I only call an apple an apple if it is golden

I have a dog. Well, it is harsh to call him "dog", because he is such a good friend. Maybe the best. His permanent joy of life, his happiness gives you also happiness and joy of life. Every time I enter home and see him all my daily troubles disappear.
For a long time I have been looking a female dog from his race so make them a couple. Not so easy, because:

• 80% percent of female dog owners do not want to have babies citing it is so difficult to look after the puppies.
• 90% of this 80% are already operated for infertilization.
• 75% of other dog owners I confront suggest I should castrate my boy. My answer is 100% "No".
• 90 % of dogs from the same race are male. If mother nature creates these wonderful dogs 50% male-50% female; I really want to know where the ladies are?
• 99,9 % of male dog owners have male dogs. Is it because they cannot stand that their little girl is kissed by a boy of someone other?
• 100% of the percentages above are fiction :)))

Future of business arguments

Today I had to communicate about a production problem with a colleague who talks too much and wants always to talk. He knows everything right and likes to express it loud and by not allowing you to speak. Two different subjects:
1 - Who wins? The one who crushes you right away or the good listener who listens and then politely expresses his ideas.
2 - Lots of times arguments occur because of the failure of our long product realisation process at some point. After the problem occurs, everyone tries to become "clean" and find the "guilty one".
I believe that in the future we will have tools or reports who can analyze in a second where the problem occurs and who did an error. Quickly and objectively. It will end many long and useless meetings/discussions. We use SAP for instance, and SAP the reporting technology of today is not enough for this. Maybe in 10 years?
Inbetween I rather keep cool :)

Nonsense tension on 1st of May

Every year there is a -for me- nonsense tension on 1st of May. The blue collar workers want to celebrate that day on Taksim Square and the government doesn't allow. The same theatre occurs each year. This year the tension rose more because of some words of the PM.
The reason the government doesn't allow is what happened on 1.5.1977: Sadly, 36 people died during the 1 May celebrations in Taksim.
My general opinion is the more you ban something, the more you say "no", the attractive you make it in the eyes of people. Government can take all necessary precautions, control very carefully and allow people to demonstrate/celebrate there.
How many times has history shown that bans don't last forever. And what you ban, should be ruined.

TV trends in Turkey

2-3 years ago all TV stations in Turkey were like National Geographic. We watched animal behaviors of people who were caged in houses with cameras all over. Then the singing competitions came. Being a jury member was so prestigous.
Last year TV series were in: I think there must be maybe 100 series which are shown every week. Lots of them are bullshit. The only one I like is Avrupa Yakası.
This year the TV stations got the target no single adult should stay in Turkey :)) Matchmake & Wed shows are all over the place.
I think the next big thing in Turkey TVs will be shows like of Jerry Springer where there remains no more to say but to hit/crash/kill each other. And then...Then it won't matter because all IQs will hit zero.

The Guacamole experience

When my fionce called at afternoon we dediced to eat at Beymen Brasserie in Nisantaşı. Well then at 7 pm she called that she is too tired, wants to lie on sofa and whether I would like to cook for this tired sweet girl. I quickly thought that I could prepare something different. The shrimp/guacamole sandwich I recently ate at "8" / Beyoglu was fantastic. So I decided to prepare the chicken version of it. God bless the Korona supermarket in Alkent / Etiler (it is a boutique supermarket in Etiler, one of the best supermarket/delicatessen in Istanbul) wasn't close. The result was not so good. She ate only 2-3 forks of it. I had to eat it all :)) Here are my lessons learned:
1 - Buy avocados 2-3 days before to allow them to soften
2 - Don't use green onion instead of onion. It is not the same
3- Chopping is not enough. You have to use mixer.

Size of anxiety

Menhood is about competition. When we were little boys the subjects were: "Who has the better toy? Who runs faster? Who eats more?" and so on. For adults, the philosophy doesn't change, only the subjects are different: "Who has the better job? Who earns more? Who dates more girls? Who has the better car?...." Another, in fact the most important thing is the size of your...brain of course :)) It may turn into a psychological war when you go to toilet with a pal and have to stand next to each other. Today, at the office I had to go to the toilet with my rival at the same time. And we had to stay next to each other. He was the one who couldn't start right away. Hahaha I won :)))

Big in China

Many international companies have started to build joint ventures or to produce directly in China. Textile, automotive, IT. ..One day we read they overtook US in exporting IT goods, the other day they surpass Germany in car production.
My perspective is that they will also surpass US as the world guard in the next 20 years. This is very similar to other change of guard processes in history: Spain to England; England to France; England to US....And now US to China.
We will watch them rising, dominating, obtaining world peace (haha) building the Bourgeoisie class, lazier young generations watching MTV (or then whatever) all day. And who will surpass them in 2050? Russia again? Brasil? Turkey? (Why not)
Of course US will make it hard for them. I am also against what they do to Tibet. But, don't you also find it meaningful what goes on just before their crown ceremony in Beijing Olympics :))

I am jealous! But i will use it in positive way.

