ANIMATING - Tempoplanet

NOVEMBER 2012 

THE FIRST MAGAZINE IN THE 

REGION TO USE MOBILE TAGGING 

THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH 

AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED 

MAGAZINE IN THE UAE 

ANIMATING 

THE WORLDPG 12 

A PIECE OF PIZZA PIE 

HOW MUCH IS A GREAT IDEA WORTH? 

HARLEY HEAVEN 

MOMS R US 

GET UP, STAND UP, JUMP UP

04 notes and cyberchatter 

05 uspace 

06 what’s hot 

07 vista: social enterprises 

08 tempo’s top 10 songs / on my ipod 

10 my style blueprint 

12 cover story: animating the world 

14 city bites 

16 youth talk 

18 resuscitation theatre / maha al fahim 

19 people calendar 

21 derrick jones: entrepreneurship author 

24 trending 

25 time capsule 

26 the t-shirt: history, culture and staying power 

28 game hedz / tech talk 

29 harley heaven: from hell’s angels to food saints 

30 moms r us 

31 doc in the house / remixing rumi 

32 mini minx: get up, stand up, jump up 

34 media 

35 tamakkan: who cares for the customer 

36 planetarians 

37 horoscope 

38 just a thought 

29 

38 

ADDRESS 

To reach editorial at Abu Dhabi 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 call: 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 

www.tempoplanet.com 

26 

32 

You thought last month was busy? Then wait ‘til 

you experience November. Coupled with terrific 

weather, the feast of activity choices right now in 

the UAE makes this a most pleasurable place to 

be in at this time of the year. In fact several of my 

friends who normally travel end of year are opting 

for a staycation in the UAE. 

Our magazine is a reflection of the bounty around 

us and comes chockfull of community features 

and stories. We celebrate art and creativity in all its 

forms this issue, from the supertalented Sudanese 

cartoonist Shihab Al Deen to the musically gifted 

British band The Get Ups. In this issue we have 

cool community stories; from the two moms 

who set up a resource portal, to another power 

duo who set up their own fashion line. We have 

community reporters galore, exploring the worlds 

of motorcycling, books, music, fashion and film. 

Tempo is always pleased to bring you the diversity 

of voices, perspectives and opinions, presented by 

our excellent team of writers and our contributors. 

Let us know what you think of our revamped 

website, and be sure send us your views and 

comments. 

Enjoy the outdoors, and reach out to your 

community. 

Sana Bagersh 

Managing Editor 

bagersh@tempoplanet.com 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Sana Bagersh 

FEATURES WRITER 

Dr. Alma Kadragic 

EDITORIAL 

COORDINATOR 

Sharon Carvalho 

MARKETING 

DIRECTOR 

Manjul Abhishek 

DESIGN & LAYOUT 

Mark De Castro 

PHOTOGRAPHER 

Angeli Castillo 

DISTRIBUTION 

COORDINATOR 

Melaku Muluneh 

DESIGN BY } 

EDITORIAL 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Manar Al Hinai 

Ian Mason 

Alia Youssef 

Azza El Masri 

Saniya Ali 

Rohith Bhat 

Ahmed Samir 

Emma Kirkman 

Blakniss 

Shahid Saeed 

Dr. DMS 

Dorian ‘Paul D’ Rogers 

Angeli Castillo 

Samarpan Chakraborty 

Feras Shuaibi 

Farrukh Naeem 

Sadaf Hassan 

Karam Bukair 

Ayman Bukair 

download www.gettag.mobi 

to your smart phone 

run application 

click on tag beside each article to 

have fun with online content, videos 

& cool tags! 

Scan the QR CODE using your 

smart phone 

for Blackberry this is done through 

BBM 

for iPhone download BeeTag 

or Neo Reader 

TO ADVERTISE IN TEMPO, CALL: 02 491 8624

POST YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS ON OUR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER PAGES 

I am a frequent reader of Tempo and just love 

your magazine! Hats off to all the crew who 

are working behind this wonderful magazine! 

I especially like the ‘Youth Talk’ section. 

- Manisha 

Tempo received an email drawing 

our attention to an issue in the 

October magazine. In the ‘Trending’ 

section of the magazine, the artist Psy 

was listed as a Japanese singer when 

he is actually Korean. We apologise 

and we would like to thank Maiden for 

letting us know. “Psy would be very 

disappointed when he reads it,” said 

Maiden. We agree and apologise. 

Mohammad Al Jasmi@MoAljasmi 

@Tamakkan Thanks for the great seminar. 

Such an inspirational event and good guide for 

anybody who wants be 

an entrepreneur 

Ian Mason@IanS_Mason 

@BrandMoxie Mabrook, mabrook, mabrook! 

Huge cheers to the crew and cast of The Journey 

for winning the Special Jury Prize at #ADFF. 

Awesome! 

Katie Fielder@Katie_Fielder 

New UAE survey shows that most Emiratis 

want pension age to be lowered to 45 yrs. What 

do you think? 

Jamie Gelbtuch @jamiegelbtuch 

A #UAE film brought home an award from the 

#Cannes Media Festival: http://bit.ly/RQezTS 

#film #environment 

Ahmad Smeiry@AhmadSmeiry4 

Hhhh was trending in UAE :) 

#ThisIsWhyAliensWillNotTalkToUs 

Mayed Al Hashly @theHashly 

With all due respect, those who don’t love this 

country should get out. There’s no room for 

haters here. #UAE 

DO YOU HAVE A BIZ SUCH AS 

A COFFEE SHOP, CAFÉ, HOTEL 

ETC THAT CATERS TO THE 

TEMPO CROWD (THE COOL 

18-35, UPWARDLY MOBILE 

DEMOGRAPHIC)? IF SO, YOU 

MAY QUALIFY FOR A TEMPO 

STAND. CALL US ON 02 491 8624 

TO FIND OUT MORE! 

04 | www.tempoplanet.com 

Tweet@abudhabitempo 

I began reading your magazine 

Tempo a while ago and I was 

really impressed by how 

attractive the magazine is, 

especially for the youth. I really 

appreciate the work done on the 

magazines articles especially 

‘Doc in the House’ and the 

various fashion segments. 

- Syed Adil Baksh Jafri 

NEW 

PRODUCTION: 

CALL FOR 

ACTORS 

Young Arab Female: 21-26 

Young Female 

(any nationality): 21-26 

Arab Woman: 40+ 

Arab Male: 40+ 

Indian Male: 40+ 

Young Arab Male: 26-30 

A Dream Players and 

BrandMoxie Production 

Casting call for short film 

productions to be filmed during 

December 2012- January 2013. 

Professional and amateur actors 

can apply. 

If you are interested to come in and 

audition, send your portfolio to 

contact@thedreamplayers.com 

RESULT OF LAST 

MONTH’S VOTE: 

Tempo asked you what event you 

were most looking forward to? 

50.0% 

10.0% 

10.0% 

10.0% 

10.0% 

10.0% 

ABU DHABI 

FILM FESTIVAL 

BEATS ON 

THE BEACH 

SCREEN BY 

THE SEA 

GULF BIKE 

WEEK 

ROOFTOP 

RHYTHMS 

THE ATELIER 

FESTIVAL 

THIS MONTH’S 

QUESTION: 

No, I’m too exhausted after work 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Are you working on a project 

apart from work? 

No, but I’d like to, if I had the time 

Yes, I’m working on an art project 

Yes, I’m working on a film project 

Yes, I’m working on a business project 

Yes, I’m working on a project. 

TO VOTE 

GO TO 

tempoplanet.com


50 CENTS OF STARDOM 

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF DIFFERENCE 

By Mohammed Kamali and Karam Bukair 

World renowned rapper 50 Cent was in 

Dubai to launch his brand of premier audio 

headphones and accessories ‘SMS Audio’. 

Tempo cub reporters, Karam Bukair and 

Mohammed Kamali went to meet him. 

“On our way to Dubai, we weren’t sure 

whether we were actually going to see 50 

Cents up close and personal – he is after all 

one of the best rappers on this planet. So 

we tried to keep our hopes up by playing his 

music on full blast in the car, and that really 

got us pumped up! 

We didn’t get to meet 50 Cent so we sat where he sat! 

KARAM: When we walked up to the press 

conference room I was a bit doubtful that they would let us in; most of the reporters looked old 

enough to be my dad. But we told them that Tempo sent us (we got prior approval from Tempo 

of course) they waved us in enthusiastically. 

Entering the Dubai World Trade Center and knowing that 50 Cent was also in it was one kind of 

weird. We were not sure that we would see him but once we were in the room waiting we held our 

breaths. And then after what seemed like an eternity, he walked in. He had an aura of success; 

his walk was almost a strut! 

MO: I was actually shaking when he walked in, I couldn't hold the camera straight! 

After several introductions, 50 Cent began explaining his headphones ‘SMS Audio’ to the 

crowd. Apart from being extremely high quality, 50 Cent explained, a percentage of the profit 

from headphones sold here would go to the Dubai Autism Center. This message had a greater 

impact because Dubai is the first place the headphones were launched in the whole of the MENA 

(Middle East and North Africa) region. 

MO: I have one of these headphones myself! I ordered them around two months ago and I was 

completely blown away by the quality. 

Ridding the world of poverty and hunger seems to be a great passion of this man as he also 

makes donations with his other product ‘SK Energy Shot’ where the United Nations donates a 

meal to the less fortunate from every energy shot sold. 

KARAM: Both Mo and I have seen what poverty is like (from our work with those less 

fortunate), so it means a lot to us that the star we love is also someone we can respect.” 

A NEW DIMENSION 

By Samarpan Chakraborty 

My search has no end, neither a beginning 

It is a flow which is ever expanding, beyond the 

boundaries of sense 

It is a tireless quest beyond the need of intellect 

Away from the running engine of the mind 

Towards the energy of nothingness 

To be nothing in everything 

To include everything in the infinite nothing 

My search is for my ultimate possibility 

Possibility in which lies the truest form of 

insanity 

Solace in which lies that exuberant energy 

I am a story of various dimensions 

Deepened by the strings of truth 

Rooted to an innocent motivation 

I can be the energy that gives flower to the tree 

I am the possibility of peace in you and me 

I am that which can break the imagination of 

structured time 

And master destiny which I thought in control 

wasn’t mine 

By observing the dew I become it 

By observing the dew, I observe me 

And by paying attention, I explore the dew 

Hence finding myself and blissfulness new 

I am a creation and so are you 

Therefore what I am, can be you 

After all we are the same energy, 

don’t you think too? 

{ This poem came to me while I was in a meditation 

session initiated by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev } 

TALKING BOOKS 

By Azza El Masri 

ON WRITING 

A book by Stephen King 

(Pocket Books, 2002) 

Stephen King 

in widely 

known for 

his immense 

contribution 

to American 

literature 

of books 

that range 

from contemporary horror to 

science fiction like Carrie, and 

The Dark Tower. But have any 

of you heard of Stephen King 

publishing a memoir about 

writing? Well now you will. 

If you’re an aspiring writer or if you are 

already practicing the craft, then On 

Writing will be a valuable guide. Even 

if you’re certain that your writing is 

‘perfect’, you can always improve! And 

who to turn to for that than the giant 

of contemporary American literature, 

Stephen King? 

King constructs this “memoir on the 

craft” in two different parts: the first 

is an autobiographical recount of 

his literary career leading up to the 

publication of On Writing (and this 

contains lots of tips you’ll need to help 

you improve your writing), while the 

second is a look into his editing process. 

