, to fight for the
release of Megrahi.
During our meeting, Mandela had high
praises for the leadership of His Highness
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and he
also spoke about the positive relationship
between South Africa and the UAE.
Mandela stressed the need for stability and
peace in the Middle East and the world, and
voiced his support for the struggle of the
Palestinian people.
I remember asking him then what he
thought of the economies of the African
countries, and his vision for the continent.
Mandela shook his in disappointment:
Africa, he said, was full of problems of
‘colonialism, low academic qualifications,
lack of technology and poverty.’ But despite
everything, he added, it was on the road to
progress and he had great hopes for it.
When we got up to leave he stood up with
us, and made sure to shake hands, looking
intently at each one of us as he did so, as if to
impress upon us the responsibility we each
carried, as journalists, to convey his words
to the public, truthfully and without bias. I
hope I have lived up to that promise. And I
hope that I will continue to be inspired by
his great deeds, his unshakable conviction
and his compassion for humankind.
www. tempoplanet.com04
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“Tempo Planet”
By Xavi Joe Augustine
From the outset of time,
I stood by faith,
Through the wars and
subliminal states.
Every now and then,
I felt the urge to fight,
For the freedom and the will
to life.
Soaring the skies in solitude,
I reminiscence, nostalgia evading
my thoughts.
Building castles in the air,
Steadfast, I conquer everything
so despair.
Alas it was not to be,
my life was cut short.
Choking I willed myself to
stay afloat.
I beckoned for a helping hand,
My world faded into darkness
like a flickering candle light
The judgmental eyes I dreamt
of all night ,
The hatred burning red
through my plight.
I looked around for a smiling face,
But they all have faded
with that mistake
One fatal mistake.
To er is human
To forgive is divine.
Everyone has a story,
Here is mine.
ONE FATAL MISTAKE
STORY OF A LOST SOUL
ON RHEA OOMMEN’S
SUNNY CHRISTMAS
Hahaha! Sunny Christmas for a
change would be lovely!
-Yvonne Chelab
ON INSTAFAME: FIRE A
LA SFUMATO
Mixing watercolors with smoke is
an awesome idea. Great work
Cor Nelia! -James
ON MAHA EBRAHIM’S
“MY SECRET TRANSITION”
Very nice – I like the idea of
animals being able to find justice
against bad owners!
-Stewart Dillon
ON SAMARA MW’S AN
“ARRANGED” LOVE STORY
Ah, MW, your story brought
simultaneous smiles and tears! I
relate deeply to that young girl.
I think she is still there in every
middle aged women, universally
present… sometimes hidden
away under the baggage, but
always there. How beautifully
the tapestry of our lives is laid out
when we look back in retrospect
and realize that the overall design
makes sense… God has a plan for
our lives and it is perfect.
- Angelique Goldsworthy
WHEN I MET NELSON MANDELA
By Sana Bagersh
REMEMBER RAHUL!
At this special time of compassion and
giving, we want to tell you about a very
special person who is dear to the Tempo
family; it is Rahul Sarkar, a 35 year
old Indian who was working as our
accountant for the last few years.
While everyone was celebrating in
December, Rahul found out two things:
that his wife was pregnant with their
first child…and that he has leukemia!
Rahul is in India right now undergoing
treatment. We hope that he can make a
full recovery.
We ask you all to keep him in your
prayers, and for those of you who want
to give something, you can send it
directly to his bank account:
Axis Bank
Rahul Sarkar
A/C NO: 912010059017647
CUST ID: 846768647
IFSC CODE: UTIB0000810
MICR CODE: 733211601
BRANCH: Dalkhola, West Bengal, India

www. tempoplanet.com 05
TALKING BOOKS THE BLOG
A book review by Azza El Masri
Azza El Masri is an avid reader
and is always looking for new
recommendations! If you want her to
review a book you fell in love with,
or leave a comment on her book
bulletin, then you can reach her on:
www.tempoplanet.com/category/
talking-books
By Seumas Gallacher
...I'm all for new WURDS coming into usage... the latest
I see from an announcement from the Oxford English
Dictionary is 'selfie'... more a reflection of modern
technology's insinuation in modern life... coupled, it must be
said, with the narcissistic practice of pointing one's mobile
telephone at one's own physiognomy with the camera lens
'live' and, basically clicking one's own clock... and just as
a parenthetical point here, I think it should be called the
'Oxford WURDS-Culled-From-Just-About-Every-Known-
Language-On-The-Planet-Including-English Dictionary'...
probably among the finest proponents of manipulation of
the English tongue was the great Sir Winston Churchill, of
whom it was quoted, ‘…he mobilized the English language
and sent it into battle…’ …I've always liked trying to
experiment with WURDS... at school, some of yeez may
remember having to do 'Composition', known in the posher
seats of learning as 'Essay' in English classes... my practice
back then, which drove my teacher nuts, was to plunder
the dictionary for a long, strange-sounding WURD, get
its meaning, then contrive sentences around it... the more
syllables the better… a kinda ‘never-mind-the-meaning-
feel-the-length’ sort of thing…on one occasion I discovered
'flounced', duly imbedded it in the narrative and waited for
acclaim from the tutor... no such luck... '...that WURD doesn't
exist,' he declared and red-pencilled the passage... my first
run-in with the editorial dictator syndrome... I hastened
to show him the entry in the dictionary, alas, to no avail...
he greeted that with a derisory snort and banished me to
the trouble-makers section, never to be asked to show him
my WURK again that semester... betcha Chuck Dickens
and Billy Shakespeare weren't treated like that in their
educational cloisters… at moments like these, it’s good to
remember that even the aforementioned linguistic genius,
Sir Winnie, was regarded as the backward dunce of his class
back then… fast forward to the present, and I find myself
still 'at it'... I like the 'taste’, the ‘ring’, and the 'sound' of
WURDS, and in my blog posts, often spell them as I think
they should be spoken, as yeez can clearly see... it occurs to
me, however, in the absence of that 'Author's Call' from the
New WURDS department of the O.E.D, I can only surmise
that it is populated with direct descendants of that Luddite
professor of English from my vocabuleric-inventive youth...
a real scunner that, huh?... see yeez later...
…still waiting for that ‘Author’s Call’ from
the Oxford English Dictionary’s NEW
WURDS department…
Follow Seumas on Twitter: @seumasgallacher
The realities of life can come crashing down on
the most gullible and noble of human beings, and
can make or break even the toughest of souls.
It’s the way we choose to learn, or cope, in the
aftermath that brings out our true colours. It’s
how we act upon these tragedies and hardship
that defines us. Are we mice—unsuspecting,
yielding, obliging, shy, submissive—or are we
powerful, assertive, and courageous lions?
A real page-turner, Mice will keep you at the
edge of your seat, flipping maniacally at the
pages while also appreciating the realism of
the author’s literary style and the characters’
evolution.
In the reality of Gordon Reece’s debut Mice,
Shelly, a pubescent teenager, and her mother
move to a remote and desolate cottage in
the country to absolve themselves from the
hardships and memories of their past. A brutal
divorce leaves Shelly’s mother scrambling to
meet meager ends for a daughter who silently
suffers from her father’s abandonment.
Shelly, on the other hand, is eager to run away
from school bullying that leaves her scarred
emotionally and physically.
Moving away to Honeysuckle Cottage, Shelly
and her mother start to follow a comfortably
numbing routine, which excludes the outer
world, much like the expanse of trees and
forestry around their little nest. That is, until
the night of her sixteenth birthday when Shelly
awakes to a disturbance in her haven of solitude;
someone had broken in. Being mice by choice,
Shelly and her mother will be propelled into a
series of chilling events, proving they have to be
anything but mice to survive. Reece succeeds in
describing a submissive relationship that many
women and men have to live with and proves
that humans, no matter their shortcomings, will
and can fight for what’s theirs when they need
to. Even the most dangerous of experiences,
no matter the bruises and burns, bring out the
courage within the most cowardly of mice.
Although the book starts with a detailed
recounting of the misfortunes that Shelly and
her mother had to go through up until the
point of their moving to Honeysuckle Cottage,
Reece develops the characters into palpable and
relatable people who we know from our lives
away from literature. Reece depicts a strong
relationship between a mother and daughter
that rings so true, that at times it is often difficult
to think that a man had managed successfully
to carve the secret intimacy and friendship
between mother and child. Focusing solely on
the characters and their turmoil, Reece allows
the reader to let his or her mind wander and
imagine the events subjectively.
Gripping and at times addictive, Mice is a literary
pioneer in the emerging realm of young adult
literature, which seeks to empower its characters
by propelling them into difficult situations.
by Gordon Reece, PanBooks 2012
MICE

DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL 2014
Jan 2 – Feb 2
All over Dubai
Dubai Shopping Festival 2014 will
mark its 19th anniversary with events
throughout January and February of
this year. Organisers are promising an
extravaganza that will paint the city in
a festive mood throughout the event’s
signature blend of shopping, raffles
and entertainment. There will also be
international concerts, musicals, sports
and fashion events.
www.mydsf.ae/en
3RD INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL
Jan 17
Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai
The International Kite Festival has its
beginnings back in 2011 and is the only
event of its kind in the Middle East. The
event offers a unique outdoor experience
to not only kite enthusiast but spectators
as well. International kite teams
come together to compete and exhibit
their skills while kids can take part in
workshops. To participate bring your own
kites or get them at the festival.
www.facebook.com/
events/195570027249674/
23 Yrs Old•
Indian•
Animator•
DUNLOP 24 HRS DUBAI - 9TH EDITION
Jan 10 – Jan 11
Dubai Autodrome, Motorcity
The Dubai Autodrome will hold its ninth
edition of the Dunlop Tires 24H of Dubai
on 10th and 11th January. Over 80 teams
from around the world will compete
against one another in the highly
anticipated international motorsport
event in Dubai. The actual race will start
on the first day at 14.00 and will end, as
scheduled, 24 hours later.
www.24hdubai.com
STREET NIGHT ART
Jan 24
4B Street, Al Quoz, Dubai
The Street Night Art exhibition, a part of
the Al Quoz beautification project, will
feature carefully curated art from local
stars. The event will afford the public the
opportunity to meet with and talk to the
artists and learn about their vision and
artistic styles. Visitors to the exhibition
will also enjoy the beautiful outdoors and
the great weather of Dubai at this time of
the year.
www.allquozproject.com
ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPION
Jan 16 – Jan 19
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi
The ninth Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf
Championship will see Welshman Jamie
Donaldson defend the Falcon Trophy
against a tough field that includes
three of the world’s top players – world
No 3 Rory McIlroy, reigning US Open
champion Justin Rose and world No 11
Luke Donald – along with the European
Tour’s hottest young talent, Golf in Abu
Dhabi Ambassador Manassero. The $2.7
million prize is the richest purse on the
Desert Swing, the European Tour’s trio of
regional early-season events.
www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com
WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT 2014
Jan 20 – Jan 22
ADNEC, Abu Dhabi
WFES, an annual event dedicated to
advancing future efficiency and clean
technologies, will once again bring
together decision and policy makers,
industry leaders and investors, experts
and media from around the world to
explore the challenges and opportunities
that arise from renewable energy. Hosted
by Masdar, WFES includes a summit,
an international exhibition, a technical
conference and concurrent activities such
as the project and Finance Village and the
Young Future Energy Leaders Program.
www.worldfutureenergysummit.com
TO ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT AND BE INCLUDED IN OUR ISSUE, CONTACT US AT:
january16-18
january20-22
january16
january10
ishfaq
zaman+971 2 491 8624
UAE Jet Ski Race,
@ Breakwater,
Abu Dhabi
The Legendary
Composer Omar
Khairat
@ Emirates Golf Club,
Dubai
We are the
Champions Concert
@Madinat Theatre,
Souk Madinat
Jumeriah
InternationalWater Summit@ ADNEC, Abu Dhabi

