AL RAJHI BANK, DISASTER,DISASTER,DISASTER.......

So this was my experience at Bank al Rajhi a few days go. The bank should be opening around 9am. So I decided to go at around 8:50am, ten minutes earlier thinking that I'd be the first one in the queue, so that my work will get done quickly. On arriving at the bank I realized that 20 other people thought in exactly the same way.Great minds think alike I guess. So 9am arrives, 9:05, 9:10 and eventually at 9:15 the bank opens and everyone storms into the bank towards the queue ticketing machine. As usual the machine is not working. So everyone moves towards the teller counters trying to form a straight line. But wait a minute where is the staff I ask myself... There are twenty of us in the queue but only two teller counters open.So you wait, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, half and hour, forty five minutes....the clock keeps ticking away and I'm beginning to loose my patience. So eventually I get to the counter. The man at the counter says I can not help you please go inside to the manager. With a nod of my head and a beady eye I walk to the back of the building straight into the managers office.He greets me in a polite manner and then says have a seat how can I help you. So I explain to him that the funds I transferred did not reach my banking account in another country. He then instructs the same man at the teller counter to follow up on the funds. Naturally the man at the counter does not know what to do. One hour has passed by now and I'm beginning to become furious. Noticing that I am now irritated, he picks up the phone and calls an ex staff member from India to assist with the situation and solve the problem.Take note that he is suppose to be the manager.As I'm chatting on the phone to the Indian man, an Egyptian woman storms into the office like a hurricane banging the door behind her and lashes out at the manager regarding the poor service at the bank.In the mean time with the queue reaching the door of the bank, the branch manager who sits near the entrance of the bank seems quite unperturbed. He simply continues his chat on his mobile phone in his luxury office whilst enjoying his Arabic coffee (qahwa) and dates. There seems to be no urgency to provide efficient service. So where were the other tellers I wondered? Aha, there they are..The one was on his mobile phone chatting away to his friend. The other one was sitting at the back enjoying his coffee and the third one was deeply engrossed in the newspaper. In my head I'm thinking all these hospital staff are waiting to get their errands done quickly so that they can return to their patients but the staff at the bank can not be bothered.The hilarious part of the whole bank experience though was noticing the large walk in safe wide open for everyone to ogle at the stacks of cash. The vault where people would store their valuables was also open and all you needed to do in order to enter the vault was sign a silly piece of paper. There was no tough security check. Can you imagine if we had this kind of a banking system in South Africa. Banks will be robbed everyday.My banking woes are still not yet resolved. Let's hope that my next visit to the bank will be a pleasant one. But then again with the Ramadhaan and holiday atmosphere in the air, I guess that would be wishful thinking!!!

RAMADHAAN KAREEM...

I would like to take this opportunity in wishing all my friends and family across the globe a wonderful Ramadhaan Kareem!!!May the Almighty accept your fast and prayers during this blessed month and may it also be a time for reflecting on our inner selves.Let this month be a month where we can all achieve and attain high levels of spirituality. Let this be a month of sharing, giving and a start towards bettering ourselves in every way. Let us all try making a concerted effort towards doing good, helping others and staying away from all activities that goes against Gods will.!!!I dedicate this nasheed to all my Muslim readers. Kindly remember my family and I in your prayers!!!!

The Celebrity Event Planner- Aadil Saith

Aadil Saith may be small built tiny man, but don’t let that fool you. Dynamite sure does come in small packages.He’s got drive, ambition, (a compassionate heart) and serious systematizing skills—which we all covet. After studying graphics designing, he decided to use his skills and creativity to start his own event planning company—Unusual Functions located in Johannesburg, South Africa.Many people talk about dreams but only a few take action and he is one of them. To be an event planner, you need to get nitty-gritty with the details and need more than organizational and time management skills. What’s required: an eye for creativity, negotiation and interpersonal skills, tact, multitasking abilities, and the ability to stay calm under stress and pressure without pulling your hair out. With a few years under his belt and staff members to assist him, Aadil Saith is ready to take his company to the next level. Read on to find out more in his own words.

Nationality:SOUTH AFRICAN

Education/background:COMPLETED MATRIC

GRAPHICS DESIGNER/ 2 YRS INTERIOR DESIGNING AT WITS TECHNIKON

Drink I always order at Starbucks:ICE TEA OR TEA

1. Firstly thank you for agreeing to be interviewed despite your hectic lifestyle.You can be considered a young entrepreneur in your country after establishing quite a successful business, Unusual Functions.Can you tell Desert Pill Pusher readers how did it all start out for you?

IT STARTED AT THE AGE OF 18 WITH R500 IN MY ACCOUNT... DOING A FEW FRIENDS WEDDINGS AND BEING DRIVEN BY AMBITION TO PERSEVERE IN MY TALENT OF CREATIVENESS I CAN GLADLY SAY IT HAS BROUGHT GREAT SUCCESS TO ME AND MY FAMILY, BRANCHING OFF INTO MANY OTHER BUSINESS VENTURES.I MUST SAY I ENJOY WHAT I DO...

