Rules of Thumb

I came across an interesting book lately. Didn’t get the chance to read it all, but managed to skim through most of it. What caught my attention most was its name; “Rules of Thumb – A Life Manual”, written by Tom Parker.

The idea behind the book – in a nutshell – is to shed light on some of the key observations made by different writers and experts.

Here are some of the rules quoted in the book which I liked most, and thought I’d share with you:

1. “The Go-To Guy: If you really need something done, ask a busy person”
2. “Pausing to Think: When asked an important question, always pause for at least a silent count of three before answering. You will appear to be more thoughtful and intelligent”
3. “Caught Napping: An hour’s nap in the middle of the day equals three hours of sleep at night”
4. “Eating Like a Thin Person: Before you eat, ask yourself how hungry you are on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being an empty stomach and 10 the stuffed bloated, after-Thanksgiving-dinner feeling. Eat only when you rate your hunger a 1 or 2. Then stop when you reach 5”
5. “Speaking with Clarity: When writing a speech, never include a word you have to look up”
6. “Popping M&M’s: Fifty-four M&M’s have the same caffeine content as two cups of coffee”
7. “Thwarting Optimism: If you ask a negative question, you will get a negative answer”
8. “The Illusion of Autonomy: When giving a child a choice between two options, make sure both options are acceptable to you”
9. “Think Big on a Small Scale: A clear idea should fit on the back of a business card”

My personal favorites are numbers 7 and 9. You tell me yours :)

"Bilady, Bilady, Bilaaa-dy"

Hats off to the designers of google today! For those of you who haven't checked out google today, the google icon features Sayed Darwish, the renowned singer and composer - considered the father of Egyptian popular music.

Born on March 17th, 1892, google pays tribute today; the same day marking his birth. The icon illustrates Darwish, with sample lyrics of the Egyptian national anthem "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady". Darwish put the music to this song; the words of which were adapted from a famous speech by Mustafa Kamil. The song later became Egypt's national anthem in 1979.



Google surely never fails to amaze us :)

Stolen Car! Plate Number: "Jan. 25th"...

So the revolution aftermath keeps on being witnessed in Egyptian streets everyday.

Egyptian people, being creative by nature, like to seize every opportunity to create a 'commercial' occasion out of it. Prior to the revolution, this was most apparent when you'd simply 'pause' with your car for a split second, and be suddenly bombarded with people attempting to sell you things through your car window. Products aren't just randomly picked, no, no, no - but are rather specifically tailored to every occasion. In Ramadan, they'd sell you "fawanees", before football matches, Egyptian flags, in Valentine's, red hearts...and the list goes on and on.

The revolution of course came along with its own waves of creativity. From Egyptian flags, to flag colored head bandits, to small car danglers saying "Egyptian and Proud", you name it - all are being sold, and quite heavily too. Honestly, although I've always been against such products, I haven't been against them this time, because I believe they do help boost people's feelings of loyalty (and mine too) everytime you see more of Egypt's flags where ever you go.

Now that's all ok, nothing wrong with that at all...

I was fine with all this until I saw a recent line of creativity: the all new "Jan. 25th Car Plate Stickers!". Quite creative, yes, but result is that you can now find them stuck on almost everyone's car back! Not only are they repetitive and lost their charm (now being everywhere) but are now confusing to anyone who is trying to quickly trace or take note of car number. We keep on calling for increased security control everyday, yet this isn't helping at all. If you catch an escaping car that either grabbed your bag and ran, or harmed you in whichever way, you may very well pause and be confused for a second as to which car number you should take note of - with both original car numbers and "Jan. 25th" now being stuck almost next to each other on all cars. Even worse, some people have decided to stick such fake plates onto their original plates! Here's an example of a picture taken by a friend of mine for a cab sticking such car plate.



There's nothing wrong with following recent trends and fashions. It only becomes wrong when we don't think what sort of consequence will such trend have on us personally first and then on the rest of the people around us. So the next time you're offered with a new line of creativity, just stop and think, just once, before you're drifted - like everyone else - into buying them.

The More Ghee, the Merrier!

With the revolution taking place, most companies have been exercising major cost reductions.

One of the controversial areas that is usually subject to internal arguments among marketing teams, are advertising budgets. Amidst crisis, one opinion would say that this is the time to advertise more than any time before. Money will be spent, but it'll create the needed awareness and brand recall levels among customers that would later translate into increased revenues.

Another opposing opinion would say, cut advertising budgets. Put all advertising prospects on hold for now. The market is instable, and no one knows what the future holds. Investing in advertising now is not gauranteed to generate any revenue, but is likely to translate into major losses. So let's just wait.

The latter scenario is exactly what happened the last couple of weeks in Egypt. TV ads reached minimim numbers, to the extent that TV series and programs were not as frequently interrupted with breaks for TV commercials as they used to prior to the revolution.

And so the companies waited. And waited. And suddenly some companies decided to come back with TV ads again. Having noticed this come back this past week, I decided to make a record of which sectors were being advertised for most. And guess who emerged as the number one product category most excessively advertised for last week...butter ghee!

