Best Year Ever!!!

Those are awfully strong words I know. Emerging from the pits of despair and rebounding so poetically made the emotional elation all the more sweeter. Its kind of like when you go on a fast and the first meal you have is so delectable. I have said this a few times before but it bears repeating. It was July 09 and I was visiting my boys in Texas. It was a bittersweet visit. When I visit my boys it fills me with so much joy but also reminds me of the family that I lost. So I was somewhat melancholy when I was praying when I heard the Lord’s voice tell me very clearly that I’d be married within a year. I have heard this voice before so I could recognize it. I didn’t really believe it though. But just to make sure I told my good friend Darren in Bahrain, David my roommate in Texas and Isa in Bahrain. They all said…to who? I said, I don’t know. I wasn’t dating anyone so it was a complete mystery to me. Then last year right about this time I got matched on eharmony (hey its hard to find a pretty Christian girl when you are living in the Middle East) with some blonde girl from North Carolina. Neither one of us were too enthusiastic about the match at first, but once we started the short and long answers both sensed there was something different about each other. Then in our first email on Jan. 3, 2010 we became convinced. I was absolutely intrigued by this girl. But I had to see her first. I had met several girls online some were not representative of their photos (which is a vast understatement). But when I first saw Jennifer on the webcam, God spoke “She’s the one I have for you.” Of course it doesn’t take a genius to realize how wonderful she is. But what is amazing is how perfect we fit together, like the last two missing pieces of a complex jigsaw puzzle. We make each other complete. I knew that I would marry her. Jennifer knew almost as quickly as I did. In fact, I told her on our second phone conversation that I loved her. I wanted to wait til I met her face to face, but I just couldn’t help myself. Really it was love at first sight. Since my life was so dramatic I wanted to finish with a flourish. Or actually start part 2 with a flourish. I know my life will be made into a TV movie someday so I wanted to emotionally punch it up. So when Jennifer flew out to Bahrain and I was to meet her face to face for the first time. I wanted the “happily ever after part” to be memorable. So my first words to her were “Will you Marry me?” Fortunately she said yes. And the rest of the year as we traveled across the world 6 times to see each other is what made 2010 the best year ever. Jennifer is with me in Dubai right now as we ring in 2011 and look for places to live. I took her to church today and our pastor John Folmar after the introduction said…I’ve seen you before. Jennifer was dumbstruck…then he said…on Youtube. I was touched that pastor of a large church would take the time to learn so much about one of his members. I think it says a lot for his character. If you missed the “Will you marry me?” Here is the link to view it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsGigrwnXAM

I am so grateful to God and his faithfulness for all these blessings. Since I got divorced it absolutely emotionally devastated me. I was so defined by my family and instantly I lacked an identity. But I re-identified myself as a child of the King. I clung to God for hope. God kept reassuring me for four years that he was in control, and that he would get me through this. 2010 was the culmination of His faithfulness. How many people do you know (other than the ones who live in Hollywood) Have met someone and the next month they get engaged, and the next month they get married. I know it might seem impulsive. Hey Jennifer and I both know its impulsive. To me its more about being faithful to God’s calling than to question my emotional sanity. Really Jennifer and I got married then started to date. Each and every day that goes by I am more and more convinced that she not only is the perfect partner for me, but my best friend and lover. I wish everyone could experience the exhilaration that I feel when I am with her. So Jennifer, my love, thank you for making 2010 the best year of my life. Can we possibly top it in 2011?

A Parking Ticket on Christmas Day

Its Christmas day and I just can’t help from admitting that it doesn’t feel like Christmas. Last night I was walking on the JBR promenade and I saw a stand for Santa that was going to be up from Dec. 23-Jan. 1. I thought, don’t they realize that Santa pictures are supposed to start in November? And what is the point of Santa after Dec. 25? It shouldn’t be a big surprise that they have Santa or that they celebrate Christmas. I heard the song “Away in a Manger” being blasted through the loudspeakers. That is a very Christian song. I have said this before but it bears repeating. Muslims believe in Christ, they think he was a great prophet. Only they don’t believe in Jesus as the Son of God. But strangely enough they do believe that Jesus is coming back someday for the rapture.