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Space Moxie
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SPACE M
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SPACE MOXIE
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SPACE MOXIE
Sweet
MOXIEMOXIE
SPACEOPTION 2
MOXIEMOXIE
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MOXIEMOXIE
SPACE
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THIKRA AHMED
AL SUWAIDI
23 years old
Emirati
I live to design and I design to live.
I love this aspect of graphic design;
it allows me the freedom to express
myself through my work.
I enjoyed designing Space Moxie
because it’s something that’s
liberating and I can design whatever
I want without constraints. I am
confident of my design and I wish
it’s not the last time I work with
BrandMoxie.
MEERA AL
ROMAITHI
24 years old
Emirati
When I started to think about
the concept for Space Moxie, I
walked around the space and
the office to get some inspiration.
I saw the counter table as my
main focus. I did like 10 designs
and in the end I walked around
and asked random people to vote
for the best two.
Graphic design is more about
how you see the world through
your eyes, and how you can
attract people with colours,
elements and fonts.
As a graphic designer I always
like to walk around and I see
something that inspires me as
simple as say, clouds, water drops
and streets.
ZAINAB ALTHAIBANI
23 years old
Emirati
Art is everything in my life. I get inspired by everything I am surrounded by
and from my daily life experiences. The concept behind my design is to create a
combination between the tradition and modernity, so I used the Islamic pattern
with mix of tradition and funky colours.
The Challenge: Branding Design
Name of Brand: Space Moxie
Usage: Multi-use creative space
Context: Interns at BrandMoxie
Participants: Students from Zayed College of Art
and Creative Enterprises
AFRA ABDULHAKIM ALZAABI
23 years old
Emirati
Graphic design has always been a very interesting thing to me, to
me, while creating a design everything around inspires me. The
concept behind my design for the Space Moxie café is to create
something attractive and catchy. Something that will sell itself
without advertising.
Zayed University students at
BrandMoxie office

By Ajir Shujahi
Fashion photography
is a combination of
both fashion and
photography. It is used in
advertisements for fashion
magazine and brands
or products. Currently
fashion photography has
equalled the best forms of
photography.
I beleive that it is the
fashion photographer’s job
to not only photograph the
clothes but also to include
the ideas and suggestions of
the designer.
fashion
portrait
3
1 2
PHOTOGRAPHER:
MARLON
CLARK
OMANDAL
TITLE: COLOURS
LOCATION: Abu Dhabi
SETTING: Shutter Priority
CAMERA MODEL: Canon Mark II 5D
F-STOP/APERTURE: f/5.4
ISO: 160
SHUTTER SPEED: 1/125
TIP: Capture the viewer’s attention by
filling the frame with a face shot. You
give the viewer nowhere else to look but
the subject.
2
TITLE: SPARKLING BLUE
LOCATION: Heritage Park, Abu Dhabi
SETTING: Shutter Priority-Daylight
ISO: 500
TIP: Practice shooting with different
apertures and monitor the result
afterward to learn how depth-of-field
affects your photo.
1
TITLE: DREAM GIRL
LOCATION: Heritage Park, Abu Dhabi
SETTING: Shutter Priority-Daylight
ISO: 500
TIP: Portrait shots are not only limited
to vertical framing. Experiment with
landscape framing too.
3

THE CHALLENGE:
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
THE GROUP:
THE ABU DHABI PHOTOGRAPHERS
NOTE: Some of the photographers went to Liwa
for these sweeping shots.
ABOUT: Abu Dhabi Photographers is a group of
photography enthusiasts who meet regularly to
capture beautiful shots and to share knowledge
and experiences.
Learn more: brandmoxie.com/adp or
www.tempoplanet.com/category/shutter-bugs
> Amjad Rasool
> Tariq Nazal
> Amgad Fahmi

| Abu Dhabi | Ajman | Dubai | Fujairah | Ras Al Khaimah | Sharjah | Umm Al Quwain
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7
8
9
10
THE MONSTER
> Eminem ft. Rihanna
STRONG
> One Direction
TIMBER
> Ke$ha ft. Pitbull
TRUMPETS
> Jason Derulo
ANIMALS
> Martin Garrix
OF THE NIGHT
> Bastille
HARD OUT HERE
> Lily Allen
HOW I FEEL
> Flo Rida
HEY BROTHER
> Avicii
HAPPY
> Pharrell
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SAJAY C.
A 30 year old web developer who loves every genre of
music; be it rock, metal or classic. He says that music
has no religion and that’s why it’s good for all ears
and minds.
tempo movie
reviews
Follow #TempoReviews on Twitter for more.
coming soonnow showing
Tempo rates the latest movies based on action, comedy, explicit content and
positive messaging. Our trusted movie buff, Shaheer Akbar reviews movies
released in the Gulf recently.
With lots of much - awaited movies releasing every week. Tempo creates
an expectation meter. We asked few movie-lovers what they think of these
upcoming movies and this is how the expectation goes.
ACTION/VIOLENCE
COMEDY/HUMOUR
EXPLICIT
POSITIVE MESSAGE
REVIEW: REVIEW:
WHAT'S ON
YOUR iPOD?
"ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, I
RANK IT MY #1 FILM OF THE
YEAR”
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman,
Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom,
Richard Armitage,
Evangeline Lilly
1
2
3
4
5
REVIEW:
THE HOBBIT:
THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
1
2
3
4
5
REVIEW:
"RECOMMENDED FOR
FAMILY AND FRIENDS GET
TOGETHERS."
Directed by: Chris Buck
and Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad,
Idina Menzel
FROZEN
"THE INCREDIBLE STORY
TOLD ON FILM, CANNOT
WAIT"
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg,
Ben Foster, Eric Bana,
Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch
LONE SURVIVOR
"ARE YOU REALLY READY
FOR MORE MADEA?"
Directed by: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Chad
Michael Murray, Tika Sumpter,
Anna Maria Horsford, Eric
Lively, JR Lemon
A MADEA CHRISTMAS
meter legend:
Sultans of Swing1. > Dire Straits
Pyro2. > Kings of Leon
Have you ever seen the rain3. > CCR
Ready Steady Go4. > Paul Oakenfold
Unforgiven5. > Metallica
Kashmir6. > LedZepllin
Somewhere only we know7. > Keane
A secret place8. > Megadeth
Sacrifice9. > Creed
Highway to hell10. > ACDC
1
2
3
4
5

JAE FRANKLIN, WHO?
I’m an American singer-songwriter, and
I really appreciate Tempo Magazine for
interviewing me. It's so funny that you
want to know about my background
because I actually JUST tweeted about
this….I moved to Abu Dhabi in August
of 2013, and the experience has been
unbelievable! I'll always be a Texas,
USA lady, but I feel truly blessed to be
able to call Abu Dhabi my home away
from home!
BUT, WHY SINGING?
I've been singing all my life and my love
for music stems from my time growing
up in Texas. I performed throughout
elementary school well into University.
It all began in church and grew from
there. My family encouraged me to
pursue a professional music career,
and to this day their support has
never wavered.
AND, YOUR MUSE?
From a very early age, Whitney
Houston was my favorite artist!
With beautiful women like Whitney
Houston and Patti Labelle to look up
to as a child, I gained a deep respect
for vocal performance and a love for
stage performance. As I've grown older,
I've been influenced by musicians,
producers and vocalists. Quincy Jones,
Sarah Vaughn, Amel Larrieux, Sade,
Marvin Gaye, India.Arie, Rachelle Ferrel,
Maxwell, Stevie Wonder, Fela Kuti, and
so many more musicians and vocalists
continue to inspire me. My travels
throughout Africa, Asia and Europe
also enrich me. Each part of the world
I've visited has a different perspective
on music and the music industry. These
experiences have helped to shape my
views on music as well as the direction
of my music. My new project, which will
be released in 2014, is shaping up nicely
because of this.
YOUR ‘NEW PROJECT’?
Because I'm always working towards
building a more fruitful music
career, I've set more goals for 2014.
Collaborating with like-minded artists
and the release of my upcoming music
project are two of those goals. I'm excited
about the future. There are so many
goals I've set for the future. The release
of my upcoming 2014 project is a top
priority. Performing in this region and
collaborating with talented artists are on
my list as well.
YOUR SUCCESS SO FAR?
I think that achievements are really
subjective these days. Success is also
different for different people. I've
shared the stage and recorded in-
studio with Grammy Award winning
artists who have taught me so much.
I actually count those experiences
as achievements. Collaborating with
and working alongside seasoned and
amazingly talented artists create
invaluable experiences. It's not every
day that you meet people and connect
with folks you've only read about or
seen perform in concert and then find
yourself working with them a few
months later. From these connections,
I've had the opportunity to travel, work
alongside major industry veterans, have
my likeness published in magazines
and newspapers, and be featured in
movies and radio as well as blockbuster
films. My music has touched people's
lives and it has also been well-received
all over the world. Those are great
accomplishments for me.
HOW DID YOU ‘COME OUT’
IN ABU DHABI?
My first stage performance in Abu
Dhabi was at The Marina Mall when
I participated in The Dream Players
showcase. I wasn't quite sure what to
expect as I haven't performed for a
talent show in a long time, but the show
was fun and I met some really cool folks.
BUMPS ON THE ROAD?
Henry Ford said it best. "Obstacles are
those frightful things you see when you
take your eyes off your goals." Those
are words I live by nowadays. I focus
on moving forward. I also believe in
creating opportunities. We all have
challenges, but the most important
factor in growing as a person and artist
is how we get back up and keep moving.
In 2014, I'm aiming for greatness on my
terms and not anyone else's.
LEARNINGS YOU WANT TO PASS ON?
My advice to aspiring singers is, embrace
your uniqueness and believe in yourself.
Being a vocalist is great, but it doesn't
hurt to learn another instrument as
well. Being self-sufficient is a plus
nowadays. Producing your own music
is one way to grow as an artist and
vocalist. Be serious about your vocal
health. You want your voice to work
with you and not against ya! My last
piece of advice for aspiring singers is to
get involved in arts community near
them. Learning and contributing to the
arts will definitely enhance your life
and lead to collaborations with like-
minded folks.
Sultry, soulful and smooth are great
descriptors for Jae Franklin, a Dream
Players contestant who made it to the
judges’ circle. Jae chats with Tempo…
UNWIND:
DREAMPLAYER
JAE FRANKLIN