Butter ghee, or "samna" as we call it in Egyptian, has been by far the star of TV ads last week. If we refer to an official record that captures the exact number of ads showed everyday, I might very well be wrong about ghee being the most advertised for category - percentage wise. But as an average viewer, to me, the number of times I switched on the TV and found a TV ad featuring an Egyptian brand of butter ghee all at different random times, were quite alot!

Now the conclusion I brought out of this very observation, is that the marketing people in each of the different ghee companies, must've thought this through very well before deciding to spend on so much advertising. Given that thought, I sort of visualized the kind of discussions that the different teams might've been having during their meeting, to invest or not invest in advertising. Again, I might be very wrong about all these thoughts that I imagined, but it sure was fun just picturing how they probably came about with such decision :)

Ok we're in a meeting room and the marketing teams start their brainstorming session by saying..."So Egyptians have their minds set on the revolution at the moment. But what comes to their minds right after that? Food! Egyptians love food! They find their joy in food, and percieve food as the cure for every single problem they may have. Feeling sad or unwell? Eat more and you'll feel better. Feeling happy? Celebrate and express your happiness through more food! What about the calories? Nah, they don't mind the calories at all! In fact the 'heavier' the food, the more fit you'll be! Calories, calories, calories...aha! Where more calories can you find than in our beloved, favorite and inseperable companion to all our food, butter ghee! Now is the time to make the Egyptian people happier than before. They're in a middle of a crisis. A revolution. They need us now than ever. And we've never fooled them, and have always been there at hard times. Now is the time to tell them that we're there in solidarity with them! Sign our new butter ghee campaign budget from our Finance team, and let's get this show started!"

Aaaw, I just love us Egyptians! :)

Warning Note!

This isn't going to be a long post, but just a simple thought that came to my mind while I was watching TV today.

Amidst recent events, media has been for the most part covering Egypt's revolution and post revolution images and videos. Now my problem isn't with the fact that these images and videos are being displayed - for media transparency and strength are certainly one of the most prominant blessings of our era.

My problem however is with the fact that some of these images are quite disturbing, yet are randomly displayed at any time during the day, without any pre-notice or warning before them whatsoever! Whatever happened to warning notes that used to say "Warning: The following images may disturb some viewers"? In this case, children or viewers sensitive to graphic images would have the liberty and choice of simply switching the channel.

Even when such warning notes were not always made, I recall a number of years ago, that such material would only be displayed towards later times in the day. No, but now, there are no more boundaries...all in the name of 'complete transparency'. A 7 year old child could now be innocently watching the TV on her own at 2pm in the afternoon on a random Friday, and then suddenly, a disturbing video would be displayed showing injured civilians, bombed cars and streets on fire. This child is then expected to continue watching the cartoon series she was watching on the other channel, as if no sort of emotional and psychological disturbance has affected her.

Please, a call for warning notes prior to viewing such images and videos. Media transparency is appreciated, but control and organization is important too.

Who's the Bad Guy?

It’s been quite a while since the last time I wrote something here. All these past months, I always had in mind that the day I’d get myself back to writing, I’d have to have something unbelievably spectacular to say. But as I was flipping through the TV channels the last couple of days, a simple idea triggered my thoughts to start writing again. An idea, that although so simple, can actually hold so much controversy…

“Tom & Jerry: So Who’s Really the Bad Guy?”. That’s the idea that came to my mind, and the idea which I just realized (as we speak) could actually work as a book title :)

As a kid, “Tom & Jerry” has always been an indispensable part of my growing up. I remember whenever I used to switch on the TV, they’d be literally there – always, at some point in time! The series were just endless, and that was the beauty of it. Series would always start with our very own favorite “Mammy-Two-Shoes” calling for Tom, who she always had a tendency to call “Thomas”. For those who don’t remember who Mammy-Two-Shoes is, she was a recurring character who appeared as a middle aged women, and was famous for never showing her head.

Now back to our very very controversial topic…

In all the times I watched Tom & Jerry when I was a young girl, I always thought – and in fact believed with all my heart – that Jerry was a victim to all of Tom’s bad deeds. To me, Jerry was this cute little mouse, who’s utmost aspirations were to make his way out of his home through his little hole in the wall, get a hold of his cheese and then make his way back safely into his home and enjoy his cheese, just like any mouse is entitled to.

Tom, on the other hand, has long before set “making Jerry’s life a misery” as his long-life mission. From chasing him all over the house, to setting mouse traps in front of his wall hole, to trying to smash him with a wooden stick (and of course crashing everything that comes in his way as he tries to do so) – Tom would just not stop until he gets a hold of Jerry.

But then recently, I thought to myself; why is it that we always stereotype Tom as the bad guy? Isn’t it possible that Jerry would be the evil one who we never suspect due to his small size? Couldn’t he have all those years been using his size as an excuse to look cute and innocent so that neither Mammy-Two-Shoes nor the audience (yes, us) would ever suspect that he may as well be behind all the disasters that take place at home?

As harsh as this may sound to all you Jerry-lovers out there, I am now starting to think that Jerry is the one who provokes Tom to chase him. And that Tom always gets into trouble just because he’s bigger in size, and is hence more visible to Mammy-Two-Shoes. And because we always tend to have this idea that Tom – being the ‘cat’ – would naturally be the one who wants to ‘eat’ the ‘mouse’ – who in this case would be our very one and only Jerry.

