Becoming a "Barakatisti"

On this last day of August (111 right now), I have begun to dream about the cooler days of fall. I have finally settled into a comfort zone with my new career. I say career, because the difference between working for Barakat verses Transmed is truly a feel for career. I always felt that I was a mercenary at Transmed, training and working until some Lebanese employee would be ready to take my job and begin his career. That differs for me now, I feel like I have found a company home. It is up to me to make the best of it. I have the responsibility to grow the sales team and sales and I am formulating those plans in my thick noggin and the haze is lifting as to what needs to be done.
My former company is having some struggles with personnel and numbers. Margins and sales are way down (single digit for both), and the employee exodus from sales has begun -it's too bad...but we must move on..
I have begun to meet with the sales managers and team members in the three companies that I am now responsible for. There is a rich (yet brief history) that has the employees of Barakat happy and loyal. The CEO (JR) is a rather interesting Gentlemen and he has begun to share his thoughts and views on life and business as we meet almost daily. Story of JR and Barakat 
I know, I am getting this blogging thingy down...lol.
If you have ever worked in a farmers market, it is a rather interesting place. The smells and the hustle as the workers unload and redistribute produce is fascinating and fast paced. Fresh fruits and vegetables arrive from all over the world daily.

My new office boy (Depesh), still brings me fresh Strawberries everyday, and our juice company stocks my office refrigerator with a variety of juices that are made fresh daily at our plant in Jebal Ali (yes - always have strawberry juice as one of my choices).
I am juggling several projects already (interviewing potential suppliers, reviewing equipment plans for our new Food service facility opening in the spring of 2013, interviewing prospective salespeople for all three companies and working on new software-reporting for our corporation...my plate is full...but my glass is half full, it's going well...
On the tv front (more than half my social life-lol), the fall season is beginning. Season 5 of True Blood starts this weekend, and later this month Boardwalk Empire and Survivor (Philippines this season...hhmmm -yes I may have to invite friends to watch -lol). The NFL starts next week (get lots of games!) and my Reds are headed towards the playoffs (got the Internet package for $10 for rest of season), so watching lots of baseball now! On the friend front, Kelly, Muzzy, Hayley and I find time for each other regularly (separately). Last night Hayley and I dined at our favorite Thai Diner (Royal Buddha at the Holiday Inn Al Barsha) - where I of course kept up my banter with my favorite Asian Server E.E.

She tries so hard to please us...I complain about everything....she is always flustered and Hayley plays a great straight man to my musings with my diminutive friend. She now gives us a 25% discount for being her "favorite" diners. Sadly, Hayley and I are tiring of the food, but not E.E.
I am so pleased that Hurricane Isaac is headed to the Midwest and maybe begin to end America's draught. The price of corn and soybeans has soared on the world markets because of the draught, effecting pricing of beef and oils here in the Mideast. It is a small world. I also enjoyed watching the Republican Convention this week. the eyes of the world are on America...
This weeks shout out goes to...Sam Messimer...Yes Danny's cousin that I haven't seen in well over 20 years reads this silly blog. Go figure, it was nice to get an email from Sam, now some of the rest of you "Adventure" followers, drop me a note, and tell me what you want to hear about....stories about the "keystone cops" here - Last week caught in a massive traffic delay at a huge round about. The traffic lights were out. Finally saw the police that could have been directing traffic lined up (3 car fulls of cops) with their lights on, parked in front of the signal box watching the repairman work, while cars honked and merged as angry drivers tried to force their way into the rush hour traffic...sigh.
Or the local cultural stories (Big Indian Holiday this past Wednesday - traditional dress and celebration - just whatever interests you, please let me know!....Have a great holiday weekend back in the States....This blog will have to be a "shortie" - your welcome Rodz.

Monday Morning, I contribute to a Symbolic Death of the Middle East Peace Process...

August is nearing an end, the temperatures will surely follow as the year winds down. Today it will only reach 106 degrees, our uninterrupted string of triple digit highs is nearing four months, and the forecast into September shows no relief...Thank goodness, that I know better. In late September, the highs will dip into the 90's and late October and early November will bring resort like weather.
I just got back from my short 5 minute trip to Subway for my egg and cheese sub breakfast. I think the heat is getting to me, as I drove today I fantasized about having a Waffle House along the way, to pull into and have my favorite Bacon, egg and cheese on Toast, Hash browns - scattered, smothered and covered....Buttered raisin toast for dessert....I don't know what's worse realizing my fantasy wasn't going to happen, or realizing that I am fantasizing about food instead of....well, I am getting older by the day. I guess that is normal, sadly.
My day started horribly on Monday. I was driving to work on the 12 lane mega highway Emirates road, my cruise control set on 139 KMH (86 mph) to avoid the radar photo tickets. In front of me I spot a beautiful big Dove waddling into my lane on the highway.