4.5
4.5
4.0
3.0
TEMPO TRIED & TESTED
Cupcakes! It’s the festive season and what better way to celebrate than with little bundles of
joy! They come in every shape and flavour possible, and are great for all occasions; everything
from birthday parties to office gatherings, to baby showers. They can be a guilty pleasure, a
small treat, a yummy indulgence. Tempo tested a few around town...
BUILD: Carrot Cupcake with walnuts topped with cream cheese icing.
COMMENT: The Icing was stiff and a bit of a let-down. But the cake itself was among the best
I’ve had. Fine grated carrot along with generous shavings of walnuts gave the right crunch and
perfect moistness. The cupcake was soft, gooey and yummy all at the same time.
RECOMMENDATION: Although this cafe is quite new their cupcakes suggest they may have
great staying power.
victoria line cafe
CARROT CUPCAKE
BUILD: Rich chocolate sponge cake topped with chocolate fudge icing.
COMMENT: A cupcake for all chocolate lovers. Bloomsbury excels in cupcakes and
this is one of their best flavours. The chocolate fudge cream melts in your mouth.
The cake blends in with the icing and is tender and moist - almost like having a real
rich, pure chocolate ice-cream.
RECOMMENDATION: They have a variety of cupcake flavours and options
including a dedicated section of diabetic/ diet friendly cupcakes for health buffs.
bloomsbury
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE HEAVEN
BUILD: Vanilla sponge cake topped with vanilla icing.
COMMENT: The cupcake was a bit too sticky and I was disappointed that the smell
of yummy vanilla was just not happening. The icing was the best part of the cupcake
and even that was somewhat clumpy. Cinnabon does great with cinnamon rolls, but
they really should put a bit more effort if they’re to do well in cupcakes.
RECOMMENDATION: Their chocolate cupcakes are worth a try.
cinnabon
VANILLA CUPCAKE
BUILD: Red Velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese icing.
COMMENT: The “in-style” cupcake of the season – red velvet cupcakes are making
waves everywhere, and good old Mama’s is right on top of the crest. The icing was
creamy and did not compromise on the delectable sweet sour-ness of the cream
cheese. The red velvet cake itself could have been softer, and fresher, but the taste
was not compromised in any way.
RECOMMENDATION: Mama’s cupcakes are wide variety in variety and include a
not to be missed passion-fruit cupcake.
mama's cupcakes
RED VELVET
By Diji Shujahi

FASHION STATEMENT: I love simplicity,
monochromatic and vintage looks. Don't
throw away those old high wasted pants,
they will be in fashion in less than
three years!
DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE IN
LESS THAN 10 WORDS: I like to keep
it simple. No prints, glitter or highlight
colours for me.
FAV BUY OF THE PAST MONTH: I bought
this amazing black top from H&M.. And
guess what? It was on sale! Yay!!
TOP PLACES TO SHOP IN AD? My
absolute favourite shop in Abu Dhabi is
Forever 21, but the best place to shop is
Abu Dhabi mall (even though there isn't a
forever 21 store).
DOES AD HAVE STYLE? Yes, I believe that
Abu Dhabi has style, especially when It
comes to the attention of the details.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FASHION PET
HATES? I really hate glittery clothes. I don't
mind a little sparkle here and there but
when you start looking more like a lighted
up Christmas tree than a person... well
maybe you should consider taking that
shirt/dress back.
PHOTOGRAPH BY:
Angeli Castillo
GINEVRA
17 YRS OLD
ITALIAN
UNIVERSITY STUDENT
AND PART TIME MODEL
TEMPO'S MY STYLE
(or Ginny for my friends)
DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN DISTINCTIVE STYLE?
SUBMIT A PHOTO AND A PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOURSELF TO:
editorial@tempoplanet.com

VANSCAP
CHARLESRIVER
TOKYOTALKIES
BARBOUR
AND
RUKSANA:
VANS: I like the red cap
with banded stripes as
it can be paired up with
almost any colour of
sweatshirts or tees.
MYRIAM:
VANS: I love this two
toned fitted beanie. Red
paired with black always
makes a statement -
sport this mix for a
rocker look this winter.
myriam bunni ruksana ajir
Canadian/Iraqi Fashion Consultant Indian Fashion Designer
TEMPO’S
NIKE CAP
RUKSANA:
BARBOUR: I would
go for this jacket as it
doesn't compromise on
the style even though it’s
built for the outdoors.
With its slimmer and
contemporary shape
the leather trim finishes
gives the jacket a more
fashionable look.
MYRIAM:
BARBOUR: The leather
trimmings add a little
touch of chic to this
jacket. I also love the
fact that it's fit can be
adjusted to better define
your shape.
RUKSANA:
TOKYO TALKIES:
I love the cool green
pair of palazzo pants.
Paired up with a fitted
top and wedges, these
are perfect for casual
holiday fun.
MYRIAM:
AND: I've always had
a penchant for prints;
they also never go out of
style .What's more the
high waist and A-line
cut of these trousers give
the illusion of a smaller
waist.

KITE-SURFING
By Sanah ChauhanCOVER STORY
On most afternoons if you drive on the Saadiyat
Island road you would surely not miss the
breathtaking array of colourful kites gliding
alongside the shimmering blue of the coastline.
You would see four wheel drives parked along
the beach with kite-surfers harnessing the power
of the wind to propel themselves on water. This
visually breathtaking water-sport of kite-surfing
is gaining popularity in the UAE, and one of its
leading proponents is Sameh Elsaghir. Tempo
caught up with Sameh….
TEMPO: INTRODUCE YOURSELF…
> SAMEH: My name is Sameh Elsaghir.
I’m originally from Alexandria, Egypt
but I’ve been in the UAE since 1995. I’ve
lived by the beach in Alexandria so I’ve
always been into water sports.
I have consistently been the number
one winner in sailing competitions
and often number two in kite surfing
contests all over Egypt. I’m accredited
by the International Kiteboarding
Association of America and the Royal
Yacht Association of the UK. In 2000,
I began teaching kite surfing part time.
Soon I was fully booked almost every
day, and that led me to quit my day
job – I used to be HR manager at an IT
company – and started Kitepro.
TEMPO: WHAT IS KITEPRO?
> SAMEH: Well, after I quit my job
I began to concentrate solely on
kitesurfing and thought of ways to
expand and start my own company.
My first move was to research brands
dealing with the equipment for the
sport. A friend and fellow surfer
introduced me to an American brand
called BEST. I am now the dealer for the
brand in the Middle East.
Once I had that everything started
falling into place. Kitepro started in
2005. I set up my website and looked for

possible locations which were suitable
for kitesurfing. I’ve never really had
to advertise as most of my customers
recommend me to their friends. Almost
50 percent of my clientele has come
through word of mouth. I’ve been
really lucky. I now have two teaching
assistants working with me at Kitepro.
TEMPO: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
CHALLENGES YOU FACED?
> SAMEH: The biggest challenge up
to date is finding a suitable location
for kitesurfing, since there is no
official beach in Abu Dhabi. I hope the
ministry recognizes kitesurfing as a
water sport and gives us a beach where
we can practice freely. Till then I’m
constantly on the lookout for isolated
beaches where we can practice without
disturbing others. Another challenge is
the weather. Every day I have to check
the weather forecast and wind speed
and only then I can schedule kitesurfing
sessions for the day. This makes it
difficult to plan ahead and often I have
to cancel sessions at the last minute if
the weather isn’t suitable.
Kitesurfing is a dangerous sport and
the safety of my students is a priority
and fortunately I haven’t had a single
accident to date. Someday I wish to go
back to Alexandria where I can
set up my own kitesurfing centre by
the beach.
TEMPO: A CLOSING WORD…?
> SAMEH: Kitesurfing is the only
thing that can take you far away from
your life. It makes you forget all your
troubles and lets you leave everything
behind. The rush it gives you is truly
out of this world. I think everyone
should experience it at least once in
a lifetime.
CONTACT KITEPRO:
sameh@kitepro.ae
www.kitepro.ae
KITESURFING IS THE ONLY
THING THAT CAN TAKE YOU
FAR AWAY FROM YOUR LIFE. IT
MAKES YOU FORGET ALL YOUR
TROUBLES AND LETS YOU
LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND.