2. How do you find and get clients?

IN THE BEGINNING LIKE ANY GROWING BUSINESS IT WAS HARD TO FIND MY FEET, MY CREATIVITY AND TALENT SHOWED IN THE WORK I DID... SO CLIENTS CAME LOOKING FOR ME...

3. Is this your full-time job or do you have other businesses as well? Please elaborate

IT IS A FULL TIME JOB, I SPECIALISE IN SERVICING 20 OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS 5 STAR VENUES IN AND AROUND JHB, TRAVELLING TO DURBAN AND CAPE TOWN AS WELL AS NEIGHBOURING BOTSWANA AND SWAZILAND, I HAVE A TRADE BUSSINESS IN JOHANNESBURG (JHB) CALLED UNUSUAL DECO SPECIALIZING IN WEDDING DECOR PLANNING. I HAVE MY OWN VENUE IN JHB TOO SPECIALISING IN EVENTS ONLY...

4. What are the hardest challenges you face in running your own business?

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY, AND OBVIOUSLY MEETING MY COMMITMENTS

5. Do you feel like you’re balancing your work and personal life pretty well?

MY WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE HAS BEEN INCORPORATED AS ONE, TIME OUT IS REQUIRED ... THE MIND, BODY AND SOUL REQUIRES IT

6. If you were not an event planner, what would you be doing?

I THINK I WOULD BE IN A SERVICE BUSINESS HELPING COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT...

7. What topics and subjects are you the most passionate about?

DECOR, FASHION, STYLE, TRAVEL

8. What makes you the most happy? (Work or personal)

SEEING OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY MAKES ME EXTREMELY HAPPY...

9. Where do you and your friends like to hang out or do in your spare time? Any favorite food spots in or around Johannesburg

I LIKE TO SEE NEW THINGS SO IM ALWAYS HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE

10. If someone could grant you a wish and you could choose to have any skill or talent in the world, what would it be?

SINGING

11. What are your favorite websites?

PRESTON BAILEYS SITE

WEDDING DECOR IDEAS

12. Who or what inspires you?

MY PARENTS FOR THE HARD WORK I SEE THEM DO

13. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? YES

14. What’s your best event planning tip for Desert Moon's Diary readers, whether they’re planning a wedding or even something as small as a birthday?

YOUR FIRST CHIOCE IS THE RIGHT CHOICE

15. What was your most memorable event you and your team coordinated for?

NELSON MANDELA'S BIRTHDAY

16. What advise would you give to young entrepreneurs out there who would also like to start off their own business?

HARD HONEST WORK PAYS OFF... YOUR DREAMS CAN COME TRUE. BELIEVE IN YOUR TALENTS ...

17. Are there any additional comments you’d like to add for the blog readers?

THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE INTERVIEWED ON YOUR BLOG. IT WAS MY PLEASURE.

Once again,thank you Aadil Saith for taking the time to answer these questions. Desert moon wishes you all the best in your future endeavours!!!I would also like to add that the pictures below are courtesy of Unusual Functions and depicts some of Aadil's best work to date..

If you wish to have an event planned by Aadil Saith, you may contact him or any of his managers at the following telephone numbers..

Aadil Saith    -    0027 (0) 827355559

Fareed Saith -    0027 (0) 763282571

Ismail Saith   -    0027 (0) 825034600

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME

I had a very interesting conversation with Abu Hassan last night. Abu Hassan is a patient of mine.He is an old man in his late eighties and has a really witty personality and he comes to the hospital month after month for his chronic medication. He treats me like his daughter and loves me to bits. Our conversation last night was about women's right to drive, and I told him I know for a fact they will be driving soon, the question is when?

Islamic extremists have in the past banned satellite along with mobile phones. The first time I visited Makkah years ago, I remember huge boards outside the Grand Mosque stating that all photography is prohibited.Nowadays mobile phones with cameras are everywhere.Saudis are generally a nation that can not accept change. They have a strong opposition towards anything new.

I realized just how extreme the Kingdom may have been in the past after reading an article that mentioned that King Abdul Aziz was almost assassinated twice due to the fact that he had utilized an old fashion alarm clock and secondly for utilizing a radio.The Islamic extremists were under the impression that he was utilizing magic or the underworld  to produce sound from the radio and to make a sold clock ring.

I was told by my Saudi colleagues that in the past smoking was also banned and whoever was caught smoking would be lashed in the city square.Nowadays, with the exception of non smoking areas,everyone is allowed to smoke freely including females.So with Saudi society finally succumbing to technology like the alarm clock, radio,telegraph,television, satellite and camera phones, it's just a matter of time before they finally succumb to women driving....

Ahhhh, that been said!Have a good day everyone....