Someday Someplace...

Lost

2008-08-16T02:07:00.000+04:00

Lately, I've been unable to sleep peacefully. I am so lost and unable to focus. my feelings are so reverse.

About until 1.5 years ago, ppl always asked me what plans I had in life ahead, where I was heading, where do I see myself etc. and I never had an answer. I was someone who took life per day, as it came. I dint have any set plans and decided what to do and how as things came through. I was happy that way.

Until now, nobody really asks me those questions anymore. I'm done with my studies (the essential part, further is optional and I dont see something available, of my choice, in Dubai). I have a job I like (mostly, I guess). I dont have any financial burdens. But, NOW is the time I cant find myself at peace. I am constantly worrying about what lies ahead. So many things happening around me, I cant seem to be affected or show my emotion/reaction to any of it. I'm just there, cold. Unaffected.

Is something wrong with me?

Trust me, the simplest of things can make me happy. It doesnt take much to put a genuine smile on my face. Doesnt seem to be the case anymore. I would get excited about the slightest thing. Now, I'm just normal, like nothing happened/ is happening. I was loud and hyper and always showing some initiative, volunteering for things around me. Now, I just sit there, unaffected with a 'couldnt be bothered' attitude.

My mind is always worried about my future. Maybe its because so far, I had these goals to accomplish. Not that I had set, but goals you are 'supposed to' meet by this age. There was always something to look forward to. Something to do next. All of that seems to have come to an end now. I SO dont know what to do.

I just cannot find myself at peace, to be able to relax. Worst of all, I have this ability to sleep for 12-14 hours at a stretch, after that, I'm like a bunny on energiser battery. Again, NOW when I get out of my sleeping beauty mode, I still have dark circles..why? cuz all those hours I slept, I kept having some nasty dreams.

I've mentioned about my grandma before, well shes away for a while now and will be, for the next few months. You have NO IDEA how much things have changed at home. My family life couldnt be better. Everyone is so relaxed. No more stupid nonsensical rules. Everyone is free to do things at their will. Best of all - no restrictions on the kitchen, who to touch, when to touch, when to do what. Basically, we feel like we're living a practical life now. But instead of enjoying all of this while shes back. I'm numb.

I need help. I'm missing something that has always been there. Without that, I just cant seem to be myself anymore. I havent lost hope. I just hope I can be myself again..seems very difficult and a tiring effort but.. I'll try.. I just need time..maybe?

I just CANNOT CANNOT find myself to be at peace.

Random! Random! Update! Update! Random Update!!

2008-08-05T08:58:00.003+04:00

Its been a year.. exactly a year now. A lot has changed. Way tooo much has changed. Well in my last post, a year ago, I mentioned I’m taking a gamble on a job. Turned out well. After 2 months of working as a temp, I was offered a permanent position, which I duly declined. Another month later I was offered a higher and better position, which I accepted. 6 months ahead, a raise.

Contradictory to my friends, I'm enjoying my life - post graduation. I don’t really miss being a student so much, probably cuz of the pains I went through to finally complete my degree (not so much with flying colors) but I did it!!!! And it feels great. All the pain and effort and fighting and sleepless nights and tension and worries, really paid off. People really look at you differently when you’re out there starting a career – irrespective of the kind of experience you have. Lucky for me, I’m placed in an industry of my interest and also had relevant experience and my education backs my skills.

I’d really lost interest in Blogging. Like Gautam said recently ‘who Josh chala gaya’. Firstly, I was bored of the same ‘ol ranting, same ‘ol shit on everyones blog, I dint bother to keep track. I got so busy with work and my social life (which was almost non existent during college). A social life that I had time for! Anything that happened I could actually discuss it, debate it, laugh at , complain along – all with my friends, collegues, ppl I know ppl who had a better judgement of me. I realized when I blogged, I let out incomplete info on what I was talking about. I could never give everyone a clear picture of where I'm getting at, cuz you HAVE to self censor on the internet . Discussing stuff with ppl you know, around you , who give you an immediate feedback is a better stress reliever. Seriously ppl, just TALK. But please find someone who wants to listen . Don’t go around boring ppl.

I’m so glad I have a strong support system. Been through a shocking change in my life that has left me a lil low. Low on life. Low on self confidence. I react to everything like its all blah. Nothing really matters. Trying to keep myself busy. Change being, a relationship that lasted 6 years has come to an end. I cant say I wasn’t expecting it. Always knew it was bound to happen one day. Knowing this fact I thought It’d be easy to manage. Not likely so. Its practically terrible and devastating. Man, if a relationship feels like that, what does a divorce feel like? But usually ppl get divorced when they don’t want to be with each other. At least here I know that’s not the case. I hope.

I don’t know how often or if I really will blog further, but since its off season for me at work , leaves me with lotsa time to browse around.. I’m seeing loads of new blogs mushrooming around. Pretty interesting ones too. I wont stick to particular blogs anymore, just read what gets updated. Blogging trend has changed as well. I notice ppl are a lot more personal on their blogs than before, all the hula baloo of getting a common platform and discussing community issues seems to have died down. Pretty much expected. Most issues remain untouched and everyone is convinced they aren’t singled out. Once in a while you see good info and useful incidents blogged about, good to share experiences. I also noticed that whoever moves away from the UAE feels more at liberty to publish their pictures on their blogs!

