1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

GMJ:I’m a local girl with an attitude that loves pmsing and telling people what to do. I’m educated and still pursuing further education. I’m an octopus that loves working and doing a million things at the same time. I function best under pressure. I hate finding hair in my food. I like trying everything at least once just for the sake of saying “yeaaaaah been there done that” Or “maaal awaaaaaaal”

Vayaconsatan: I’m exactly the opposite of GMJ, except in being local. I’m half a journalist and an aspiring film-maker. I’m a picky perfectionist and a heartless critic.

2) What inspired you to start Writers Block?

A bad experience with a condescending author at a writing workshop. Our blog has a friendly supportive atmosphere where we don’t pretend we have license to put down other writers. We share what we know and learn from each other.

3) How has the response to the forum been so far?

We get a lot of supporting emails and positive feedback. That inspires us to keep going.

4) What are your future plans for the forum?

We want to expand the blog and make it more interactive. We’d like more people to contribute to the website. We also have similar projects to the “Book Give Away” that will hopefully bring together and stimulate writers.

5) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings you can share from the forum?

Nothing worth mentioning.

6) What are your other interests and hobbies?

GMJ:

I play sports (hockey and horseriding).

Read just about anything, eat just about anything

I love reading Archies while I’m on the toilet.

Vayaconsatan:

I love reading anything I can get my hands on

I’m an in the closet actress and a food connoisseur

7) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and inspiring personalities?

GMJ

Favourite Book: *sigh* that’s an insult.

Favourite Music: depends on my mood..

Movies : Not a huge movie fan, don’t even have time to sit and watch TV

Celebrities: waste of time to even learn their names.

Inspiring Personalities: I’m my own inspiring personality

Vayaconsatan

Favourite Book: Last book I read is always my favorite book, so none get the crown.

Favourite Music: Loud music

Movies: I cant decide on a favorite movie.

Celebrities: none

Inspiring Personalities: My mother

What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to share with our readers?

We chose quotes for each other

GMJ on Vayaconsatan: “I forgot. Then I fell asleep.”

Vayaconsatan on GMJ: “I get what I want” < and she does!

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

We are a handful of Apple enthusiasts, living in the UAE. We are a mix
of nationals and expats, who share a common passion for Apple, Macs,
and iPods. We work in different fields including marketing, education,
and IT, and we are all college-educated.

2) What inspired you to start EmiratesMac.com ?

We have been very frustrated with the information available about
Apple products, service, support, prices, etc. For people already
living here or for those moving here, it’s hard if not impossible to
find information online. And if you start calling companies who
supposedly sell these products, it’s not much better. We wanted to
build a place online where anyone interested in Apple, Mac, and iPod
in the UAE can find information and meet like-minded users.

3) How has the response to the website been so far?

The site was first launched in October 2005 and we moved to our domain
(www.emiratesmac.com) early 2006. Since then we have also switched
publishing system so that we can offer more features to our visitors.
The response has been very positive and we see growth of about one new
user per day. In April we had around 100000 hits, which we obviously
are very happy with for being up and running for such a short time.

4) What are your future plans for the website?

Oh, there are so many. We are trying to form partnerships with local
companies that sell these products to organize events where products
are introduced, visitors are educated, etc. We will continue to
publish about news and how Apple, Mac, and iPod has been covered in
the news, because that’s what got us started. We recently introduced a
feature on the site we call Pricewatch, which attempts to keep track
of prices on a range of products and where you can buy them. This
service depends on visitors emailing us the prices and products they
find and we’re going to try to expand this and to some extent automate
it so we can go from a user finding a price to having it published in
a shorter period of time. We also have some other services in the
pipeline for involving users more in the activities on the site.

5) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings you can share from the site?

We have learned a lot in a short period of time about how to put
together, publish, and run web sites. Probably the most interesting
tid-bit is that even thought Apple IMC Middle East is the official
Apple-presence in the UAE, we come up higher in Google for pretty much
any relevant search you can do. That feels pretty good.

6) What are your other interests and hobbies?

Since it’s a group of us running the site there are obviously a range
of interests, but mainly we spend too much time in front of computers.
We do enjoy outdoor activities when the weather permits, such as
camping, and generally spending time with family and friends.

7) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and
inspiring personalities?

Favourite Book : “Cult of Mac” by Leander Kahney

Favourite Music : Anything we could buy at Apple’s iTunes Music
Store if we could actually buy from there in the UAE.

Movies : “Pirates of Silicon Valley”, about the start of Apple and
Microsoft and the early days of personal computers.

