Long Live Play !

A PlayStation freak myself, im really enjoying their creative ads recently!! Especially the ones showing during Champions League capitalising on us gamers as the players! just Love it!! 

We are seeing a major switch from product centric advertising to consumer centric  advertising; brands have started shifting to emotional communication startegies. The play on consumer emotions is a tricky field, brands are now putting themselves in the consumer's shoes and peeping through their eyes. The are talking consumer of their products and not brand to consumer anymore!! 

It is now "This is What We Are 4 You " rather than "Buy Us!" 

This new one carries an even bigger WOW effect!!! just watch and enjoy!! 

@Alexi13

Angry Soccer Birds!!!

An out of the box Duel between two goalkeepers!!! Very reminiscent of the Nike set of ads a few years back!!


Check them out deciding who is better at playing Angry Brids with a twist!


Kudos for the skills!!





@Alexi13

Hitchhiker Snaps

Here's a guy with creativity pumping through his blood, he went on to complete on of his dreams and share ever so fun with the rest.


The Hitchhiker set to got hitchhiking across the USA, taking snapshots of the people he met, to finally put them all in a super fun/creative Time Lapse Video!\


ENJOY!! 


and check out his website on http://www.adventuresauce.com/





Now what's your dream?!


@Alexi13

Feel Smarter :)

Just a couple of hints to outsmart some victims you know ;)


(via @stephanienour and www.dilbert.com)


One way to feel smart is to pursue a lifetime of learning. But that's a lot of work. An easier method is to make the people around you appear dumber. I'll share with you some tricks for making your friends, coworkers, family members, and spouses (your victims) look and feel like morons.

1.      When your victim makes any statement of fact or opinion, look at him as if he's wearing a turd for a hat. Repeat what he said, but slowly, as if you're prompting him to see how stupid he is on his own.

2.      After your victim utters a statement of any kind, slowly shake your head in the "no" direction and make a dismissive sound such as "pffft." When challenged to explain your reaction, insist there is no problem, but do so unconvincingly.

3.      Pounce on your victim's every mispronunciation, misspelling, and poor choice of words like a hobo on a ham sandwich. Make sure you dwell long enough on your GOTCHA moment that it creates a lasting memory. (If people try the same trick on you, dismiss them as pedantic.)

4.      When confronted with a new but minor task, such as opening an unfamiliar container, most people require a few seconds of thinking and perhaps a failed attempt or two before they work out a solution. If you see someone in this state, grab the object out your victim's hand and try whatever solutions have not yet been tried, thus making you the successful container opener and your victim the failed container opener.

5.      Continuously instruct your victim to do whatever you think he or she is likely to do on his own anyway, e.g. "Don't step in that puddle." If you do it often enough it creates the illusion that the victim can't navigate the simplest obstacles in life without adult supervision.

6.      Ask your victim to remember details that no normal human could be expected to recall, such as the exact wording of a conversation that happened a month ago. This method can also be used to frame your victim as a liar.

7.      Ask your victim to remind you to do a future task. Pick a time for your request when the victim is distracted or can't write a note to himself, such as when he or she is driving or swimming. Later, after you remember on your own to do the task, remind your victim of his forgetfulness.

8.      Give your victim vague and unintelligible instructions such as "Can you go find the thing I put in the (mumble)?" When your victim fails to find the object, go directly to the correct drawer, produce the object you want, hold it high like Excalibur, and give a victory TA-DA!

9.      Steer conversations away from topics you know little about and toward topics your victim knows little about. If the victim tries the same trick on you, excuse yourself to make a phone call.

10.   Ask your victim to do a minor task for you. After he or she agrees, add a layer of complexity that will guarantee failure. The initial request might be something simple such as "pick up something from the store." The extra layer of complexity is that the item doesn't exist in this dimension.

That's a starter list. You might have some tips of your own to add, let us know!! 


@Alexi13

Just Friends!?

And here another great ad by the creative brains in Lebanon!! 


Typical reflection of the fun loving, sweet tongued Lebanese hahha 

@Alexi13

AlmazaNa ?!

Im always on the lookout for creative ad copies and ad executions and such, being in the industry and all; and having a penchant for creativity and ideation.


The latest campaign to strike my eye, was that of Almaza Beer (Lebanese Beer)... which brough back some memories of their ads in the recent years.


They have been relying heavily on popular saying in the lebanese dialect and twisting them to fit the brand and product... it is gona be quite tricky to explain and translate the messages, but for lebos, you'll get it immediately and salute the creativity

The latest one, with the line, "Blonde or Brunette" which is spot on, for the different bottles they sell.

With the plethora of political parties in Lebanon, they chose to ride the wagon and be the party of 24!

The copy reads:
1971 (right) : Lebanese Georgina Rizk crowned Miss Universe...we celebrated
1990 (left): it settled (end of the civil war in lebanon ... we back to celebrating

A lebanese dialect specificity where we turn names into actions like We McDonalded? (as in let's go, we grab a mcdees)

After 2 disturbing summers in Lebanon, the copy reads "2008, what ever happens, we gona celebrate) 

It was a period of elections, and the copy reads "This summer, everyone's eye is on the chair"

The copy reads "it must open again" in the sense that, good fortune must come around

The brewery of Almaza is situated in Dawra, and witnesses heavy traffic, as it is one of the capital's main entry/exit points.
The copy reads "you think the Dawra traffic is because of me?"