On Writing is both witty and humorous 

and resonates with Stephen King’s own 

voice. The very aspect that makes this 

book different from others dealing 

with writing as a ‘craft’ is the first-hand 

account style which King incorporates 

into the volume. Consequently, the 

reader will find it easy to keep up; 

viewing it less as a book on methodology 

and more as Stephen King really just 

talking to you – in the form of a simple 

conversation between two old friends 

catching up over a cup of coffee. 

On Writing is a reflection of the very 

soul and character of Stephen King, 

and with it comes something that the 

master writer is offering you: his literary 

wisdom. So don’t turn your back. 

www.tempoplanet.com | 05


PINK POLO 

November 10 

Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club 

Pink Polo is fun family day 

centered on an exhibition polo 

match, showcasing high-goal 

Argentine professionals alongside 

accomplished Emirati players. 

Pink Polo also hosts the Pink 

Majlis, a focal point for breast 

cancer information where guest 

can meet medical experts and sign 

up for free screening. 

To find out more visit 

www.pinkpolo.ae and follow on 

Facebook/PinkPoloWorld and 

Twitter @PinkPoloWorld 

SPEAK ABU DHABI 

November 14 | 7 PM till 10 PM 

Paris Sorbonne Theatre, Paris 

Sorbonne University, Reem 

Island, Abu Dhabi 

‘Speak Abu Dhabi’ is a series of 

events celebrating poetry and 

creative expression through 

the written world in the UAE. 

Conceptualised and managed by 

the Abu Dhabi based spiritual 

poet Bahareh Amidi, the event is 

a tribute to the rich and common 

world heritage of poetry that 

unites people through themes of 

humanity, spirituality and the 

search for the inner truth on the 

journey of life. 

To RSVP, email connect@bahareh. 

com or visit www.bahareh.com for 

more details. 


LET’S GO YOGA - FIRST 

YOGA/WELLNESS 

RETREAT 

November 15 to 17 

Park Hyatt, Saadiyat Island 

Learn how to awaken your senses, 

detoxify, de-stress, revitalize and 

relax all while staying close to 

home. The weekend will include 

five Yoga/Wellness classes which 

will leave you invigorated from 

a weekend of self reflection, 

relaxation and enjoyment. 

To find out more, visit 

www.letsgoyoga.net or call 

050-349-2336 for package details. 

Packages include accommodation, 

food and beverage and all wellness 

classes. 

THE CHRISTO AND 

JEANNE-CLAUDE AWARD 

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude 

Award, presented by the New York 

University Abu Dhabi Institute 

(NYUADI) and in partnership 

with the Abu Dhabi Music & 

Arts Foundation (ADMAF), 

has been established to nurture 

artistic talent in the United Arab 

Emirates. 

The winning artist will directly 

receive $5000 USD to enable 

the production of the new work. 

Additional funds will be made 

available to support the touring 

solo exhibition of the winning 

work in 2013. 

For more details, visit: 

http://nyuad.nyu.edu/research/ 

nyuad-institute/christo.html 

ROOFTOP RHYTHMS 

November 7 | 8 PM till 10 PM 

The Blue Bar at Rocco Forte Hotel, 

Abu Dhabi 

Black on Black Rhyme-Abu Dhabi 

presents Abu Dhabi’s 1st Poetry 

Open Mic! After arguably one 

of the best “Rooftop Rhythms” 

shows yet, momentum is growing 

for the sixth show. Come out for 

another superb show of poetry, 

singing, and good times. Welcome 

Drink (Includes admission) 

– Dh 60 

For more details, go to: 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

events/297216630391937/ 

6TH EMIRATES 

INTERNATIONAL DATE 

PALM FESTIVAL 

November 26- December 1 

ADNEC, Abu Dhabi 

Returning for its sixth annual 

celebration of the UAE’s culture 

and heritage, the Emirates 

International Date Palm Festival 

will feature a number of activities 

for families to enjoy and learn the 

importance of the date fruit in the 

rich traditions of the region. 

For more details, visit: 

http://www.datepalmfestival.net/ 

DUBAI RUGBY SEVENS 

November 29 till December 1 

The Sevens Stadium, Dubai 

The Emirates Airline Dubai 

Rugby Sevens is an opportunity to 

see the world’s best rugby sevens 

players in action. England will 

be hoping to make it three wins 

in a row, whilst contenders New 

Zealand will want to recapture 

their former glory at 7he Sevens. 

Who will emerge victorious? 

For more details and to buy 

tickets, go to http://www.itp.net/ 

tickets/rugby7s/ 

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA 

November 16 

Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai 

Swedish House Mafia present 

their first ever performance in 

the Middle East. Presented by the 

Peppermint Experience, the show 

promises to be highly emotional 

as the group bids farewell to their 

fans across the world and create 

a spectacular finish. Tickets are 

on sale at Virgin Megastores and 

Grand Cinemas outlets and online 

on the Peppermint Experience 

and TimeOut Tickets websites. 

For more information, visit: 

http://www.peppermintexperience.com/ 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624

VISTA: SOCIAL ENTERPRISES 

COMMUNITY GIVING AND LONGTERM SUSTAINABILITY 

By Sana Bagersh 

One of the most exciting 

socio-economic forces 

in the world today is 

the number of social 

enterprises springing up 

to serve communities and 

contribute to nations’ 

economic, cultural and 

developmental growth. 

This trend is not only obvious 

in the US and Europe but also in 

developing nations where educated and 

impassioned individuals return to their 

homelands and dedicate themselves to 

running ‘businesses’ that have a higher 

social purpose. Some of these projects 

focus on developing underprivileged 

communities, while others provide 

services that enhance a country’s 

existing economic infrastructure. In 

the UAE entities that come close to 

this definition are crowd sourcing site 

aflamnah.com, Emirati support portal 

iloveuae.com, GCC resource ThinkUp, 

entrepreneurship organization 

Tamakkan, arts and music event 

platform The Dream Players, and others. 

Not all charities by definition need to 

become ‘social enterprises,’ especially 

those set up specifically as charities 

with secure governmental or nongovernmental 

funding. But many 

charities, in this economic climate of 

funding cuts by local authorities and 

corporations, see redefining themselves 

a social enterprise as a way towards 

achieving financial self sufficiency and 

long term viability. 

The definition of a social enterprise 

is an entity that operates solely for a 

social purpose, with any surplus revenue 

invested back into the business or the 

community. 

Legal frameworks are still ambiguous 

about social enterprises and many 

entities that had previously operated 

as ‘charities’ are struggling with their 

new identity and the new ‘ethos’ of their 

missions. 

In my mind the social enterprise 

financial model can serve not only 

to safeguard the existence of a social 

mission but to increase its capacity for 

scaling up. Typically social enterprises 

depend on the contribution of 

volunteers, pro bono business services 

and the largesse of philanthropic 

organisations. However if an allocated 

portion of revenues is intelligently 

invested back into the initiative, it can 

create success ‘tipping points’ towards 

greater effectiveness and market 

competitiveness. Investments can be in 

areas such as leadership and staffing, 

product and service packaging, PR and 

marketing, as well as upgrading work 

tools. 

The ultimate intent is to encourage 

the growth of social enterprises as they 

deliver considerable value to national 

economies. Apart from that social 

enterprises create a wonderful new 

world order of shared responsibility and 

communal purpose. 


WHISTLE 

FLO RIDA 

GOOD TIME 

OWL CITY AND CARLY RAE JEPSEN 

SAY SOMETHING 

AUSTINE MAHONE 

WIDE AWAKE 

KATY PERRY 

DON’T WAKE ME UP 

CHRIS BROWN 

BLOW ME (ONE LAST KISS) 

P!NK 

WANT YOU BACK 

CHER LLOYD 

SETTLE DOWN 

NO DOUBT 

MISSED CALLS 

MAC MILLER 

POUND THE ALARM 

NICKI MINAJ 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

MUSIC 

10. 

One More Night- Maroon 5 

Gangnam Style- Psy 

I Knew You Were Trouble- Taylor Swift 

Some Nights- fun. 

TEMPO’S MUSIC CHART LETS YOU DISCOVER THE LATEST TOP 10 SONGS 

IN THE EMIRATE, WHILE KEEPING EYE ON YOUR FAVOURITE ARTISTS. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

10 

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- Taylor Swift 

As Long As You Love Me- Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean 

Too Close – Alex Clare 

Die Young- Ke$ha 

Blow me (One Last Kiss)- P!nk 

Good Time- Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen 

9 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

SYLVIA STOYCHEVA is a 27 year old Account 

Manager who values music that has soul and makes 

your day. 

1. Somebody Like You- Van Morrison 

2. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic- Sting 

3. Piu Bella Cosa- Eros Ramazzotti 

4. Since I Don’t Have You- Guns n’ Roses 

5. Savin’ Me- Nickelback 

6. Sunday Morning- Maroon 5 

7. Shy Guy- Diana King 

8. Sweets for my Sweet- CJ Lewis 

9. Back in Black- AC/DC 

10. You Rock My World- Michael Jackson 

Sweet Nothing- Calvin Harris ft. Florence Wench 

Don’t You Worry Child- Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin 

Gangnam Style- Psy 

Diamonds- Rihanna 

Skyfall- Adele 

Standing in the Dark- Lawson 

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- Taylor Swift 

One More Night- Maroon 5 

Turn Around- Conor Maynard ft. Ne-Yo 

I Cry- Flo Rida 

View the #1 song in the UAE 

08 | www.tempoplanet.com TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624

RAID AL MAJANNI 

A 21 YEAR OLD SUPERVISOR AT AN INSURANCE COMPANY 

WHO IS A ‘DREAM CHASER AND REALITY MAKER.’ 

FASHION 

STATEMENT: 

SIMPLE, 

BOYISH-STYLE 

FAVE STORE IN 

AD? Definitely Zara 

TOP PLACES TO 

SHOP IN ABU 

DHABI? Marina Mall 

(because of Zara) 

DOES ABU DHABI HAVE STYLE? 

Yeah, fashion’s not bad here, although people 

could try and be a bit more bold and creative. 

ANY FASHION PET HATES? 

Not really. Everyone has their 

own style and as long as they’re 

comfortable and not offending 

anyone, it’s okay with me. 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY: ANGELI CASTILLO 


ANIMATING THE WORLD: 

SHIHAB ALDEEN 

By Sharon Carvalho 

Until about a year ago, 

a twenty five year old 

gifted cartoonist named 

Shihab Aldeen worked 

as a secretary in a law 

firm. He knew little of the 

animation industry but 

loved drawing cartoons. 

And then a turning 

point came that changed 

everything… 

“It all started while I was reading the paper 

one morning. I saw an article about learning 

animation at the Cartoon Network Animation 

Academy at twofour54 and I knew that I had to 

jump at the opportunity!” said Shihab. 

12 | www.tempoplanet.com

Next thing he knew, he was enrolled and 

studying animation from some of the best 

animators in the region, and he did this for an 

entire year. “It was definitely the best year of 

my life. I had so much fun learning from the 

instructors and from my talented classmates.” 

INSPIRATION 

Shihab says he is inspired by life and the people 

around him, including the way they act, move 

and use facial expressions to express their 

emotions. “I love being around people and 

drawing them without them even knowing. I just 

sit in a bus or cafe and watch the people around 

me and they give me so many ideas.” 

