40 minutes drive from Las Vegas; we came to Red Rock Canyon. To the contract of rainbow of casinos, this desolate area is decorated with some astonishing red rock in a vast of grey plain. The rock is sandstone and the Canyon is home to Southern Paiute Native Americans.

Our eyes are continuously looking for excitements. As we were driving along the 13-mile scenic road, a fast moving car way behind us caught my attention. In a big drop of gray where time seems to have stopped, a vivid color penetrated the dullness, like a sexy lady in red walking into a crowd of businessmen in suit.

Luckily enough, I snapped this shot. It could be better, but…

I wonder who was driving that red car under the desert sun that day and how he or she felt that time. Neither did I know the model of car. All these unknowns did not stop me from enjoying the hot spot.

Someone may have bought the expensive car from a prestigious automaker, but I owned and enjoyed the view at least at that moment.

We do not have to be an automaker to drive a car.

We do not have to own a car to enjoy it, because we can rent it.

Software wise, you do not have to be a programmer to use program. You can always buy from people who do it for living.

And you do not have to own software forever, because you can lease it, at least from PVI

We finished 2012 SPE ATCE in San Antonio on Oct 12^th after 3-day conference and exhibition. It was a very good show, especially for drilling software company like ours. This is our booth.

2012 SPE PVI booth

I spent one day walking through exhibition areas and attending presentations. Whenever I attend industry shows, I am always amazed by how many resources being put to make them happen. Companies worldwide ship booth, send people, man the booth and bring them back after only 2 – 3 days. One of our clients had 2-story booth. Their manager told me that the huge booth would be dismantle and put in a storage place waiting to be shipped to the next show. Booths like that are expensive and logically should be used more often.

Our booth is standard 10 X 10 ft. one. We try to be cost-conscious. It is not cheap to ship it to Calgary or Amsterdam. But looking the companies with heavy equipment in the shows like OTC, we feel lucky to be small.

Technologies bring us virtually closer. We can instantly connect with someone on the other side of globe. However, neither e-mail, instant message nor web meetings diminishes the essential of face-to-face meetings. Seeing is believing. We have more conference than before.

To measure the exact return on investment on road shows is difficult. Our feelings have being telling us to do it. And we have been participating more shows every year.

After the SPE ATCE, I went to Las Vegas for a short vacation. We took a cab from Las Vegas airport. Seeing large crowds of people coming from terminals, I asked the driver: “So many people! Is there a big conference here?” He replied: “This is normal. We need more exhibitions.” “I thought you need more gamblers.” I commented. ”Exhibition is gambling!” He raised his voice a bit.

I paused for a moment, like being struck by lighting. I had that feeling before: exhibition does not guarantee the return on money, like betting.

As I was amazed by his marketing insights, the cab driver continued, “People come to exhibit. And they go gamble.” I could not help laughing out. Both my interpretation and his explanation are correct.

While enjoying break in Vegas, we watched David Copperfield’s Illustration and Bellagio’s O-show, the other forms of exhibitions. They are so far from ordinary.

We left Vegas on Saturday. That night, MGM Grand, with more than 5,000 guest rooms, was 100% full. People will continue to gamble, watch shows, and entertain themselves.

We drilling professionals will continue to showcase and attend latest technologies.

A good exhibition is definitely not gambling. It is an all-win event: for organizer, exhibitors and attendees.

I spent quite a few weeks in Dubai teaching drilling software. One day, one trainer came into the class wearing a traditional white garment and a fashionable red cap, with a label “Ferrari World”. The color contrast enticed me to ask what it is. Suddenly, all students started talking about the theme park close to Abu Dhabi, which they visited during the weekend.” “You should go. It has the fastest roller coaster in the world, simulating F1 race car!” They all got excited.

Sure enough, I went there on the following weekend and had a whale of a time. It was about 1 hour drive from Dubai. Human being is always dreaming to achieve higher speed. We were fascinated by Jamaican Usain Bolt’s performance at 100 meters sprint event at the 2012 Olympic Games (Olympic record time of 9.63 seconds). In 2012 Olympic Games, there are 302 events and I counted that 124 of them are speed related.

We not only try to run fast, but also invent machines or tool to enable us to acquire higher speeds, including bike, car, boat, air place ,etc. But what I experienced in Ferrari World is so extraordinary that I will remember it forever. Here are the 2 pictures of the park and ride.

Ferrari World

The Thrill of Roso - The world’s Fastest Roller Coaster

The world’s fastest roller coaster has seats like those of F1 cockpit. We all had to wear safety goggles as we blasted away 52 m into the sky. The track is 2.07 km with sharpest turn of 70 degree. The most shocking trending is at the beginning when the coaster reached 100 km/ hr. within 2 seconds and then 240 km/h in 4.9 seconds, with 4.8 gs. I never felt so sudden and strong push on my back before. Then I felt the wind, trying to tear my skin off my face. That was the first time I felt the goggles was extremely necessary.  Scream was our speech. Adrenalin rushed into blood. The world was falling behind us. We died and came back to life as we crossed the fishing line like heroes.