Really the place it only feels a little like Christmas here is the malls. But when I think of Christmas in the US, I think of red and green everywhere. Here there are just not the prominent colors. Another reason it doesn’t feel like Christmas is that Im working today. Im in the edit bay our post facility. We have a Jan. 2 deadline so its important that I make as much progress towards that as possible. Most everyone here is working today. I even got a parking ticket. Who gets a parking ticket on Christmas Day? Apparently me. Im writing this blog because I don’t want to keep directing our editor. Everytime I make a comment it slows down his flow. That is why I don’t like Executive Producers to view Assemble or Rough cuts as they make too many changes. So Im going to let Mobeil our editor do his thing then I’ll step in. Jennifer is presently getting on a plane in London and she’ll be here in 6 hours. I think just having her here will make it feel a whole lot more Christmassy. (I can’t believe Christmassy is a word. My spell check is accepting it). I was invited over to a Christmas Dinner with friends so that will help with the festive spirit as well. I hope to speak with my kids today too…but that might just be an unrealistic dream. Isn’t it sad when I have to make it a prayer request to speak to my own children on Christmas Day? I love them dearly and I miss them so. I try not to think about all the great Christmas’ that we’ve had in the past because that would just depress me too much. I just need to focus on the present and what I have now and will have in the future. Its like Joel Osteen admonishes “Don’t focus on what you don’t have, focus on what you have.” I am incredibly blessed really beyond measure. I am so blessed to have someone in my life that loves me like Jennifer and a family that supports me. It was just a few years ago when I felt so alone. If you are one of those people that don’t have anyone special in your life, I grieve if you are grieving. Some people choose to be alone while for others its forced upon them. I empathize because I walked in your shoes. Not having anyone to share the holidays with can be an incredibly painful experience. More suicides happen in the holidays than any other time of year. God did sustain me through those painfully alone years. It was an amazing experience. I was alone but rarely was I lonely. I should have been lonely but I had God’s spirit sustaining me. Everyone kept encouraging me to hang in there and things will get better. They were right, Im experiencing that this very moment.

It was just one year ago today that Jennifer and I were starting our initial contact with each other through Eharmony. That is where we met. The online dating thing really worked. Granted our courtship and engagement, and marriage was blindingly fast. So much has happened in one year. I was thinking about this earlier today. Jennifer and I broke every single rule on what you are supposed to do with traditional dating and marriage. But it has worked. Really it has about as much to do with God as it does Jennifer. God clearly told me that she was the one and I was to marry her. Who am I to argue with the almighty? Its like God saying I want to give you a million dollars…are you really going to say no? So with Jennifer and I, its like we got married then started dating. We knew the essentials about each other, faith, character, values and the rest was all details. It was an added bonus to be incredibly attractive to each other. I just have to work on keeping my belly down now. We also agreed, really in our second conversation, that when we were to be married that each of us was going to make it work no matter what. So we actually knew we would be married on our second phone conversation. That is when we started talking about it. It was never if we got married, it was when. It was more a matter of fact than conjecture. It was such an odd feeling that we both almost instantly knew that we found our mate. I remember telling my mother after Jennifer and my first conversation. “I said I met her.” Normally she discounts my enthusiasm but this time my mother said, “I can’t be surprised because this is what I had been praying for.” Our story is quite remarkable really. So at this Christmas time in the desert even though things aren’t quite ideal, Im extremely joyful. God has seen fit to give me the greatest gift in a wife that loves me like Jennifer does. I can’t think of much better gift to get that that. So as all my dreams are coming true. This Christmas I pray that yours will be coming true as well. I am delighting this season in the Lord and I can honestly say I have the desires of my heart. If you don’t have the desires of your heart please let me encourage you to Seek First God…then…you’ll have it. That’s a promise.