Celebrities: Steve Jobs (co-founder and CEO of Apple).

Inspiring Personalities : Well, we’d have to go with Steve Jobs again.

What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to
share with our readers?

My favourite quote by which i live my life: “The journey is the
reward”, title of a book about Steve Jobs.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

I grew up watching Japanese imported Anime (English dubbed versions) in the USA, but didn’t really develop an interest in Japanese culture until my college years when I became friends with a lovely girl from Japan. After that, I started watching Anime in Japanese with subtitles (the storylines can differ significantly since there are often subtle references which are only understood when one is familiar with Japanese pop culture and/or customs) and also branched out into Japanese rock / pop music and later Japanese films. I moved to the UAE not long after graduating with my Bachelors degree and have been in Abu Dhabi for nearly 10 years now.

2) What inspired you to start J-AMFM?

It is both a passion and a dedication. I have a longstanding interest in Japanese culture and it’s a wonderful feeling being able to share this intriguing and fascinating world with others.
It was a little over a year ago that J-AMFM came into being, mostly by chance. I had attended a Japanese language course offered by the Japanese Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a few of us wanted to keep practicing after the course ended, so we formed another group (Japanese Language Speakers or JLS of Abu Dhabi) to enable us to keep in touch. In fact, J-AMFM was originally started as a companion group to JLS as a large number of people who had attended the Japanese language course did so because of their interest in Japanese Anime. I never expected that it would eventually have a greater response than the JLS group – lol.

3) How has the response to your forum been so far?

Believe it or not, neither group did much in their first year of existence and we struggled to get people to attend the meetings. At one point, I was so frustrated with the poor attendance, I even considered closing both groups! Then, almost miraculously, toward the end of last year, there was a surge of people suddenly wanting to join J-AMFM and the group was ‘re-born’ in 2006. We are now going strong and have had meetings nearly every week for the past two months when before we were lucky to have a meeting once a month! All I can say is many, many thanks to the members who have really shown their support and whom I’m really delighted to call my friends ^_^

4) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings that you can share from the forum?

I think that the greatest thing about this group is that age is no boundary when people come together to share their common interest. Our members range in age from early teens to mid-thirties; yet, everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the meetings and the younger members often bring fresh perspectives that really enliven the discussions. I even got hooked on a really great series thanks to the suggestion of one of those younger members – lol.

5) What are your other interests and hobbies?

Reading the above, you might think that my life revolves around Japanese media (and in a way, that’s not far from the truth – lol), but I also like to read the occasional novel and I’m very keen on working with computers. So, I guess you could call those my ‘other interests and hobbies’.

6) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and inspiring personalities?

Favorite Book: hmm, tough call (I’ve read tons), but two which immediately come to mind are 100 years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Contact by Carl Sagan, ironically, both were given to me as gifts!

Favorite Music: Alternative / Melodic / Progressive Rock – bands like L’Arc~en~Ciel, MUCC and Asian Kung-Fu Generation (all Japanese) or RUSH (Canadian)

Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Daremo Shiranai (Nobody Knows), Spirited Away (Miyazaki Hayao’s masterpiece!)

Celebrities: Hyde (L’Arc~en~Ciel), Sakurai Sho & Matsumoto Jun (ARASHI), Kamenashi Kazuya (KAT-TUN) & Nakamura Yukie (a brilliant & beautiful actress)

Inspiring Personalities: Dali Lama, Mother Theresa & my parents ^_^

Personal Motto / Philosophy of Life: “I want to make at least one person smile every day.”

7) What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to share with our readers?

Favorite quote by which I live my life: “If you were to choose between two trees, an oak and a willow, which one would you rather be. The oak which stands tall amidst the raging storm or the willow which bends beneath the force of the gale. You might think the oak is best; yet, once the wind ceases, the willow will also stand tall again while the oak may have a few broken limbs.” No clue who said it first and I’ve heard loads of variations on the same theme, but its simple philosophy remains the same each time.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

I like to keep myself busy and love meeting and discussing with committed people who wish to achieve success in their walk of ife. I am a software engineer having completed my Master Degree in Computer Application and Business Administration. Right now, am working as a Systems Analyst & Senior Consultant in Dubai,UAE.

2) What inspired you to start Win Win Always?

Well, by the Grace of Almighty have got such great and influential parents. They used to tell me to always help others without expecting something in return. If you help others with a pure heart, God will help you in many ways. This always remains in my heart. Winners group is the place where you can showcase your talents.