Here's leaving you with two incident from my favorite clan in the world.

Incident I

Me : Hey, do you know which state in India does ‘xyz’ belong to?

S (member of said clan) : ummm.. no..

Me: hey never mind, I found it thanx. Its in Kerela!

S : But you asked me where in India...?

Incident II

My brother waiting in line outside the Indian Consulate to get his passport renewed.

Some guy from God's own country : passport renewal?

My brother : yea

Guy : Which nationality?

***

Ponderings

2007-08-05T22:29:00.000+04:00

Recently, I was a part of a discussion on blogs. A few questions were shot out as us that really got me thinking once I got home. One of them was.. ‘Why can’t people just be normal and stop protesting (not in real terms) against the government and the locals here’ or something similar to the extent.

My question is .. WHO decides what is normal? Why would the expatriates here, NOT want something normal. Do the government and the local population of the UAE, realise, what the expatriates ask for.. IS normal in their world? Yes, it very much is normal back home, and the reason the left that and came here was that no-one told them about the abnormal cultural differences. When you advertise your country (yes your country, I’d love to call it mine, if only it accepted me as its own) and portray it to be better than living in your own, they seem to miss out on the aspects that they know would pose as a cultural/social shock.

I don’t think this system exists but, like when you apply for a visa to certain other countries (Canada, Australia, etc), its compulsory to attend something like a seminar, giving the applicants a summary of the basic rules, regulations, climatic conditions, etc about the country. Given a country like UAE or at least a city like Dubai, don’t you think its compulsory to make such an arrangement to make the incoming population aware of what they should expect? THAT would be the most appropriate time to tell the immigrants ‘if you don’t like it, LEAVE!’. Not when you shift your entire world around and then are left with little or no choice, but to stay for a good amount of time.

Again, a counter argument would be, you KNOW you’re moving to another part of the world and should expect a change. But change to what extent? Cant there be a line in the middle when there is some tolerance and some carrying forward of the culture of the land you reside in? where did all this resistance to accept one another arise from?

To my understanding, one of the reasons to this was, the literacy levels among the local population.. initially when ppl came to create infrastructures on this land, they were welcomed and both sides made use of the opportunities. Everyone was happy, everyone was friendly and every old uncle, aunt, relative, been here for more than 20 years knew some or the other Sheikh personally and would rave about their hospitality. Suddenly, after the local population started acknowledging the importance of international education (we’re talking 2^nd -3^rd generation UAE nationals), they seem to view the same expatriates as a threat to their country. I’m not making a judgment here, maybe its just how I see it, cuz I know a few UAE nationals are going to be reading this and I cant decide if this could be offending or not.

My post doesn’t really make a point, but just some thoughts that went around my head. There were more questions that I want to write about, but maybe later.

On a personal note, I’ve started working again, its okay.. fun cuz I have friends all around, some ppl think it’s a bad move to settle for what I’m doing. But I hope in the long run I benefit out of some upper edge I think this job will bring about. Its long run thinking, more like a gamble. Anyway, I’m still young and my friends, relatives and previous employers have shown faith in my potential. I only hope to make use of it the right way.

Until next time I find some time to peacefully write another post, Adios!

Ayurvedic Medicine

2007-07-19T16:29:00.000+04:00

Click on Image for larger view

Letter to myself

2007-07-19T00:28:00.000+04:00

Hellooo !! After a looong time I have decided to write. Well all is well so far. I have been enjoying life post exams. I haven’t worked, studied, job hunted for an entire month and a half. And suddenly after an interview yesterday I think the job hunting kida has set in (yes I can picture a few friends smiling). I haven’t even started yet but I feel like it now.

For the first time now, I will be actually looking for a job, focusing on the actual work and the nature of the organisation as opposed to focusing on the package, timing and location earlier. For once I am looking for a job that needs me to use my brains and not come at a specific time, do something replaceable and go. Yes I know it’s said that “if you’re not replaceable you cannot be promoted” but, what I should be doing should make a difference. I know I’m still young and shouldn’t expect that much but I’m hoping I land somewhere close to such a thing.

I actually thought that after my exams, within a week – 10 days I’d be bored and start job hunting and probably join SALSA classes to keep myself busy and get in shape! But I have absolutely NO TIME! HAHA and I LOVE it! I haven’t socialized like that ever. Call me awara, rolu, whatever, you have to take out some time to just enjoy your life when you haven’t had a vacation in 3 years. I was pretty disappointed when my trip to Cochin was cancelled. Well its not worse than having the wedding being called off :s. I needed a vacation and couldn’t get one and that was getting to me. My dad wouldn’t let me travel alone even though I had friends where I wanted to go. But I think this long stay at home (hardly) has been like a vacation, ignoring the usual spats with my Grandma.