If you're moving less than 90, you best move out of the way

We wrapped production today and Im exhausted but satisfied. We have been shooting all over Abu Dhabi the past week. Its about an hour drive between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Sheik Zayed highway however is quite an adventure. They have traffic cams about every 10 miles and if you are going over a certain pre-determined limit you see a flash and get a sick feeling. I’ve already had one ticket. Im told that anything over 90 mph (150 kph) gets you the flash. So I try to keep it around 85. But for most arabs the speed limit is only a suggestion and the traffic cams a nuisance. Traffic in the passing lane usually moves faster than 90 mph. Arabs like to drive fast. This is especially true in Saudi Arabia. One muslim once told me there is a certain type of invincibility with Muslims (Warning stereotype approaching). They explained some Muslims feel if you get in an accident it is Allah’s will…if you don’t get in an accident its Allah’s will. For me that’s a dangerous way to live obviously. I feel that God gave us all common sense for a purpose. So, If you are in their passing lane they’ll usually start flashing their blinkers when the get to be about 50 yards behind you. They’ll come up right to your bumper and start blaring their horn if you don’t move. If you know what’s good for you, you best get out of their way. Imagine the road rage that type of driving that would elicit in Los Angeles. Here’s its just accepted as decent road etiquette.

Im very pleased that shoot turned out as well as it did. We had a number of various crises on the set. But at the end of the day we got some great stuff in the can. I was working with a good crew. I was worried because we have a Jan. 2 deadline but Im extremely comfortable with the post house we are using. So I don’t think the deadline with threaten my record. I thought I was going to have to spend 24/7 with the editor, but he has already shown me how adept he is. I just need to guide him a little. I love being a director…I think even more than being a writer. But apparently I need to say please and thank you more when I direct. I tend to become incredibly focused as I visualize the shot as it will belong in the context of the finished piece. Really all being a director is, is being a good communicator. To communicate his vision with the crew clear enough so they’ll be able to see and emulate it as well. With Indians and non-native English speakers you have to be incredibly thorough with your communication. I think we are on the road to achieving that. I still haven’t proven myself yet, so that is a bit of a challenge. I can see the entire project in my head and its coming together just like in my head. But others can’t really see into my head…not like they’d want to. So having a finished piece will go a long way in establishing trust for future projects. I am establishing a very good rapport with the general manager of the production company we are using. He is from Kerala (India) and just understands production. Indians are very skilled in the labor and creative of films because of the immense market of Bollywood. I found this info from an Article in the Sunday Times of London: “India now produces over 850 films a year – around two per day. Approximately 450 films are released in the USA. India’s Central Boards of Film Certification claim that over a period of just three months, approximately one billion Indian’s visit cinemas to catch the latest release. In 2002, Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets and had total revenues (including admissions, DVDs, and television sales) of $1.3 billion, whereas Hollywood films sold 2.6 billion tickets and generated total revenues of US $51 billion. So Hollywood is clearly streets ahead in the count that really matters: money, money, money.” The main difference Between Bolly and Holly is the cheese factor…Bollywood movies are so melodramatic and cheesy and the Indians just love that. Its hard for me to sit through a Bollywood film, but I’ve done it for several of them. So when I have an Indian crew I have to de-Bollywoodize them. I like my Hollywood/Western style. I was flattered earlier today as I got an offer to direct a series of industrials. I am an OneTVO employee so ethically Im not going to take any work on the side (although that is quite common here). There may be an opportunity down the road where I can outsource myself for the good of the company. Its all about relationships here. There is not a spirit of competition, but rather cooperation. That is refreshing to find especially with the ultra-competitive nature of Hollywood in my rear view mirror. Now I was flattered by the job offer in part because I know that this particular person has seen my work. But really, one of the driving factors is my skin color. Apparently (I know this is unfair but it’s a reality) that having an American director…especially one with Hollywood experience is quite prestigious. Its not like I did anything to deserve my skin color. I won the genetic lottery and just so happened to be blessed by having two loving God-fearing parents. The rest is from “I just don’t know when to quit.” I should have given up on my career long ago because I have failed thousands of times. But my over-riding faith in God helped me to continue to believe in myself. Im just so thankful for all the blessings that I have. I really didn’t do much to deserve it. All I did was….Believe. And that was enough.

