ITHAKA: The Journey of Ulysses

The Culture vultures, the Italian Embassy and the Italian Bahraini Friendship Association hosted a charity piano concert at my hotel, I mean the hotel where I work for, last night.

The concert featured renowned Italian pianist Cristinana Pegoraro delivered a theme "Ithaka - The Journey of Ulysses: the piano as a vessel in discovering the Mediterranean.

Cristiana played four peices inspired by the poem Ithaka (written by the Greek poet Cavafis), which is based upon the voyage of Ulysses. It tells about the need to unite people from diverse cultures, religions and traditions of the Mediterranean, a region as a place encompassing solidarity, tolerance and friendship, asn as a defender of peace; a sea as unifiying force and a sysmbol of dialogue between gistories which are different, but which are all about the same universal subject: mankind.

According to Deborah Lanyon, one of the Culture Vultures member, all profits raised will go to the Alia School for Ealy Intervention and RIA Centre. The event, sponsored by African and Eastern, Contax and Euromotors, was part of the first Italian Cultural Festival which continues until next Thursday (8th November 2007).

People were very happy with her performance. Everyone seems enjoyed the evening. I myself, eventhough I have no idea about piano and classical music, but i enjoyed her performance. The music, the arrangements were very nice.

But why people just sit down and whatch...? How could they enjoy it? I was about to dance, my legs just started grooving by themselves, following the rhythm, eventhough there was no order from my brain. But I realized, i was in a middle of such a classical concert, something like this. everybody was sitting down, paying very serious attention to the performance and the mood was very calm, quiet, only sound of piano. Hmm...cool...

Adib Albab

Adib Albab, my youngest brother. We are four, all men. Badruddin Thiyabi, is my big brother, we call him Bobby, then me, then Farrich Mabrur (we call him Ruri), then Adib Albab.

Adib had a nick name Lanir or Ranier, during his childhood. I dont know why people now call him Adib, no more nick name. Only Iqbal that has no nick name. But sometimes, Bobby call me qiqi, my mom as well.

Come back to Adib. He is my youngest brother. He is very stubborn. He is currently studying at one of Kediri islamic boarding school, i dont even know the name of the "pesantren". What I know he is struggling to improve his english at this place. How hard he's been struggling for it? I dont know, wallahu a'alam. Many students come to this boarding school not only to learn about islam but they are more interested in English. Why they dont just learn at EF? or IALF? maybe too expensive, too capitalist, huahaha....

If you spend about 3 months, people say, you will be able to speak in english well and gramatically perfect. Who knows? Maybe it's true. Then imagine if you spent more then a year, i guess you will speak fluently, like a native? Two year, you can write very good, i think. But believe me, the community who are living there speak English. It is obligatory.

Let's get back to Adib. He is very good at Arabic language, reading qur'an, and has good knowledge in islam. He likes something related to mistic, magic, ghaib, somethinng like this. He likes wirid (reciting verses), I have no clue, whether reciting qur'an, shalawat, or other arabic literatures. "The main reason is to get close to the God", he said someday.

"You dont know what i recite, even if i told you, you would never understand, because you dont like this way", he continued. We fought because of it, one day when we were in Denpasar.

To me, I dont like people, particularly a student, enjoying reciting something that he has no idea about it. But I hope he knows what is he doing. It's hard to tell him what going on out there. Today is millenium era, and we are no longer belong to those kind of stuffs.

"If you really interested in magic, then be specialize in this field. Be a very professional magician and you will go public," I shouted him.

"You will be invited by television to present comments on football match, for example," I added. He was just silent. Meaned, he was angry. Close the conversation.

Last conversation with him via email, i advised him, that only through education, patient, hardwork, continuity and pray, we can change our destiny to a better life. Only those five things we can elevate our dignity.

Therefore, keep studying, whenever the time, wherever the place, whatever the subject, whoever the teacher. Put priority on subject that you like it, for example hobbies, who knows if you are intens on it, y0u would be professional and you will be expert and people look for you for this reason. "You must be specialist on one thing," i emphasized.

Adib has to decide what specialisation he goes to. He has to know what is the most potential talent in himself. He must be focus and be specialist, no more generalist. I said," a good general, a good leader, started from a special department."

For example, in tourism and hospitality industry, due to his patient and hadrwork, a waiter could eventually become a restaurant manager, promoted to be F&B (food & beverage) manager, then operasions manager then finally General manager. But still, he is an expert in food & beverage.

I wish, Adib could understand this. Wallahu a'lam.

Suck, today...

Dammit…! Bloody stressful, today. I hate myself. I am stupid. I am fool. I am careless.
I already foresaw, it will happen like this. My boss refused the brochure, my second brochure for the hotel. The color is not bright enough, not sharp. Really terrible. Far away from what we expected. Hmm…. We must reprint them again. It is costly, we printed 7.000 copies, the paper is matt 150 gsm and the cover is special texture paper 350 gsm. total 28 pages. Just magine that….

Huh, I am tired… what I am suppose to do…? Aackhh…just do it…

Shawarma by the sea

I am sitting here, in a quite convenience park. Nothing to do, just relax, enjoying my spare time. The grass is so green, the park is pretty large. It is 8.20pm, there are some children and their parents over there, enjoying activities in what people say “family recreation”. The weather is perfect. Today, Bahrain is starting to be winter. I can feel the breeze, I can smell the soil, the grass, and of course I can still feel the taste of shawarma I have just eaten… he… delicious.