Shihab also likes French artwork because of 

the unique styles and colours used. But he says 

his greatest inspiration comes from Japanese 

animators because of their level of dedication 

and passion to the craft. “That’s one of the main 

reasons I wanted to be a part of this industry, 

and the unique and simple way of telling a story 

through moving animations appealed to me.” 

ARTISTIC PROCESS 

Every artist has a unique process when 

creating his or her art. For Shihab it starts with 

questioning the identity of the character he is 

creating. He asks himself whether the character 

is an animal, human or even an alien, and then 

tries to imagine a personality for that character. 

Is the character funny or serious? Does he 

have any quirks? What makes the character 

unique? Next, he draws a rough sketch based on 

an idea that he has in his mind that gives the 

character its general shape. Shihab says that the 

drawing at this point may be rough but it is the 

most important step as it determines the final 

outcome of the character. Once he is satisfied 

with the rough sketch, he cleans up the lines to 

finalise the outline and prepare it for colour. 

He starts with the base colours and then works 

his way to the details. The final step is rendering 

the drawing and adding highlights and shading 

to polish it up. 

FUTURE PLANS 

Shihab now works at the Cartoon Network 

Studios Arabia and has big dreams to work as an 

animator or character designer for feature films 

in big animation studios like Walt Disney and 

DreamWorks. 

His advice for young animators is: “Keep 

drawing, keep practicing and keep learning 

because there’s no limit when it comes to 

animation.” 

The cover page artwork for this issue of Tempo 

has been designed by Shihab. 

Get in touch with Shihab via twitter on 

@shihabaldeen or check out his 

portfolios on http://deenart20.cghub. 

com/, http://deenart20.deviantart. 

com/ or http://deenart20. 

daportfolio.com/ 


A PIECE OF 

PIZZA PIE 

By Saniya Ali 


PRESENTS 

TEMPO DOES A ROUND-UP OF SOME OF THE BEST 

PIZZAS IN ABU DHABI. 

WHERE: IL FORNO 

WHAT: Mediterraneo 

BUILD: Mushroom, Onions, Green 

Pepper, Fresh Beef, Cheddar Cheese, Feta 

Cheese, Black Olives. 

COMMENT: If authentic, Italian pizza is 

your calling then this is the place to go. A 

thin crusted pizza is served with generous 

toppings of condiments with just the right 

combination of feta and cheddar cheese. 

The herbs and spices on the pizza enhanced 

the flavor of the mushrooms, beef and 

olives. The pizza was only satisfactory but 

if you’re looking for a place with a different 

flavor then Il Forno will not disappoint you. 

RECOMMENDATION: The pizza was 

true to its roots with a real Italian flavor and 

I would consider eating there again. 

RATING: 

WHERE: PAPA JOHN’S 

WHAT: Super Papa’s Pizza 

BUILD: Pepperoni, Italian beef, 

smoked turkey, mushrooms, onions, 

green peppers and black olives. 

COMMENT: This American pizza chain is fairly 

new in the UAE, nevertheless it has captured the 

hearts of pizza lovers in the UAE, and for good 

reason too. Their rather large pizzas are so good 

that I could eat one on my own! The intense taste of 

pepperoni, beef and turkey, drenched in cheese had 

me wanting more. I’ve always had a soft spot for 

their cheese sticks and garlic sauce which did not 

disappoint me. The only problem I faced was that the 

food took too long to arrive but other than that, it 

was excellent. 

RECOMMENDATION: Would not want to wait 

that long for my meal again, but otherwise food 

was great. 

RATING: 

WHERE: PIZZA LAND 

WHAT: Cheese Lover’s 

BUILD: Mixture of finest mozzarella, edam, parmesan, cheddar, and blue cheese sprinkled 

with basil. 

COMMENT: Pizza Land is an old pizza chain in the UAE though not many people have heard 

about it. I had ordered the cheese lover’s pizza which consists of five kinds of cheeses blended 

together. The moment I took a bite of my slice, I was in heaven. The cheeses complement each other 

and the best part about their pizzas in my opinion is their bread; it’s always so soft and fresh it 

almost melts in my mouth. 

RECOMMENDATION: Great pizza, already looking forward to my next time there! 

RATING: 

WHERE: PIZZA HUT 

WHAT: Super Supreme 

BUILD: Cheese, tomato sauce, beef 

pepperoni, pure beef, mushroom, green 

pepper, onion, black olives. 

COMMENT: This establishment has 

been a favorite of people around the 

world, with their innovative ideas and 

ever-changing menu; I never know 

what surprise awaits me each time I step 

into the restaurant. They have however 

managed to maintain the taste and 

flavor of their all-time favorites which 

their loyal customers love. My meal 

was not disappointing but it wasn’t 

mind blowing either, I felt the taste was 

too commercial and the salad bar too 

limited. 

RECOMMENDATION: Have been 

eating over the years and my 

loyalty remains! 

RATING:

THE TWILIGHT 

SAGA CONTINUES 

THE VOLUNTEER 

SPIRIT 

INTERVIEW WITH A NON SPARKLY VAMPIRE AND PASSION FOR FILM 

By Rohith Bhat By Alia Youssef 

Within a few short weeks 

the final instalment of 

‘Twilight’ will release and 

Bella and Edward’s saga will 

(fortunately) come to an 

end. The movie marketing 

team have taken several 

polls around the world and 

split the fans in to Team 

Edward, Team Jacob, Team 

Bella and Team ‘I don’t really care at all’. But no one seems to 

have taken the opinion of the real stakeholders of the movie, 

the real vampires themselves. So, intrepid reporter (yours truly) 

headed on down to the nearest vampire bar “The Blooood Inn” to 

interview one of the true un-dead. 

Intrepid Reporter (IR): How do you feel now that the 

Twilight saga has come to an end? 

Non Sparkly Vampire (NSV): Oh, I believe that I speak for 

the entire community when I say that we’re grateful!! 

IR: Grateful?? Why so? 

NSV: Of course! We all had a good chuckle when the Anne Rice 

books were brought to the big screen but Twilight? We’ve lost 

all our street cred!! Even the zombies make fun of us now. Over 

the course of the last three movies 50% of our population have 

committed ritualistic suicide. I have no clue how many of us will 

survive the last one. 

IR: But what’s so bad about a tale of innocent, non materialistic 

and pure love? 

NSV: Innocent? Non materialistic? Dude the hero’s good 

looking, rich and brings immortality to the table! But, puh-lease 

he’s on the top of every gold diggers list!! 

IR: What about the whole concept of breaking social norms 

and boundaries? 

NSV: Why don’t you go out on a date with a ham sandwich and 

see how it goes? Sooner or later your going to realise the situation 

smells funny!! 

IR: What was your first thought when you heard about 

the movie? 

NSV: To be honest, I thought it was going to be a comedy, not a 

love story!!! 

IR: Last question; is there any chance I’m leaving this 

interview alive? 

NSV: Not a chance, dinner!! 

With this I politely informed him that ‘True Blood’ had been 

renewed for another season, Stephenie Meyer was working on 

a new vampire romance novel and a new serial based on the 

vampire academy books had been green lit by HBO. The shock 

was too much for our Non Sparkly Vampire that he promptly put 

a wooden stake through his heart declaring his love for our (male) 

bartender with his final breath. What a douchebag!!! 


Volunteering at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival this 

year was a first for me and I want to recount my 

experience here as a guide for others who want 

to participate next year. Being part of such a big 

event was beyond amazing and also to be one 

the hundreds of school and university student 

volunteers from all over Abu Dhabi. 

Alia and Sara at the Awards Ceremony 

of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012 

The first thing we did was 

attend an orientation at 

twofour54 to get a sense 

of what each volunteer 

department involved and 

what we would be required to 

do. Next, we waited anxiously 

for the shifts to be posted 

on the volunteer website. 

Choosing shifts was key as 

it had to match our existing 

schedules and there were 

only a certain number of 

volunteers required per shift, 

so we had to reserve spots 

for the timings and places 

we wanted. Volunteers could 

work either at the Emirates 

Palace or Marina Mall since these were the two places that were 

screening movies and hosting the festival events. There were 

events happening at both venues simultaneously and all the way 

till midnight for the entire festival! This made choosing shifts hard 

as I could only be at one place at a time. In the hope of spotting a 

celebrity or two I chose shifts at the Emirate Palace. 

I then realized that booking shifts was the easy part and the real 

work would begin. We were given sleek black t-shirts and official 

badges, that we could not go anywhere without (that gave me an 

immense feeling of professionalism). Working in Emirates Palace, 

I could feel the excitement and energy as the entire place was 

buzzing with chit chat, flashing cameras and a celebrity every now 

and then. Opening night was the definitely the best night for me; I 

got lucky enough to be placed on the red carpet and greet guests as 

they entered, and even though it was hot and sticky welcoming the 

celebrities made it all worth it! After standing and greeting guests 

for three hours, I made my way to the volunteer office where we 

got to hang out during our breaks. The next big night for me was 

volunteering at the award ceremony, and this was because of the 

celebrities and members of press that I was able to meet and talk to. 

If there’s anybody that deserves special thanks it would be Bianca 

Arkeen, Head of Volunteer Department, at the festival. It was an 

honour working with her especially since she was the reason behind 

the successful organizing and placing of each volunteer. The Abu 

Dhabi Film Festival will always be a special memory for me as it 

brings together local and international press and stars. And we met 

so many of them on the red carpet in the capital. 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624

GLITZY TV SHOWS 

MY GUILTY PLEASURES 

By Sadaf Hassan 

You know one of the best things about growing up? You become 

deaf to some of the “dumb” things you do. Like eating Nutella 

directly from the jar, yapping to yourself, and watching shows like 

Gossip Girl. Yes, there are also those “I’m too cool for your childish 

behaviour” types who reveal their ‘level of maturity’ in other ways… 

And then there are those mentally age-challenged people (who I 

secretly wish end up stuck watching an endless TV marathon of 

Dora the Explorer.) 

I know that that series like Gossip Girl, 90210 and Privileged get a 

lot of attention from youth, and its not because they are as good as 

FRIENDS and other hits of the 1990’s and early 2000s, but because 

they are so tasteless they’re addictive! 

I always complain about the fact that television shows in this part 

of the world show women as weak creatures, scheming villains or 

sufferers, but American TV series featuring the lives of wealthy and 

dominant teens (usually in New York City) offer nothing more. They 

are equally shallow. 

However, what makes these ‘addictive’ shows high in impact is that 

they are full of pop cultural messaging, and so manage to spread 

socio-cultural trends, attitudes, judgments, and other influences. 

They make it seem that IT’S ALL ABOUT BEING RICH AND 

FAMOUS! Pity! 

These shows do not showcase the real lives of the majority, of real 

people. Yet I think that the youth of today are extremely remarkable, 

and many of them are very interesting….and in many ways they are 

GETTING INTO 

‘TARNEEB’ 

A TYPICAL ARABIAN CARD GAME THAT THE REST 

OF THE WORLD SHOULD DISCOVER 

By Ayman Bukair 

According to Wikipedia: Tarneeb was probably inspired 

by many other Arabic card games and though many 

different nations throughout the Middle East claim 

that Tarneeb was created in their respective countries, 

historically, Tarneeb can be traced back to Bla'd Al Sham, 

more specifically Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine, 

however the game seems to have truly flourished only 

from the early 18th century. 