The Key to success is to develop leadership qualities. Born leaders are the people most of them have a strong family background in a particular field of activity, which gives them an image by birth itself. Unfortunately all are not blessed with this quality but certainly all individuals could develop leadership by sheer aptitude for it, followed by hard work. So winners team would give footage for developing a better personality by helping each other with fullest joy, desire, commitment, peace and prosperity.

T OGETHER E VERYONE A CHIEVES M ORE (TEAM)

3) How has the response to your forum been so far?

Well, I must say, it has been excellent from the start. Have received numerous complimentary letters and as well as excellent support from our great members around the globe.

4) What are your future plans for the Win Win forum?

After having couple of meeting with some of our UAE members, have planned lot of innovative thigns to carry out. One of the important thing to create a freelance job opportunities though our network. In Dubai already has started in training and teaching industry. So everything will be updated in due course to all the members how to proceed further..

5) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings that you can share from the forum?

Very much! We had a couple of tours and many meetings held on Fridays. Some of them still unforgettable. We shared a lot of information. Recently three of our lady members got placed as language trainers in one of Dubai’s famous institutes. The Managing Director has thanked us for referring outstanding candidates to his institute. We also have spoken with many institutes to give special offers and extra working hours for Winner team members in the UAE.

6) What are your other interests and hobbies?

Teaching, Training, Consulting, Creative Writing, Poetry, Business Correspondence and making true friendship.

7) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and inspiring personalities?

I could say, books are my best friends …”You can Win” by Shiv khera is my favorite book . I like to hear melodic and romantic songs.

I don’t watch much movies and not in particular any celebrities.

Inspiring Personalities – none other than my one and only leader Prophet Mohammed (SAW). He is really the most inspiring personality. After Him, My parents and sister.

What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to share with our readers?
If your performance has not produced the promotion you expected at least cherish the joy of everyday learning.

If trust is lost, nothing much can vouch for our credibility.

Work with Persistence and fight against all odds, surely you will reach that elusive goal.

Last but not least..” With Open heart & open mind one can win many hearts. So don’t just do enough to get by do enough to get ahead in life.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

I am a UK expat, I work in media in Dubai and I have a university degree.

2) What inspired you to start blogging which ultimately culminated in
the UAE Community of bloggers – the UAE’s first?

Before coming here I did some travelling, this was a few years ago pre blogs, but post email. I used to keep in touch with friends and family via a group newsletter that I sent out about my travels. When I eventually settled for a while, I posted all these letters on a
website, like a homepage – they formed a kind of diary.

Then a couple more years I was on the move agan – to the UAE. After a few months I wanted to record my experiences again. By this time blogging was around, so I chose that way to do it. It really was mainly for me by this stage, to record my own experiences of the UAE. Only later on after migrating from LiveJournal to Blogspot did it
really get noticed.

3) Can you share your experience of what it was like when your blog
was blocked ( another UAE first and all the media focus that
ensued?

It was very terrifying, because I was overseas, and it was hard to keep tabs on what was going on. It was also bewildering, because the “offending” poem was never intended to mock local people, it was specifically targeted at expats and the odd language of the Khaleej
Times.

The media focus was startling, as was the huge amount of support, even from people that didn’t always like my blog, but respected my right to write it. I made a couple of lasting friendships during those times. The support was overwhelming, and moving.

Getting unblocked was a kind of miracle: the biggest relief ever. Not because it meant that people could access my site again, but because it meant a higher power found nothing offensive or illegal about the blog. Which was a kind of vindication, almost a seal of
approval.

I had always been aware that the UAE authorities could trace my activities or those of any other internet user, so I had always exercised self-censorship, and continue to do so.

4) What are your future plans for the UAE Community forum?

Nothing. It keeps going by itself now, which is brilliant. It means when I eventually leave this place, as like most expats I won’t be around forever, it will hopefully continue and go from strength to strength. There’s already an Arabic version, which sadly I can’t
understand a word of!

5) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings that you can share from the forum?

I think its coolest feature is the fact that people who would almost certainly never belong to the same groups or clubs in the UAE regularly interact there as members. It could so easily have got hijacked by one particular group, and been just euro expats ranting for example, but it hasn’t. It really doesn’t matter if one is local, European, Asian or even bidoon. It’s for UAE bloggers: it transcends age, gender, nationality, religion, class.

Very little moderation has ever gone on – it just hasn’t really been needed there. So far, it’s all fairly civilised!
6) What are your other interests and hobbies?