Shawarma is an Arabic sandwich made from bbq meat or chicken meat, mix with vegetable (cabbage, tomato, cucumber pickle, mints leave, potatoes, etc), with tomato sauce and dressing, and wrapped with of course toasted Arabic brad. I like it, some time I ask the vendor to add more chili pickle.
The key is in the chicken and the sauce. If you want a delicious shawarma, just ask the vendor to put some more mayonnaise and the other sauce, I don’t know the names, I guess it are some Arabic spices. You have to ensure that the meat is perfectly barbequed then mix with the vegetable and rolled with the bread.

It’s pretty cheap, only 200 to 350 fills. To me, 2 rolls of shawarma is enough for my stomach.

And here, at this dolphin park, is the second time I eat shawarma. It’s bbout a week ago, Faisal Salim accompanied me visiting this place, eating sahwarma and drinking diet pepsi together, enjoying the outdoor mood and watching a beautiful panorama of the muharraq skyline.

Faisal left Bahrain for Dubai. He “resigned” from the hotel we work for. He was our IT manager, a Pakistani who is still keeping his islam believes and thoughts. We are best friend, we are close and mostly I am close with previous IT guys in the resort, maybe because we all have the same hobbies.

Seems, Faisal doesn’t like the style of current management, doesnt like the style, the way GM leads management, so that’s why top management does not like him, as well. I don’t know. What I know is just he can no longer accompany me to enjoy shawarma.

Goodbye my friend, see you around… maybe in Dubai, maybe in the UK, maybe in Karachi, or the US, or perhaps in Bali… wallahu a’lam.

Al Yacout: Exotic Exquisite Vibrant Dining Venue

AL YACOUT Restaurant at Novotel Al Dana Resort proudly introduces its new Belly dancer as well as a new female and a male singer, all are brought directly from Morocco. The restaurant has been very popular among the diners in the Kingdom and the management is very happy with unexpected demand since the opening.

In order to response this demand and to maintain the customer satisfaction, Al Yacout is improving the quality of food, services and entertainment. The restaurant currently employees 12 Moroccan hoteliers or approximately 80 percent of total restaurant’s staff, where are posted in all sections of the service; from kitchen, waiter/waitress, to entertainer. This is to ensure the guest will experience a truly dining tradition of Morocco.

The newly vivacious belly dancer will collaborate with two Gnawi musicians to refresh the atmosphere and to deliver vibrant rhythmic motions. It generates an exotic dining experience complemented with uplifting entertainments, mixed with local’s warmth.

The food itself is a selection of delectable modern Moroccan food prepared by some illustrious chef divas, from Marrakesh, who have been putting up their hands to work for authentic and creative dishes in top restaurants and hotels across the region.

The interior and décor share contemporary Moroccan arts inspired by an ancient Kasbah in Marrakech. Four ornamented pillars act as centrepieces, where right inside of these pillars, the new belly dancer performs, accompanied with soulful music presented by a Gnawa musician.

Al Yacout states that one should experience a sensuous culinary trip, designed to indulge all your senses throughout the journey, from appetizer to dessert and cocktails. This 140 seats fine restaurant offers the exotic beachfront dining moment for both residents and visitors to the island.

Through those additional features, the restaurant makes its presence known in the Kingdom of Bahrain as the most exotic Moroccan dining venue.

Email signature this month

My GM asked me to design two new signatures. One signature would be eid mubarak theme and the other was any signature related to the f&b product. It was easy to make eid signature but not pretty easy for the other one. Above you can see, is one of the f&b signature this month, but GM does not like it. He’s right, the four images are too small. In fact, those pictures are the ones we want to show to people. He suggested me to delete the pool image and simply enlarge the four pictures.

The color, the shape, the logo, and names of the restaurants remain the same, but I changed the copy (the text) with “Discover Novotel…” This is very cliché, and I don’t think it is appropriate anymore to the property (the resort), since the Novotel Al Dana Resorts has been established for about 5 years and people aware about it. “It should not longer Discover…,” said Maria Vivero, my friend, my mom, and my director of art.

She’s right, we should emphasize on the next understanding of our market. Just give them a question, “what is your pleasure…? Just like to encourage or to trigger or to convince, to declare, propagate or even challenge our customers. Like…”what do you want..!!?

Then we can answer… whatever your request, we will serve…

Imagine, if you are a guest of a resort, then you are asked by one of its staff similar question, will you be challenged? he….

A Perfect Irony

This morning, as usual, every monday, I received an electronic newsletter from Discovery Bali, one of leading online companies in Bali. I was shocked to read one of the news.

It was about Bali branding. The title of the news was "lack of support of Bali's branding effort". It reminded me when I was in Bali, struggling with Bali Tourism Board to socialize the significance of branding or rebranding of Bali tourism.

It was 2 or 3 years ago and today, it seems nothing significantly happen. The government, the public sector, the private enterprises itself, all the related and responsible stakeholders, seem does not care with this issue. Even the minister of tourism has no idea to convince public to be aware with this critical issue.

Just visit http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=4102 Perhaps, you have an idea what going on and how to solve this matter. Wallahu A'lam.