Please share any new Almaza ads when you spot them!

@Alexi13

V-Muscle !!

A while ago i rented out a bike while my car was in service, the mighty '10 Harley Davidson V-Rod Muscle !!  here's my take on it !


First off, some boring specs for some:


Displacement: 1,250cc (V2 - four stroke)
Gearbox: 5 speed
Exhaust system: Dual side Satin Chrome
Cooling: Water Cooled
Weight: 292 Kg


Being a superbike rider (own a '06 Honda CBR600RR), my first concern was the weight of the bike when i first saw it. Gettin on it was daunting enough, with the wider handlebars than a sport bike, the seating position, more upright and feet upfront! Kicking off the bike stand, i realized how its low ground clearance makes it easier to handle the weighty bike, it does feel light, surprisingly! 

I really liked the instrument cluster on the bike, it does portray its sporty muscle side, clear rpm, tachometer and fuel gauges, pure and simple!

The bike has a keyless ignition system, kinda tricky, need to always keep in mind to lock it once you get off, but a nice touch to avoid the hassle of using the key, as long as u keep the bike in sight that is ;) 


Starting off the engine is a pure joy every time with the harley rumble along the exhaust tips, nothing will beat that! thank god they patented it :p Once you set off on the bike, you immediately notice the maneuverability of such a beast, it handles like a mix of a sport bike and a cruiser... Goin over the overpass bends in Dubai proved to be easy for the bike and much fun testing how far it would bend on the curves.. but the true power of this bike is the long stretches on SZR. With its water cooled engine, this is one of the most powerful bikes Harley has, the torque once you twist your right hand is phenomenal, like riding a saber tooth !!! The wide rear tyre does excel at providing a comfy very stable ride in any situation, the suspension system is phenomenal you don't feel the bumps at all!!! The seat, ohhh the comfyyy leathery sofa seat, my butt thanks it still!! 


Another nice touch on the bike is the signal lights integration on it, their placement keeps a clean design to the bike, without any hangin bits on the sides, very smartly done!! 

All in all, it is a great bike to own, if you seek a mix of a cruiser bike with immense power and sporty handling!! 


@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13


That's my buttermint for the day!! 

Pepsi-Beer!?

Have you noticed the new stay-tab opening mechanism on the Diet Pepsi can... my first thought was how similar the popping sound is to opening a Heineken beer can!!! 


What do you think? do i like this tab or the previous one?

@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

Ghetto Fab Kicks

Voila my latest addition to my sneaker collection!!

my sis dug it up at an outlet store in Dubai Outlet Mall, it a Nike Dunk High Athletics East Premium!!


The shoe comes with a spatter of glowy specs, and if you stare long enough, its like a starry sky at night, walkin on air are we?!




@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

Baking Powder!!

And here goes another man into the Kitchen!! 


I must start by saying one of my good friends named Z, is responsible for awakening a passion for the kitchen and not just the plate! He's a self made amateur cook, producing amazing platters.


Today, my love pulled me into the kitchen to bake some Madeleines!! 


The preparation is pretty easy, some baking powder, some flour, some vanilla, some butter some lemon zest and egggggs :D 


Voila the result below!! 

 Bon Appetit! yes they tasted like heavenly clouds!


@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13


That's my Madeleine of the day

vrOOm 4x4 Trip!

Last weekend me and a group of friends went to Oman for some Off-Road action and a nice lunch afterwards,

The grid lineup consisted of the following:

Land Rover Defender TD5 SWB a.k.a Ruby

2 Mitsubishi Pajero LWB

Mitsubishi Pajero SWB

and my Nissan Armada aka Butso

once we reached Oman, the action started off easy with some gravel and rocky paths, and then curiosity hit about a leading upward trail into the mountains,,, the wise advice of our women passengers was deafened by typical Boys n' Toys !! 

Butso and Ruby

Butso in action!!

The off-road expedition was cut short due to rough terrain ahead that would damage the stock cars (all except Ruby). We did push our cars to the max with the rough terrain BIG time!! i was sooo impressed by my Butso handling the terrain, and thankfully with no damages, well other than the plants scratching the hell out of my paint, yea Ali, get a black car,, suuuuper bright of you!! well, now the dangerous thought of buying a Wrangler as my Off-Road toy is poking me endlessly, siighhh...

Next stop was the lovely retreat, Hatta Fort Hotel for a quick lunch before heading into the desert for a short camping spot !! 

And here are some pics of our camping site!! it was quickly set up by the boys, with the wimiiinnnzz setting up the food for their Macho Macho Men!! hahaha corn cobs, marshmallows, Nutelllllllllla sandwiches and a crazy dude wanted to bbq a banana !!! 

The trip was a great experience with friends, good food, lotsa laughs and pics!! 

Thank you allll!! 

Dany & Lama, Carl & Maya, Firas & Sally, Tony & Soulaf, Rabih & wife :$, Wael, Hatem, Sarah, Alan and Habib !!