In Tempo’s last issue we wrote about NaNoWriMo, (National Novel Writing Month) a highly motivational low stakes race to get
50,000 words on paper within the single month of November, and we specifically followed the journey of three Wrimos based in
the UAE. Internationally 309,021 novelists signed up for National Novel Writing Month and 3,493,291,962 words were written.
Of the three Wrimos we followed, Michael Taylor opted out in the middle, realizing that ‘work’ workload couldn’t take a back
seat. However husband and wife team, Simon Ainsley and Daniela Raykova Ainsley toughed it out, proving perhaps that it takes
teamwork and partnership to reach the finishing line…
SIMON AINSLEY
Man! That was a tough one! But
50,029 words later, I made it!
As with all my previous attempts
to complete Nanowrimo, it
gets harder as it goes on. But,
massive coffee injections, dogged
determination and a lax approach
to what was going on the page
helped me to get to the end!
So, I’d like to say a big thank you
to my wonderful supportive wife,
Daniela – doing Nanowrimo with
her helped as you have someone
around who shares your pain and
desire to complete and to take
turns making the coffee! I also
have to say a big thank-you to
Tempo as featuring in the previous
edition helped put some useful
pressure on to finish!
I’d also like to say a big thanks to
George RR Martin as his ‘A Song
of Fire and Ice’ books helped
inspire me. My novel follows a
similar pattern to Martin’s work
as various warring factions in a
fictional world struggle to gain
dominance over each other. It
is best described as being in the
fantasy genre.
The last Nanowrimo I completed
was a dystopian look at English
education in the year 2035 so this
DANIELA RAYKOVA AINSLEY:
MY NANOWRIWO SUCCESS STORY
I did it! I won! My first year doing
Nanowrimo and I actually got to
the finish line with 50, 240 words.
It definitely wasn’t easy, by the last
stretch I was writing for eight hours a
day trying to do 5000 words each day
just to catch up. On the last day of the
month I had my last 4500 words to do
and by then I was so fed up with the
writing I couldn’t bear it. The story
itself was nothing special, I didn’t
even enjoy it all that much… my plan
was to end at 50,000 and be done
with it whether or not the novel was
finished.
The thing about my novel is that it
has a beginning, middle and end. It
is a fully formed book, not just ideas
or random scribbling and that, as I’ve
been told, by a veteran Nanowrimo
novelist (with five tries and two wins)
is an impressive feat. Okay, it was my
husband, but nevertheless, he was
very impressed that I had written
a structured novel on my first go.
That was definitely one of the perks
of completing, the pride you inspire
in the people you love and yourself.
So many times I had sat down at the
page, written a few lines and given
up, but now I have something to show
for myself and I can finally say I am a
novelist, albeit an unpublished one.
was a nice change and I certainly had
more fun writing this one. However, as
I was writing this, I could tell that the
novel was going to be a lot longer than
50,000 words and so it is still not fully
formed. Much like Martin’s brilliant
series of novels, I expect my story to
take the form of a series of books.
I was very happy to leave my writing
alone the moment I had got over
the 50,000 line, and I will not look
at it again until the New Year. It’s
recommended that you take a break
after November and come back to your
work with fresh eyes.
In some cases, participants come back
with renewed vigour, determined to
edit their work into a masterpiece –
rewriting and adding more words to
bulk up their subplots and supporting
characters.
But, inevitably, some return to their
work and look at in horror and run
from having anything to do with it
again! In my novel’s case, I think I’m
interested enough to come back to it
and put the work in.
That will have to wait though as I’m
now going back to my 2009 Nanowrimo
effort and preparing to put it out to
publishers/ agents and if I don’t succeed
then I will go down the self-publishing
route!
When it comes down to the
nitty-gritty, I’m not in love with
my novel so to speak. It was
an unplanned plotline with no
character outlines, and most
were written in along the way
to move the plot forward. So
having decided that I don’t care
too much for my novel I could go
by two routes, one being leaving
it alone for all time, unloved and
untouched. The other is to sit
down and get to the task of editing
it and making it something I’m
happy to show off and maybe
even publish. The latter is the path
I wish to take, to prove to myself
that I can do it, which would be
another first… just like completing
Nanowrimo.
As for the question:
Would I compete in
national novel writing
month again? It was very
difficult, but yes I would,
and I would be happy
doing it while knowing
that I have done it before
and came out victorious!
I would like to say a special thank
you to Simon Ainsley, who has
supported me and all my writing
endeavors, and is the reason I
show up to the page at all.
NANOWRIMO UPDATE!
THE FINISH LINE:
LEARN ABOUT NANOWRIMO AND SHARPEN YOUR PENCILS (AND DUST OFF YOUR LAPTOPS) FOR NEXT YEAR, BY VISITING http://nanowrimo.org/

SHOWER
By Anna Moore
She stepped into the shower, knowing that she was already
late for work. The water was icy cold and she realised that
she had not turned on the water heater, yet again. The water
heater switch was becoming a bother in her life: it was too
high for her to reach, and water heating was too expensive
for her to keep the heater switch on all the time. She had
been compromising on personal hygiene for a while now, but
she decided that she didn’t have to live with that anymore.
She stepped out of the bathtub, stepped on the stool to turn
on the water heater. She was definitely going to have a
warm shower tonight, and tomorrow she was going to start
looking for a place to with a closer switch. She then left the
bathroom, without taking a shower. Again.
Hamda, who lived with her mother,
was a kind girl with a good heart. Her
father had died two years earlier. One
morning, as her mother sat weaving,
she said, “I want to ask you something.
I have a cloud of questions in my
mind about a man called Abu Ras.”
Her mother replied, “Oh Hamda, your
questions never end! OK, I will tell you.”
The mother started to tell the story.
“Abu Ras is half human and is the
guardian of the souk. He has a big
head, a donkey’s leg and a lion’s paw.
He scares people from stealing and
catches thieves from behind because he
is embarrassed by his ugliness. Now, I
have answered your question.” Hamda
nodded. “But Hamda,” mother added,
“there is something I haven’t told you.
One day, Abu Ras saved your father
from the robbers, but he died before
he could thank him. I cannot do that
because he is so ugly.” Hamda’s mother
stopped suddenly and suggested the
little girl go and play with her friends.
Hamda could not stop thinking about
Abu Ras. She began to look for him
everywhere, so she could thank him for
helping her father.
One day, there was a thief in the souk.
Abu Ras heard the screams. Elsewhere,
Hamda also heard the sounds. “This
is my chance to talk to Abu Ras,” she
said to herself, so she started running.
At the souk, people were surrounding
HAMDA AND ABU RAS
Written by:
Aisha Mohammed Al Mahri
Illustration by:
Eman Abdulrahman Alali
the robber. “Where is Abu Ras?” she
thought. It was a long, dark alleyway
so there was no place to hide. Just then,
Hamda spotted a small, dark slit and
headed towards it.
There, she saw a shadow. “Wait! Please
can I talk to you? I know everything
about you. Please, can I see you?” asked
Hamda. The shadow came closer.
“Thank you for helping my father. You
are so kind,” said Hamda.
Abu Ras replied, “You are very beautiful
and very polite,”, before asking her
name. When she replied, Abu Ras said,
“What a pretty name. I will never forget
it. Goodbye.”
ZAYED UNIVERSITY’S AL KHARAREF STORYTELLING CLUB was created to enrich the legacy of
the Emirati storytelling tradition and contribute to the revival of this important cultural heritage
within the United Arab Emirates.
Last year, the Club in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation exhibited Story
Mile a collection of 48 original fables and folktales, written by students from the Academic Bridge
Program, illustrated by College of Arts and Creative Enterprises majors and translated by ZOWD
volunteers into the language of its characters, Emirati dialect.
The tales, which are soon to be published in a book, share not only the storytelling traditions of
the Emirates, but have also introduced other key aspects of Emirati culture. These latest stories
are creating new footprints in Emirati's storytelling foklore, while preserving and reintegrating 24
archetypical traditional characters researched by Master Storyteller Abdul Aziz Al Mussallam and
designated by the Department of Culture, Heritage and Information as genuinely Emirati back into
the cultural landscape.
Walter Vallis had second sight. His
psychic gift had certain peculiarities
attached to it, however. Any incident
- from a relatively minor calamity
affecting upwards of fifty or so people
up to a cataclysmic world event - was
within Walter’s range of prophesy, yet
only as long as he was present in the
place affected by the incident. Also, on
a rather mundane note, lucky lottery
numbers and winning race horses were,
unfortunately from Walter’s point of
view, beyond his foresight.
Sometimes, though, if conditions were
right, Walter could improvise and use his
gift to enrich himself.
The most recent incident of self-
enrichment was during Wimbledon
fortnight when Walter sensed the British
nation’s impending disappointment.
The strength of the distress was acute,
indicating a hard-fought tennis match in
the offing.
“Fifty quid on Murray to lose in the
fourth set,” Walter told his bookie, betting
against the home favourite. “And another
fifty on him losing in the fifth, just in
case.”
The match went to four sets, and Walter
raked in enough winnings for him to
afford a fortnight’s holiday on an island in
the Caribbean.
The first few days of Walter’s vacation
were free from premonitions. However,
on the fifth day he awoke in a sweat. He
had an unhappy presentiment to lay
before the resort’s hotel manager.
“There’s going to be an outbreak of food
poisoning at the hotel,” Walter told the
woman bluntly, and in so doing almost
got himself arrested for threatening
behaviour and inciting panic.
From the moment his warning was
dismissed, being unable to pinpoint the
source of the impending food-poisoning
outbreak, Walter ate his meals outside the
hotel in local cafés. He wasn’t surprised
in the slightest when most of the hotel
guests fell sick and a shipment of refrozen
prawns came under scrutiny from the
island’s environmental health authorities.
Ten days into his vacation, the TV news
reported an anticyclone forming out over
the Atlantic Ocean. Its path would take it
into the Caribbean Sea, but its exact route
was at the time a matter of guesswork
and conjecture. However, the following
morning the hotel manager called the
guests together for an announcement.
“The anticyclone has developed into a
full-blown hurricane,” she explained. “It’s
on a collision course with our island. So
in the interests of safety, plans are being
made to evacuate you to a neighbouring
island.”
Walter was confused. He had not seen
this disaster coming. Every instinct told
him the hotel manager was making a
wrong decision and that the island would
prove to be outside the hurricane’s track.
“We ought to stay put,” Walter said,
causing a ripple of anxiety amongst the
other guests. “We should remain here.
The hurricane won’t strike this island, I
assure you.”
The hotel manger remained pessimistic,
despite Walter’s previous prediction over
the food poisoning incident. “Science
is science,” she insisted. “And both the
meteorologists and the island authorities
say we must evacuate.”
At the mention of a government
authority being involved in the decision
to evacuate, the other guests were
convinced. Leaving the hotel lobby, they
returned to their rooms to pack a suitcase
each.
Exasperated, yet still certain his intuition
was correct, Walter strolled sullenly
down to the quay. From there he watched
the hotel minibus shuttling tourists
to waiting boats. Within an hour the
evacuee-laden flotilla was speeding out
to sea, ahead of the forecast arrival of
Hurricane Trudy.
Walter shrugged, then looked on as
the sky darkened and the hurricane
approached. Suddenly the storm veered
north, engulfing the evacuees’ boats
before slamming into the neighbouring
island they were headed for.
“You should have listened to me,” said
Walter. “I did tell you.”
He walked back to the hotel, leaning
into the wind and the rain that had been
brought by the passing hurricane.
Next morning blue skies returned. Walter
awoke in his hotel bed with the curtains
open and the sun shining on his face.
Glad that he had trusted his intuition,
he wandered down to the beach. He
stretched out in the coolness beneath a
coconut palm, smug in the knowledge
that his preternatural gift had saved his
life. He felt little pity for those who had
perished. After all they should have
heeded his warning.
Walter’s last memory was of a light
gust of wind and a snapping sound as a
coconut detached from the leafy canopy.
He opened his eyes just in time to see
the coconut plummeting towards his
head. Not for the first time, he wished his
foresight was better attuned to predicting
the smaller tragedies of life.
FORESIGHT
By Paul A. Freeman
PAUL A. FREEMAN works and
lives in the UAE. He is the author of
over 100 commercially published
short stories, and author of the
awesomely titled Robin Hood
and Friar Tuck, Zombie Killers - A
Canterbury Tale.
www.paulfreeman.weebly.com
SCAN THE PAGE WITH
POINTATME APP
LISTEN TO THE STORY IN
ARABIC AND ENGLISH
FLASH FICTION IS A STYLE OF FICTIONAL LITERATURE
CHARACTERIZED BY BREVITY; WITH THE STANDARD
BEING A STORY OF UNDER 1000 WORDS.
DO YOU WRITE SHORT SHORT STORIES
(FLASH FICTION)?
Share them by sending them to: editorial@tempoplanet.com