Less than 48 hours until Jennifer arrives to celebrate our first Christmas together. Im pretty thrilled about that.

The Amazing Life

I just love watching the Amazing Race. Its so much more edifying than trashy favorite show #2 Mad Men. I can download the entire season on Itunes for about $20.00. As soon as it airs I can download it. I like The Amazing Race so much because I can relate to it. In many ways it mirrors my life. Take today for instance. I had to travel downtown to a place called Deira. I had only been there once before. I was meeting my DOP (Director of Photography) and we were going to meet a production company to see their computer animation. We might keep all the production and post with this company. So Saji, the DOP, tells me its near the Sheraton Deira Creek. I think I know where that is. So I head out a little bit early as I had to make another stop. I looked for the Sheraton Deira Creek map on its webpage and tried to memorize it (My printer was out of ink—Road Block). Now Im looking at my gas gauge and its on E. I was a little worried. Surprisingly enough there aren’t hardly any gas stations (they call them petrol stations) out here when compared to the US. The US there are gas stations on every street corner. Here they are few and far between. This is kind of weird considering the oil comes from this region. So I’m trying to follow the street signs, and use my intuition. I’ve only leased a car for about two weeks now so I haven’t driven around that much, and certainly not on that part of town. So I get to the Sheraton Deira Creek and the landmarks that Saji (my DOP) tells me to look for are nowhere around. It turns out there is another Sheraton. The Deira Sheraton is what I needed. (Two Sheratons both called Deira…where is the logic in that?) So I called Saji and he was kind enough to drive to me so I could follow him to the facility. Following Saji in Middle Eastern Traffic is like a game show in itself. Its slightly easier than following Lady Lebanon in Abu Dhabi but not by much. By the way if you can’t find something, which is often the case, its quite common for someone to drive to you to lead you the rest of the way. Addresses are just not used here at all, just landmarks. So we get to the facility and it was really something. Production facilities in Los Angeles, are plush, modern, and very high tech. Well some of them anyway. Its all about image in LA. Not the case here. This facility we went to does very good work. However they are crammed in a tiny three office suite with two of the offices holding editing equipment and the other had their camera equipment. All this cramped space plus there must have been 15 employees standing around because there was no place to sit. But, these guys did excellent work. The GM and I were talking. He was from India. He realizes the limitations of working in this area. He has a great animator, and editor but they don’t speak English very well. So that detracts from business. He said many clients that he has prefer to work with guys like me, simply because Im American…or my white skin. Then I joked that’s why I hired Saji, who is from India (Kerala…you’d like him Reji) but has very light skin. Indians have great senses of humor and just love life. I really felt comfortable with this crew despite the basic office. These guys did lots of Bollywood Flims (That’s how Indians prounouce Film, its Fl-ims). It was a nice meeting. They are treating me with great respect out here. Being a director carries a lot of weight. I am honored by the respect. So the game show part continued as I drove away to find my back which is a lot easier. The game continues tomorrow as I need to get my visa renewed. Im still on a 30 day visit visa so I need to leave the country every 30 days. I went to Bahrain to visit Darren one month. I went back to surprise Jennifer last month (What a surprise that turned out to be!) and now Im driving to Oman. How do you drive to Oman, not really sure, but that is part of the adventure. What’s poetic about this in a life imitating art sense is that the episode I watched today of the Amazing Race (it aired two weeks ago in the US) had all the contestants traveling through both Dubai and Oman. The producers of the Amazing Race are really doing justice to accurately representing the Middle Eastern Culture here.