Now, we all have experienced countless times, when a bird is right in front of us on the road, and at the last moment they gracefully fly off. Apparently my poor Dove, was distracted by all the news pointing to war in the Middle East, and sadly I became the executioner. At the last moment my suddenly air born friend met 86 mph of forged metal...my Nissan Altima survived...the noise and Dove body parts scattering in different directions made the Subway cookie I was savoring suddenly taste very sour. Dubai Peace Dove 2011 -2012 RIP.
Speaking of sad events. Karim, my office boy, was apparently accused of not working hard enough and was reassigned by his supervisor to a much harder job working in one of our warehouses. He was replaced by Depesh, a relative of the supervisor. Now my new young colleague speaks virtually no English and curiously no Hindi either.(I don't know how to translate Nepotism into Hindi...but)... Well, no one in my building can speak a language that he understands. I struggled with trying to communicate with him, but finally I found a use for the Splenda I have stored in my office desk. Now every morning around 10 am (if I am in the office), I get a nice treat. Beautiful, capped Driscol fresh American Strawberries! I feel bad for Karim, but I have sadly quickly adapted. And my glass is half full (of Strawberries...lol)
Things are progressing at work. I have gotten the budget approved to hire a half dozen new Sales Executives....hmmm, where could I find hard working loyal sales reps that would enjoy the opportunity to work with an American at a growing company...I will keep you updated....
Tomorrow (Saturday), we are having a company wide sales organizational meeting where I will meet all the managers and sales people that are now my responsibility. We have over a 1,000 employees and I now am charged with creating profitable sales to have that number grow, not shrink. It's an exciting challenge that I embrace.
Kelly and I had lunch yesterday at Dubai Mall at the brand new and huge Cheesecake Factory. There were several Americans there training the local employees in proper service, with various levels of success. Our server struggled mightily, (he was so bad that Kelly's and my disappointment turned into amusement). I need to give it another try, this lunch ($50) was a major disappointment.
Now in good dining news, I re-visited IHOP at the Mall of Emirates...I had biscuits covered in white pepper gravy, with scrambled eggs, hash browns and veal sausage. It was great, and I am planning on my lunch today being a repeat of that great meal.
Muzzy and Kumail return from their vacation today, Hayley returned from the States last weekend, Eid (3 day celebration of the end of Ramadan) has now ended, and with the calendar turning to September next weekend, business will pick up again. My friend Sam Hodge(Chiade salesmen, that I worked with at Buckhead Beef) arrives in Dubai on Sunday for a couple of days, it will be good to see him. We are planning on having dinner together at Texas Roadhouse - life is good!
My apologies for a rather boring blog, sadly, it was a rather boring week. I did see Rodz this week....who knows...maybe there will be more interesting blogs forthcoming (I certainly hope so...lol).
Have yourself a safe, but great week...thanks for checking on me....

The toll of the desert...from Facebook frustration to John the Ugly Diner

Ramadan is ending this weekend, and the slightly cooler temperatures of September are right around the corner, relief is in site. It is funny how you can have little things fester, and become bigger issues than they should. When these little things blow up, they can quickly be put back in their place by real events that surround you and your friends lives. I neglected to mention last week, that Steve (my boss at Transmed) had returned back to the UK because his father had passed away. He is due back this weekend. RK, the GM in charge of the "meat and seafood" division of Barakat, had his uncle die in India while he was vacationing, and he will not return until next week now. Both of these men were retired and had lived full lives, although if you are close to them, the pain you feel from missing someone that you love and care about is very deep. I turn 50 in October, and there is a sobering effect of reaching those years where heart attacks, cancer and other ailments seem to start claiming more victims.Two days ago the news of death had arrived to me, for Rick Fowler. I doubt many of the readers of this blog knew Rick, but we had been in the same fantasy baseball League in Atlanta for over 20 years together. I had always enjoyed his friendly banter, and he was a stand up guy that shared the love of baseball that I did. He was a couple of years younger than me, married with children. In the last month he was diagnosed with Cancer, and taken from the living in rapid fashion. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and his passing reminds me of how precious life is and how you should cherish those friendships and people that you interact with everyday. You never know when that last conversation may take place.
It seems so trivial to think of the challenges of life that I (and I am sure most of you) face everyday. I bemoan the fact that I feel my biggest failure in life is and continues to be the inability to find that life mate. It seems simple, you find a nice girl, fall in love - get married and live happily ever after. I have an intense fear of growing old alone, and as I hit 50, and hopefully many more years it appears that I probably will face them alone. It seems depressing, but when I compare my challenge to Rick Fowler's family or my close friend Wes who lost his spouse (Lori) to cancer while she was still in her prime. The challenges that my friends and family have had with divorce or much worse, I realize that my big fears are nothing more than minor challenges. I am blessed, please forgive me as my trivialities are bemoaned as mountains, when we all know they are nothing more than mole hills.