I must say, Salik wasn’t all that bad cuz the existence of the Business Bay bridge and the Floating bridge has helped. So in a way there are alternatives. Somehow I always see the way to the Shindaga tunnel blocked.

I’m in kind of a weird phase now. I don’t really have anything planned. For some reason, I don’t WANT to have plans. I know I’m probably just gonna feel like that as long as I have some dough on me. But I don’t really want to wait till it runs out.. cuz there’s nobody sitting there waiting for me to come and work with them.

I don’t know.. maybe its just the whole wait that has left me disappointed. I realizing now..from the last 10 years I’ve been waiting PATIENTLY for this phase to get over.. for the good stuff to begin. 10 FREAKING years now. 11 or 12 actually, but it took 1or 2 years for it to actually hit me (talking about my acute scoliosis here). I survived it, I am continuously grateful for the way I still turned out but I actually waited for a release. Waiting for the next period to begin. And it HAS ended. Only..I’m still left with the same me. Nothing really changed. Except that, I am definitely wiser, more confident and experienced. But I am physically the same. The part that I WANTED to or was HOPING for.. hasn’t changed. Its still a part of me, and always with me. And I knew it. Then why was I expecting or secretly hoping for it to go away? I keep telling everyone this is it. Nothing beyond this can be done. But somehow, resided inside me those wishes for it to go away and present myself ‘revamped’ in front of the world. A part of me, still does. I hope one day, I get over it. I think this was one of the things running on my mind when I wrote my previous entry.

Staying at home has given me enough time to finally get back to some reading. In the last 3-4 years, I read..what.. 2 books? Not that I’m reading so much now, but I plan/ hope to. In the past few years I’ve only been reading books for college, blogs, and random articles online. Hey, at least I kept my reading kida alive (yes, I use that word a lot). I’m so confused about what I like to read. There’s no particular genre I like. I stand in front of a selection of books for a good amount of time before I pick out something. But I know what I DON’T like! I hate romantic novels and lovey dovey stuff or series of mystery thrills. Even when I was younger, never read those Nancy Drews or Hardy boys.. even now.. I cant read a Daniel Steel or the like. Reading more than 3 books from the same author is like watching an Ekta Kapoor serial. You can say the dialogue before the character will.

Anyways, that all for now, bits and pieces of things on my mind. Will fill in, when I feel like next or when something important takes place. Adios

Confused.. looser

2007-05-13T01:09:00.000+04:00

you know those times when you wished things had'nt been the way they were..well in my case right now.. I cant think of a better way things would have gone otherwise anyway.. practically speaking...

So I'm lost.. and I feel like a big looser

lost lost lost.. and dont know where I'm heading..

Changes.. small small changes but alot.. but you know you cant make them on you're own and you know even if you had the choice.. you wouldnt be able to.

Dream on.

Frankly.. I think I'm jealous of ppl I see.. who have by now achieved a lot more or atleast are settling or atleast on their way.. and they dint really have to try that much.. actually thats how I see it..and I feel like..after all that I did and went through..I'm still here and have nooo hopes left.. trust me.. for once I was one of the ppl who never lost hope.. who pressed others to keep hope.. and now.. I'm just losing confidence in my self..

Its not like everything is over.. but now.. at this point so much can happen. Or not.

I think I just need something to encourage that hope within me..that zest I once had. But I'm gonna keep trying. Thats what I'm making myself believe.

I got visitors...

2007-04-27T17:16:00.000+04:00

Did you see the tag line for blogger script in Hindi मामू ?

2007-04-17T02:34:00.000+04:00

हमे तुमसे प्यार कितना यह हम नही जानते मगर जी नही सकते...तुम्हारे सिवा

wow this is soo cool! hehe I can type in Hindi without having to bother about spelling.. lol

Note: the above is a line from a song, consider it as a test

Post work and not a day for dessert

2007-03-26T21:54:00.000+04:00

In my last post I’d written about what was going to change, well all of it hasn’t happened yet but life is different already.

Firstly, the very next day of my non-working life, I did get my hands on a car, which is all mine 90% of the time! Which is coooool, but..yes BUT, now that I can come and go whenever and wherever I want, It has set me on an endless shopping spree! It’s like I haven’t shopped for ages. I don’t think I have spent so much at once while I had a continuous source of income than now when I don’t. Every time I say to myself this will be the last, something or the other comes up, that I HAVE to buy, or I NEED to buy or I gotta gift.

Hopefully, it will stop eventually cuz it has slowed down already. But along with the shopping it is sooo easy to get your errands done since I don’t have to beg anyone anymore and I don’t have to wait. I’m kinda edgy, when I want something done or got something to do, I like to be over with it at the earliest. Also, when I start something, I have to finish it myself, I am very bad at delegation.

Again before I left my job, I was nervous that I’d always be called back for some or the other clarifications. Luckily for the replacement, I turned out to be a very good trainer (I’m only saying this because she said it), not only was she confident after the 5 day handover, she actually told my boss that she has never ever come across a training like this one, where she actually felt so confident on taking over. Duh! I provided her with a 12 page – ‘Harsha’s job for dummies’ catalog.