facebook
twitter
instagram
linkedin
pinterest
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reddit
blog
Four teenagers from the British School Al
Khubairat shared their insight into their usage of
social media. How they use each of these media
and why. What Tempo found out is that young
people are extremely savvy; knowledge about which utilities to use, and
adept at identifying the pros and cons of each…
RATING: 8/10
Facebook is very useful for keeping
people updated on friends’ activities
and social events.
RATING: 7/10
Twitter can be very interactive with
celebrities.
RATING: 8/10
Great for keeping connected with
friends through pictures.
RATING: 5/10
Never saw the appeal in self
expression through a stream of
images.
RATING: 6/10
Don’t have one personally but blogs
can be very informative for certain
topics.
NEVER USED
NEVER USED
NEVER USED
RATING: 9/10
I like Facebook because it helps me
connect with friends and family
around the world. However, it gets
quite boring after a while as people
are beginning to stop using it.
RATING: 10/10
I always tweet (@lydialilabee) and
because I run a fashion blog, it allows
me to keep my readers up to date
about new posts, simply by tweeting.
RATING: 10/10
Great for networking and
communication, it allows you to meet
new people and gain a visual insight
into the lives of celebrities.
RATING: 8/10
A great platform for gaining
inspiration, it allows you to publish
your ideas and interests globally, but
I think the posts are becoming very
generic in terms of fashion.
RATING: 10/10
Extremely important in my every
day life as it allows me to promote
my lifestyle and interests in the
fashion industry.
RATING: 10/10
It allows me to reach a global market
through my blog posts and also
enables me to interact with people in
the fashion industry.
RATING: 7/10
It's great to "pin" my favorite outfit
looks and destinations, however;
after a while it gets boring.
NEVER USED
RATING: 9/10
Good for staying in touch and
seeing what friends are doing and
following groups, celebrities etc. -
But can get clogged up with ads and
page spamming.
N/A
(OTHERWISE, RATING 7/10)
For direct access but I don’t see the
point.
RATING: 9/10
Good, 'pure' photo sharing, good
filters, difficult to increase followers.
RATING: 8/10
Funny as hell but I have no idea how
to navigate it.
N/A
Depends on the blog.
N/A
N/A
For girls.
RATING: 10/10
Something for everyone, good
community, funny, user-generated.
RATING: 8/10
It’s a great, effortless way to keep
in touch with friends and family
especially if they are abroad.
RATING: 6/10
Really easy to use and you can
easily find and scroll through lots
of people’s opinions that sometimes
can be funny or interesting.
RATING: 9/10
Allows for immediate photo sharing
and is very socially interactive.
RATING: 10/10
Has a blog-like quality to it so
everyone’s Tumblr is unique and is
tailored to their own interests.
RATING: 7/10
Don’t have one myself but can
be very informative and a good
way for sharing your stories and
opinions.
N/A
N/A
RATING: 10/10
It’s a really good community that
focuses on sharing ideas and stories
and is generally interesting and
funny to read.
Kareem Machnouk
Age: 18
British
Lydia Birgani-Nia
Age: 17
British/Iranian
Kamil Sumansky
Age: 18
Czech
Shanthi Tikari
Age: 17
Indian/PapuaNewGuinean
facebook
twitter
instagram
linkedin
pinterest
tumblr
reddit
blog
facebook
twitter
instagram
linkedin
pinterest
tumblr
reddit
blog

The total number of Facebook users•
in the UAE stands at 3,593,704
69% of Facebook users in the UAE are•
males while 31% are females
UAE has a Facebook penetration rate•
of approximately 43%, where male
users make up 30% and female users
make up 13%
The number of Internet users in•
the UAE who are using Facebook is
estimated to be 61%, with male and
female users making up 42% and 19%
respectively
A Twitter user is considered to be•
“active” if the person posted at least
1 tweet in a month. As of 10 July
2013, the estimated number of active
Twitter users in the UAE stands at
363,624
Among the UAE Twitter users,•
52.05% tweeted in Arabic, 35.91%
tweeted in English while the rest
tweeted in other languages
Facebook
statistics from
stats.ae
Twitter
statistics from
stats.ae
31%
FEMALE
69%
MALE
AGE
SPLIT-UP
44%
22-30 YRS
31-39 YRS
13-21 YRS>40 YRS
28%
16%
12%
FACEBOOK FOR UAE
TWITTER FOR UAE UAE USERS
BEST TIME TO TWEET
USAGE PENETRATION
USAGE PENETRATION
TOTAL POPULATION: 43%
TOTAL POPULATION:
DUBAI: 2.3M
ABU DHABI: 878K
SHARJAH: 305K
OTHERS: 99K
DUBAI: 258K
ABU DHABI: 73K
SHARJAH: 23K
OTHERS: 8K
AMONG INTERNET USERS: 61%
AMONG INTERNET USERS:
USERS BY EMIRATE
USERS BY EMIRATE
3.6MACTIVE
USERS
363KACTIVE
USERS
30%
4.4%
6.2%
244K
1PM-3PM
2.5M
10PM-1AM
42%
13%
19%
USERS TWEETING
EVERYDAY
LUNCH
TWEETS
A DAY
NIGHT
ESTIMATED NUMBER
OF MIDDLE EAST
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
DEMOGRAPHICS
IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
THE MOST POPULAR
SOCIAL NETWORKING
SITES
SOCIAL MEDIA
USERS BY AGE
DISTRIBUTION
58M
65%6.5M
35%5.8M
FACEBOOK
94% FACEBOOK 9% 16 TO 17
52% TWITTER 36% 18 TO 24
46% GOOGLE+ 32% 25 TO 34
14% INSTAGRAM 11% 35 TO 44
6% LINKEDIN 12% 44+
MALETWITTER
FEMALELINKEDIN
Statistics from go-gulf.com
(posted on June 4th 2013)