Meanwhile on another course of the race, Lady Lebanon was busy trying to get all the permits, schedule the shoot, negotiate the budget, book the crew, arrange catering, and all the other details. Normally this type of production needs about one month pre-production. We have a deadline of Jan. 2. So we only have one week.

We are supposed to start shooting next Tuesday. If you can keep us in prayer it would be appreciated. This is a big production in a foreign country. There are lots of challenges, the deadline and the budget being two of the biggest. But I have an extremely good crew around me. Plus I have a secret weapon. Despite all the activity, I don’t seem to be that busy. I attribute that directly to spending time with God each day. All the details after that seem to sort themselves out.

So yes, my life at the moment does seem like a game show. With the amount of peace and joy I have, I can honestly say its An Amazing Life. That’s not say I don’t have everything perfect in my life. I can no longer speak with my children as they won’t take or return my calls. When they do respond to emails its either heavily influence or written by their mother and/or stepfather and filled with bitterness and hate. Now unfortunately I can’t do anything to fix that, and I’ve tried pretty much every approach. So Im just giving it up to God. I know the relationship is only strained temporarily. I know someday they will see the truth and realize how much I love them. My love for them is absolutely unconditional so no matter what I will love them just the same. I tell them via email and voicemail every chance I get. So how am I so joyful despite this heartbreak? Well I think that is what makes God, God. I can’t dwell on the pain. Im focusing on what I have and that is the hope that our relationship will be restored someday. I have so many other positive things to focus in my life. When I think about everything that I have done, with friends, family and loved ones cheering me on, I can honestly say, It’s an Amazing Life. Still, the best is yet to come.

National Day Part 2

What a great day it was…in so many aspects. I mentioned yesterday that it is National Day today. I just didn’t realize how many Emiratis were out celebrating it. Nearly all of them!!! I don’t think that is much of an exaggeration. We got to the Marina area in Abu Dhabi early around 2:00 PM. Already there were families setting out chairs on the side of the road and setting up picnic barbecue areas. There was a sense of anticipation in the air. What they do for revelry here is to decorate their cars. So many Mercedes, BMW’s, and Corvettes among many others were covered with Emirati flags along with pictures of the leaders. The late Sheikh Zayed, the father of the country, is usually pictured with his two sons on each side. They still hold Sheikh Zayed in such high regard. His portrait is everywhere. I guess it’s a little like how the US treats George Washington.

The atmosphere here is so incredibly festive. Its like the entire country goes to just cruise the streets. People hanging out of the windows of their cars (not very safe I know), or standing up through the sunroof. Emirati flags are being waved with horns honking, engines revving, and boat horns sounding. The big thing is that people shoot silly string and confetti at each other. People will walk up to cars with their window open and spray this confetti like foamy stuff at the people inside and the people inside just spray back. They have a lot of fun doing it. There is such an amazing sense of patriotism and camaraderie that I’ve seldom experienced before.

We got to a festival with my camera man and Lady Lebanon. Lady Lebanon is an amazing producer. She knows how to use her charm well in this region. She is very savvy too. She can get into places and get permission where I probably would not have much of chance because Im a man. Arab men are incredibly respectful of women out here. At least the ones I encountered. There was this traditional dance that we covered. This was really special. It had men with Arabic drums, chanting and dancing along with women dressed in this type of national dress uniform doing another type of dance. There was a big boat race. There were maybe 20 guys in a boat paddling to the encouragement of the captain. There were maybe 20-30 boats in the water. This race is apparently a big deal with people putting a lot of money on these boats. Lady Lebanon was able to sweet talk her way into getting our crew into a boat. So we had a perfect vantage point of the race. We also got some incredible footage of the corniche (Beach road).