For the last 5 years I have been working hard to promote. The two levels, my current and the one I want are the ones with the widest gap inbetween comparing to any other management levels in our company. Last week 3 colleagues of my generation have promoted for the first time to that level. They are my friends and now they are at the level of my manager. I feel so so so bad altough I know they have different duties and they have deserved it.
The Greek philosopher Antisthenes summed it up thousands of years ago: "As iron is eaten by rust, so are the envious consumed by envy."
Experts say that jealousy is such a primal emotion that it's hardly possible to stop the feeling. Yet being jealous is so destructive in the workplace that you need to be able to control your emotions. It may affect your productivity and your quality of work.
So the more jealous you are, the more you set yourself up for future failures by displaying traits that make it even less likely you will be promoted.
But, if another colleague's glory moves you to increase your efforts toward your own success, then jealousy has been a force for good.
If you are jealous because you think promotions were unfairly handed out, or because your firm values traits you don't think are important, jealousy might prompt you to think more deeply about your job — and that's OK.
In my case, this hand out was fair. But, everyday that passes the same, I question my future, my career, everything. I finally want some positive action. Business and private. I have been waiting for sooo long!

What's up in the world this morning

Every 2-3 days I take a brief look at Le Monde, NT Times, The Guardian and Fr.Allgemeine to have a sense of what's going on in the world. Here are my impressions:

• What goes on in US is a theatre. There is no chance Clinton will lose it.
• Italy goes right. Voice for north-south seperation increase.
• Lots of articles about 40th anniversary of '68 movement. I wish I would be there :)
• With all the damage we made to the earth, I think the agricultural crisis is even late.
• In Tennis Federer loses again to Nadal. I think it is a mental block that he can't beat him on clay

Top trends in men's fashion this summer

The weather is bad these days but sommer is knocking at the door. We feel it. Here are some tips to look really cool this summer:

1 - Blue is the color of this summer.

2 - Flower power. Colors, flowers are flying on shirts and pants. Tough to apply in Istanbul.

3 - High tech synthetic materials in jackets, shirts and pants

4 - Search your old Casio watch in your room. It is so cool again.

5 - Yellow or red inside grey,black shirt/long sleeve. It should be barely seen.

6 - Pyjama type wide pants, loose cargo pants are cool.

Flamm in Asmalımescit: My favourite

Do you want to eat the best mücver in Istanbul? The best aubergine salad? The best Cafe de Paris steak? Have you ever eaten baklava with apple? Then you should go to Flamm in Tepebaşı / Asmalımescit.
Flamm is a super cool cosy restaurant on the corner to the street of Babylon, the trendy music hall.
Go there in weekdays. On weekends just because it is very crowded, the service quality drops.
Satistactory wine card. Good food. Very friendly staff. You feel they deserve the money they get.

Potential new position in the company

It is highly possible these days that I am invited to an interview for a new position inside the thecompany. So I polished my resume. Then I checked the many sites on the net about the subject. There are thousands of interview questions, techniques... Of course there are basics about how you should dress, behave, know the content of your CV, prepare for the difficult questions. But I think that the most important things are:
Do you really know what you want? That's not only about this position. What do you want from life?
Do you know what this position consist of?
Is this position well suited to what you want? Or does it lie on the way to there?
Do you or will you love this position?
Are you ready to fullfill the necessities the position brings? Overtime, too much travelling etc?
Or do you want it just because you don't have a job / you have to pay your bills / you are bored with the current job?
In my case, I think I am ready for the change.

Upcoming fashion trend: Superga shoes with big pants

It is already rising in London.
The Superga wave will hit you in summer 2009.
For men, it is very trendy to wear it under big, wide casual pants.
How do I know?
I have grown up seeing becoming "the" trend after 2 years of observing something on the streets of London.

