BAD KARMA!

The only positive thing about working in sales is that you have a lot of time for yourself. At 10:00 AM you will be out of the office, and you will have the freedom to do whatever you want. Pay your bills, renew your documents, catch an early movie, have coffee with your friends (they should be working in sales as well), and finally let’s not forget, you can actually… work.

Hey don’t judge me, if you are working in sales you would know that it is physically impossible to be visiting customers throughout the whole day, and wasting some time, or taking advantage of your free time is part of the job description.

Anyways, I’m investing my time in the last period for working on my private business.

Call it karma, or call it whatever you want, but today was a total waste of time.

After I settled in my usual and secluded coffee shop, turned on my laptop and was getting ready to release my imagination and come up with a slogan for my business (the aim of today), 2 women came with their two 3 or 4 yr old kids. After the kids had their sugar rush from all the chocolate donuts they devoured, they were literally all over the place. Screaming, running, jumping on the sofas and their mothers were too busy gossiping instead of making them quiet. So at that point, my imagination was instantly shifting from creating a slogan into finding ways to commit a perfect crime.

So after some time has passed, and some dark, very dark ideas that can make SAW sequels just another Disney picture, I saw myself packing and leaving with not a single work done.

I am not sure if I can call what happened with me a total waste of time, since at least now I know who’s sleeping with whom in the neighborhood, who did a failed boob job, and most importantly, what “tabkha” can be made in JUST HALF AN HOUR!!!

Apocalypse!

We have a new government now, the economy is doing fine compared to the world crisis, Tourism is booming, we opened the new souks in Beirut, we shall be listed inchalla in Guinness records for the country with most compatriots achieving world records. In brief, the situation seems to be doing fine and the future is finally starting to look bright.

I just hope 2012 will not be really the end of the world :S

MAID IN LEBANON!

In October 2009 alone, eight foreign domestic helpers have died in Lebanon. Six of whom “fell” or jumped from high places.

In August 2008, Human Rights Watch reported that at least one foreign maid was dying every week (Source: Naharnet)

What a shameful and embarrassing report for a country that considers itself to be civilized, and for people who believe to be cultured and educated.

Dear Lebanese women, it is not going to the hair salon every day and wearing the most expensive brands that make you sophisticated, and dear Lebanese men, it’s not the huge cigar that you stuck up your mouth that makes you classy and refined.
Just stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself and say out loud: my employees prefer jumping from a high rise building rather than having to live one more day under my cruelty and tyranny and with my oh so pampered children.

If I were you, I would have jumped myself…

W SHOE 3LEI?

Today at work I had a very important meeting with a potential Indian client. I wanted to make sure that everything was ready before the meeting. Documents were prepared, suit was ironed, shoes were shined. I even checked on wikimapia the exact location of the company I’m visiting because I wanted to reach there on time and didn’t want any surprises on my way.

But even with all the preparations, a surprise was waiting for me right at the entrance of the company.

It came in a shape of a poster with the following written on it “Please keep the area clean, no shoes are allowed”.

The first thing that came to my mind before anything else was to try to remember which socks I wore today? Luckily I had worn a new pair of socks that still doesn’t present any “holes” symptoms.
Then, after the message really got me, it took me a while standing at the entrance of the company trying to figure out whether I really should take off my shoes, or entering the building and pretend that I didn’t notice the poster.

After spending some time, standing like a fool trying to come up with a decision, I found myself taking off my shoes, and proceeding to the meeting. At the end, I am the one who is in need of this client’s business, so I had to go by his rules, at least in his own premises. But I do admit that I felt the irony remembering that I shined my shoes.

When I first entered the office and saw all the people barefoot, I felt a little bit weird, like someone going to a nudist beach for the first time. But then, when the meeting was in progress, I realized how comfortable it was working like this. I should try implementing this rule in our office… Or not, it is comfortable, but I m not sure how much we are ready for it.

Anyways, the day passed and everything went ok, and the meeting went smoothly, but this made me think of how far we are willing to go to please our customers and what will be considered as a limit?