Sony BPM

Now this is a rare thing. I would like to take this opportunity to promote Sony....my pay-master for more than 12 years.

We, at Sony Gulf, are just fresh out of our bi-annual Business Planning Meeting (BPM). This is a meeting where we showcase our line of products to our business partners, distributors and retailers. This is a meeting where we tell our business partners, distributors and retailers our expectations and goals for the next 6 months.

It was my first BPM.....and I was more of a spectator than a participant.....but I guess I did ok in helping my colleagues with their assignments.

Kaka, Sony Ambassador

One of the highlights of this BPM was the unveiling of Kaka as a Sony Worldwide product ambassador. Click HERE to read more about it. Sony is also the official partner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. So, for a few years to come, anytime people are thinking about football, Sony will always come to their mind (hopefully).

Sony, the official FIFA World Cup 2010 partner

As for my department, CTV Marketing, we introduced to our partners the new model line up...including the first ever world's thinnest LCD TV, the KDL-40ZX1. Watch about it HERE.

Gary, Amin, Andrew & me with the ZX1 prototype.

At 9.9 inches thick and can be operated wirelessly (with the help of a media box/center) - well, with the exception of the power cord, of course, it marked the new generation of multimedia entertainment. The product will be launched some time in the early 4th quarter (mid-January 09).

Look for these logos the next time you're buying your electronic products

The other new technology is the DLNA enabled LCD TV. Read about Sony and the DLNA technology HERE. It is basically a TV that can be used to access other DLNA-certified devices through a wireless network (not to be mistaken as the wireless internet). Up to 10 DLNA-certified devices can be "hooked on" to the TV. It really is an "out of this world" type of entertainment.

There are other new line of LCD TVs in store for consumers for the next 6 months. Just go to your nearest Sony authorized dealers and distributors to find out more about it.

Sony, Like. No. Other.

Leaders and Learning

The long and boring meeting finished at about 430pm (on Wednesday, 07/10/08)…..But the new sales forecast data had to be keyed-in into the system ASAP. So, everyone stayed at the office after the meeting.

My taxi came at about 645pm… I left the office at once…..(but not before meeting Mr Imani who used to be my “driver” back in February). I was feeling very tired and had a slight headache. Probably because of the weather, or maybe because of my stuffy nose.

The cabbie, Mr Azadi, spoke English….and like Mr Sadiq from my yesterday’s trip, he was also a retired teacher. He said that he’d been teaching for 30 years because he retired. He’s in the late 50s or early 60s…maybe about the same age as both my parents.

He had done everything after his retirement….business, odd jobs…..everything….finally he picked up taxi-driving….and "it stuck until now", he said.

When I told him that I’m from Malaysia, like almost every Iranian that I met, he said Malaysia is a nice country which he’d like to visit. He also asked me about the former PM, Tun Dr Mahathir, for whom he had a lot of admiration. I said that he’s a good leader….he’s not had a really “Islamic” style or claiming to be “Islamic”, but he brought a lot of good things to Malaysia. Mr Azadi said that the Tun brought forward a “New Malaysia”.

Although I might not agree with some of his policies, I put respect where it’s deserved. Since he took over from the late Tun Hussein Onn in 1981, he had done a lot of new things….most of them were things that few people thought about then…… the Penang Bridge project, the national car, synchronization of time between the Peninsular and East Malaysia, the punch card system….I can go on and on. He had visions….most people said, he’d been planning his projects even before he became the PM….that’s why he came up with his new ideas only within a few years of taking power.

For me, a good leader is like a magnet….a good leader would just say “follow me” and everyone will do what he/she says… everyone will follow. A good leader instills confidence into his/her people. A good leader is respected by friends and foes alike. A good leader treat everyone fairly….not equally (there’re lots of differences between those two words).

For those who are familiar with the book by the late Stephen Ambrose, “Band of Brothers”…. Or watched the mini series (of the same title) co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks….the story portrayed in this book / mini series really epitomized the term leadership.

Basically, it tells a story (based on real-life characters) of a Company of American soldiers going to war during the 2^nd World War. It was a company from the 101^st Airborne Infantry Division of the US Army, the E Company (Easy Company). Read more about it HERE.

Good leadership had been the paramount factor for the Company to become one of the most hailed companies in the US Army during the war. Read about Major (R) Richard Winters HERE and Lt General (R) Robert Sink HERE.

In a nut shell, everyone is a leader…..a husband and father is the leader for his family, a teacher is the leader for his/her classroom….. But the most important thing is that a person is the leader of his/her own self…..if he/she fails in that aspect, then there’s no use for him/her to be a leader for anyone else.

Me, I’m still learning…..to be a leader for my family…..and a leader for my own self……And I know the learning will never stop….forever.

The late Henry Ford once said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty”…..

And believe me, I don’t want to get old just because I stop learning.

Teachers

I have been living in a circle of teachers all my life....my parents, my sister, my uncles and aunts, cousins and not to forget my lovely wife....You can say that there are teachers in every generation of my extremely extended family....In fact my great grandfather (Al-Marhum Bilal Hj Hassan Abdul Salam) was a religious teacher who came to the Malay Peninsular from the Java Island at the turn of last century.