My see off was good, boss dearest took us to nice well known restaurant where we feasted on some good food and very very very heavy and ‘could send you on a years diet’ type dessert. The only thing I miss about work is, my peace, my space and my whenever I want access to a system and the World Wide Web, which I don’t get at home.

I haven’t stayed at home like that for the last 3 years; my previous 2 leaves were spent among my books. Only this time I’m actually THERE at home, much to my lil brother’s dislike. So, along with change in routines (mine), I brought about some changes at home at well.

Routine-wise, I’ve been living like an owl, I like studying at night which means I get up... jusst in time for lunch... (Isn’t that true Dubai style life?), I have someone managed to lose some weight as well, I don’t know how, but I did.

Since I’m at home, I decided to keep trying out some new stuff in the kitchen whenever I can. I love trying out new recipes, but the ingredients I can use in my house are very limited.

Let me educate you about this. We’re vegetarians. By ‘we’ I mean my family. I have an orthodox grandma that lives with us. Therefore in my house, meat, sea-food, anything even slightly pre-cooked isn’t allowed in the kitchen. We have a separate cabinet where we store our junk food and things like bread, butter etc. Vegetables like onions and garlic are forbidden as well. Among 5 people in the house, we have 3 refrigerators, all for separate purposes.

Forget food, anybody not belonging to our community is not welcome in the kitchen and is given the complete ‘untouchable’ treatment by her(she does it in a discrete manner, the person may not realize it but some actions are so embarrassing, its difficult to give explanations at that point). You think Dubai is racist? You think etisalat sucks cuz you don’t have communication services? Come and live in my house with my grandma, racism, traffic and bad customer service is secondary when you can’t eat what you want in your own house.

Anyhoo, yesterday I decided to make use of the time that I had in the kitchen after I dropped her off to the temple. There’s this quick chocolate pudding that I hadn’t made in a long time. Not having cooked in a long time, I’d mixed up the slow and the fast buttons on the blender and while using it, sprayed the batter ALL OVER THE KITCHEN. Including the spinach mom was preparing for dinner and all over my clothes, kitchen floor, everywhere everywhere everywhere. After I finished cleaning the whole kitchen and my clothes, I half heartedly finished the rest of the pudding and kept it to set in the freezer.

After dinner I was still upset with my evenings endeavors and decided to treat myself with an ice-cream. I fetch myself a chocolate ice-cream bar and while pulling it out, I realize its stuck a lil. I carefully pull and it breaks into half…..not my day for dessert.

Anyways , the pudding turned to be okay, but just the whole process of rushing made me sit and mentally bitch to myself about the way things are in my house, and its then that I probably realized why the issues commonly discussed around the blogs here dint bother me so much before. Maybe its because I never really had anything to compare to…or maybe my ‘social’ troubles were predominated within my own home. Anyway, I’m not really in a mood to elaborate on what else goes on at home, I love my family but some people need to be taught to conform to time.

I don’t mind any questions by the way.

Du

2007-02-26T09:30:00.000+04:00

Anyone got a DU sim card, try this:

Save the Du number on an etisalat sim under the name say "Harsha"

Now, dial the same number with a prefix "050" instead of the "055". Eg 050123456 instead of 055123456, from the Etisalat sim.

It'll show calling 'Harsha' for a second and then 'Network Error'. Shouldn't be happening right?

Btw, so far, the network for Du isnt that strong.

Change

2007-02-26T00:39:00.000+04:00

Hi, its been a while.. but my life had more or less been the same.. going smoothly.. things running.. usual ups and downs to deal with.. life was good until everything decided to or is deciding to change. Not that I dint see it coming..but I hadn’t realized it’d all happen together.

Change #1 The luuuurrve of my life has moved away. Well for a while, but it kinda feels like shit here. And it’s the same for him. It just feels so ‘insecure’ (very rightly and oh so thoughtfully described by Dhruv). We’re going on.. but its weird.. I constantly need to let things out, express myself, need to give away a look that suffices for a comment. Cant do that ( I have a VERY expressive face). Its only been ..almost 3 weeks , aur yeh haal hai. Gotta get through the rest of the months. I just hope but the time we get back, we aren’t used to our new routines and people by then and not require each other anymore. Unlikely to happen though. But you never know.. things never happen the way you plan them. I’m glad, else life would’ve been such a BORE!

Change #2 I quit my Job! After 2 and a half years.. I did it.. after so many attempts and inspite of all the sweet talk from my sweet boss, I finally did it! I’m actually training someone these days to take over (and fuck that’s tiring). Though my boss doesn’t believe I haven’t planned my next move (i.e what I’m gonna do after my exams this year), he thinks I’m too smart to not have. All in all I can say is, I’ve really enjoyed working this while and discovered new levels of responsibility and capabilities within myself that I wouldn’t have without having been pushed so far.

Change # 3 I have a braaaand new insaan in my family !!! My very first nephew! Even though he’s my cousins son, its just sooo exciting. This is the first offspring from any of my cousins on either side!! Ooooh I hadn’t even seen my own brother when he was born in less than 24 hours.. kya tamatar lag raha tha!! Uff. Mashallah* (word just tried to correct mashallah and change it into ‘mash allah’), but I don’t like his name that much, sounds like a girls name. Especially when you write it in English. Definitely a girls name.