Recently, Tempo writer and award-
winning poet, Paul D, sat down with
writer and writing professor at NYU-
Abu Dhabi, Jim Savio, to discuss his
creative efforts in Abu Dhabi.
DORIAN: You're originally from New
York. Were you born there?
JIM: Yes, in Brooklyn. Fourth
generation. My mom's family has
been there since the 1840s. How
about you?
DORIAN: I was born in Cleveland,
Ohio, but raised in South Georgia in
a small city called Albany. How did
you make it out to Abu Dhabi and
become a professor at NYU. Explain
that thought process?
JIM: I'm a carpenter by trade, and
went back to school in my 40s. I
started teaching at The City College
of New York in 1998. I landed a
teaching gig at Parson School of
Design the following year and taught
in both programs for twelve years.
When my wife got recruited to NYU
Abu Dhabi in 2011, I took a leave of
absence from The New School to
accompany her for a semester and
to work on my novel. After meeting
and talking with the director of the
Writing Program, Heidi Stalla, I was
offered a position to come back and
teach the following fall. That's my
Abu Dhabi story.
DORIAN: Cool. The creative writing
program at NYU-Abu Dhabi is fairly
new. What was the impetus behind
the university supporting this
concentration?
JIM: The Literature and Writing
Program value Creative Writing,
and believe that all writing should
be creative. They have supported
a range of course genres and have
plans to expand the program and the
faculty. Student interest in Creative
Writing has also played an important
part in jump-starting the program.
DORIAN: Hmmm... Maybe they'd
be open to me teaching a modern
poetry or performance poetry course
one of these days. How long have you
been writing? Have you published any
works? What is your favorite genre of
writing?
JIM: I committed myself to writing in
the early 1980s. I've published in small
journals, presses, and magazines. My
collection of short stories, The Fairy Flag
and Other Stories was published in 1999.
I'm most comfortable with fiction and
the personal essay, but I don't want, or
need to limit myself in that way. You do
have stay focused on one or two projects
at a time though, otherwise nothing gets
finished. How about you?
DORIAN: I started as a Freshman
in university and self-published a
collection around that time called For
Mulattoes Only. I was fortunate enough
to attend the student reading on NYU
Abu-Dhabi's campus on December
9. Was it your idea to showcase the
creative works of your students?
JIM: Yes, their preparation for the
reading and delivery will factor into
their grade for the course, but what is
equally important is that their voices
were heard in our community.
DORIAN: Many of the students I'm sure
had never previously performed. Were
they nervous before the reading, or was
everyone comfortable and excited about
sharing?
JIM: I was nervous, and I was nervous
for them. But I think they were pretty
chill. Did you enjoy the show?
DORIAN: I really did. Which of your
students are you most excited about
with regards to their development as a
writer? Who showed the most growth?
Which poems touched you most deeply
during this past semester?
JIM: I can honestly say that each and
every one of them grew beyond their
expectations for themselves. Most
of them discovered ways to bring
something new and different to well-
worn themes and ideas. I'd say Roshni
Dadlani took the biggest chunk out of
my heart, but Joey Bui, Nafi Mounkaila,
Nadine Alalami, Sherina Al Sowaidi
and Carmen Germaine made a
real impression on my senses. As I
mention them, I think of the others,
and each and every one of them
wrote at least one poem that gripped
me, and would not let go.
DORIAN: NYU-Abu Dhabi along with
Paris Sorbonne-Abu Dhabi is one of
the leading universities in the city
currently with regards to bringing
an array of cultural speakers and
programs. Is this the case with all of
NYU's campuses around the world or
is there something peculiar about this
particular campus?
JIM: Each campus in the global
network is unique and offers
something different in terms of
studies, community enrichment, and
a university culture. Our partners
here in the UAE are supportive,
and we show our appreciation by
providing the opportunity for a
top tier education. Through the
NYUAD Institute we stage plays,
film screenings, conferences, art
exhibitions, concerts, talks and
discussions on a wide range of
subjects, and most all of these events
and programs as accessible to the Abu
Dhabi community.
DORIAN: Describe the feelings that
an ideal piece of writing should
evoke.
JIM: To solicit any feeling from a
reader, aside from boredom, is a coup
- a bull's eye in the writing game.
When anything I write drifts back
into the consciousness of my reader:
Bingo, I've done my job.
DORIAN: What should we expect
from the NYU-Abu Dhabi creative
writing program in the near future?
JIM: More writers, mingling with
the local writing community in Abu
Dhabi and the region; writers who are
curious, who will touch our hearts,
rattle our cages and shed some light
into the darkest corners of our world.
That's my hope, anyway.
CREATIVE CAFE
articulate cafe
By Mugdha Sunil Polimera
Of late, I’ve noticed a trend that is raging
like an epidemic among teenagers –
temporary Jobs (And yes, I’ll admit, I have
been infected too). I walk around my
university on a normal working day and
I see at least a couple persons frantically
running around, printing out copies of
their passport, visa, CV et al. The printouts
for the interview are probably the only
reason they have to visit the library.
If I follow the entire procedure from start
to end, it starts off with a Facebook post
or a BBM broadcast advertising the need
for a “beautiful female” or “an able male”
for a temporary job - that a friend of a
friend of a friend had sent, adding the
person in-charge on BBM or Whatsapp,
for the required documents and interview
details. This is followed by the ‘documents
ritual,’ and finding out find the best way to
interview. That doesn’t end there. If one
manages to get selected in the interview,
then there’s more running around for
the next rounds. And then there’s the job
in itself – another couple days of more
running around.
Basically, doing a temporary job, no
matter the duration of the job, involves
a LOT of running around. But still we
teens are obsessed with it. We consider
every chance we get and volunteer for
the running around. Now, what is it that
propels us? Is it the monetary benefits of
doing a job for a couple days that fetches
us a remarkably sparse amount? Does the
concept of earning our own pocket money
appeal to us? Is it an escape we seek from
our daily routines? Or do we simply do
it for the experience of working and
meeting new people?
For most, it may be some or none of the
above. For me, it’s all of the above. My
parents often ask me why I decide to take
on the Herculian task of incorporating
my crazy university exam schedule
(apart from the four hours of travelling
to and from university everyday) along
with these “silly” jobs. They think I have
the crazy Superwoman complex where I
want to do everything (and to perfection,
mind it) and everyone’s job. But when I
think about it, it’s not any complex that I
have. Most of the time, it’s just the thrill
of doing something new, meeting hoards
of people from different backgrounds and
social circles, being in a different place,
observing and learning. The money – yes,
I’ll agree – is an added advantage, but
it’s not the only thing we look for. Else,
you wouldn’t find volunteers for events,
would you?
More than anything, we look for things
that pique our interest. For an F1 fan,
a movie buff, or a One Republic fan,
working at the Formula 1, Film Festival
or a concert, is an ideal way of attending
without burning a hole in the pocket.
Well, to each his own. But I say that
without us part-timers, a lot of events
would be a mess. So in the end, the
running around does pays off.
WORKAHOLIC
TEENAGERS

> Blancpain watch
Available @ Rivoli group, Abu Dhabi
> Evita Peroni
Available @ Dubai Marina Mall
> OCÓO The Beauty Drink
Available @ Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi
> Swatch
Available @ Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi
> Vince Camuto Mikey Cross Body Bag
Available @ Abu Dhabi World Trade Centre Mall
> Cross Pens
Available @ Jashanmal stores, Al Wahda Mall 2
> Chloe Sunglasses
Available @ Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi
> Lena Zeitouni Earrings
Available @ www.citrusstv.com
> Michael Kors Sunglasses
Available @ Abu Dhabi Mall
TO SEE YOUR SWAG OR YOUR BRAND HERE, EMAIL:Follow #TempoSwag on Twitter editorial@tempoplanet.com

WHAT’S COOL, FUNNY AND QUIRKY ON THE NET
IS ARABIC HARD OR EASY TO LEARN?
Trending discovers videos of non-Arabs speaking Arabic and some of them are very entertaining.
FAISAL GOES WEST
An American from Texas invites viewers to participate in a
crowd sourced film project about a Sudanese in the USA.
“Totally hilarious Sudanese accent”
AMERICAN STUDENT SPEAKING ARABIC
An American university student speaks in Egyptian Arabic to
tour operators in Cairo.
“Hear the comments of the tour operator”
LA STUDENT TALKS IN ARABIC
A US LA student talks about her experience learning
‘Classical’ Arabic.
“University of California has some good Arabic classes”
FRENCH SPEAKING ARABIC
A French man introduces his family (and where they live)
– in Arabic.
“We love those rolling R’s”
BRAZILIAN STUDENT SPEAKS ARABIC
A Brazilian student talks about learning Arabic through her
Arab friend Adnan.
“Check out friends bugging her in the background”
INDIAN PRAISES IN ARABIC LANGUAGE
An Indian gives a heart warming message praising Egypt and
thanking its people for their hospitality.
“So Sweet”
AMERICAN TALK SHOW IN ARABIC
An American presents an Arabic talk show in “classical” Arabic
in praise of his love of Arabic and Arab culture.
“Even Arabs don’t like that”
A KOREAN SPEAKING ARABIC
A South Korean talks about the Arabic accents and how Arabs
speak English
“Funny! Perfect Egyptian accent. Why do Arabs say
‘braadars’ instead of brothers”
resolution
keepers
Tempo’s ‘Resolution Keepers’
was launched in 2011
and here five brave souls
have agreed to share their
resolution with us and also
have us check back with
them to see if they have kept
their promises.
INTASAR ALI
39 years old
Pakistani
Store Keeper
Bring family to Abu Dhabi 1.
for visit.
Go for Hajj.2.
Arrange money to provide for3.
an orphan girl’s marriage.
RANA ALKAISSI
40 years old
Syrian
Designer
Save money to buy a new car1.
Go for a trip to Turkey with2.
family
Shift to a bigger house3.
LU SHU YING
49 years old
Chinese
Pattern master
Strictly follow diet to maintain1.
health
Gift her grandchildren with2.
something special
Learn a new language.3.
ZEI CHENFEL
23 years old
Fillipino
Secretary
Cut down weight1.
Learn something new2.
(artistically)
Be more spiritual3.
SUMITH JOHN
MATHEW
14 years old
Indian
Student
To learn martial arts1.
To concentrate more on studies2.
and less on Facebook
To win the inter school3.
championship award.
:SPEAKING ARABIC

NEWS AND GOSSIP
Blakniss
Original game head from Atari to XBox!
game hedz tech talk
Shahid Saeed
Talker for the Non-Techies
Follow me on
@shahidaasi
WHAT NEXT AFTER THE
3D PRINTED GUN?
The American crypto-anarchist Cody
Wilson shot to fame when he produced
the world's first 3D printed gun and
made the plans available online for free.
So what is he planning to do next? He
tells BBC Click about some of his latest
projects and explains why he decided to
make the gun.
200,000 PEOPLE APPLY
TO LIVE ON MARS
CNN reports that if you are one of those
people with a deep ambitions of being
one of the first people on Mars then you
can take your cue from a Dutch Company
that says it is moving along with its plan
to send four lucky Earthlings (that’s us) to
colonize the Red Planet. One small catch:
you won't ever come back.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE III
How fast technology changes - a
technology is hot today and gone
tomorrow. Samsung is poised to building
the best of best and has lots of devices in
the pipeline to show for it.
Galaxy Note 3 was one of the most
exciting devices of 2013. A stunning
handset with plenty of power, a great
screen, decent camera and days’ worth
of battery life, it is becoming a leader
among the multitasking devices. Note 3
uses a QUALCOMM snapdragon 800 2.3
GHz quad core processor, around 3GB
RAM, 32GB/64GB built-in memory with
microSD slot for up to 64GB, CMOS 2
mega-pixels front facing and lots of other
goodies.
Galaxy Note 3 is available at all major
electronics retailers across UAE including
through both DU and Etisalat.
SAMSUNG GALAXY GEAR
Samsung Galaxy Gear is built to change
the way we stay connected: it is stylish,
wearable and intelligent. The high
quality metallic wrist of Galaxy Gear
comfortably wraps around your hand.
It is packed with 1.63-inches AMOLED
320x320 pixels display, 800 Mhz
Processor, 512MB RAM and 4GB internal
memory. It also has Bluetooth 4.0, 1.9
megapixel cameras, 2 microphones, 1
speaker, Accerlometer/Gyro-sensor. It
also has useful built in apps and can be
connected to your phone and can receive
or make calls, notifications and smart
relay, voice memos and much more.
Available for sale at all
major electronic outlets
across UAE.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE III
SAMSUNG GALAXY GEAR
MY FAV APP: STICK SPORTS
Are you gaming or sports enthusiast? You may like what Stick Sports is doing. This is a company that has a variety of sporty apps, like
cricket, tennis, racing and other games. I’ve tried some of their apps and find that it is a fun way and to pass free time. Stick Sports games
are available for Android, Apple and BlackBerry devices for free.
> Jasbeer Aboobacker
SCAN THE PAGE WITH POINTATME APP
WATCH THE VIDEO
SCAN THE PAGE WITH POINTATME APP
WATCH THE VIDEO
WELCOME TO 2014
Firstly: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
2014 promises some innovative new
games - possible gameplay breakthrough
- continued evolution in storytelling and
more interesting TV to game crossover.
THE GAMES TO GET
The stand out titles with scheduled
releases include Thief (Cross Platform,
Feb), South Park: Stick of Truth (Cross
Platform, March) Titanfall (XBox360,
March), Infamous: Second Son (PS4,
March) and Destiny (Cross platform,
Sept). Of these, Titanfall has the most
buzz. With gameplay footage already
out, it depicts all out FPS, every-man-for-
himself mayhem, complete with mech
warriors. But the real excitement seems
to be in the new free-flowing gameplay
that allows players to jump onto pretty
much any building or object, or any part
of any building or object be it a helicopter,
tank or giant robot...then blow it up. You
can blow up everything. Every gamers
dream really.
But wait there's more!!
Creeping up like unseen perversions of
science are the survival horror titles, The
Evil Within (Cross platform) and Outlast
(PS4). Survival horror has been growing
in popularity especially with the success
of the Walking Dead serial game and the
Dead Space franchise. However, these
are rumoured to really take the genre to
a even more terrifying depth. Oh, and
keep an ear out for Telltale Game's deal to
make Game of Thrones into a game series.
Should be fun.
MOST ANTICIPATED
Game Hedz most anticipated games of
2014 are Watchdogs (Cross platform) and
The Order: 1886 (PS4). We've already seen
plenty of Watchdog's gameplay footage
as it was meant to be released in 2013. In
terms of gameplay, it's Assassin's Creed
set in the 21st century. The Order is from
triple A developer Naughty Dog. These
guys made The Last of Us and Uncharted,
so you know it comes with a proven
track record. With some footage already
out there, it looks like a sci-fi history
adventure. Steam Punk shooter might be
one way to put it.
All that said, the games that will really
hold centre stage won't be played on any
console: That's the World Cup of Football
in Brazil. Hooyah. All the best for 2014.
Keep ya hedz up.