Eliyahu Goldratt

I a recent congress I participated I heard about the Theory of Constraints; developed by Mr.Eliyahu Goldratt. Well, it is a theory from 80's but has very interesting principles:

• The more complex a system is to describe, the simpler it is to manage. This one reminds me of the fact how we sometimes get so much in detail, mix up everything and don't see how simple and obvious the truth is.
• There are No Conflicts in Nature. When I heard this, I just started to laugh thinking about departments in our huge company which fight themselves everyday to reach their own targets :))
• Even when people do things that seem stupid they have a reason for that behavior.

What hit me in the theory is that it focuses on avoiding the constraint. For example, if you want to have bette standards, you should focus on how to make more money; rather than saving more!

Chloé: 700 $ for a shoe together with bad service

If I were the owner of the brand Chloé, I would visit the Istinye Park branch without pre-information.
My sweetheart liked a shoe from the brand very much and I decided to buy it for the birthday.
Well it was not that easy: First of all you have to go to the store with swimsuit. It is so hot inside that you cannot stay there for more than 5 minutes :)
Secondly; everytime we shop there, there is a problem with the POS mashines.
Third, the present needed a little operation for perfect fit and it took us one week and 3 visits till finally getting the package. Calling the customer and informing about the delivery date? That's not something they have heard of.....
That's the problem in Turkey nowadays. OK, all the brands are here finally. But ,what about the service? We deserve better service for spending on them. That's the case not only in fashion, but also in restaurants.

EU comes first in details!

We have long roads to go in education, civilization and economy but we are successfully applying many EU regulations. A recent interesting one:
I just got known today that all buses and tracks will have to obey the Euro 4 emission regulation starting from 1.1.2009.
Big producers like Mercedes-Benz use the SCR technology to reduce the percentage of harmful gases to Euro 4 limits.
SCR technology: You fill gasoline to a tank and....a solution named AdBlue to another tank.
The main ingredient of AdBlue is ammoniac! in public words, urine :)))

Dealing with a difficult colleague

Last week I had a problem with one of my employees. She refused to do one of my orders with emotionally expressing that she should finish other things. I was sooo angry and it didn't go that well. Here are some modern management methods for dealing with that. Easier said than done :))

• Breathe long and deep. It makes you think positive. It is also good for your health.
• Don't take it personally. Most of the times the reason he/she acts is not you. Maybe lots of work, maybe a personal problem. In my case it was because she had lots of work and stress.
• When you feel the tension is rising, focus on first on listening rather than on arguing. I should have cooled down, not shout out loud. I know, it is so difficult.
• Ask for Clarification. Make sure you have understood the problem. Maybe what she/he needs is your help.
• Separate, in your mind, the person's professional role from his or her difficult personality. Focus only on the professional contribution you need. Don't engage on an emotional level. Maybe you don't like the person. Maybe some behaviour gets you irritated. But remember, she/he is one of the ones of your company/department, part of your team and has a contribution to your success.
• Say your message in as few words as possible. The less you say, the more likely you are to be heard.
• Generally - Have an Open Door Policy. When people feel that you are approachable, they don't bring issues till the crisis point.

The Hakkasan dissapointment

So we have made a reservation before 1 week
So we are excited to eat in this cool London based restaurant in Istanbul
So we are chique as the couple.
Is it as good as London? What should we order.......
We enter the bar, oh, many people we have "hello" with. Good conversation
And then the minus list begins
1 - We love the seaweed as starter in Chinese restaurants. They give it in the bar as 1 mg. per person but not in the table. We ask for but the waiter says that it is not possible.
2 - The waiter forgets to cool the white wine. Hot chardonney tastes really bad!
3 - The waiter forgets one of the rice plates
4 - And the final: The dessert we want is finished!
Well, I can accept these if I would eat in a Chinese 20€ per person, but NEVER in a 150 € per person restaurant.
This was really disappointing! We deserve better service.

8: One of the new cool restaurants in Istanbul

In the search of discovering new and good tastes in Istanbul, we discovered the restaurant "8" in Istanbul, Beyoglu.
The crowd consist of A+ foreigners, Turkish intellectuals and classy young people. The two nights we were there, there was a mix-aged and nice crowd.
What is easy in Istanbul these days is finding a restaurant which is quite expensive. But the percentage of eating really good food in one of these is difficult. So you pay more for little, sometimes for nothing.
I really enjoyed my guacamole sandwich, my thai-chicken and the creme brulee.
You find 8 in Beyoglu by walking from Taksim side to Beyoglu. When you arrive the "Aga Mosque", turn left, then then turn right from the first street. You see 8 on left side.