Reading, the internet, RPG computer games, food. I don’t watch terrestrial or satellite TV at all – my TV is used solely for DVDs and console gaming – but I occasionally download stuff I want to watch, like South Park. Amazingly given this list of absolute vegetativity I
am not (yet) the size of Jabba the Hutt.

7) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and inspiring personalities?

Favourite Books (can I have two?):
- The Man In The Brown Suit, by Agatha Christie
- Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh

Favourite Music: Pet Shop Boys

Movies: Saved! starring Mandy Moore

Celebrities: Sean Bean

Inspiring Personalities: Sheikh Zayed

What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to share with our readers?

You only have one life. Don’t waste it in bitterness, cruelty, intolerance or hatred.

http://www.grapeshisha.com

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

I have stayed relatively anonymous due to the nature of the work that I do, but I am originally from the UK and have been in the region for the last few years, doing strategy consultancy for a few organisations, both here and in the UK.

2) What inspired you to start Grapeshisha?

Well, Grapeshisha originated from an email home to friends to give them an understanding of the Middle East, and specifically the UAE, since most thought I was living in a war zone. It evolved to tackling cross cultural issues, before I formalised it about a year ago. Now, I just tackle an issue every month or so that I feel is of interest to people who have signed up. I have also started to put together information on subject areas such rent, cost of living etc. at the website because of the many emails I receive asking questions about specific issues. I just hope that the resources help people in some way.

3) How has the response to your newsletter been so far?

The reponse so far has been generally very positive. I get requests to cover certain topics, but am sometimes not able to cover them, but in the main, I try and keep the readers happy if there is a want for subject coverage.

4) What are your future plans for Grapeshisha?

I’m really not sure what will happen with Grapeshisha. I have just started a blog, and am trying to add more information to the website when I can, but essentially it is just a hobby. Really, it is to promote cross cultural awareness and understanding, as well as help people understand what life is like here, if they need to make a decision to move here, for example. If there is significant interest, perhaps it will become more of a real portals out there, but that’s a full time job. If it can make a little money for charity as well, that would be nice.

5) Any interesting tid-bits and happenings that you can share from your experience with Grapeshisha?

Well, I have had a couple of interesting marriage proposals from men, which my wife thought was amusing. At least this clears up the fact that I am male. Best of all, I had an email from a supposed ex-General in the Ivory Coast, asking if I could provide 10,000 shisha pipes, and if I could provide my bank details so that they could wire me the money. What will they try next?
6) What are your other interests and hobbies?

I read. I read a lot, usually business literature. I am also a 24, and Lost aficionado and a closet American Idol and Apprentice viewer.

7) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and inspiring personalities?

FAVOURITE BOOK: Fiction, A Fine Balance – by Rohinton Mistry, Non-fiction, I have just finished Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim and Mauborgne, which was an excellent read.

FAVOURITE MUSIC: Anything that is not too hardcore. I like stuff like Sting, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Coldplay & Kanye West. I guess you might class that into popular mainstream, these days. I also like old school R&B.

MOVIES: Too many to list, but here are a selection I like: Jacob’s Ladder, Heat, Crash, Lock Stock, The Godfather, Stand by Me, The Insider, Memento

CELEBRITIES: Whoever is making a fool of themselves at the time. The TomKat thing was hilarious
Inspiring Personalities : Gates, Clinton, Branson & the Aga Khan – all successful and inspiring in different ways and all philanthropists in different ways.

What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to share with our readers?

“The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else and produces the best results.” – Edward de Bono

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational and work background?

FARRUKH:

I am an award-winning advertising copywriter and journalist based in Dubai. I hold a post graduate qualification in Marketing Management with specialisation in Advertising.

Thorugh 9 years of my career as a creative copywriter and brand strategist, I have had the great fortune to write and conceptualise for some of the hottest brands in the
world like Microsoft, Jaguar, Jacuzzi, Rodeo Drive, Hewlett-Packard, Honda and Sheraton Hotels.

As a journalist, I have met and interviewed the movers and shakers of the corporate world here in the Gulf, and covered a wide range of industries from cosmetics to information technology.

I am also a photographer but more by passion than by profession. My favourite subject as a photographer are roses.

MAYURA:

I studied to become a software engineer, but my inclination was alway towards more creative endeavours. I picked up on multimedia skills alongside my engineering course, and enjoyed every bit of playing with 2-D and 3-D animation. I started my career in the e-learning industry, which required both creative and computing skills. I enjoyed my 3-year stint in the industry in various roles, from graphic designer to animation head, from instructional designer to quality assurance specialist. Once I shifted to Dubai, I took to writing as a profession, since the elearning industry here didn’t seem as exciting
as it is back in India. Writing has always been a passion, apart from art and music. I graduated from a web-writer to a full-fledged advertising copywriter. So, here I am!