Now that 2013 has come to an end, I’m
looking back at a year that began in the
UAE and was spent mainly returning
home and figuring out what to do here.
During eight years as an American
expatriate living and working in Abu
Dhabi and Dubai, I visited the US every
summer and in the winter months for
conferences and special events. Since I
had kept in touch with my country and
my friends, I believed that coming back
to living in the US would be easy. It has
been, but not entirely.
I landed in New York on March 20 and
went on a day later to Miami where I was
going to live. That first evening in Miami
was spent with Emiratis Jalal Luqman
and Sumayyah Al Suwaidi who was
showing a selection of evening gowns at
Miami International Fashion Week.
From then I was on my own as Jalal and
Sumayyah flew back to Abu Dhabi, and
I contacted the only two people I knew,
a former journalist for the National and
an acquaintance from when I lived in
Orlando.
For the first time, I moved to a city I
didn’t know without the comfort of a job.
Having spent eight years in the academic
world in the UAE, I didn’t want another
university job and hoped to try my hand
at other things.
Being old enough to have had three
different careers, I wanted to get closer
to the two others - journalism and
public relations - and, especially, to be an
entrepreneur again.
Before coming to Abu Dhabi, I had
continued the business I started in
1990 on a smaller scale. It had become
a decent-sized PR company operating
primarily in Poland. As one of the first
PR companies there, we drew the big
corporate clients eager to try their luck
in the Polish economy emerging after 45
years of stifling socialism.
When I finally left Warsaw in 2003
for Orlando, the company became a
vehicle for me to provide free lance
communications services, and I thought
that perhaps I could do the same in
Abu Dhabi while teaching at a national
university.
The reality was no time for outside work.
So in Miami I started to network with a
vengeance in order to gather potential
clients. I joined the local chapter of the
National Association of Women Business
Owners (NAWBO) and the huge Miami
Chamber of Commerce. NAWBO Miami
has at least one event per month while
the Miami Chamber has almost daily
events as well as committees. I went to
everything.
I joined the Government Relations
Committee of the Chamber and
participated in several so-called Fly-
Ins to Washington DC to urge Florida
representatives and senators to support
legislation friendly to business.
NAWBO Miami invited me on the board
of directors, and I contributed often to
their newsletter and helped with some
upgrades to managing the chapter. At the
same time, I joined other women’s groups
because belonging to one didn’t offer
enough.
As 2014 begins, I am a member of the
Women’s Chamber, the local chapter of
Organization of Women in International
Trade (OWIT), and the Coral Gables
Chamber of Commerce where I’ve joined
the Global Trade Committee and the
Women’s Business Network.
From all this have come many contacts
and a few friends. I’ve found a company
that is trying to do business in the UAE
with a glitzy high tech product – I’m busy
upgrading their information about what
the country is really like. Everyone here
seems to think that women aren’t allowed
to drive and have to wear burkas. They
ask me what it felt like being covered.
In 2014 and onward, I expect to be telling
people what I know about the Middle East
and the Gulf, so that some of these foolish
misunderstandings can go away and stop
interfering with doing business.
Theresa F. Weber Dr. Alma Kadragic
ABOUT THERESA WEBER:
Theresa Weber is Co-Founder of
Alexandria Consulting Team (ACT) LLC an
international management consultancy.
Terry is also editor of the daily
e-newsletter:
MENA #WomeninBusiness Forum
You can follow her on twitter
@ TheresaFWeber and @ACT_LLC
Ringing in the New Year often
fills people with optimism
about the future. The
Millennial generation (those
born between 1980 and 2000)
is said to have an indomitable
confidence in both the future
and themselves. As this
generation is the youngest in
the work force, it is important
to understand them. Research
shows that Millennial women
(ages 21-34) view the world
more optimistically.
Every generation has its own attitudes,
values and defining moments. There
was the Silent Generation (1925-42); Baby
Boomer Generation (1946-64); Generation
X (1965-1980); and Generation Y (1980-
2000). Generation Y is also known as
the Millennials; a term that stuck when
children in this generation were just
starting school in the mid-1980s and the
media began to identify their link to the
millennial year 2000.
Most research about Millennials shows
that they are highly educated, self-
confident, technologically savvy and
ambitious. In the work place Millennials
can be team players but they also seek
constant appraisal and quick promotions
up the corporate ladder. They desire a
good work-life balance and a fulfilling job
so they frequently change jobs frustrating
employers with low retention rates.
According to a recent survey of women
in the US, Asia and Europe, conducted by
the PR Firm Fleishman Hillard, globally
women have achieved an equality of
aspiration, but not an equality of results.
Women of the millennial generation
feel more empowered. According to the
report, they are a “truly global generation
of women... shaped by shared experiences
of technology, social media, emerging
brands, and the cultural narrative that
preached girls can do anything boys
can do.” They are using these shared
experiences to demand greater flexibility
at work and home. These young female
professionals are ambitious and don't see
their gender as a major hindrance to their
success.
There is good news regarding the wage
gap between men and women. According
to the Pew Research Center, in 1980
women earned 64% of what men did.
Today, women earn 84% of the male
paycheck. Female Millennials are close
to ending the wage gap, earning 93% of
their male counterparts’ salaries. That
is thanks to education. According to the
report, “among older Millennials today
(those ages 25 to 32), 38% of women have
a bachelor’s degree, compared with 31%
of men. And among younger Millennials
(ages 18 to 24), women are more likely
than men to be enrolled in college (45%
vs. 38% in 2012).”
But there is bad news: The wage gap is
also narrowing as male wages decline.
“Overall, the median hourly wage for
men decreased 4% from 1980-2012,”
the study says, with wages for younger
men dropping by 20%. It is important
to note that women tend to fall farther
behind men the older they get, as they
have children, opt out of the work force
or work flexible hours. Around 63% of
Millennial women expect to lose some job
opportunities when they have children.
As luck would have it, I was born in the
last year of the Baby Boomer generation
and work closely in business with
Millennials. Both our generations are
products of a tumultuous economic
climate. Both experienced a time of
war, a stagnant economy and unsteady
job market. It is important to find and
celebrate common ground in an inter-
generational workplace.
As we celebrate the beginning of a new
year, the optimism of Millennial women
is refreshing. Let’s hope their fire does not
burn out as they make work-life balance
choices. Let’s share their optimism and
harness it in the workplace.
MILLENNIAL WOMEN:
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH OPTIMISM
RETURNING HOME AFTER
EIGHT YEARS IN ABU DHABI
women in business media view
Follow Alma on Twitter: @almakad
With Evelyn Hsu (right), a friend and business owner, and Santa Claus, at a business monthly breakfast.