Change# 4 I’ll graduate this year. Inshallah*. This is one of the reasons I quit my job. I need time and some dedication. I wanna get over with it. And after that, I’m not gonna rush into any further studies. Not that I’m not happy with what I’m doing.. but.. I never got to do what I really wanted to do. Not the next time. I want to make sure I have all possible constraints under control before I take the next step, so that I can do what I really really enjoy and can put my heart to. Because time has only proven I am good at it and everyone around me encourages me to do so. Biggest problem is.. I need time. Like Gautam once mentioned in his blog post about Curry boys, Curry girls also have some clichés to adhere to. Once an Indian girl graduates, she cant just be. She has to be doing 2 things at the same time. You cant be left alone to just work. You either start your masters and you get engaged or work and get engaged or do your masters and work . a-ah no ways can you just… work… or just.. study. Theres no real pressure to get married.. but engaged yea.. you have to .(btw getting engaged in the subcontinent, is a whole other concept compared to the ‘western countries’ )

Anyways I’m not elaborating on other changes like.. I’m finally turn 21 (whats the big deal?)..my mom will finally let me drive alone 9pls note, this is yet to happen). I'm a little freaked out after a recent conversation with someone almost double my age. Someone I thought was soo happy and content, has been through.. the most heart wrenching drama that I have only seen in movies.. and worse. Thinking about it just makes me ponder on how my life would be. If I’m only 20 and keep hoping that it’ll all be over soon.. I still got a LOOOONGGG road ahead. Actually. Its freaky..

Anyways.. retail therepy helps as usual. Check out my new ‘ balls puncturers’(given my height, lifting my leg a straight up enables me to puncture someones balls with these) :

Besides that..

I miss you baby.

* I’m not a Muslim, I’m probably just hanging around with a lot of people, these days, who use those words a lot.

Men

2007-02-03T14:29:00.000+04:00

This was too good a forward to not share.

I dedicate this to Taunted.

For all those men who say, Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free. Here's an update for you: Now days, 80% of
women are against marriage, WHY? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage.

1. Men are like . ..Laxatives ...... They irritate the crap out of you.
2. Men are like. Bananas ....... The older they get, the less firm they are.
3. Men are like ! ;......Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.
4. Men are like ........Blenders You need One, but you're not quite sure why.
5. Men are like ..... Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.
6. Men are like .... Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they say.
7. Men are like Department Stores ..... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.
8. Men are like ......Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long to mature.
9. Men are like .... .Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of emotion.
10. Men are like .Popcorn . They satisfy you, but only for a little while.
11. Men are like Snowstorms .... You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.
12. Men are like ........ Lava Lamps .... Fun to look at, but not very bright.
13. Men are like Parking Spots ................. All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicnisapped.

I dont understand...

2007-01-05T17:19:00.000+04:00

Why VH1 dedicated an entire 30 minute slot to dissing Paris Hilton. Why give her the importance if they dont think she deserves any in the first place?

Nothing can replace it

2006-12-26T11:02:00.000+04:00

Does anyone else find this ad distasteful?
(for water)

To judge or not to judge

2006-12-24T01:43:00.000+04:00

Does making comments on someone’s blog enable another to figure you all out? One might think leaving traces of your thoughts and opinions in addition to else’s, helps random people on the internet gain an insight on ones personality. How many bloggers online are exactly the same as they are in their normal lives? I think not. (I’ve even come across people admitting the same, people I know personally and online)

As people, we have this common urge to make judgments about other people we come across. As soon as we come across a new person we want to label them immediately and model our conversations with them accordingly. I guess the same goes for interactions we have with people online. We don’t know them, but in a quest to categorize the person, we base our decision on how much ever we know of them. Obviously, there really isn’t a choice. How much more can you know anyway?

Everyone is guilty of making judgments. Never believe a person who denies it. Only the methods differ. Some like to place the individual almost on the first immediate point of contact/ interaction/ communication. Others like to give the person some time. Some like not to judge at all or try to stray away from bias as much as they can, but at the back of their heads, they DO have an opinion.

My personal method can be explained by a combination of 2. Immediately making a lil note of my decision in the first instance. Setting it aside to provide some buffer time, getting to know better or learn better. Ultimately weighing out all the possible communications I’ve had with the person during that time and then comparing it to my first impression. 90% of the time absolutely right. 10% still wrong. Not bad me thinks.

As far as people I meet online esp. via blogging. Mostly right. It’s the people I meet in reality for the first time is when I make the mistakes. Its okay. I don’t HAVE to judge. Its something that helps you get around – socially. Cater to the different kinds of people and gel in. Helps me grow. Probably cuz, online – it’s just the persons raw opinions we deal with. Face to face or working life/ educational life/ etc, theres more to thoughts. In fact the persons actual thoughts is the last thing you know. We’re dealing with expressions, body language, etc and everything needs to be evaluated.

So, how do you know a person in his/her true self? Which one do you think is a better way to evaluate a person – out of the two: Online or in the flesh?