I came across this card game at the American University of Sharjah. 

It’s so popular in the dorms that I thought it’s worth sharing. Tarneeb 

can be traced back to “Bla’d Al Sham” (the Levant) and has grown in 

popularity throughout the Middle East. There are now websites and 

communities online that are dedicated to it. 

Tarneeb seems to be becoming somewhat of a trend. Initially, when I 

saw my friends play it, I didn’t take any interest in the card game, but it 

grew on me as I found this game being played everywhere from shisha 

cafes to ‘tarneeb’ card parties at peoples’ homes. 

much more fascinating than some of the characters in these 

TV series. 

I’m not trying to diminish the value of the TV series. I watch them 

myself as guilty pleasures, but without a doubt, I think there is room 

for simpler TV shows with real people and situations. Don’t you 

think? 

Anyways, I think I’m done here….I’ll probably get back to watching 

some other glitzy TV series, or I may back and hit the books for a 

change. 

XOXO, Gossip Girl. Oh relax, it’s just me, Sadaf. 

VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: HOW TO LEARN TARNEEB IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES. 

} http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzPB7-Sd1YY 

One of my friends even told me that it is a good way to socialize 

and meet new people. I think it also has a reputation for stirring up 

excitement and I’ve seen people get real competitive and taking it too 

seriously! 

Anyways, I’ve started to get into it, and I highly recommend giving it a 

try. Check out the youtube video on how to play it. 



RESUSCITATION THEATRE 

AND CAFÉ ARABIA 

A CABARET THEATRE PERFORMANCE OF 

PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN REGION 

Abu Dhabi’s only grass-roots professional company Resuscitation 

Theatre returns with another hilarious, ‘fusion’ play. An adaptation 

of the classic Playboy of the Western World by Irish playwright J.M. 

Synge, Playboy of the Western Region treats UAE audiences to an 

Emirati-Irish combination sure to leave sides aching! 

The plot surrounds a rather ‘dim’ boy who runs away from home for 

spurious reasons. Upon arriving in a small village, he embellishes tales 

in order to make himself seem more appealing to the rather ‘simple’ 

crowd he encounters. The startling similarities between Irish and 

Emirati culture are revealed to the audience by the multi-national cast. 

MAGGIE HANNAN ON: 

ART 

“A surgeon was once quoted as saying that artists may not save lives, 

but they make lives worth living. For me, growing up in a family of 

artists, art (in whatever form) is life, art is the air you breathe.” 

THEATRE 

“For me, there is nothing to replace live performance because it 

is immediate. The audience is part of the action and has to work 

alongside the performers to engage with what is going on 

around them.” 

Evening performances are at Café Arabia, Abu Dhabi on 15, 16, 

and 17 November at 8pm. A matinee performance will be held 

on Friday 16 November at 5pm. 

Tickets are Dh75 and are available from the Café Arabia. 

Advance booking is essential. Telephone: 02 643 9699 

www.facebook.com/cafearabia 


MAHA 

AL FAHIM 

A VISION FOR THE YOUTH 


21 year old Maha Al Fahim’s early involvement in volunteer work 

in community building and education initiatives made her perfect 

for her role as the new youth liaison for Nahtam, a social enterprise. 

Tempo sat down with this vivacious young woman and this is what 

she had to say. Tell us about yourself. 

I grew up in a very close knit and sociable environment where 

I enjoyed constant love and support from family and friends. 

The importance of education and constantly striving to realize 

my full potential was normal dinner conversation at my house. 

Consequently, and despite my deep attachment to my roots, I 

decided to pursue my higher education abroad. I attended the 

University of Michigan -Ann Arbor for four years where I studied 

Political Science and International Economics. While at college I 

made it a point to extend my learning beyond the classroom whether 

it was via student organizations, sports or volunteer work. I can 

safely say that my experience was extremely rewarding. 

How did you get involved with Nahtam and their 

children's programme? I was involved in a lot of volunteer work 

as a student and joining a voluntary local organization was part of 

my plan as soon I got back from states. However, joining Nahtam 

was more or less a lucky coincidence. I accompanied my father to a 

business lunch one day that included three of Nahtam's founders. 

After talking business for an hour, the conversation transgressed 

into a discussion about the importance of education children about 

organic farming - a topic I was finally able to contribute due to my 

previous volunteer work in this field. Nahtam happened to have just 

worked on a project on sustainable farming and towards the end of 

the lunch it seemed like there was an agreeable overlap in our vision 

for how to best contribute to Abu Dhabi. I was then asked to join 

Nahtam to serve as a youth liaison. 

What about this programme intrigued you enough to 

join it? One important lesson I learned from both my studies and 

volunteer work is that changing the underlying belief system is a 

necessary prerequisite for creating change in this world. Nahtam 

strongly believes that education brings a change in mindset. It is 

the best tool to teach children about good habits and values. It also 

engages the new generation and helps them become responsible 

citizens of the country. Every Nahtam project I was exposed to was 

motivated by this philosophy and that is definitely one major factor 

that made me not think twice about joining the team. 

What are the challenges you have faced and how have 

you overcome them? I have joined Nahtam very recently and 

am still in what some people call an NGO's "Honeymoon Phase." 

In other words, my enthusiasm and passion is most probably 

affecting my ability to evaluate current challenges. However, one 

foreseeable challenge could be establishing the most efficient 

platform for connecting young volunteers to their respective 

community projects. 

Where would you like to see yourself and this 

programme in 5 years? I would like Nahtam to have grown to 

its maturity within five years and, given my role in the organization, 

I would like the word 'Nahtam' to be almost synonymous to 

community service among the youth. I definitely see ourselves 

garnering a large support base.

Pet Show 

@ Khalifa Park 23-24 

Saif Al Madani 

6th International Date 

Palm Festival 

@ ADNEC 

Classic Cars Expo 

@ Khalifa Park 

23 Nov- 2 Dec 

The Woman in Black 

@ The First Group 

Theatre 21-30 

Dubai Rugby Sevens 

@ The Sevens Stadium 

29 Nov – 1 Dec 

F1 Powerboat World 

Championship 

@ Corniche 

Breakwater 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE 

WIDEST CIRCULATED 

YOUTH AND 

COMMUNITY FOCUSED 

MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, 

CALL: 02 491 8624 

25 26 27 28 

29 30 

Taweya 2012 

@ ADNEC 19-21 

Gulf Traffic Exhibition 

@ ADNEC 19-21 

Tamakkan Seminar 

@ Mamoura 

Auditorium 6-8pm 

Dubai International 

Jewelry Week 

@ DICEC 21-24 

The Dream Players 

@ Al Wahda Mall! 

Gotye Live in Dubai 

@ Dubai World 

Trade Center 

ADNIC Yas Run 

@ Yas Marina Circuit 

18 19 20 21 22 23 

24 

Walk 2012 

@ Yas Marina Circuit 

Art for All 

Community Pavillion 

@ Abu Dhabi Art 7-10 

ADIPEC 2012 

@ ADNEC 11- 14 

Zammy Ishfaq 

Playboy of the 

Western Region 

@ Café Arabia 15-17 

Let’s Go Yoga First Yoga/ 

Wellness Retreat 

@ Park Hyatt, Saadiyat 

Island 15-17 

Swedish House Mafia 

@ Dubai World Trade 

Center tomorrow 

Etihad Airways Junior 

Rugby Festival 

@ Zayed Sports City 

16-17 

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 

Rami lk 

Eminem 

After Race Concert 

@ du Forum, Yas Island 

The Big 5 

@ DICEC 5-8 

FotoWeekend 

@ Knowledge Village 

7-10 

Abu Dhabi Art 

@ Saadiyat Cultural 

District 7-10 

79th UFI Congress 

@ ADNEC 5-8 

Phoebe Jaspe 

UIM WPPA X-Cat World 

Powerboat Series 

@ Corniche Breakwater 

Pink Polo 

@ Ghantoot Racing 

and Polo Club 

NOV 

4 5 6 7 8 9 

10 

Tamer Hosny 



Kylie Minogue 



Nickelback 



my november eco pledge 

my november to do list 

1 2 

3

DERRICK JONES 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AUTHOR 

(aka HOW MUCH IS A GREAT IDEA WORTH?) 

Derrick Jones 

When was the last time you asked 

a seasoned entrepreneur for advice, 

and got his entire life’s lessons 

gifted to you in the form of a book? 

This is exactly what happened after 

Farrukh Naeem made a recent post in 

a Facebook group thanking its members 

for their selfless support. Inspired by that 

post, Derrick Jones – a serial entrepreneur 

based in the USA who has worked on three 

startups (including his last company that 

he grew into a million dollar consultancy 

business) decided to give away his book 

for entrepreneurial success at no cost to 

anyone who might benefit from it! 

Tempo was intrigued by the discussion 

and so asked Farrukh to interview Derrick 

for our readers, on his definition of 

entrepreneurship, his advice to aspiring, 

struggling or successful entrepreneurs, 

and why he thinks ideas should be 

given away… 

Farrukh: Isn’t entrepreneurship about 

making money? Why are you giving away 

your book for free?? 

Derrick: This is one of the 

biggest misconceptions out there. 

Entrepreneurship is about solving 

problems, not making money. Those who 

succeed the most solve real problems of 

real people. I decided to give away the 

eBook version of my book because ideas 

are more important than profit. I see a lot 

of new entrepreneurs out there making 

mistakes, usually the same mistakes over 

and over. So, I want to help them as best 

I can, like by giving away my book and 

removing copyright restrictions. I explain 

the decision in more detail in this blog post: 

http://bit.ly/UDZ1Eo 

Farrukh: What’s the key to succeeding as an 

entrepreneur? 

Derrick: I don't believe there is a single 

key to success as an entrepreneur. There are 

several, including: 

1. Being a problem solver and focusing on 

creating unique value. 

2. Learning to build teams and delegating. 

3. Not playing it safe. Play it smart. Play it 

well, but never play it safe. 

4. Embracing failure and learning from it. 

5. Not becoming too emotionally attached to 

an idea. Drop it and / or pivot if necessary. 

6. Finding great mentors and advisors. 

Farrukh: What are the common mistakes 

people make when starting out on their own? 

Derrick: The number one mistake is failing 

to embrace the role of an entrepreneur. For 

example, a hotshot software developer starts 

her own company and thinks it's all about the 

coding, which is what made her successful... 

as a coder. She knows nothing about sales or 

marketing and gives it very little attention. 

Meanwhile her competitor across town just 

shipped and is actively getting feedback and 

mind share. Then our developer arrogantly 

declares, "But I am not a salesperson." Oh 

yes you are if you are an entrepreneur. You 

must sell your ideas to the public, investors, 

partners and employees. It is all about getting 

yourself out there and pushing your ideas. 

If I was on my deathbed and I could give one 

piece of advice to new entrepreneurs, it would 

be this one. There are others, but this is the 

most common mistake I see. 

Farrukh: How is the entrepreneurial 

landscape changing with the rise of digital 

natives, e-commerce and social media? 

Derrick: This is huge. People can test ideas 

for very little upfront cost. This is true for 

online and offline businesses. You can create 

a landing page to capture email addresses 

and split test product ideas and campaigns. 

Not possible 15 years ago. You can create a 

business entirely on Facebook. Many have 

done this. With virtual assistants, you can 

have an entire operation with responsibilities 

offloaded to services all over the world. Now 

you sell a product without ever seeing or 

warehousing it. This does not mean everyone 

will get rich, but it does mean more people 

can take a shot at pursuing a business. No 

more excuses. 