Kelly is in Turkey for the weekend with her beau Sami. They left Thursday, but before she went we enjoyed an Iftar dinner together (the one I won on the radio a couple of weeks ago). The food was average (I am being gracious) but the company and conversation was magnificent. We don't get to enjoy the daily smiles and frowns since we now work for competitors, but our friendship and bond is closer than ever. During our evening, my sweet friend Kelly shared with me that she didn't really care for my Facebook profile picture. It was a picture taken at a dinner I attended during October of 2010 in Paris, France. I always liked it, looked like a successful business man enjoying a nice business dinner. Kelly felt like it made me look stuffy, and didn't portray the loving, happy, caring friend she has grown to know. It seems she took a picture at her surprise birthday dinner last week she thought would suit me better. As we said good night, she let me know she would "email that picture to me, change your Facebook photo". (yes - you are in the midst of one of John's "speed bump" in life stories).
It seems so simple, my good friend Kelly is looking out for me. Wednesday night, I got that email from Kelly. There I am, in splendid color looking ok, except that the background made my thinning hair vanish in the photo. Couldn't highlight my worse feature, so what to do. I looked at my pictures and found one taken by my good friend Yvonne right before I left the States in May of 2010.

I changed my profile picture to Yvonne's - not Kelly's. Let the pain begin...friends and family left many comments about how great I looked, I had lost weight, and how cute I was. Yes, "was" is the operative word, it has smacked me between the eyes, I have let myself go to the dogs, hair loss and weight gain are not the dynamic duo...time to get a trainer for this dog...We will revisit!
IHOP has opened it's first location in Dubai, and yes I behaved poorly in my initial dining. my waiter was a nice young man of Philippine heritage (time for the truth to set me free). I decided that I wanted to have country fried chicken and eggs (I was channeling Cracker Barrel at IHOP) I asked "Oliver" - (We will name him to protect him) if they had country fried chicken and he showed me the picture of Country fried "steak". I quickly pointed out this was beef, not chicken and I inquired again about having country fried chicken. He said "yes we have". I said "where is it in menu", he leafed to the dinner section and again showed me a picture of country fried steak (this one with veggies), I said, "no Oliver, this is beef",,,"Are you sure you have chicken?" He once again said yes, I was fretting over the fact of trusting Oliver and then knowing the odds were high that I would be severely disappointed with whatever Oliver delivered to my table that was not country fried chicken that he was promising. I spotted a manager hovering in my area, and I called her over. She quickly pointed out now to my poor server Oliver as sweat poured down his forehead and dripped from his nose, that they did not have country fried chicken, I thanked her, ordered the country fried beef, and yes I was disappointed. I will visit IHOP again soon, and order better....like pancakes...I get it....

In my new series, "get to know my new colleagues at Barakat", this week we meet Professor Bigith.

Bijith is a very fit young Hindu from the southern part of India (a reoccurring theme at Barakat). He works as a Key Account Manager in our protein division of our company and reports directly to me. In the nicest way I can, I would describe Bijith as "opinionated". I gave him the moniker of "Professor" due to his strong stances of fact about things he knows little about....He argued recently with me about things that Transmed stocks (he knew they did not stock shortening oil, I of course knew that it was the top selling item at Transmed, with three full containers a month being sold - there was no convincing him...In our brief encounters he has also shared his frustration with America for being for Pakistan and against India, no reasoning seems to seek in....yes, I am making light of this, but it is a trait of his that must change soon. This week, Professor Bijith gave me American history lessons...It seems that he thought Obama may not get re-elected, mainly because of the unfairness of "white" Americans that took the land from the blacks when we invaded America from Britain...sigh. I did not know where to begin, fortunately, Suresh (another Key Account Manager from southern India) quickly stepped in, and explained to a disbelieving Bijith, that the black Americans were from Africa that had been slaves set free by Abraham Lincoln, and were brought there as slaves from Africa by the whites. He went on to proudly say he took American history in school...Sounds like we are going to have fun listening to the world according to Professor Bijith in the upcoming months.

