Thursday, February 23, 2006

Excuse me, are u the sponsor? Part 02


I was dazed momentarily. "Yes..a dance party!" Musa grinned. I looked at him and thought...this guy is full of shit!
You have to give it to him...Mr. Saheed is an extremely shrewd businessman. Once, he convinced the wicked twins (boss and his wife) to allow his 'friend' to supply labour directly to the company. For each worker, he received 1000 Dhms from the agent. To date, he had supplied 50 workers..within 2 months!
Initially, I was quite puzzled by his insistence to recruit workers from Punjab, India. Traditionally, most of them are recruited from Madras, Tamilnadu..etc..mainly from the village.
For the first batch of 10 workers, he requested that i receive them at the airport...at 1am! Under normal circumstances, I rather count sheep but in this instance I relented because he promised me a dinner at the Meridien.
At the entrance of the Arrival Hall... the waiting area on the left is designated for the ladies only. I was shooed away by the officer.
When they stepped out..my jaws almost dropped....10 young, impeccably dressed (see pic here..almost)...are they movie stars from Bollywood or models on assignments in UAE? I thought...Mr. Saheed..these guys are here to work under the scourging sun?????????? They are going to cry when they know the truth!!!!!!
I told them to get ready the next morning by 7am sharp (thank God, my driver did a good translation). And you know what? one of them actually left with a relative in Dubai for a full day shopping trip to Sharjah!!!!!
"Musa..tell Mr. Saheed if it is at the Hatta Resort..fully paid..I will be there for the dance!"

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Excuse me, are u the sponsor? Part 01


"I heard from Musa... they wanted you to fire Joe?" Mr. Saheed, the sponsor asked me. Such issues can only be discussed in our private corner within the Business Centre...and that's the cosy reading room. Amazingly, the evil twins (the chinese boss and his wife)have no idea of its existence. Definitely better than the hot and stuffy secret place I share with Musa, the Gestapo from Lebanon...also the faithful servant of Saheed.
"Well, I told them you can't fire him just because he refused to work on Friday which was his off day!..any case...you cannot ask him to leave within 24 hours!I suggested a warning letter. They refused..so I told them to do it themselves!"
"Mr. Saheed...please help Joe ok? he's good and hardworking.. be fair!" i pleaded. He nodded "Well, I see what I can do."
Mr. Saheed is a rich man. Currently, he is a sponsor to ten (yes 10!) foreign companies. On the average, his remuneration per company is about 50,000 Dhm per year.His main task is to assist in the visa processing. Every morning, he arrives at 10am...leaves at 11am..on the dot. The evil twins trembled whenever he snapped...we had a good laugh!He's married with 2 lovely kids. In his early forties...he has a strange fetish. He loves to stroke the thighs of the guys (mainly from asia)and give then a squeeze "Wow..very good and strong thighs!"
When I first arrived...Mr. Saheed brought us (myself, Musa and a couple of new staff)to the beautiful Madinat Jumeirah for dinner. The place is awesome..resembling a Moorish designed palace..courtyard..a tiny creek..cafes, restaurants, even a theatre for foreign acts mainly...and not forgetting the bazaar-like Souk Madinat..where u could shop for interesting souvenirs..etc Just a short distance away, u will not miss the Burj Al Arab Hotel.Since then...I will make a trip to the Madinat once a month..it's like a pilgrimage to my little mecca....lol. As far as I could remember..only three other places hold such fond memories for me...hope to revisit them again soon. The Dolmabahce Palace and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul/Turkey and The Alhambra, Granada/Spain. I spent one month each in Turkey and Spain. Most interesting trips in my entire life.
In Istanbul, who could ever forget the man with his seven footer grizzly bear..mouth muzzled (the bear)..strolling along the road...then hillbilly sucker like us wanted to take a shot with the creature..and later was stunned when the owner produced a bowl with a sticker at the bottom.."Please pay US$30 for the photo with the cute bear!"
And in Spain...had my most hallowing experience..I decided to make a side trip to Morocco..but was detained for 8 hours at the clearance gate for not having a visa....that moment I was so afraid..images of Midnight Express appeared in my mind.."Im going to die here..."
"Hello..Saheed is going to organise a dance party and he wants u to come!"

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

The Duel of Two Cities


Relax...yes..this is another war-game..only difference..no religious mudslinging..just outsmart your opponent(s) or in this case outbid them..in the business world. In fact, come to think of it..it might not be a bad idea if the oil rich nations engage in hostile takeover, M & A of some of the corporate big boys across the globe. Simply put...that will definitely result in a better representation of wealth and power.
For the past couple of months, the Singapore port operator PSA is vying with Dubai Ports World(DP World) for control of P&O (UK port operator). Winning P&O will make PSA the world's largest port operator.
The first offer by DP World was 3.33billion pounds..PSA jumped in with a counter of 3.5billion pounds. DP then hit back with a 3.92billion offer...PSA will decide its next move by the end of this week...a cliffhanger...very suspenseful indeed!A report suggested that PSA will call it quit. I'm not surprised because I thought the sudden jump-in of PSA was like a red herring..to cause DP to up its stake. True enough, most analysts said the bid was overpriced.
"So..are u buying your regular milk?" asked Saheed, my sponsor. Musa, the PRO, gave a wicked smile. "No...I don't need to..I have a cow in my backyard."
"And..so you support Singapore or Dubai? Remember..Singapore is your father..Dubai is your mother..and I'm your brother."..he broke into laughter.