Every now and again, the universe sends me a special gift.

This morning, as I prepared my latest TED “playlist” from the 170+ amazing TED talks by amazing TED women, I stumbled on this gem: a TEDx talk by creator Amy Rosenthal.

Rosenthal is a truly magical force: a writer, filmmaker, radio host, author of more than 12 children’s books, and creator of The Beckoning: A Feature Film

Last week, I (and a few other so-called Dubai "Twitterati"), were interviewed by one of the local newspapers for a feature on Twitter (I think it's going to be published soon!!!).

I recorded the interview, and today cut it up into bite-sized pieces for a Twitter bit on my blog. This sneak preview of my own "Twitter Basics" series is one of the 15 segments that resulted from the edit.

I

A Powerful Noise is an extraordinary film with a simple yet compelling message: empowering women changes communities for the better.

My own corollary to that message is this: changing communities for the better is the first step toward changing the world.

Considering the less-than-ideal situation in which many of us find ourselves, that can only be a good thing. This inspirational movie

“What do you think of this ad from Air New Zealand?”

The question, and a YouTube link, came from my friend Bebhinn Kelly, Chief Fashionista at www.hellwafashion.com, and a regular supplier of juicy, thought-provoking and sometimes controversial material for AWR.

I clicked. I watched. I pondered. I considered blogging. I demurred.

That was earlier this week. This morning, I got my daily

The Burj Khalifa (formerly known as The Burj Dubai), the world's tallest building, officially opened today, January 4, 2010.

For the past 12 months, I've lived in its shadow, about a kilometer away from where it towers. Each time I left my not-so-temporary home-away-from-home in Jumeirah 2, one of Dubai's more established areas, I cast my eyes on "The Burj," in all its dubious

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Kikune knelt in front of Fukiko and me, the epitome of grace and beauty in a spectacular melon-coloured kimono.

She was in turn thoughtful, playful and coy, as she answered my questions and shared the trials, tribulations, and joys of fulfilling her dream: to become one of Kyoto’s legendary geisha.

It was a conversation I shall never forget.

One year later, I’ve finally produced the

I was tempted to start this blog entry with a caveat.

But then I decided it probably wouldn’t do much good – someone somewhere is bound to be offended by what follows. So there are no apologies here. I’ll seek forgiveness later if required.

Before I go any further, a word of advice: whoever you are, wherever you are, register for the next and closest TEDx event within reach (the worldwide

Being a vagabond and a nomad, (a cowgirl on the road as it were), has its up and downs.

On the one hand, travel is all about adventure, experiencing new stuff, and often being outside of your comfort zone – love those bits. Living out of a suitcase, on the other, can quickly become quite tedious – hate that part.

After being "on the road," for almost two months now (in UK, Croatia and

Women In Leadership Forum  25 - 27 October Dubai

 

Women In Leadership Forum is a platform to address the

challenges we are facing and to determine the future. When the

economy is moving forward robustly, most executives focus

on growing sales. But inevitably when the economy slows and

times become tough, most executives turn inward, looking at

how their