When we resumed our training next day, I echoed their expression in Ferrari World. I also added “Now that you have equipped yourselves with our cementing software, it is like if you are a driver in a Ferrari!"

Our software training session continued into Ramadan period in Dubai.  On the 1st day (July 20), hotel sent a sheet with some information about Ramadan to all guests. I put some of the warnings here.

“1.           It is illegal to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours (including in your car). Urban legend has it that you end up in jail for the remainder of the month of Ramadan if caught (the law says a fine up to 2000 dhs or a one-month jail sentence as far as we know), however it is more likely that you’ll get a lecture from the police and possibly a fine.

2.              It is respectful and polite to dress more conservatively during Ramadan – shoulders and legs should be covered.

3.              Almost all restaurant and cafes will be closed during the day but many will extend their opening hours at night.

4.              There will be a few eating outlets open during the day for dine-in customers in larger hotels and shopping centers.  Some fast food restaurants allow drive through or take outs.

5.              Bars in Dubai are usually still open but patrons will be asked what religion they are and refused entry if they are Muslim. Live and loud music is banned, so is dancing. Bars in Abu Dhabi might be closed.  Bars in Ras Al Khaiman stay open.  Bars in Sharjah don’t exist.

6.              Car stereos should be turned down.”

Local newspaper started publishing articles about keeping healthy during Ramadan.

I also survived the very 1st day of Ramadan. I was sightseeing on the street on Friday (their weekend). The afternoon heat made me thirsty like I was in the oven. Finally I saw a stand selling coconut water. I bought it but was advised not to drink on the street. Eventually, I found a metro station and went into a restroom to quench my thirst. . .

For a visitor like me, coming to a place like Dubai during Ramadan is not a good choice.  As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, stores often profit, Ramadan is by nature a time of self-restraint.  The idea is that through fasting, people experience hunger and thirst, and sympathize with those in the world who have little to eat every day.  Visitors might feel inconvenient, as almost restaurants and cafes are closed during the day.

But people who are fasting can enjoy quite a few physiological benefits including weight managements, lower of blood sugar, cholesterol, and the systolic blood pressure, etc. Peace and tranquility are achieved through fasting.  Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases.

There is a reason for everything. I appreciate this opportunity of being there witnessing people doing fine in Ramadan. We live in a world of interruption. Arguably, eating multiple times a day is a kind of interruption to our body. During fasting, when the body’s energy is not being consumed to digest food, it can be directed forward building up the immune system.

Parallelly thinking, our daily life is full of interruption, with the greatest sources of interruption being our computers and mobile phones.  Yes, they are convenient, resourceful. But many have found that great clarity and a fresh perspective can be achieved by temporarily unplugging ourselves from the grid and grabbing pens and paper to sketch out our ideas.

Dr. Medina, author of the best-selling book “Brain Rules” (Pear Press, 2009) cites “When you’re always online, you’re always distracted”. “We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously”.

Giving up something to gain certain benefits is not only restricted to food we eat. It probably helps to “fasting” on information we take daily.

Oops, should this article to be in your ‘fasting” list?

Dubai. 1:00pm. 42°C. I finished the software training and planned on heading to the neighboring Mall of the Emirates to eat at an Iranian restaurant for lunch. It was brutal outside: millions of the sun’s rays hit the sandy surface. The scorching heat was a monster engulfing every living creature outside.

The idea hit me that I should get an umbrella. Upon my request, the hotel staff fetched a slim umbrella with a clear plastic film. Looking surprised, I asked, “Is this for rain or the sun?”

“It is specially designed to protect you from the sun,” he explained.

On my way to the mall, under the sun and the clear umbrella, I could not help but laugh at myself: the sole purpose of an umbrella in a city, where any rain would be newsworthy, is probably for the sun. How could I overlook something so obvious?

Maybe the clear plastic was a high-tech material such as ceramic that blocked more UV rays than cloth, while still allowing you the pleasure of viewing your surroundings, just like the window coating on my car. When I did my front side window coating, the shop technician told me that the clear one (not the dark coating) actually blocks more harmful rays.

Suddenly, it did not feel as hot under the umbrella. It might have been the film rejecting the heat or just my wishful thinking. To verify this, I extended my hand and arm outside of the umbrella and pulled them back in. You know what? It felt noticeably different: it was much less irritating when my hand and arm were under the umbrella. I repeated the experiment and was pretty sure about my feeling. I even closed my eyes when doing it.

Upon entering the mall, I collapsed the umbrella. Of course, there was no rainwater forming earthworms on the floor. But I could almost feel millions of heated air molecules falling and bumping around.