Farrukh: What are the best ways to 

hone one’s entrepreneurial skills? Can 

you suggest any books, courses, websites, 

blogs? 

Derrick: It's all in the doing. Booksand 

seminars are fine, but the key is to get 

your ideas out there in order to learn 

and gain experience. As for books, ‘The 

4 Hour Work Week’ by Tim Ferriss and 

"The $100 Startup" by Chris Guillebeau are 

a good place to start. Obviously, I think 

my book is a good choice as well but only 

because I deal with the actual stages of 

entrepreneurship, how to recognise them 

and how to navigate them. 

Few books address this. I cover several 

other topics on my blog http://www. 

presidentspilotsentrepreneurs.comand 

often make book recommendations there. 

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE BOOK 

Visit http://www.smashwords.com/books/ 

view/141960and enter the following coupon 

code at check-out to download Derrick Jones’ 

book at 100% off: VK88Q 

Farrukh Naeem is a digital strategist, 

social media consultant and hesitant 

entrepreneur based in Abu Dhabi. He blogs 

at www.FarrukhNaeem.com and his 

tweets @FarrukhNaeem are followed 

by over 12000 people worldwide. 


THE TUBE 

Ebrahim (eebsofresh) | Britney Spears - Oops! I Did it 

Again (Cover Remix) | Beat Box } This innovative artist makes 

his own beat and sings a Britney spears song 1000x better than 

she did. 

What Colour Is A Mirror? } An extremely confusing yet 

interesting video on colours (sounds boring, quite the opposite 

though). 

TRENDING 

WHAT’S COOL, FUNNY AND QUIRKY ON THE NET 

Unlock the 007 in you. You have 70 seconds! } Coke Zero 

challenged unsuspecting train passengers to unlock the 007 in them 

for their chance to win exclusive tickets for the new James Bond 

movie SKYFALL. 

Who Won Last Night’s Debate } Jimmy Kimmel takes to 

the streets to find out if people actually watched the debate between 

Obama and Romney. 

BLOGWATCH TWITTER TWEEPS 

A group of women who have made it their mission to raise 

environmental awareness. We salute you! 

www.abudhabiecochicks.com 


A sophisticated and stylish young woman who shares all of 

Abu Dhabi’s hidden gems. 

{@sheikhas_secret

BASHAR 

MOHAMMAD 

AL OTAIBI 

Age: 30 

Profession: Sr. Graphic Designer 

Nationality: Jordanian 

Motto: Go out there and do it. 

You’ve got nothing to lose. 

YOUR MOST VALUED 

POSSESSION 

Family is most important possession of all 

and you can’t put a value on that. 

WHERE YOU HANG OUT 

MOST... 

On the road (on my bike) or at my 

friend’s place 

ONE THING YOU CANNOT LIVE 

WITHOUT 

I simply can not live without my bike. 

The feeling you get while riding 

is indescribable. 

THE PERSON WHO INSPIRES 

YOU THE MOST 

Definitely my father. 

FIVE THINGS YOU NEED FOR 

SURVIVAL IN THE WILD 

Something to hunt with, some rope, a tent, 

something warm for cold nights and a book 

on the kind of plants you can eat in the 

wild. 

THE CAR YOU WOULD MOST 

LIKE TO OWN 

1965 Mustang fastback 

WHERE DO YOU SEE 

YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? 

As a family man and a successful, a loving 

husband with two girls and two boys (and I 

hope they’re twins). 

YOUR IDEA OF PEACE... 

I think peace is a state of mind. If you worry 

about everything big or small you can 

never have a peaceful moment. 

YOUR GOAL IN LIFE... 

To have my own successful business 

THE PERSON WHO MOST 

DESERVES A BIG THANK YOU 

IN YOUR LIFE? 

My beautiful, lovely sister. 

IF YOU COULD ASK 

ONE PERSON FROM 

HISTORY A QUESTION, 

WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

Vincent Van Gogh: 

‘Why the ear?’ 

THE SEASON YOU MOST 

ANTICIPATE? 

As much as I hate being cold 

while riding, I love winter and 

the rain. There’s nothing more 

soul purifying than rain and the 

smell of fresh wet soil! 

IF YOU COULD 

ASSOCIATE YOURSELF 

WITH A FOOD WHAT 

WOULD IT BE? 

It’s something my mother makes: 

dates with marshmallows and 

coconuts. The taste is just insane. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ANGELI CASTILLO 

THE SONGS THAT YOU 

WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO 

PLAY ON YOUR FUNERAL 

• Always With Me, Always With You 

and Starry Night by Joe Satriani 

• Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix 

• Black by Pearl Jam 

• Skinny Love by Bon Iver 

• The Space Between by Dave 

Mathews Band 

A PLACE OR HANGOUT SPOT 

WHERE YOU FEEL AT HOME... 

The one place I wouldn’t think twice 

to go back to is the terrace of the beach 

restaurant ‘Curlies’ at Anjuna Beach 

in Goa. 

IF YOU COULD BE ANYWHERE 

IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, 

IT WOULD BE... 

Australia because it’s the perfect place 

for rides along the seashore and the 

climate is perfect. 


THE T-SHIRT 

YOUTH 

By Karam Bukair 

Have you ever checked your 

wardrobe to see how many 

t-shirts you have? If you’re like 

me, and most of my friends, 

most of the clothes you have in 

your wardrobe are t-shirts (and 

jeans as well…but that’s another 

story), and your favourite 

t-shirts are the ones that are 

faded and starting to wear thin. 

Looking at all my t-shirts got me thinking 

about them. When was the t-shirt invented? 

How did it become popular? Why is it such a 

huge global trend? 

So I did some research… 

T-shirts became common after World War 

II, as veterans wore their uniform trousers 

with t-shirts. But t-shirts took off in the 

1950s after Marlon Brando wore t-shirts in 

A Streetcar Named Desire that showed how 

fashionable and cool they were, and that they 

were totally acceptable as outer wear. 


HISTORY, CULTURE AND STAYING POWER 

In the early 1950s some companies based in 

Miami began to print shirts with resort names 

and characters as well. For instance one of the 

first was a company called Tropix Togs, who 

were later licensed to produce merchandising 

with Walt Disney characters that included 

Mickey Mouse and Davy Crockett. 

In the 1960s the ringer t-shirt (rounded 

collar with ribbing) became a staple fashion 

for many young people and rock-n-rollers. 

T-shirts showing the Grateful Dead and Che 

Guevara also became popular, and later on in 

the 1970s there were happy face t-shirts and 

some showing the Rolling Stones ‘tongue and 

lips’ logo etc. And how about the ‘I heart NY’ 

t-shirt? Did you know that became a fashion 

statement after Don Johnson wore it under 

Armani suit in Miami Vice? 

In the mid 2000s t-shirts became associated 

with protest messaging; with words and 

visuals displayed as a form of self expression. 

Now many of the today’s t-shirts celebrate 

music, art or are humorous. Many companies 

who want to advertise their brand or their 

services also put their logos and messages on 

their t-shirts. They are good promotional 

giveaways because they are inexpensive and 

give companies really get good visibility. I 

know that most of my friends would be quite 

cool wearing a trendy t-shirt that show iconic 

brands such as Coca Cola or Nike, but I don’t 

think many of us would wear something that 

T-SHIRTS 

BECAME 

COMMON AFTER 

WORLD WAR II, 

AS VETERANS 

WORE THEIR 

UNIFORM 

TROUSERS 

WITH T-SHIRTS 

says Best Auto and 

Mechanic Shop, for 

instance. 

In the 1980s 

thermochromatic 

dyes were used to 

produce T-shirts that 

changed colour when 

subjected to heat. And 

in the 1990s they introduced t-shirts that had 

digital media with flashing lights on them. 

The reason both didn’t catch on is because 

they don’t wash well…and we all know that 

t-shirts get pretty stinky. 

So what’s the future for the t-shirt? Who knows. 

But one thing’s for certain, it has amazing 

staying power and that means that I can keep 

the ones in my wardrobe for a long time.

game hedz tech talk 

Blakniss | Original game head from Atari to XBox! Shahid Saeed | Talker for the Non-Techies 

WHAT WAS… 

So there was the Games12 

convention in Dubai not 

long back - did you go? 

What was your favourite 

game experience? 

There were tons of cool 

stuff including Resident 

Evil 6, multiplayer demos 

of Halo 4, Gears of War 

Judgment and Black Ops 2 as well as a competing dance games for the PS3 and 

Xbox, among other things. 

I played Gears Judgment and got owned by a bunch of three year olds (they 

looked like they could be three) - it was cool, but honestly nothing too new. By 

far Black Ops 2 was the most popular game, the line was endless. But it seemed 

like a successful event with the next installment of Assassin’s Creed featuring 

highly as well. 

No doubt the annual Games expo is set to get bigger, better and become a place 

where game developers may start to debut games on a larger scale. 

THE DEAD CONTINUE TO WALK 

Episode 4 in the 5-part season (they’re calling it a ‘season’ now - but it’s more on 

that) is pretty intense, and is set to be an emotional and harrowing climax. The 

fact is Telltale Games has succeeded in creating the first TV series you can play. 

And the fact they are now calling it a season is a very strong suggestion that 

we’ll be getting regular 5-part installments of interrelated stories every year. 

It’s unlikely to take the form of the series that features an ensemble cast with 

Rick and his family as the constant, but I reckon they have an overall plan to 

unite a collection of stories and even connect the game directly to the television 

series and the comic. Remember you heard it here first. And oh, the game is 

now available on iOS - so no excuses! 

MY FAV APP } HILLY TAN 

DRIVE TO IMPROVE 

An iPhone/Android app which will display 

your driving scores with helpful tips on how 

to improve, save money on your fuel bills 

and reduce your CO2 emission by learning to 

avoid the bad habits that drive your costs up. 

Down the line, your good driving score could 

even save you money on your car insurance premium. A must 

have app for everyone who drives a car. 

GALAXY NOTE II 

Samsung’s first crack at a smartphone 

larger than five inches appeared a year 

back in the form of Galaxy Note. It was 

the most powerful phone in the market 

and yet was also criticized for being 

either too big to be a phone or too small 

to be a tablet and some said its ‘S Pen’ 

stylus was not easy to use. But still more 

than 10 million units were sold and a 

lot of negative feelings vanished after 

people spent more time with it. Galaxy has now launched a new Note 

and with its HD Super Amoled 5.5” display, it is more compelling than 

ever. Its 1.6 Mhz quad-core processor is faster than ever, the battery 

lasts longer and the S Pen has been updated to provide more flexibility. 

It is only 0.7” larger than the Galaxy S3 but still the device feels very 

different. Apart from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, FM Radio, GPS it also got 

4GLTe, it has an 8MP camera with 1080p HD video recording and 1.9mp 

front facing camera. Simply put it’s unlike anything else on the market 

and is available for sale in 16, 32 and 64GB models. 

