Here is an interview I did on DubaiEye during the Nightline show.

I spoke with Charmaine D’Souza and Dr. Amala.

Find them on Facebook “its about you” or call 04 434 5960 or 055 947 1882

Here is our interview.

This is also a good example of how you can talk about sensitive topics in the UAE.

I know several people who have mapped things out and have pretty well followed the road-map.

My plan has been pretty haphazard and gone more with luck, intuition and chance.

What if your career was only really destined to last 4 years?

It was interesting to look at how some people have lived this in the last couple of years.

Like this lady.

Stacy Brown-Philpot, 36

Today, because of the digital environment we live in we spend far too little time collecting the bits and pieces of our lives that become a very interesting piece of our history.

Or on the other hand we collect everything so there is a very real need to sort and tag.

I happened upon this video about the Apple Archives.

This piece got me thinking about the things I do and have done and how easily others will be bale to pick through the ideas to learn why I did this or that.

Note to self: Spend more time collecting the hard and soft information for later.

Yes there is an element of torture in sitting a final as it does bring on stress and all sorts of anxiety.

But there is another side to the written final, and I am not talking multiple choice, a full no holds bared 100% essay style exam and that is the love of the written word.

This may sound funny but it is really interesting to look at the way people write and what they add to their sentences in terms of font size and colour. In this case both font and colour are added manually becasue this is not a typing exercise.

There is something about a well written piece, this coming from the guy writing this on a computer.

Fast Company recently had an article talking about the technology/old school reality.

87 percent of them supplement gadgets with paper productivity, and 47 percent thought their personal and company efficiency would improve with better note-taking.

I have actually spent a little more time with my students provoking better note taking and to get there I have ditched PowerPoint or Prezi for the notes being written on the board.

There is something about scratching an idea onto a board as busy minds wait to unpack the thoughts.

And then there is the whole thought process itself when it is tied to digital tools. I personally think technology is forcing us to do things too fast and with too little thought. Apparently I am not alone.

As another Fast Company blogger pointed out, critics and researchers see paper as a medium that allows for deeper thought and focus. By its nature, it’s a single page that you pick up and give a key position to, and you can see exactly how much you have done with it. On another level, paper lacks hyperlinks, search boxes, and notifications, the kinds of context switches author Nicholas Carr believes have rewired and distracted our brains.

No matter how you slice this onion there is not denying the reality that a little hand writing can do wonders.

I love the way that all too often we look around and imagine that the way we are doing things is because of someone else.

I love the way we brood and complain and loath but do nothing to change things.

I love all these things because when I see them in the office it makes me feel pretty good about myself.

I am not perfect but I like to think I have taken a bit more control of my life.

Then I read this piece from Gapingvoid.com

“If you’re unhappy, nine times out of ten it’s because you’re clinging onto something.
Nine times out of ten, happiness and letting go are synonymous.”

Exactly.

This little hot turkey sandwich not only tasted fantastic but it brought together the entire family in the creation and eating process.

Food isn’t just about fuel it is about experience.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The experience has become a hands off exercise where we point at fish that is packed on ice and wait for the sales associate to pull on gloves and grab the critter for us.

Not that I don’t like the modern consumer experience, but for the most part what is missing is the experience.

Shopping has become a standardized activity that we do and do fast.

Like most people I also hit the big box store and jump into the freezer section to grab a few fish fillets now and then.

But when I venture to the fish marhet in Dubai I wonder why I don’t come more often.

The sound, the smell, the people all says you are living!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Funny how fast we will give up experience for convenience.

I would love to see how I could use the collaboration model to create content on my radio show or in my own classes.

Heineken has done something that I think is really cool with its bottle design.

Imagine how this model could be used in your organization or even personal quests!

What is professional?

I think professional is code for normal and normal is what?

Status quo!

I have said it before and will say it again, we need to teach our youth to embrace but explore ideas.

Normal is a receipt for failure or mediocrity!

We all want to be amazing and have amazing things so why don’t we push for the other that that is not the normal, OK?