2) What inspired you to start Creative Majlis?

FARRUKH:

Mayura inspired me to join her and form a forum where copywriters and
creative people can use their skills and talent to contribute to our community.

We had seen how eager many of our fellow copywriters were in writing and
contributing creatively for a cause. We felt we could achieve more as a team, pooling in
collective creative talents for social campaigns. Thus, ‘Creative Majlis’ was born.

MAYURA:

The concept of Creative Majlis started as a club for copywriters
within the Dubai Writers Group, of which I was the Assistant
Organiser. Farrukh and I were very active members of the copywriters
club, which took off well, and we also worked on couple of mock social
campaigns with other club members. I started and managed the club,
while Farrukh was the inspiration behind the social campaigns and also
its moderator. Since we had no identity of our own as a group of
copywriters, getting the public service ads published was close to
impossible.

Farrukh and I then felt there was a need for a full-fledged creative
advertising club, where we could contribute our collective creative
skills to socially beneficial causes. Hence, we started the Creative
Majlis on 30th of January 2006. Creative Majlis is the meeting point
for progressive copywriters and creative people from the UAE, and the
world over to bring their creative skills together, connect and make
things happen. Why should creative ad professionals join the Creative
Majlis? To do more than push products and recycle special offers as
creative people. To propel our power of persuasion as writers and
seasoned marcom professionals towards making a positive difference to
the world around us.’

Hence, ‘to pool our talents and make a positive difference in our
communities’ will remain the primary agenda of this group. We are
collaborating with Al Noor foundation to plan and handle their
awareness / fund raising campaigns on a voluntary basis. This is only
a start. We have big plans for the future.

3) How can members from the media and creative field utilise this
forum effectively?

FARRUKH:

The best way to utilise this forum, i.e. Creative Majlis, is to become
an active part of it.

Join us. Interact with all the creative members. Brainstorm. Think of
great things we can do with the talents we have within us. Create social
awareness campaigns. Write, art direct, publish, promote messages that
make a difference in people’s lives.

As a group, a ‘majlis’, we can divide the work and thus take concepts
from thoughts to actions, from scribbles to artwork, from the drawing
board to the press, which might not always be possible for someone to
achieve by individual effort.

We are looking at active participation from copywriters, art directors
and graphic designers, PR professionals, printers, publishers and
journalists.

MAYURA:

The Creative Majlis offers a world of possibilities for enthusiastic
creative professionals looking at fertile grounds to harvest their
creative skills to the zenith.

At CM, you get to work on varied advertising projects, from public
awareness campaigns to fund-raising events, from posters to greeting
cards. And the part that every advertising professional would cherish
most is, we work directly with the clients; there are no annoying
middle-men coming our way! What’s more? Working with talented fellow
creative professionals from various backgrounds should be great fun!

5) How has the response to the forum been so far?

FARRUKH:

Almost every creative person we have met has been more than willing to
contribute his or her talent for a good cause.

I had invited writers to contribute ideas for social campaigns on a
message board on the Dubai Writers Group, of which me and Mayura are
active members, and the response to that message was the highest ever in
the history of the group. That gives us an indication of the kind of
response we can expect for Creative Majlis, a group focused on
creativity for a cause.

MAYURA:

The response has been good, and we already have a sizeable team of
creative professionals, from copywriters, artists and web-designers to
exhibition designers.

6) What are your future plans for the forum?

FARRUKH:

Creative Majlis has started as a group of copywriters and creative
professionals who wish to contribute their talents to make a difference
to the society.

Our plans include creating social advocacy campaigns, contributing our
services to NGOs and charity organisations, sharing our knowledge and
experiences, discussing issues that are important for writers and
creative people in the region, and more.

As our efforts gather momentum, the direction in which we move will also
depend on the creative vision and collective insights of the all members
of the Creative Majlis.

MAYURA:

The immediate plan is to crystallize our collaboration with Al Noor
Foundation, UAE. We plan to grow as a team, in order to take up bigger
and more projects. As we grow bigger and stronger, we can tie up with
more such social service organisations in need of professional
marketing communication services, but cannot really afford them. We
also wish to make Creative Majlis the ultimate platform for creative
advertising professionals to mingle, contribute and learn.