ASUS PADFONE 2 

Asus has announced its most powerful 

device, the PadFone 2 which maintains 

the android trend of bigger and better 

screens by stepping up to a 4.7-inch 

720p IPS display for phone and 10.1inch 

when connected as a tablet. The 

camera has been bumped up to a 13 

mega-pixel camera with 6 frames per 

second continues shooting up to 100 

shots. The PadFone 2 has the Quad Core Cortex A15 1.5 Ghz processor, 

it also has 2GB of RAM and other specs include 4G LTE up to 100Mbps, 

Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4, GPS with GLONASS support, and weighs only 

640g combined with docking station. It has many other features like 

SuperNote to convert writing into text, instant translator for any text 

and web storage up to 50GB. And the battery life is stunning as it gives 

16 hours talk time over 3G. PadFone2 will be available in Black and 

White and is priced between 799 and 899 Euro in Europe. This device is 

very powerful compared to others in the market. 

NEWS & GOSSIP 

FACEBOOK “ONE BILLION USERS EACH MONTH” 

Facebook announced it has topped one billion users– which means 

that one in seven of the world’s population is on Facebook. Founder 

Mark Zuckerberg said on his Facebook status: “Helping a billion people 

connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of 

in my life”. 

FUTURE PRIVACY 

Our privacy is weathering an attack from technology with it being a 

major issue in the future. Here are some technological advancements 

of concern: 

• Internet databases are gathering and sharing our personal 

information including financial, medical and internet activity. 

• GPS devices and being used more often and in more places. It 

doesn’t help that the devices are shrinking it size. 

Nano-sized microphones 

Follow me on 

@shahidaasi 

28 | www.tempoplanet.com TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624 

• 

• 

• 

• 

and flying insect cameras 

are part of our foreseeable 

future. 

Airport security scanners 

that can see through 

clothes. 

Facial recognition cameras. 

Traffic cameras

When Harley Davidson 

Abu Dhabi sent an invitation 

to Tempo, I volunteered to be 

their contributing reporter for 

the assignment. The event was 

an Open House and Charity 

Ride in support of the World 

Food Program, and it was a 

great opportunity also to meet 

the Harley Davidson Owners 

Group, or the HOGs (for short). 

Initially I had some doubt about the kind of 

company I would be with, and that’s mostly 

due to the stereotypical media portrayal of 

COMMUNITY 

HARLEY 

HEAVEN: 

FROM HELL’S ANGELS 

TO FOOD SAINTS 

By Feras Shuaibi 

As a teenager my generation grew 

up with the love of rock and roll 

and a passion for motorcycles. 

This has been a pivotal year for me 

because I got my UAE Motorcycle 

license and got to cruise on 

my motorbike throughout the 

country. It’s not just about taking 

pleasure in exploring the UAE 

in an exciting new way, but also 

experiencing the wind and feeling 

a heightened sense of being alive. 

Cruising on my bike 

bikers. But all my preconceptions vanished 

as soon as I got to the gathering point of the 

parade. The HOGs were a group of extremely 

friendly, very well to do professionals - I 

guess you have to be well off to own a Harley. 

But the one thing I noticed immediately was 

a strong sense of brother and sisterhood…it 

seemed that our love for Harleys created an 

inexplicable bond between us. 

This was my very first HOG ride and I was 

very impressed to see how organized the event 

was. We were briefed about the route, safety 

rules and the ethics of riding in the parade… 

and then we were off! We rode to the Al Samha 

ADNOC gas station where we met the Dubai 

HOGs and then rode back to Abu Dhabi to 

check out the new Harley Davidson store in 

Mussaffah. There, we were greeted by a live 

band, delicious barbeque and activities for 

the kids…a fun event that ended the day on a 

fantastic note. 

Harley Davidson and the HOGs definitely 

made my day; I got to support a noble cause 

and to meet some really cool people. Thank 

you for that! 


COMMUNITY 

MOMS R US 

NURTURING 

A MOMMY 

COMMUNITY 


Moms in the UAE come from all 

walks of life but there’s very little that 

brings them all together-or so says the 

founder of Mom’s Guide Abu Dhabi 

(www.momsguidead.com), mom of 

two, 28 year old Esraa Bani-Rothman 

who created Moms Guide Abu Dhabi 

for Emirati and expat moms living in 

the UAE. 

Manal and her daughter 

BRIDGING THE GAP 

I wanted to bridge a gap in the community, and 

I was soon joined in my by Emirati mum, Manal 

Hamadi. We both love Abu Dhabi and wanted to 

show families why it’s one of the best places in 

the world to raise a family. Our aim is to be the 

most comprehensive, accurate and accessible 

guide for active and busy moms who want to 

know what’s happening in Abu Dhabi. 

Everything we do is based on a need that we, as 

busy, active moms ourselves, feel is not being 

met. We are conscious of quality, value and 

information accuracy. However, it is slightly 

more complicated than this. On the surface, we 

look like we are simply collecting information 

and listing it in a pretty and convenient format 

but we are so much more than that! We have 

bigger plans for Moms Guide Abu Dhabi 

and are strategic about the unveiling of the 

different phases of our vision. While I am the 

dreamer and the big plan visionary, Manal is my 

sounding board and ‘fine-tuner’ and this makes 

us a fantastic team. 

CREATING A PURPOSE 

Moms Guide Abu Dhabi will hopefully be 

the ultimate go-to guide for moms in Abu 

Dhabi looking to be active and involved in the 

community. It’s a guide to live a healthier, 

green, more active life in Abu Dhabi. The key 


is getting moms out and being more involved, 

whether that involvement is in the form 

of children’s activities, social activities, or 

philanthropic activities then we hope to be the 

ones to enable this. 

One of our most important purposes is to cater 

to all types of mothers. We have found that 

mothers in Abu Dhabi often feel a certain divide 

that is limiting both our own experiences and 

those of our children. Stand in your child’s 

playground with the other parents and you will 

see that people congregate with other mothers of 

the same or similar nationality. 

We understand that people are often more 

comfortable with what they know, but there are 

so many opportunities for mothers and their 

children to get to know each other. 

The Western European mother is already very 

well catered to, but what about the Emirati 

mothers, the Indian mothers, the Lebanese 

mothers etc. Our conversations with women of 

different backgrounds has shown that they all 

want to know each other but are being held back 

by misconceptions, lack of common ground, or 

simply shyness. Since we started we’ve noticed 

that other older groups are following our 

footsteps into being more inclusive. So we’re 

happy that it’s inspiring others. 

Esraa and Manal 

Esraa and with her family 

WHERE WE FIT 

Ideally, we would like to be the ‘middle-women’ 

between mothers and those trying to reach 

them. When businesses become interested in 

our followers (via our newsletter, BBM group, 

subscribers, Facebook followers, Twitter followers 

etc) we ensure that their vision is in line with ours. 

We focus on being the bridge between startups, 

small, and medium businesses that have 

something of value to offer mothers in Abu 

Dhabi. We are not focusing on highlighting 

products, rather we want to highlight those 

services and activities that will empower and 

enable mothers who are finding it difficult to get 

involved in the community. We’ll hopefully also 

be leading some of these efforts. We already have 

several projects that we will be initiating before 

the end of the year. 

OUR FUTURE PLANS 

Our most immediate plans are to begin the 

community tab in our website that will include 

a blog, among other things. This blog will be 

written by a panel of mothers (with diverse 

personalities and different temperaments) and 

will encompass a variety of topics including arts, 

crafts, food and nutrition but also the not-soexpected-topics 

that will address the issues of 

culture and integration among mothers in 

Abu Dhabi.

THE FRAGILITY OF 

GOOD HEALTH 

doc in the house remixing rumi 

Dr. DMS | A doc from the Bronx Dorian ‘Paul D’ Rogers 

Why do we take good health for granted? Have you ever taken the time to 

consider what it must be like to have a stroke, a heart attack or to lose an 

arm or leg? What’s life like afterwards? Imagine trying to walk, and your 

body no longer listens to your mind. 

“This is the reality” (thanks JH), but there is an upside. You, can help 

yourself, young or old. 

Wait up, help ourselves?! As in, I need to do something for myself?? “But 

I have a ‘busy’ schedule!!!” Yes precious, you’re on your own on this one, 

and no one can really help. 

Can you indefinitely avoid a major medical meltdown?? I am not sure, 

but I do know that “an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound 

of cure”. I see plenty of elderly folks with NO medical problems, and 

plenty of young folks with many problems. 

Consider this, for those of you who own a nice car, do you fill up 

premium petrol? I would think so. Yet at the same time, why will some of 

you eat nonstop fast foods almost daily. And not even think about that 

choice. 

Simple lifestyle modifications will almost heal everything. Eating 

healthy is a great start. Please don’t confuse eating well, with gorging 

on large quantities, as opposed to eating quality and making smart food 

choices. 

How about a small amount of exercise? It’s no conspiracy theory; it’s 

all over the news and in every magazine on the planet (we have also 

discussed it here before): it really works!!! You don’t need a boot camp 

variety, several times a day, every day….just a small form of exercise will 

help. 

Now, combine smart food choices, portion control and exercise...you are 

on a roll!!!! Stop smoking, less stress, walk, a positive attitude, be nice, 

smile, don’t drive like an “donkey”-hole, etc...Follow me? 

If you’re still unsure, find your local hospital and volunteer. This may be 

your necessary rude awakening. 

Plenty of folks would rather walk in your shoes, than wake up in their’s 

daily. Cherish your good health, and never take it for granted. 

A POET’S TWIST ON THE ANCIENT 

CLASSICS OF RUMI. PAUL D TAKES A 

CLASSIC POEM AND REMIXES IT TO GIVE 

IT A CONTEMPORARY SPIN. 

UNTITLED 

by Rumi 

Be with those who help your being. 

Don’t sit with indifferent people, whose breath 

comes cold out of their mouths. 

Not these visible forms, your work is deeper. 

A chunk of dirt thrown in the air breaks to pieces. 

If you don’t try to fly, 

and so break yourself apart, 

you will be broken open by death, 

when it’s too late for all you could become. 

Leaves get yellow. The tree puts out fresh roots 

and makes them green. 

Why are you so content with a love that turns you yellow? 

UNTITLED 

by Dorian "Paul D" Rogers 

Your lover is not your lover 

if the touch of their finger tip leaves black holes in your 

celestial skin. 

Your friend is a stranger 

if their ear is cavernous when you seek their counsel. 

Would you willingly drink water laced with arsenic? 

How about pudding cloaking rusted razor thumb tacks? 

Does that appeal to your palate? 

Why then do we voluntarily involve ourselves with 

the volatile, 

men that only seek to manipulate and use? 

We enable those that are unable to fulfill us, 

welcoming self-destruction and its seduction. 

You've experienced the love that bruises and leaves 

open wounds. 

You've memorized that sonnet of sorrow and know it like 

the front of your hand. 

Cross over in to the beautiful. 

Embrace those that brace you 

when your knees are weakened by life's brutal blows. 

Treat negativity like dandy lions and blow them in to 

eternity's field. 

You deserve more than the less you allow. 


GET UP, 

STAND UP, 

JUMP UP 

THE BAND BEHIND 

THE MUSIC 

Ever wondered what it would 

be like to be in the shoes of 

a glamorous female vocalist 

covering songs by Jessie J, Adele 

and the like? Or a drummer 

to the beats of Red Hot Chili 

Peppers and Pearl Jam? How 

about jamming with a guitarist 

and bassist to the tunes of Jimi 

Hendrix? Here The Get Ups give 

us an inside look to their lives as 

a band performing at a popular 

capital venue. 


mini minx 

Angeli Castillo | Making minutes out of molehills

JOHN} I started writing songs as 

soon as I started playing. It helps 

because you find yourself playing 

a lot. 