Afterwards Lady Lebanon was able to talk her way into one of the nicest hotels in the World, Emirates Palace. Normally crews aren’t allowed to shoot there but we gained access. It seems like everywhere I go, I just keep getting favore thrown upon me, and Im not really doing anything special to deserve it, other than being a child of the King. Now I realize that virtually all of the favor for this shoot has been the result of Lady Lebanon’s skills at producing in this culture. However, meeting her and having her be on this crew was no accident. I believe it was a divine appointment and that is God’s way of continuing to give me favor through indirect ways.

I was able to get away from the Abu Dhabi area around 10 pm. There were still thousands (no exaggeration) of cars descending on the same corniche area. Its now about 1:15 am. As I look out my window in the trendy JBR part of Dubai, there are more cars stacked up now, than there ever were during Eid. I think they are going to be cruising to the early hours of the morning. Traffic is barely moving (It took me an extra 45 min. to get ¼ mile) But everyone stuck in the jam doesn’t seem to mind it all. It just adds to the excitement of it. There is so much unity and pride amongst the Emirati people. It is quite amazing really. Why can’t the media portray that?

Kudos to Qatar for getting the World Cup in 2022. I know a lot of people are complaining about it in the US. Well…the US already had the World Cup. Its nice seeing the Middle East get some representation. Hopefully we can start changing some perceptions and promote understanding of our differing cultures.

National Day

Tomorrow in National (Dec. 2) in the UAE. It is their fourth of July or Cinco De Mayo. As a country the UAE doesn’t have a long history. They will be celebrating their 39^th year of Unity. Before they were governed by the British (who wasn’t?) But in 1971, Sheikh Zayed, a forward thinker united the Sheikhdoms (or states). The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, (because they are ruled by Emirs) which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Dubai is the largest city and the most well known globally. The capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. It is also the country's center of political, industrial, and cultural activities. Abu Dhabi, according to CNN is also the richest city in the world. When Dubai was in trouble from the financial crisis, it was Abu Dhabi that bailed them out. Interestingly (at least to me and my father anyway) the UAE first invited Bahrain (a short 45 min. flight away) to be the centerpoint of the union. At the time of 1971, Bahrain’s economy was thriving because of oil reserves and a strong financial sector. Bahrain turned the UAE down, thinking it didn’t need them. My how things have changed. Many Bahraini’s rue that decision while others like the small island aspect.

Im pretty excited because we are going to do our first shoot tomorrow. We are going down to the corniche (waterfront) to tape some of the festivities taking place. Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to post them like I wanted to. I took my Iphone into the mall to get it unlocked so I could use it with a UAE number. After months of waiting the software was finally ready. Im not sure how legal this is but im trying not to ask too many questions. So the guy in the shop said it would be four hours. So I waited at the mall for four hours, watched a terrible Jackie Chan Movie, and had lunch. Normally I like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat and Hong Kong films. However, instead of subtitles they dub in English voices for the actors. Its horrible. It completely ruins the movies as usually the voice over artists are very sucky actors just trying to get the lip placement right. I tried to write a script a few years back for some anime project. I had to time the syllables with the lip moment. It was tedious and difficult.

We had a dinner meeting tonight with Lady Lebanon and Ali. This is the fourth or fifth type of meeting we had like this. It was over dinner at a French restaurant called Paul, Im not sure if that is a chain in the US or not. The food was fantastic. But as I was sitting their at a very trendy spot on the JBR strip it dawned on me. Im having a session/dinner with the producer, star, and Im the director. Im really a director! They are treating me with that type of professionalism and respect. This is something that I have aspired to become my entire career. I have directed plenty of projects before, but usually as a writer-producer-director, not solely as a director. Plus most of my other projects have been documentary or corporate based. This is one of the first times I’ll be able to implement my vision along with Ali’s to create entertainment programming. Its very exciting. Im not that nervous, especially having Lady Lebanon on board to handle all the details. There are tons of details on projects like this, but we have a small lean crew since we are not big budget yet. We are having to be extremely efficient and resourceful. Its an exciting day, as this is why I came over to the UAE in the first place.

It’s the dawn of a new era in my career. I couldn’t be more excited.