Sometimes we are disappointed by our own judgments. Other times they come as positive surprises and we are glad we were wrong. Story time:

I recently judged a person incorrectly. Well partly at least. There is this girl in one or two of my classes. From the very beginning I even saw her around college, I hated her. I thought very little of her. I despised the way she spoke, carried about her studies – this lead to detesting many other things about her. All in all, I dint want anything to do with her. But recently, on an outing with friends, she had come along. I tried my best to avoid her and made sure we dint get into each others way. But the weather had other plans. Finally, I did interact with her, kinda spoke to her, hung around and even had fun! I figured she’s a really nice, sporty and kind person. I was disappointed by my opinion I held against her, but trust me, when she’s in class, Uff I hate her, she makes the class miserable. hehe. When she talks in class, I want to strangle her. Conclusion – stay away from her in college – have fun outside!

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

2006-12-23T10:24:00.000+04:00

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker
Artist: Sandi Thom
Album: Smile... It Confuses People

[Chorus:]
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In '77 and '69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar
Not everybody drove a car
When music really mattered and when radio was king
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything

[Chorus]

When pop stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when god saved the queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
My mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

[Chorus]

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs
And playing games meant kick arounds
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

[Chorus]

I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

I really like this song. Though it came out a while ago, I still like listening to it and singing along.

No, I don’t wish I was a punk rocker, but I do wish I had flowers in my hair! ( I love fresh flowers and loathe even at the sight of artificial flowers)

hmmm.. and I don’t think I was born too late either. Something my mom would disagree with. Since I was actually born 4 days later than I was due – for which she had to stay in the hospital 4 extra days.
And seriously! I wore a LOT of hand me downs. I used to idolise my cousin sisters and loved growing up wearing their clothes! The kids these days.. uff like as if their parents are gearing them up for ‘America’s next top model’. Whats with that??

Anyways.. this song has become one of my all time favorites.

Like I said...I prefer talking.

2006-12-21T15:54:00.000+04:00

My blog was temporarily off for a while. Though it wasn’t a temporary plan. I just took it off. I have no idea why. I just did. I guess mainly because, I had nothing to say… that I freely COULD say. There’s a lot that I always want to talk about, a lot that goes on in my head that I could say, things I arrive at, but I don’t cuz explaining those things would make me want to talk about the people involved and I cant publish that (cuz then they’d know what I really think about them or their situation). People I know read this blog. Even if I WAS anonymous, blogging is catching up and there are chances someone would come across my blog and read it and figure out anyway. ( It did happen recently. Someone I know used to read my blog and knew me personally and never realized I was the same person)

All in all, I’m kinda done with the rush of maintaining a blog. I thought blogging in general would tire out for me, but it’s been a year and I’m still hooked. But perceptions have changed. Blogging sure has been a learning experience. Some bitter some knowledgeable. It can be said that, it’s a lil hard to convince me about things than it was before. I try to do my own lil research before arriving at anything (or at least I try to). I completely stick to the initial impressions I create about bloggers, even after denial, in a while, I have proven to be right. Discussing fellow bloggers in not what I like to do…anymore. Getting to know fellow bloggers personally may not be a very good idea (this I learnt from others). And after writing this para I feel I’m generalizing too much.

Another frequent common subject among blogs here (actually most places) is rants. I’m done with it. I can’t take ppl complaining anymore. I try not to whine either. Doesn’t help. I’ve planned to start doing something about the situation on the spot (READ: situation , not issues). Mainly, just stand up for what you’re thinking at the moment and DO IT.

Let me give you one tiny example.

About 10 days ago I needed to go Bur Dubai to get a new mobile for myself. After 15-20 mins of looking for parking, me and mom just waited in a parking area for a while. Within seconds we saw a man approaching his car to vacate a parking space. My mom was driving so she put on her indicator and waited. Before this guy could even take his car out, another car overtook us and positioned itself to park straight into the parking, blocking us. I then decided to get off the car and go and stand there so that mom could park. (she’d have to move away giving space for the current parked car to get out thus giving enough time for the ‘overtaker’ to park).. this guy almost ran over me. I start tapping at his bumper and ask him what he thought he was doing. He says ‘I’m parking.. get out of my way’ after which results in an outbreak of and entire lecture on signaling when parking, over taking, rules breaking, driving ethics and everything you can think off…in a calm and controlled tone. No use. His defense? “I’m waiting here from half an hour and you just came sometime ago, I should get the parking because I’m waiting for so long, you cant just come and park like that, I should get this parking because you JUST came” You can label him now.

Anyways, long story short, I argued and told him I know frustrated he is but I don’t know how the fucking hell his got his license. He continued to try and park and talk in a very misbehaved manner. I ended up opening his door and standing there till he apologized and moved (luckily it wasn’t locked). Gave him another lecture about how manner less he was. Finally he did move.

ALL THAT... for a parking space. Is it so frustrating? You can’t behave morally and follow the rules? In all the time he spent there acting like a completely illogical idiot (which he carried out successfully), he could have just taken another round and found another parking. Anyhoo.. I felt good about it. That I actually fought that guy and dint let him go and come here and blog about how angry I felt at that point of time. ( I did eventually end up blogging about it anyway!!)