The Get Ups is made up of Anna Radford 23, 

John Crick 25, Bic Eccles 28 and George Say 

24, all of them from the United Kingdom 

who’ve been playing together for just under a 

year. As the only female in the group, and the 

lead vocalist of the band Anna Radford says 

she never thinks of her role as special but once 

you meet her you can tell she is a confident 

woman with an incredible voice and a passion 

for singing. She comes from a musical oriented 

family and they are constantly supportive of 

her career move, “When the opportunity came 

up to move to Abu Dhabi to be the singer in a 

band and get paid for the luxury, I jumped at the 

chance! Who wouldn’t!?” says Anna. 

Being the lead singer also come with a huge 

amount of responsibilities such as putting up 

a great set list, which she never fails to do, and 

also engaging the crowd and putting on a show. 

When asked how it feels to be the only woman 

she said “It’s great! Makes me feel important! 

And the guys make it really enjoyable on stage.” 

STARTING YOUNG 

Then there’s John Crick, the guitarist of The Get 

Ups who plays both electric and acoustic guitar 

(which he has named Taylor) who swaps between 

the two guitars to mix things up a bit. He got 

his first guitar when he was 14, “I still have it 

at home and it has served me ridiculously well 

although I’m regretting some of the stickers 

ANNA} Put yourself out there, take 

risks and don’t give up! 

GEORGE} The drums are the best 

instrument on the stage! Nothing looks 

better than an acoustic drum kit. Go for 

it and make sure you practice to reap the 

benefits. 

I put on it as a teenager! I didn’t name it, and 

that’s just plain weird.” 

He talks of some of the challenges he’s had when 

learning to play. “I think the hardest parts are 

the boring technical exercises that you have to 

do to develop your technique! It’s not always 

fun, but is very important... like recycling.” 

ENERGY AND BUZZ 

Bic Eccles is the bassist of the band. He says 

he likes performing at Porters because of its 

energy during the weekends and the weekdays. 

He explained that he gets his energy from the 

food that he eats. “Seriously though, when the 

audience are buzzing and having a good night, 

you feed off them and give them a better show. 

There’s a definite to-and-fro of energy between 

a band and the audience.” 

Bic says his inspiration comes from his lecturers 

at university; they were the ones that helped 

to shape him into a ‘fun loving and energetic 

bassist’. “Other than that, my inspiration 

would have to be any amazing musician that is 

producing good music. There are a lot of them 

to pick from, so I won’t single any out!” 

KEEPING THE BEAT 

The person that keeps the tempo of the band 

comes on is George Say, the drummer who also 

supports in vocals. He says he never sang in 

BIC} Dedication, practice and 

perseverance. If you pit the time in, 

you will get the results you want. 

front of anyone before coming to Abu Dhabi, 

“The very thought of singing in front of people 

terrified me!” He says as a drummer being able 

to simply sit back, bang on some beats and enjoy 

the vibrant crowd is the best thing, “The crowd 

and vibe varies. At the weekend it’s a brilliant 

crowd. 

There’s a unique vibe and it feels good playing 

to an audience who appreciates you! During the 

weeknights the crowd is much more chilled out.” 

The Get Ups perform every day except 

Sundays at Porters, Grand Millennium 

Al Wahda. 

For more information, call 

+971 2 495 3935 or visit 

http://www.millenniumhotels. 

ae/grandmillenniumalwahda 

and email your queries 

to porters 

@grandmill-alwahda.com 


media 

Dr. Alma Kadragic 

MAKING FILM COUNT IN ABU DHABI 

ABU DHABI FILM FESTIVAL’S LEGACY 

Dr. Alma Kadragic, University Media Studies Professor and Author 

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival was 

a big success with some good films 

that many people knew nothing 

about and better attendance spread 

over more screenings than ever 

before. However after six years, it’s 

my view that the festival should 

consider changing its emphasis. 

The special thing about the Abu Dhabi Film 

Festival (ADFF) is that it is being held in the 

Gulf. It isn’t Cannes, the biggest film festival 

in the world; it doesn’t have the prominence of 

Berlin or Toronto, for example, or the quirky 

value of Sundance. But it has what none of those 

much better-known older festivals do – and 

that is a location in the center of the Middle 

East at the intersection of Arabia, Africa, the 

Levant and the Subcontinent. Those are the 

areas that count for the UAE and Abu Dhabi in 

the broad Middle East North Africa South Asia 

(MENASA) region. Many of the countries in this 

region have developing film industries as does 

the UAE and especially Abu Dhabi now that 

it has concentrated film development under 

twofour54, the media zone. 

While the organizers and sponsors may think 

it’s cool to have Richard Gere in Abu Dhabi for 

the Festival, I can only imagine how much it 

cost to bring star and entourage here. Perhaps 

director Nicholas Jarecki will indeed make a film 

in Abu Dhabi as a result, but his film Arbitrage 

that stars Gere shouldn’t, in my opinion, have 

been the choice to open ADFF. 

Arbitrage like End of Watch and Great 

Expectations were shown at ADFF. They do not 

need ADFF –the first two were already being 

shown in theaters during the Festival. Don’t get 

me wrong, they are good films, but highlighting 

them at ADFF is at the expense of films made 

with smaller budgets that have little chance of 

being distributed around the world. 

I would like to see ADFF focus entirely on films 

made locally and regionally. I would like to see 

the money spent on bringing over stars like 

Richard Gere going to boost funds available for 

production and post-production of films made 

in the Arab and Islamic world. 

One of the most exciting parts of ADFF for me 

this year was seeing the ten films in the Emirates 

Narrative Competition. They were of varying 

quality, but they featured Emiratis as well as 

others who live in the UAE, illustrating aspects 

of life here today, not contemporary life in the 

US or life in Victorian England. 

I didn’t entirely agree with the jury’s selection 

of winners in this competition, but all the films 

were worth seeing, and I look forward to more 

work from these local directors, giving further 

insights into life in the Gulf. As far as I know, 

none of them received funds from Image Nation 

whose mission it is to develop the film industry 

in Abu Dhabi. 

It’s time for twofour54 , Image Nation, and 

whoever else is involved to start showing 

confidence in the actors and directors that are in 

the UAE already, be they Emiratis or expatriates. 

If Image Nation is only an investment 

fund, then it makes sense to fund potential 

blockbusters like The Help. But if its mandate 

is bigger than that then it should shift its 

strategy. The Help was an excellent film, but for 

Abu Dhabi, being involved in that film about 

blacks and whites in the 1960s American South 

appears misplaced. It didn’t directly boost film 

production or develop the film industry in this 

country or this region, and that, in my view, 

should be Job One for everyone involved. 


WHO CARES 

FOR THE 

CUSTOMER? 

IN THE UAE, NOT 

ENOUGH DO 

Let’s face facts. Customer service in 

the UAE is extremely poor. In fact, 

the term ‘customer service’ is an 

oxymoron; there are customers, but 

there is no service. Face-to-face, by 

email, on the telephone – the lack 

of attention to customers who are 

spending their hard-earned money is 

breathtakingly bad. 

So who is to blame? Is it the service staff 

themselves? On many occasions, it is. However, 

the organisation giving the ‘service’ must accept 

the bulk of the responsibility. 

tamakkan 

Employees operate in the environment that is 

created for them. This starts with management. 

What direction does the senior management set 

for customer service? Do they allow staff to talk 

amongst themselves before finally deciding to 

approach a customer? Do they allow their staff 

to answer their phone with a “hello” rather than 

announcing the name of the company and the 

person speaking? Do they allow staff to play 

on their smartphones instead of attending to 

customer needs? Are they given the freedom to 

be pro-active in offering customer solutions? Do 

they foster a culture of training that addresses 

these customer service issues? 

The recruitment staff must also take some 

responsibility. Are they hiring the right people? 

Are they employing staff who have a customerfocused 

mentality, or are they employing 

to simply fill numbers? As a manager, I hire 

people based on attitude, not skills. I can teach 

the skills, but I can’t teach the attitude. If the 

attitude is not there in the first place, it is 

unlikely to ever be there. In the UAE, you are 

employed on the strength of your last position, 

not your aptitude to smile and be helpful. 

I am sure this lack of customer service is, in 

part, based on the various cultures that make up 

the UAE. Not all cultures have a sophisticated 

approach to customer service. However, if I have 

Ian Mason 

several hundred dirhams, maybe even several 

thousand, to spend, I expect the retailer to show 

me some respect and make me feel welcome as 

their customer. 

I recently terminated a water delivery contract 

because the driver failed to deliver water – when 

it was most needed – on two occasions. It wasn’t 

just that, though. I rang the sales representative 

who begged me for one chance to fix it, so I 

relented only to find that the promised solution 

never materialized. So, khallas! Ringing around 

other water delivery companies was an exercise 

in absolute futility – one company said “all 

operators were busy”….for 25 minutes while I 

was hanging on like an idiot. This happened 

not once, but three times as I foolishly tried to 

contact them again. Another company passed 

me from staff member to staff member, each 

one answering the phone “hello” so I had to ask 

“is this XYZ company?” It was such hard work 

just to offer my money for a simple service. 


Contrast this with the outstanding service 

received in London recently where a large retail 

chain now in the UAE, LK Bennett, learned they 

were out-of-stock on an item of clothing that 

my wife desperately wanted. Instead of letting 

her walk out the door empty-handed, the service 

assistant rang around their other stores, found 

the item and then delivered it personally (in 

busy London traffic) to the store near our hotel. 

Very impressive! She cared about my wife as a 

customer and valued her custom. Can you see 

this happening in the UAE? Hopefully some day. 

I can only hope that new entrepreneurs are so 

desperate for start-up business that they realize 

that looking after customers – really caring for 

their needs and respecting their money–is the 

pathway to success. 

Maybe, just maybe, these entrepreneurs might 

lead a much-needed customer service revolution 

in the UAE. 

SAVE THE DATE NEXT TAMAKKAN SEMINAR! BE THERE! FREE ATTENDANCE! 

TOPIC: Opportunities, Challenges, and Outlook 

Presentations include Five Year Review on the Entrepreneurship Landscape in the UAE. 

Findings on a study presented by Dr. Constance VanHorne and Dr. Victor Z. Huang. 

November 20 | 6-8 pm | Al Mamoura Auditorium, Abu Dhabi 

Check: www.tamakkan.org for updated programme 

Register early: info@tamakkan.org or 02-4918625 


Personally, I struggle at work with lots of printed 

paper that is needed for a meeting and then 

never used again. I have stacks of scrap paper 

just waiting to be reused and then recycled. 

There are many things that can be done at home 

or at the office to help reduce the amount that 

we consume, and that can be recycled. Review 

your behaviour: how do you re-use your plastic 

shopping bags? At home we use them as bin 

liners, cat litterbags, wet clothes bags, anything 

GET ENGAGED. BECOME A PLANETARIAN. www.planetarians.com 


the planetarians 

that you can possibly use a plastic bag for. We 

also re-use a carrier bag for as long as possible. 

Emma Kirkman 

REITERATING THE THREE RS: 

RE-USE, REDUCE AND RECYCLE 

The three R’s are great 

principles and are 

theoretically easy to put 

into practice. But how 

many of us manage 

to achieve that on a 

daily basis? 