Muzzy and Kumail are leaving for a week in the Seychelles, while Kelly comes back from Turkey mid week, could be a little quiet this week. The good news is Hayley returns from the States today and with Ramadan ending his weekend, maybe life will get back to normal. Eid begins Sunday (it is a three day celebration marking the end of fasting and Ramadan) and I can hardly wait.
My life is full, I have relatively good health, great friends and a good career. I am thankful for my blessings as I remember my friend Rick and his family and grieve over their loss. I look forward to seeing all of you soon, and we should all cherish the time we have together on this good earth.

The UAE Keeps us Safe with tough Immigration Laws

The month long process of having my employment Visa changed is almost completed. I had forgotten that the process here is cumbersome, but in the end there maybe some things that my Government could use for the safety of America. Part of the process here to gain a workers visa is the medical exam that you go through. I had to go back and be retested (Had this test when I first arrived also) for HIV. If I was from another country, I would also have to have had my chest ex-rayed for TB. Fortunately, being from a developed nation< I only had to have my blood drawn and tested. The annoyance factor is a bit of a hassle, I had to wait an hour and a half in a poorly air conditioned room with hundreds of laborers that may or may not have met their first shower since they arrived in Dubai.

My test for HIV came back negative, so the process continues. If I would have tested positive. I would have been immediately placed into quarantine and placed on the first plane back to America. So we basically have no AIDS in Dubai. It's the same tough handling of other issues that keep the UAE remarkably safe. If I had a car wreck and there is a trace (.001) of alcohol or any illegal drug in my system the penalty is very harsh. If the accident was minor, the guilty party would be looking at 6 months in jail followed by deportation. Not the way I want to leave the UAE. There must be some drug use (because people are arrested trying to smuggle marijuana and other drugs - this week they caught a poor soul attempting to smuggle heroin into the country, I am sure they will face the death penalty). Any crime is treated toughly. Bounce a check, off to jail you go....this is not a place to commit a crime. (other than speeding - you can get dozens of tickets - just keep paying the fines...lol).
If you are an ex-pat, once your time is up in prison, deportation follows. We don't have recidivism issues. (Nick- that's repeat offenders) God I miss having Nick to pick on (just to hang out with-I am like a boy that saw his puppy get run over by a car), and the blog misses the stories my friend could help inspire.
On a totally unrelated, but yet similar issue, sex outside of marriage is against the law. So, if you lived with your girl friend and it was discovered (they don't go looking for this, but if it is discovered...tisk tisk) the penalty is deportation. If a single gal gets pregnant, she must leave also...the bottom line is it's a tough place to live if you can't follow the rules, if you are a law abiding Ex-Pat, it's safe and secure. An interesting trade off - liberty for safety....one that Americans are wrestling with in the USA more and more. BTW, I wouldn't trade my American citizenship and freedoms, but I can suspend them for a few years abroad...
I am a little tired this morning, and my blog (sorry Muzzy Tonto) is a tad bit late. Last night, I was honored to be invited to a birthday party for my great gal pal,  Canadian cutie Kelly.

I was amongst a dozen of Kelly's friends that gathered at the Park Hyatt in Dubai. We had a very nice room all to ourselves, and enjoyed a nice celebration with every body's favorite Canadian It was nice for me to meet Kelly's friends (8 gals-5 guys = good party) that I didn't know.  I also got to meet Kelly's beau Sami! He is the one to her right in the photo from last night. They are a happy little couple, and seem to be a great match.  There was only one of Kelly's Transmed coworkers invited (Reem), so Kelly's gang of friends Loren, Nick and I have left her behind. Never fear bloggista's, news on that to come shortly.
The exodus of my old sales reps from Transmed has begun. Vineet gave notice this week. Hmmm, I wonder where he will end up after his 30 days notice is up.
On a totally unrelated issue, I am looking to hire some sales reps at Barakat. This could be fun...Need to grab some lunch (grilled cheese on my stove, still another week of Ramadan to go!) Hope you have a great weekend!