I met a special person today...going back to the hotel from work.....

I took a cab (as usual) from Ekbatan to the hotel....and it turned out that the cabbie, Sadiq, is a retired teacher. He is two years into his retirement.....God knows why he chose to be a cabbie...maybe he doesn't have any fruit orchards like my parents do.....but the more interesting thing is that he was a high school English teacher.

We talked about families.....he has two daughters.....the eldest is a mechanical engineer, married to an engineer (civil, I think)....the youngest is studying computer in one of the colleges in Tehran....."she's furthering her studies"....he said with utter pride. His hometown is in Shiraz....900km south of Tehran.....he moved to Tehran upon retirement because all his daughters are here.....He wanted to be near them.

He said, he bought an apartment (actually a duplex) in the Ekbatan area. It cost him 140Mil Rials....about USD14000...and he still maintains two houses in Shiraz where most of his relatives reside. The four-room duplex in Ekbatan houses the whole family....him & his wife, his married daughter & her husband and her bachelorette daughter.

He's a very nice and well-learned guy....we talk about oil prices....about development in our respective countries.....about our wives (I told him, to his amazement, that my wife is also a teacher). His wife is a tailor..."the best tailor around...and she even makes more I do.." he said. She has a shop back in Shiraz and still does the tailoring from their home in Ekbatan....He is her un-official promoter, armed with her calling card.

But, him being an ex-teacher still amazes me.....his English is very good for an average Iranian.....above all...I felt I have lot of respect for this guy....a retired teacher...driving a cab....and still maintaining that demeanor most teachers have..... confidence, respect for others and friendliness. It made me fell proud that I, myself, come from a family of teachers....and I am also married to a teacher.

Listening to him talking proudly about his children....made me think about how proud my parents (who are also retired teachers) are, when talking about my siblings and me. I hope one day, my wife and I would do the same about our children.

We parted company at the hotel.....and for the first time in my Tehran days, I tipped a cabbie.....not out of pity....it's because of respect.....He drove through the Tehran's rush-hour traffic without ever complaining.....

Well....he was a teacher...is still a teacher and will forever be one....

That's what being a teacher is all about.....once a teacher, forever a teacher....

To all the teachers out there.....you'll always have my eternal respects.....

Happy World Teacher's Day (Oct 5th, 2008)

Our First Dubai Raya Open House

We practically and literally "bersilat-ed" from the morning until the minutes before the first guests arrived at about 730pm. They were Abg Azman and Kak Jah with their children.....and their grandkid....

Our first guests....Abg Azman, Kak Jah & family

Soon after, a wave of them came, fresh from their trip to Al-Ain.....I guess everybody was pretty hungry and tired.....They were led by Imran and Zaida.....

Our next guests came in one big wave.....

I was so worried that my small abode didn't have enough space for everybody.....but, alhamdulillah, everything turned out OK....

Thanks to our guests for finishing almost everything that we served......We really appreciated it.....

Our last guests.....Mushil & family and Khairul

The last guests, Mushil and family & Khairul, left at about 1015pm.......

We were really tired.....but really satisfied to have served our guests "dinner".....But please excuse us if there were any short-comings.....

There were those who didn't have the chance to come......but, hey....."Raya panjang lagi.....". They can come anytime....just call ahead.....InsyaAllah, we will prepare something for them....

For more pics, click HERE.

Eidul Fitri in Dubai

Our first Eidul Fitri in Dubai.....

We got to know that it will fall on the 30th October just the night before.....at about 800pm....we did a quick shopping at the Karama market....thanks to our friends Imran & Zaida.....and started preparing meals and clothes for the Raya.....We slept at almost about 400am....I plan to perform the Solat Sunat Eidul Fitri the next morning which will be held right after Subuh (about 630am). But I got up at about 615am.....so, I missed the Solat Sunat.....We put on our clothes, had a small breakfast and got down to get a taxi to Bro Fudzail's house. He's holding a Raya breakfast. While waiting, a car stopped. It turned out that the couple inside were Malaysian and the wife's a web-friend of my wife. They offered to take us to Fudzail's house.....It's really a Raya blessing for us.....Rezeki Raya.

Here is our Raya itinerary......

30/10/08 (1st day of Raya)

Morning - Bro Fudzail & Dr Azma's house

Noon - Pak Payne & Kak Aisyah house

Afternoon - Bro Azman & Kak Jah's house

Afternoon - Mahadi & Riri's house

Evening - Imran & Zaida's house

We got home at about 1100pm....the girls slept over at Imran & Zaida's....

01/10/08 (2nd day of Raya)

Morning - Cooking & preparing food for guests

Noon - Zainal & Co visited (Apts 215 & 223)

Afternoon - Fadzil & Nor's house

Evening - Karim & Salina's house

Click here for some pics from our 1st and 2nd Raya....

02/10/08 (3rd day of Raya)

- Today.....we plan to go shopping at DCC.....

To Be Continued.....