The great news is that retailers are starting to 

become part of the solution. For instance Lulu 

Hypermarket has introduced bio-degradable 

plastic bags. This means that if you do have to 

use a plastic bag, it will naturally decompose 

over a few years and ultimately cause no further 

harm to the environment or animals. That’s a 

great step forward to a more environmentally 

conscious emirate. 

Re-using and recycling at home in our day-today 

lives is easier when you can build it into 

a routine and make it a habit. But what about 

when we aren’t at home or the office? What 

about special events and different times of year? 

How much wrapping paper is thrown away at 

Christmas? Have you tried using recycled paper? 

Or making your own? Or using old magazines 

(even old copies of Tempo) to wrap birthday 

presents in? 

www.facebook.com/theplanetarians | www.twitter.com/theplanetarians 

We can also all do our bit when we are out about 

at events. Abu Dhabi has an amazing range 

of diverse events happening throughout the 

cooler months, but the amount of materials 

used to host these events that heads straight 

to the incinerator is staggering. And that’s not 

including the extra plastic that is used in plastic 

bottles, cups, plates and materials used by all of 

the visitors at these events. Have you thought 

about how many plastic cups get used during 

the average concert at the Du Arena? And what 

would happen if every attendee brought his or 

her own cup or bottle and only used one for the 

entire night? How much plastic could be saved? 

Becoming eco savvy would go a long way with 

helping to decrease the pressure on UAE’s 

landfills that are rapidly filling up. And we all 

know that no one person can reduce the pressure 

of our consumption on this planet, but rather we 

all need to do our part, whether it’s big or small, 

to make our lives more sustainable so that our 

planet is still here for generations to come.

horoscope 

Aries: This could be a stressful month with Uranus and Pluto in square and 

Saturn opposite your sign in Libra. There will be tension when dealing with 

others, and perhaps upsets regarding your career. You could feel like your 

world is in turmoil and go through a personal crisis. You won’t get ill if you 

can eat healthfully; get plenty of rest, and pace yourself. 

Taurus: Expect to feel defensive and argumentative when dealing with the 

public or someone close. You’ll be irritable and find it hard to be patient. 

Your social life will be busy and you’ll have to juggle many commitments 

and responsibilities. You’ll be a good listener and remember many details 

when you meet new people. A new love connection will be possible if you 

aren’t too judgmental. 

Gemini: A positive attitude and faith in the future will help you feel good 

about your life this month. A strong desire to help others and live ethically 

will inspire trust when dealing with others. You’ll have strong opinions but 

willingly listen to other points of view. You might waste a lot of time and 

energy focusing on small issues from the past. 

Cancer: You’ll be empathetic, supportive toward others, and willing to do 

anything to help if needed this month. At the same time, you’ll find that 

others will do the same for you when asked. However, there may be someone 

in your life who’s critical and demanding, perhaps a spouse. Someone new 

will be compelling. 

Leo: There could be arguments at home or with your parents during this 

time. You’ll be irritable and restless, but you’ll get a lot done around your 

living space. Jupiter in your sector of friends and associates will bring a sense 

of being inspired and supported by the people in your circle. You might get 

involved in a religious or charitable group. 

Virgo: You’ll be articulate and organized and pay attention to detail. Mars 

is in your sector related to relatives, neighbors, and community, so you’ll be 

busy attending events and getting involved in initiatives. Jupiter in Gemini 

and your career sector will bring a chance to network. You’ll have to make 

time for this, which means you may have to sacrifice other activities. 

Libra: Aside from the fact that Saturn is still in your sign, other planets 

will contribute to tension and stress this month. You’ll need a great deal of 

patience and diplomacy in order to keep things in balance. Jupiter in your 

house of travel and education will bring new opportunities to grow and help 

you expand your world. 

Scorpio: Mars will be moving through your sign all month to bring energy 

and focus. You’ll be active and busy as well as eager to get going on new 

projects. Don’t hesitate to sell yourself and be proactive. Mercury and the 

Sun will bring productive meetings and engaging conversations with friends 

and associates for most of the month. 

Sagittarius: Jupiter will be in Gemini and opposite your sign this month. 

This placement will help you have a positive attitude toward relationships 

and faith in other people. However, there could be power struggles, 

especially with your partner. You could develop an unexpected crush on 

someone or come up with sudden insights out of the blue. 

Capricorn: You could feel uneasy for weeks, culminating in an argument or 

crisis during the Full Moon. Be empathetic if someone is having difficulties. 

Try not to be too judgmental. After Venus moves to Leo, you’ll have to make 

more of an effort to cooperate. . 

Aquarius: You’ll be in a great mood and feeling positive when it comes 

to love this month. Jupiter is in Gemini and your romance and creativity 

sector. There will be many opportunities to meet a new love interest or 

spend quality time with your partner. Make some compromises in order to 

keep the peace. A Full Moon in Aries will bring stress with neighbors and 

relatives. 

Pisces: There might be a chance for a new connection with someone nice. 

Jupiter in Gemini and your sector of home and family all month could bring 

power struggles. Personal growth will be possible while you’re learning how 

to stand firm in your beliefs. 

TO ADVERTISE IN THE WIDEST CIRCULATED YOUTH AND COMMUNITY 

FOCUSED MAGAZINE IN THE UAE, CALL: 02 491 8624 


Alia Al Hashimi , a famous Emirati blogger and 

senior marketing manager, and Searina Abdel 

Kader, a Jordanian marketing executive teamed 

up to create a fashion brand called “El Retro” 

which is influenced by Hollywood’s style icons. 

This month they talk to Tempo about their first 

collection, their challenges and their dreams. 

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH 

YOUR BRAND? 

Fortunately we share the same workplace and 

our thoughts clicked instantly especially when 

it came to things from a creative point of view. 

We believe that looking good is part of every 

woman’s DNA and that there aren’t many 

clothing lines with consistent ‘personas’ in our 

local market. Our pieces celebrate styles from 

previous eras, from both eastern and western 

cultures, but they also throw in distinctly 

contemporary twists! 

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR 

BRAND’S NAME “EL RETRO”? 

“El Retro” emerged from the word 

“retrospective” which is a key guiding principle 

in our designing approach. The letters “E and L” 

were added to “Retro” as a strong reflection of 

“us” - the Arabic core of the brand which we are 

proud of. 

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES YOUR 

LINE FROM OTHER DESIGNERS IN 

THE UAE? 

We’re style ‘evolvers.’ While the UAE retail 

market is buzzing with young talent, El Retro 


just a thought 

FASHION FANTASTIC 

BRINGING ‘RETROSPECTIVE’ BACK 

aims to establish a consistent style identity that 

allows those with fashion savvy to connect with 

empowering eras such as the 80’s, 70’s and 60’s. 

From bowties, suspenders and polka dots to 

vests, to exaggerated shoulders, velvets and 

rainbow colours…all these elements help in 

defining our uniqueness. 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST 

COLLECTION. 

Brave Heart is the name of our first collection 

and it’s named after the spirit of the 80s, ie the 

strong colours, exaggerated shoulders and the 

provocative personas that demands attention. 

We used high quality fabrics such as crepe de 

chine, silk dupion, stretch taffeta, chiffon, 

velvet etc. Buttons, spikes and studs are also used 

to add some edge to the designs. 

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO 

COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT AND 

DESIGN? 

We’ve talked about the concept since April this 

year and then got the ball rolling. The last few 

months have been crazy in terms of pressure, 

planning and executing. 

WHO ARE YOUR FASHION ICONS, 

AND WHY? 

Grace Jones wasn’t a typical girl and her edgy 80s 

style was contagious. Twiggy’s 60’s fever inspires 

our creation approach, Marc Jacobs is an indirect 

influencer and YSL’s retrospective collection 

pushed us out of the box. 

Manar Al Hinai | A khaleeji girl who overthinks and loves to write 

Alia Al Hashimi and Searina Abdel Kader 

ARABIAN BOW 

SHARQIYA 

Twitter @manar_alhinai 

MUSKETEER MUSKETEER CARDIGAN 

WHO DO YOU TARGET WITH YOUR 

FASHION LINE? 

Our dream is to target every living woman, but 

in reality every woman has a specific style. El 

Retro targets every confident woman who takes 

fashion seriously. Style is demanding and those 

who are up to the pressure are our target women. 

WHAT IS THE MAIN CHALLENGE 

YOU FACE AS SMALL BUSINESS 

OWNERS? 

In our case, time has been the biggest challenge. 

Any business requires your full attention 

especially when it is a startup, and certainly to 

make sure the takeoff is smooth. 

WHERE CAN OUR READER 

PURCHASE YOUR DESIGNS? 

Our first collection will be available on http:// 

www.facebook.com/ElRetroshop. Orders can 

be made via email. Customers can also follow us 

on twitter - @Elretroshop for release updates. 

It’s worth mentioning that we’re currently 

negotiating with key local stores and online 

shopping portals. 

WHAT ARE YOUR BUSINESS GOALS 

FOR THE YEAR 2013? 

We look forward to releasing our second 

collection, to connecting with regional stores, 

and to hitting a few runways! 

FINALLY, WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS 

MOTTO? 

You never know until you try!

THE 

EXCELLENCE 

SERIES 

BREAKTHROUGH SEMINARS IN LEADERSHIP 

SEMINAR: 

“TOWARDS LEADERSHIP 

THINKING: INNOVATION, 

CREATIVITY AND CHANGE” 

• 

• 

• 

• 

SEE HOW INNOVATION CHANGES REALITY 

DARE TO THINK BEYOND ACCEPTED PARADIGMS 

EMBRACE THE POWER OF PURPOSE AND PASSION 

NURTURE A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY AND CHANGE 

5 January, 2013 • 3:00 - 7:30pm 

Rocco Forte Hotel, Abu Dhabi 

Early bird rate (till 30/11/2012): Dh 840 

Regular rate: Dh 985 

Michael's ability to 

deliver a pertinent 

and relatable 

message to our 

audience was truly 

remarkable.” 

Bill Nutini 

VP Sales, Toshiba 

Michael McMillan 

delivers on 

‘different’ 

with profound 

creativity.” 

Curt Linke 

VP of Marketing, 

John Deere & Co. 

Having hosted a recent event for 

bank executives, I was impressed 

by Michael’s rare insights. Through 

his unique blend of humor and 

storytelling, he manages to captivate 

audiences from 1 to 1,000s.” 

Richard Katz 

President and CEO of Resource Bank 

MICHAEL 

MCMILLAN 

A noted inspirational speaker and 

catalyst for change, Michael has worked 

with Fortune 500 corporations, 

small businesses, sports figures, music 

legends, non-profit organizations and 

international institutions. 

His unique insight on creative thinking 

inspires transformation in business 

leaders, entrepreneurs and organizations 

of all sizes. 

Insights you will gain: 

This 4-hour seminar will give 

you powerful and actionable 

insight that will help you 

approach your work with new 

perspectives on innovation, 

creative thinking and problems 

solving. 

Michael McMillan’s presentation hit 

the nail on the head. The concepts 

of the “Circle of Change” and 

taking risks resonated profoundly 

with the audience. Great job!” 

Cynthia Banks 

President, Los Angeles County 

Management Council 

BOOK YOUR TICKETS THROUGH boxofficeme.com 

www.theexcellenceseries.com 

Call: 02 491 8625 | Email: info@theexcellenceseries.com 

Enquire about group rates. Special discounts are also available to students, and entrepreneurs registering via Khalifa Fund, Tamakkan, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin 

Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders.

ANIMATING - Tempoplanet

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