One am in the morning and it's 99 degrees...It can't be legal

August in the UAE, and yes it's easy to obsess about the weather. I turned my hot water heater off at the beginning of July, and yet my shower still fogs up my bathroom mirror from the desert warmed water. The heat saps the energy out of you and taxes the air conditioning of your car as it struggles to keep you cool. My apologies for droning on and on about the heat, as I am aware of the brutal summer that has plagued the states this year, trust me it could be worse.
I did something this week that I haven't done since I was 12 or 13 years old. The "western" radio station here is 104.4 Virgin Radio Dubai. I think I have shared that it's very much a top 40 American music station, with even an afternoon show that has Ryan Seacrest. Well, to make a long story short (don't say it) on the evening drive home from work, the host is a DJ named Brent Black an American that moved from LA to Dubai five years ago to host the "afternoon drive" show. Every afternoon he plays a silly contest where the callers call in and guess the secret road that he is thinking about in the UAE. You hear numerous people (mostly Indian Ex Pats) call in and guess the roads that they are driving on until someone guesses the right road to win some prize. I always listen and want to guess Hessa Street (Close to my apartment- definitely one of the bigger secondary roads in Dubai). Well this has gone on for several months, and on Wednesday evening the guesses went on and on. Well, you guessed it, I finally called in, got through on the first try (like I said has been over 35 years since I called into a radio contest or even tried to) and yes, the "secret Road" was Hessa Street. I was the big winner...lol, I won an IFTAR dinner for two at the Grand Habtour (very nice 5 star hotel on the beach). Kelly heard it on the radio (said I had a "good radio voice"- little does she know...) well, it was also Kelly's birthday on Wednesday (28 Great years) so I of course invited her to enjoy my prize with me...I will let you know all about it later on...
I have been cooking at home more during Ramadan. I had some of my favorites this week, including one of my all time favorites, the delicious patty melt. I had to go and pick up some fresh white sandwich bread at Spinney's. I will admit, it's been a boring week in the evenings after work in the sweltering heat, I have been hiding in my apartment. Hayley is in the US, so no real "meal" buddies to go out with - so yes home made meals are the norm during Ramadan. Well, I got this loaf of bread to make one patty melt and I thought "what else could I make for dinner the next night to use some of this bread up"....I looked up and saw the "forbidden room" in the grocery store....Yes, I spied the "Pork Room" dead ahead.

As I have shared in the past, there are a few of these "special" rooms tucked away in grocery stores that cater to Ex-Pats. It is against the law for Muslims to enter the room - sorry Muzzy :-(
It reminds me of your local video store, where they have a "special room" in the back for the adult videos...lol...well, I found what I needed...center cut Oscar Meyer black label bacon. I had the best "BLT" sandwiches with Miracle whip light mayo....yummy! It reminded me of my bachelor days cooking for my self on a Sunday afternoon in the states!
Speaking of food, my adventure at Barakat with my office boy Karim and his continuing struggles to please me. Every morning, without fail - Karim steps into my doorway and utters the same word in very broken English...."Apples?"...Now, I continue to tell him "no", then he painfully goes through his other one word requests, hoping for some sign of affirmation from me..."Tea?' - no thank you, "juice?" - no thank you Karim..."Coffee?" - no , I am ok I don't need anything...."you no need?" yes I am fine..."Yes? Apple's?" no thank you....then he stands in my doorway looking sad, until I dismiss him as nice as possible....it reminds me of watching tv with my parents, no matter how many times you watch reruns of "CSI" it always ends the same...disappointment. Mahesh, Barakat's facility manager whose office is down the hall, pulled me aside and again shared with me that Karim is worried for his job, because he can't please me with a snack (I guess not getting the fat boss to accept food would be disappointing) - So, I made a plan...On Tuesday when he came to my office and asked..."apples?"...I said Karim . please come here. I then printed on a piece of paper the following words...."Orange, grapes, strawberries, pineapple" - I explained very slowly that if he offered me (remember, my office is located in the farmer's market) those fruits I would accept. He understood, and said he'd be back....20 minutes later he shows up with a full plate of fruit....

 He was very apologetic, because he could not find pineapple....He is definitely a good kid...I spent 10 minutes trying to explain smaller portions, not much luck...lol. The fruit was very good, and yes I ate my share before I gave it to the sales team.
I have started giving product and sells training at our Saturday Sales meetings....It's interesting to say the least. Sadly, the most exciting thing about this weeks blog is that it's Muzzy, Kelly and Fred's birthday. Three great friends, all born within 24 hours of each other (give or take 20 years...lol)...I will try and have something interesting happen around me this week...I promise....