P.S: i still felt alone with all this company, my baby girl @LaSahely was MIA but present in my heart and running around in my head telling me to be safe :D 

Till the next trip, keep those engines revvvvvin'!!! 

@Alexi13

Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

Zangetsu a.k.a Honda S2000

well i was like a kid in a candy store coupla weeks ago, i was granted the chance to drive one of the cars i fascinated about getting before i got my monstrous Nissan Armada !! 


The Honda S2000 !!!! 


(for reference only, the blue car is not the actual one)

My good friend @Wassim_Moumneh (a social media guru, ex-rugby player :p, you should follow him) exchanged his Honda S2000 for a week, and boy what a week that was for me... 


The car has been dubbed a motorbike with 4 wheels, and owning a superbike myself, from the same Honda familia, i must say the car earns it! 


The car looks like a tiny Japanese corvette, with its long bonnet, uber short tail and double exhaust pipes! 


The inside does looks close to the last generation of Corvettes, with the super simplicity it carries in matters of equipment, the radio for example is hidden behind a flip down hatch, and to be honest u won't need it with the deafening sound of the exhaust!!  


a quick look inside 

one of the most distinctive features in the mini-rocket, is the digital dashboard!!! your inner kid awakens and there you are, driving a car from a playstation game right one the street!!! thts a surreal experience, pretty challenging as well, you get confused whether you wana look at the road and watch out for traffic and things zooming by, or enjoy the digital rev counter and the rest playin in front of your eyes, hmmm safety wins and you end up looking at the road ahead :( 

The other clever design feature is the dashboard controls, you can notice in the pic above how closely packed they are... well the engineers wanted to have everythin within a finger reach, for the driver to use without having to take his hands of the steering wheel!!  man the Japs think of everything!! 

Well yes, you have no time to take your hands off the wheel, the only time you can i for shifting gears with the super short stick on the Honda S2000 giving you lots of umphhhh with every gear, making use, abusing this super high rev engine, up to 9,000rpm !!! yes its tht high!!1 

in the words of my friend Wassim, "Ali, below 5,000rpm, you are driving a Civic, but once the V-Tec engine kicks in at 5k, you are driving a little rocket!" 

@Alexi13

Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

That's my buttermint for the day! 

El Mariachi !

FINALLY ! 

after 3 years sittin in its coffin, the guitarrrra came out!! i enrolled today to take classes and try to master the instrument!


Went over to the Sing n Swing center in Ibn Battuta Mall, and met the teacher, his name is Nitin Joe.. very cool guy, if u ever wana learn, he the man!! 


so we started by restringing my guitar since i had a broken string,, and we were off!! 


i opted not to follow the classical type of music on the guitar and more into the spanish,, since i wana play hopefully the classic spanish ballads and rock songs and such... 


First off, got accustomed to the notes, the chords and the scales,, and started practicing them with the teach, and gettin some tips on hand and finger positioning..


yes it was frustrating to see how difficult it is to control each finger to hit the notes well, was a bit boring since you kinda keep on repeating the scales.. and thats how it will be for the next couple of weeks till i get it right :D 


i must say when i saw him playin the notes so easily, that was it, i must practice hard every day!!! 


hopefully next time ill post a vid about me playin my first correct notes :D 




@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

Deja-vol !

The plane, in this age most of us have at least been on a plane once! and i envy the ones who never took a plane again...

No, i don't fear planes :D but i fear the dreaded flight attendant announcements!!! so much that i barely notice them anymore as i start putting my headphones on before even boarding! 

i mean, seriously, with alllll the creativity we see around us and innovation, do airlines really do not plan on changing this?!

Well apparently some flight attendants took it upon themselves to make the flights more enjoyable for the passengers, and for them i believe! i would throw myself out if i board 5 planes a day and repeat the same boring announcement to my crew and passengers...

so here's a few vids on those brave innovative flight attendants i would want to hitch a ride with one day... 

And finally, a surprisingly daring yet funny flight announcement by Emirates Crew (lyrics included)!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVseUk9P4XM&feature=related


@Alexi13


Follow me on Twitter.com/Alexi13

Boys And Their Toys

So I went Karting today!! 

Yesss Yess.. boys and their toys!! 

It all started out of boredom, when one day we decided to pass time me and some buddies, all of a sudden we find ourselves competing with each other for the best lap times (duuuhhhh, we are boys!! hellooo!!!) 

My buddy Zee is a formula 1 freak and loves it, he started sharing how most F1 drivers start off in karting, and we asked around and found that some competitions are on the calendar in the Dubai Autodrome! Ali and Zee, HOOKED!

We started training more, gathered some friends, got the support of our company and entered a 24hrs endurance race!!! yes the results were good :D 

Another round of this race is up in 4 weeks and we had our first training session 
tonight,, 

It is quite a pleasure to be part of a team that strives on friendly competition, we are able to push each other to our best performances with the classic guy teasing process!! Guess our male hormones are the hardest to control, our ego always finds a way to pop up and challenge others, even when we know we can’t be up to the challenges! Yet, I believe this is grounds for a healthy team spirit, ok sometimes ;)