Writing all this reminded me of another time when I was called for an interview to a company who were the sole agents of a very famous sports equipment brand. When I arrived there – the office was closed!! I had sacrificed my precious lunch break for this interview. I scribbled a note that said something on the lines of “ Had a scheduled appointment for an interview at *whatever time it was*, office closed. Very professional, I wouldn’t want to work here. Thank you” and slipped it under the door.

Later that day, I got a call from an apologizing Managing Director asking to re schedule the interview. (I was initially to meet the general manager)

I dint get the job anyway, I couldn’t commit to their working hours with college and stuff, but again, it felt good.

A different ending:
Later that day after the whole fight in the parking lot episode, I asked my mum if she was worried while I was battling that guy (she was sitting the car and watching me all the while). She says “ No, I was ready to get out incase he made any advances, but I wanted to see who’d win. And I knew you’d win the argument”. At this instance Harsha goes into a daze of proud feelings that her mom has so much confidence in her, which in broken by the continuance of her mother’s voice “after all you were hungry. We were right outside Puranmal , you were craving for that Raj Kachori. If the same thing happened after you had your tummy full. You would have let that tired man go”

Which Cocktail Are You?

2006-11-09T15:08:00.000+04:00

You're a tequila sunrise, tequila, orange juice and a grenadine sunrise. One of the most popular cocktails your friends mean the world to you and you're always eager to entertain them. You're playful, musical and always surrounded by people!
Take this quiz!

Cars or Kanduras?

2006-10-26T16:14:00.000+04:00

(Courtesy : Gulf News)

How accomodating are we?

2006-10-15T14:13:00.000+04:00

Lately, since the beginning of Ramadan, a lot of discussions have been on about the ban on eating in public during the fasting hours. Though I personally feel its making the whole task of fasting easier, which is what its not supposed to be, I really never had any reservations about it. This being because every year of my life has had a month during which we've had shorter hours of schooling or working, we've carried on our meals the usual way without being bothered - within our homes and also spent late night outings with family either shopping or having a picnic or strolling around the Ramadan fairs, markets etc. Never really had a Ramadan without late nights out with famlily. And ofcourse at the end of it all comes the Eid Holidays. And from the last 3 years (including this one), Eid and Diwali ( the Hindu New Year) have been falling at the same time. Truly festive atmosphere. Everyone is busy shopping, painting, cleaning, redeorating houses, and gobbling lots and lots of delicious varieties of food specialities and sweets.

As for during Ramadan, I’ve never really been stopped or faced offence from Muslim friends fasting, when wanting to grab a bite or talk about food (something that I do a lot) in their presence. Infact, out of courtesy if I decide to change the topic or eat after they’ve left, they encourage me to just go ahead, since their supposed to fast in as normal conditions as possible and not because of some law by the government.

Every country has its own culture, I’m used to this one (being the only one I've been around apart from the one picked up through my family). If I were to go back to India, inspite of being a secular country, I’d get a day off for special days in certain religions I may not even know existed. If UAE is clearly an Islamic country and the rulers think imposing such laws is going to encourage their culture, you can’t really do much about it, but get accustomed to it.

But surprisingly, I came across 2 articles in Gulf News Today which critisize a matter that most expats in UAE complain about. We usually see expats here critisizing how less accomodating the government is of other ethnicities, In the articles below, it isnt the government but certain institutions/organisations:

Teaching Staff Suspended for Wearing Veil.

British Airways worker suspended for wearing cross.

Couldnt find the articles on the Gulf News website.

Relationship Management/Break-up Queen

2006-10-01T17:12:00.000+04:00

Giving relationship advice. Something I’ve been doing since I was 8. I don’t know how and why, I’m involved into directing ppl about what they should do to help move on, get over with, get into, live with, their relationships.

This month I was aware of roughly 3-4 break ups that took place among my friends. I’ve realized, it’s usually break ups I end up being involved in. I’m usually helping friends move on, have, get over, stop – ‘break ups’. People I barely know or some that I Do know well but don’t generally discuss personal matters with me, want to speak to me or open up to me about their relationships. And surprisingly, I’ve been of help. I once had a friend save up an entire chat conversation to read for future.

Seriously, a while ago, I was watching this show on channel [V] called The 10. This show is about the 10 best..whatever the theme of the week is. On that particular day, they played, ‘The 10 best break-up songs’. I had like 8 songs out of 10 of them on my favourites. This reaaally got me thinking..sheesh really.. is that my fav genre in music as well? ‘break up’. I browsed through my mp3 player. Yep, more break up songs in English, Hindi and Iranian.

Somehow people think Harsha is the best person to speak to when you have issues with your partner, male and female alike. Really.. and how many relationships do you think she’s been in.. close to none. Pretty much cuz she’s spent the last 12 years of her life listening to people in them. The good stuff, the bad stuff, the boring stuff, the annoying stuff, stuff that shes not supposed to know, everything. Everyone seems to have a unique problem. Or so they think.