Yet again, I can’t help but remember all the times where Jerry was sitting so helplessly, and Tom would deliberately try to annoy him in one way or another.

I personally can’t decide who really IS the bad guy. All I know is that Tom and Jerry are one of the cutest, closest-to-heart and most appealing characters (to almost all age groups I’ve met till now) – and I’ll always love them both very equally :)

Ramadan’s Here! Yeah…So What’s on TV?

So Ramadan is over, and so is Eid Al Fitr and people are back to their normal lives. From ones who are back home feeling refreshed after having spent their vacation with their families abroad, to students who feel excited preparing themselves for a new school year, to employees who drag themselves back to their offices, starting whole new working weeks with whole new targets.

For readers who don’t know what Ramadan is, it is the ninth month of the Islamic Calender and is considered to Muslims all around the world as one of the holiest months of the year. Lasting for 29 to 30 days, in this month, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset. By fasting, Muslims believe and hope they can learn the discipline and self-restraint that Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) preached. Hence fasting is taken as a form of worship and a time of self empowerment.

This doesn’t at all mean that food is entirely out of the picture of course. Two main meals are taken each day during Ramadan. The “suhoor”, which begins each day before dawn, and the “iftar”, which breaks the fast after sunset, and of course…the many nibblings and snick snacks we have right after iftar up till suhoor :)

In spite of the many beautiful deeds that are performed during this month, and in spite of the vast number of Muslims who still remain to hold on to everything good in this month, Ramadan has unfortunately grown to be more commercial year after year.

Instead of airing programs of spiritual remembrances during this month (not to mention all year long), television channels become bombarded with excessive, almost revolting, amounts of meaningless Arabic TV series and advertisements. From ads that advertise cooking oils that feature a husband appreciating and loving his wife more after using oil “X” in her cooking, to a new - almost unknown - brand of crisps being viewed as a vital almost inseparable component of every family’s daily iftar, to mobile service providers fiercely competing over the lowest (closest to ‘zero’) per minute rate with a marketing message communicating an increased need to connect with your loved ones during Ramadan (because you obviously don’t love them as much during any other time during the year).

But as I said, this phenomenon has in fact been a part of a rising trend in recent years, and hence has not come to surprise me only this year. What did grab my attention however and made me suddenly stop and think is a new experience I had this Ramadan.

As part of a community service organization that I am a member of, I was lucky enough to take part this year in iftar gatherings that were set to cover different segments of people in need in Egypt. Among the many visits that this organization hosted, the most special visit to me and the one which touched me the most was a visit we made to an elderly home for elders of very limited financial capabilities.

Being the first time for me to visit an elderly home, I always hoped that the day I would visit such a place I would most importantly focus on spending time with the elders than do anything else. So I did, and that was by far one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. The smiles that spread on their wrinkled faces as they looked back at their lives and told a million’s worth stories of how they used to live in their earlier homes and how they brought up their kids. The smiles that continued to spread on their faces as they told stories that you know deep inside of you are almost heartbreaking to them of how some of their kids had left them in these elderly homes years back and almost rarely visited them throughout the years. And how amidst telling us these stories, one of them would so desperately reach for an old dusted photo frame she has of her son standing next to his bride on his wedding night, and points at him and so proudly says “that’s my son, standing right there!”, even though you know that this son has probably not visited in such a long a long time…yet she continues to smile. The tears they try to hold back in their wrinkled – almost closed – eyes as we hug them, walk to the door and say good bye until we see them the next time we visit.

But how is this experience related in any way to how commercial Ramadan has become, you may ask?

As much as this experience was uplifting and enriching to me, as much as it was deeply heartbreaking and disappointing at the same time. It was heartbreaking to know that besides the people who visit such elderly homes, most Egyptians would not imagine how badly conditioned these homes are. Such lack of awareness on how desperately in need these homes are to financial donations is mainly a result of poorly directed media. It’s true that orphanages and children hospitals are in need of financial contributions, but they’re only one segment of people in need among many. Ramadan advertisements cannot direct potential donators only towards certain segments like orphanages and totally ignore other segments, such as elderly homes, which on the other hand may actually be in much more need to such financial aid than orphanages.

Financial aid is only one form of support that can be given to such places. What’s more important is the emotional support that should be given to such elders, not just during Ramadan but all year long. It’s important that among the many ads designed to promote donations to orphanages, some would also be targeted to help support elderly homes.

Finally, it’s true that some people may sometimes view such visits as painful and agonizing to see certain segments in society live in such need; be it an elderly home, an orphanage or a school for disabled children. Although I know it may be hard, I would encourage everyone to try to take the extra step and visit these places. This is because however much you feel blessed with the many gifts that Allah has granted you, whether it was health, family, education or money (to name a few), you will never feel as blessed nor grateful until you see how other people may have not been granted the same chances that you’ve been given. With such visits, I promise you to enjoy a kind of spiritual uplift and inspiration that you may have never felt before and which you will from now on love to have as a vital part of your life.