Year 2013
HOROSCOPE
ARIES
You will act with courage in
situations which will move your
plans forward. Create situations
enabling you to modify your
future in line with your own
desires.
TAURUS
On the whole, this month is going
to propel you towards hatching
hopes and plans in all areas. You
will have a more constructive
attitude while seeking out the
best possible conditions for your
advancement.
GEMINI
You will happily feel ready to put
an end to situations which are no
longer relevant. You will sense an
inner wind of adventure, which
will point you in the direction of
acquiring new knowledge.
CANCER
This month, the stars will be
leading you towards new paths in
all areas. You will be less in search
of security, tradition or feeling
cocooned, because you will feel
a great need for discovery and
change.
LEO
You will be totally at ease with
your ideas and plans, which will
make you rather vulnerable.
However, you will need to make
an effort with your family to ease
tensions.
VIRGO
Your practical efforts will quickly
give convincing results. You will
move forward effectively in your
personal affairs.
INNOVATION EXCELLENCE
In the past week I’ve had some interesting
conversations with colleagues, friends
and random people about culture and
innovation capability. There are a couple
of themes that have come up, one of them
is: feedback as it relates to innovation.
First, let’s put one thing on the table:
there is no innovation without
experimentation.
Why? Because…
1. People need feedback to learn
The way to get creative is by breaking
a routine, like doings things you would
never do so those unconventional ideas
come to the fore. You do that by reading
stuff you normally would not read, by
visiting places you would not go to, by
hanging out with people who are not like
you.
That is one part of the equation, with an
added observation that you should be
mindful about what you read, see, hear,
smell, taste and feel. The next part of the
equation is to do something with that
new knowledge.
For example, I know people who read a
lot. But they don’t do anything with that
new information, either reflect on it or
something else. For me, it’s not about
reading. It’s about doing. Reading is an
input, but without an output there is no
feedback. People need feedback to learn.
This is the most obvious, but rarely, talked
about insight of what it takes to innovate.
People need to do stuff to learn. And if
you don’t let them experiment, there
will be no feedback. This is what Intuit
does so well - they don’t spreadsheet
and then validate, instead they conduct
quick experiments to learn about what
to do next, keep doing or change course
completely.
So, if you ask “what is the expected ROI
from this idea?” you are kidding yourself
that you will get a real answer. And if
you do… you’ll get a bunch of lies. Instead
ask, what is the shortest path to getting
feedback from this idea?
2. The fear of losing old habits
Here is another insight about why
feedback matters: you won’t learn
anything new if you keep the old habits.
I think people get overwhelmed by the
idea of doing because they imagine it
should be really complex. It isn’t. What
they are really worried about is that they
will stop doing something they know
how to do really well.
For example, I have a friend that you
won’t consider creative, he is a salesman.
He talks about selling all the time! That’s
all he sees. And he’ll use the typical
sales tactics you’ll find in any sales 101
manual. So, it is very hard for him to
ask himself provocative questions like:
how can I make my sales approach more
memorable? What is the shortest path to
the client? What would be surprising?
Provocative questions like these will take
to you to different places, where you can
start from a different point of view. But
going from questions to action is where
the rubber meets the road.
With that said, take a recent idea that
came out of a workshop I recently did. A
B2B team wanted to find a way to market
themselves differently than expected. It
wasn’t difficult to arrive at an insight; all
I did was ask a question I use all the time:
what if instead of selling yourselves, you
invite prospects to join you? How would
you invite them? What does that look
like? What would the invite look like?
This group came back with a very
creative idea that didn’t look or work like
your typical marketing collateral. It was
something anyone of us can make using
our own hands, and it cost less than USD
$10 to make! This team didn’t say goodbye
to old habits - they simply changed how
they did a routine. In the mind of others,
sometimes that is all that it takes to
change the perception of what you do.
3. Put yourself on the evolutionary
advantage tread mill
Frequent feedback, trial and error is key
to driving better productivity and long
term advantage. And, the reason your
big and powerful company moves slower
than startups, is because your feedback
loop is very long and time consuming.
Instead of breaking rules to find your
next revolution, you could be focusing
on optimizing what you already have.
This where the balancing act between
reducing errors and increasing insights
comes in, because to innovate you have
shed old skin to make room for the new.
So, if you are operating a company that
is in a midlife crisis right now, remember
that it is your job to find the revolution
before it finds you. This, of course, is
easier said than done. But it can be done,
and must be done if you want to avoid
becoming another Kodak.
Bottom line: There are no shortcuts to
innovation, it is messy, non-linear and
requires relentless focus to push through.
But, you can accelerate your way to
insights by shortening the feedback loop
through relentless outside-your-core
experimentation.
Remember, great ideas are not solitary
things. Feedback from other people,
customers or prospects is the best catalyst
for innovation.
unleash moxie
with brandmoxie
THE SHORTEST PATH TO INNOVATION
by Jorge Barba
HOW TO ENCOURAGE
YOUNG MINDS?
By Tomislav Buljubasic
I just came back from the
conference held at my hometown’s
university and one of questions
after my presentation was: “What
can average student do after
graduating to have a successful
career?”.
Of course, unemployment is
big problem here and many
youngsters are going abroad.
At home, and other places they
are facing the economic crisis,
underpayment, nepotism etc…
So, what exactly can they do?
There are many success stories
of small companies started in last
three years that have a positive
story. Some of the learnings we’re
seeing are:
First:
Work on yourself•
Try to travel•
Investigate the work market•
and the part of economy you
are interested in
Explore the idea of self-•
employment
Try to be creative and start with
generating ideas, there many
examples of successful projects
coming from innovators in
their twenties, in places like
Trendhunter and Springwise.
You need for funding? See
Kickstarter or similar funding
platforms. It is also possible to try
to solve someone’s problem, check
Innocentive, IdeaBounty or many
open innovation competitions
available online.
If there is a chance for making it
as a start-up company - so try to
follow following rules:
Work towards a global market•
Try to get external funding for•
your startup
Find your own niche•
Try to get the best people•
Blog: 7innovation.wordpress.com
Download the app from the iPhone
App store: Unleash Your Creativity

Dr. DMS
A doc from the Bronx
DOC IN THE HOUSE
Emma Kirkman
Conservation and Sustainability
THE PLANETARIANS
New Year's has passed, and I’m
sure that you’ve already broken
a few resolutions. I can guarantee
that one of them was to either
lose weight or to watch what you
eat. Well done. You and everyone
else broke those. Don’t feel so bad.
How many times has this been a
resolution? My stock resolution is to lose
the “love handles,” and 10 yrs on (it only
took a couple of years to acquire but
apparently a life time to recover from), I
have made some (minor) headway. During
holiday seasons, folks seem to take this as
a free pass to gorge on food.
Another really common example: Friday
brunch (minus the adult beverages). Who
shows up with a HUGE appetite?? Do
you ever starve yourself the day before,
so you can eat like a beast?? Could you
EVER possibly be that hungry? What
compels us to engage in these binge
eating sessions? Brunch/holidays are just
an example, but look around at the entire
all you can eats” here. Ever notice that
the folks that “live” there really aren’t the
ones who need to eat- in fact, quite the
opposite.
It surprises me that we know that this
is bad for us, and we know why it’s bad,
but we go back for more. And more. I
guarantee that your excuse is either, “This
is the last time”, or “I don’t do this often”,
but come on, it’s not true.
I don’t think that any of this as new
information. Over eating and binge eating
is bad for you. And let’s be honest, this is
not the healthiest exercise-happy place
on earth.
Well kids, Happy New Year, and may all
your resolutions for 2014 come true. Good
luck with shedding that gut and shaving
off those love handles.
The THREE Rs, Reduce, Reuse or
Recycle, are great to help us to
minimise the amount of waste
that we create, and streamline
the clutter in our lives to help
the planet.
Typhoon Haiyan was exceptionally
devastating, leading to the loss of life and
homes, as well as damage to the eco-
system and environment. The residents
needed immediate material assistance as
this typhoon left them with little food,
water, clothes or shelter.
Many international aid agencies did what
they could to provide human necessities.
Much of the help came in the form of
goods donated by people from all over
the world; goods that could easily have
been sent down the garbage shoot. The
donated goods filled a need for clothes,
shoes, blankets, towels, and so on.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is
always someone around the world who
needs something that you can give away
for reuse.
I will never forget my visit to a village in
Ghana when I was on a music trip. We
brought the kids colouring books, pens,
pencils; things that they didn’t have in
their tiny village by the sea. They played
football with us. Noticing that they didn’t
have trainers to run in on the ground
I left the village without the pair of
trainers I had brought with me, but with
the memory of making a young boy very
happy. Who knows, maybe that boy will
be the next Ghanaian football superstar!
Whilst giving unwanted items away is
an option, selling them is another way
to ensure that things are reused wisely.
Selling online is a great option, and there
are many great websites online, and social
media groups to help. Flea markets and
car boot sales are also plausible solutions.
And for those of you who are creatively
minded, there’s…upcycling! There are
great ideas online at sites like Pinterest
where other people post images of how
they have turned something such as a
barrel into a dog’s bed, or used old shirts
to make pillowcases. And with sites such
as Etsy, you can even sell your upcycled
products around the world.
So think hard about the lifecycle of your
stuff. When you’re done with something
it doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be
used as something else. Given to another
person, it may help someone start living
life again.
HOLIDAY OVERINDULGENCE
HOW TO SAVE THE EARTH
BY SHARING
GET ENGAGED. BECOME A PLANETARIAN.
> www.theplanetarians.com
> www.facebook.com/theplanetarians
> www.twitter.com/theplanetarians
LIBRA
You will try to organize your
daily life and improve family
relationships at the beginning of
this year, which will encourage
you to look at things in depth. You
will be more inclined to reconnect
with your heartfelt emotions.
SCORPIO
You will be skilled in the art of
conversation without too many
consequences. Beware of regrets
or resentments which could upset
a life plan.
SAGITTARIUS
It will be a turbulent start to
the year, when you will be torn
between urgency and caution.
Between the two, awareness …will
need to be your priority!
CAPRICORN
You will be moving forward in
a passionate climate. You should
therefore try to think carefully
before you act.
AQUARIUS
A start to the year devoted
to reflection…which will be
indispensable for boosting your
love-life and pushing you in the
right direction!
PISCES
March forward boldly towards
your dreams. Assert yourself with
grace and create conditions as you
like them – the world will adapt
to you.

“I come from one of the most beautiful
countries in the world, Sri Lanka. I
am a silk, and arts and crafts teacher,
educated from Colombo. I am married
to a wonderful man who encourages
me and supports me in everything I
do. With his support I am able to teach
my craft and do what I love. I am
blessed with two great kids who give
me joy and purpose in life. In my line
of work I meet people from different
parts of the world. I find it very
exciting learning about the different
cultures and their way of life.
“It all started when I was about 18
years old. I saw a beautiful painting
in one of my friend’s home and loved
it. I wanted to figure out how to do
that, so I took up classes and see how
far I could go. From there I went on
to do more crafts. In my country it is
normal for a woman to do hand crafts
and be independent. So here I am
today.
“I am a person who loves colour. And
it comes from around me. I see it in
the smiles on the faces of the people
who purchase my artwork or in the joy
when my students finish their work. It
gives me so much pleasure, and inspires
me to do more.
Coming to a new country, not knowing
the people, the language and trying to
show people that art can be a wonderful
part of anyone's life is not easy. When
I started I didn't have any students for
months. But I never gave up. I sat in
one side at one art center and kept on
painting and that was when people
started to get interested. It was a very
long and hard journey, but it made me
even more determined and passionate
about what I do.
I would love one day to have my own
Arts Studio so I can teach more artists.
Sometimes it can be especially hard
for a woman, as we are first wives
and mothers. But finding the time
to do something for yourself is very
important. So no matter what it maybe,
take a step forward and don't give up.”
CONNECT:
tamarasilkpainting@yolasite.com
If you haven’t been taught by Tamara Noori, an art teacher at
the HCT Women’s College in Abu Dhabi, you may have been
lucky to study under her at the National Theatre. Here Tamari,
talks about her creative journey…
TAMARA
NOORI
SURREALIST SRI LANKAN

Tempo January 2014

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