We have plans to organise industry-specific discussions, seminars and
talks by leading advertising professionals for our members.

9) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and
inspiring personalities?

FARRUKH:

Favourite Book: “The Revelations of the Unseen”, “The Alchemy of
Happiness”, “Scientific Advertising”, any book by Dale Carnegie.

Favourite Music: Lyrics by Bob Dylan (Blowin’ in the wind)

Movies: Movies with a message like Main Azaad Hoon, Swades and Rang De
Basanti in Hindi. Like ‘The Message’ and ‘Gandhi’ in English.

Celebrities: Celebrities disappoint me.

Inspiring Personalities: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Jesus
(peace be upon him), Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Abdul Sattar Eidi.

MAYURA:

Favorite books: Da Vinci Code, My India the India Eternal by Swami
Vivekananda, ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki and more,
Every Street is Paved with Gold – the autobiography of Kim Woo Chong,
the founder of Daewoo, and more. I mostly read non-fiction.

Favourite music: Indian classical – both Hindustani & Karnatic; old
Bollywood classics by Lata & Mohammad Rafi; English Country music; and
just any soothing, melodious music. I am not a very ‘rock & heavy
metal’ person.

Inspiring personalities: Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Murthy, the
founder of Infosys Technologies, India and my mother.

10) What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to
share with our readers?

FARRUKH:

My favourite quote by which i live my life:

“Be ashamed to die till you have won a victory for mankind.”

2) What inspired you to build SearchingDubai.com?
Although I’m a Indian citizen, I always considered Dubai to be my home
city. I think Dubai is one of the best cities in the world. It has given
so much to me in my life that I wanted to give something back to it. So
I designed this search engine so that people from all around the world
can find out and learn about this great city. And this site also
provides useful information for people residing in UAE. Its my way of
contributing back to the city where I grew.

3) What technology did you use to build it? Were you the only one in
this project or you had a team working ?
The entire site has been designed using the latest Java technology. I
worked with my friend Asim Iqbal to build this search engine. He has
been a great help and guidance to me in designing this project.

4) Can you explain the main features and functions of SearchingDubai.com
and how users can utillise the site effectively?
Well there are a lot of functionality in this website:
a) Dubai Search: Unlike Google, the Dubai search engine is built only
for the local community. It only searches for information on websites
that are related to Dubai or UAE. It’s an ongoing process. Everyday more
and more websites are added
to the engine.
b) People Search: You can search for people residing in UAE by their
name, or telephone number or po box or city.
c) Company Search:You can search for companies in UAE by their name, or
telephone number or po box or city or even browse them by categories.
d) City Guide: It basically allows you to look for anything in the city.
For instance, you can search for vegetarian restaurants or mexican
restaurants in Dubai or schools in Abu Dhabi or rent-a-cars in Sharjah.
You can browse the shopping malls, look for hotels, airlines, hospitals etc.
e) TV Guide shows you the current tv programs for various channels in Dubai.
f) Tourist Attractions: This is a new section that has just started
which basically shows all the main tourist attractions in Dubai.

5) How has the response to the site been so far?
Its been about a month or so since this website was officially launched.
And so far the response has been really GREAT. I did’nt expect this much
traffic in the first month.

6) What are your future plans for the website?
I would like to expand this website by adding more features like forums,
online dating community etc.

7) How do you get ideas for your projects? How do you apply creative
thinking and creativity in your field and life?
Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. Its always difficult to
come up with a new idea. I always try to do things that havent been done
before. Like 4 years back, I wrote a speech recognition software that
would translate your voice into words but that summer microsoft launched
the same feature in their office products. So much for that. But my
point is – no task is impossible to accomplish. If you have the
determination and will to do it, you can do it. Once you have an idea,
you can always figure out a way to do it.

What are your other interests and hobbies?
I have a passion for the game of Chess. I play it whenever I find time.
I also love to watch sports and hang out with friends.

9) What are your favourite books, music, movies, celebrities and
inspiring personalities?
Favourite Book : Not much of a reader but I like John Grisham’s novels.
Favourite Music : Pop, Hiphop and R&B
Movies : “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”…hehehee – a must watch movie
for computer geeks
Celebrities: Aishwarya, Preity Zinta, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
Inspiring Personalities : One and only Bill Gates – He’s a living legend
for me.

10) What is your motto or philosophy of life that you would like to
share with our readers?
My favourite quote by which i live my life:
“Some men see things as they are and say WHY?” “I dream things that
never were and say WHY NOT?”

- Email interview conducted when SearchingDubai.com was launched.