The underlying thing I’ve figured in all of this is that…now.. everyone wants to stand up for themselves, live life the way they want to. This is really good, why should someone suppress their desires for someone else. Even If its for someone you lurve. Cuz obviously if you change yourself for someone- you’re not the same person anymore right?

Fact is, if nobody wants to compromise on how they’d wanted their life to be.. how are you going to adjust to another’s life? And expect to live ‘happily ever after’

As much as I’m saying it here.. and I know its easier said than done, and for all the relationship stories I’ve been a part of.. I’m probably going to have similar issues one day. I wont have anyone to speak to about it cuz I don’t share as much as I see others easily opening up and I’d doubt theres anyone as talented as me to talk me out of my problems :op….and ofcourse.. as modest as I am.

(no no my friends aren’t useless, they actually tolerate my tantrums when I’m low)

But all of this has surely helped me learn a lot, cuz that’s one thing I do best.. learn from others mistakes/experiences.

P.S all of this has been running in my head for a while but.. I’ve kind of lost interest in writing posts.. I do read blogs regularly and comment on them.. and discover new blogs.. but I think this ones not going to have frequent posts.

This post was triggered by a comment I made here.

Fwd: Driving in Dubai

2006-09-20T14:03:00.000+04:00

As usual, I dint write this, but it was different enough to bother copy pasting. So here goes:

DRIVING IN DUBAI

If your road map is more than a few weeks old, throw it out and
get a new one.

If you are in Al Rashidiya and your map is one day old, then it
is already obsolete.

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Dubai has its
own version of traffic rules, which can be summarized as "Hold on
and pray!"

If it is your priority to cross, forget it and wait.

There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in Dubai.
Everyone drives like that.

When you plan to get a new car, ask first about its acceleration
from 80 to 160 Km/h (recommended: 3 seconds). Very important if you
frequently use the Emirates Road

All directions start with Sheikh Zayed Road, which has no beginning and no end..

The morning rush hour is from 5:00 AM, The evening rush hour is from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM..

Wednesday's rush hour starts Tuesday morning.

If you slow down at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended and
then given a ticket by the Dubai Police.

If you are the first one at the intersection, when the light
turns green ignore the car honking behind you and count to five to
avoid crashing into one of the cars running the red light in
cross-traffic.

Construction on all main roads is a way of life and a
permanent form of entertainment. (Sorry for the inconvenience)

All unfamiliar sights are explained by the phrase, "Oh, we must
be in Sharjah!"

Car horns are actually toys for big boys.

Anyone in a Land Cruiser, Tuned Patrol, or Mercedes with tinted
windows has the right of way. Period.

If you are driving a Corolla, Sunny, or another small
Japanese car, stay on the far right lane. No comment!

Most roads mysteriously change names as you cross
intersections.

To ask directions, you must have good knowledge of Urdu.

A trip across town will take a minimum of four hours, although
Sheikh Zayed Road has an unposted minimum speed of 150 Km/h.

It is sobering to realize that local Arabs are taught how to
drive by Pakistanis.

18 wheeler trucks are one of the fastest vehicles in Dubai , they
can do 120 Km/h on Hatta-Oman Road when fully loaded.

The minimum acceptable speed on the Emirates Road is 160 km/h.
Anything less is considered downright sissy.

Al Khail Road is Dubai's daily version of NASCAR.

Dubai Autodrome has a new extension: The Emirates Road.

WELCOME TO THE UAE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Filler 2

2006-09-18T16:22:00.000+04:00

Click to enlarge...

Filler

2006-09-18T11:46:00.000+04:00

Torn between home? and home.

2006-07-29T14:38:00.000+04:00

I wrote this post some time ago, had forgotten about it...

Everytime I need to get out of my apartment, for anything, I need to make sure I’m looking Fine - something that really annoys my mom. The minute she asks me to go pick up something from someone waiting down, get some groceries or fetch something from the car, I have to either change into something sober or do my hair.

Well no, it isn’t a girly habit, its just because, every time I step out of the house I just have to meet someone I know. There are people all over this place that know me, and I’d be conscious if they saw me untidy or dressed like I just got out of bed.

The reverse happens when I go ‘back home’ (as many comparatively recent Indian expats refer to it as) to India. I don’t care how I’m dressed or how I look, which direction my hair is pointing, what I’m wearing or how I’m looking. I can just walk out of the house there without bothering about anything – no one knows me, who cares?

Usually I walk my way to work – a fair 15 minute walk through Karama. On the way, I am waved at by some relative/ friend passing by in his/her car, smiled at by some shopkeepers whose stores I frequent since a child, greeted by some random persons I know, just growing up in this place.

Ever since I’ve discovered Google Earth, I’ve indulged myself in playing around marking places I know. It took me about 15 minutes to spot my house here in Dubai and one week of struggle to figure out my place in Mumbai. Anyway, once I did find my house there in Mumbai – I quickly pegged it and tried to name it ‘Home’. I couldn’t. Since I’d already named my place in Dubai ‘Home’. I obviously couldn’t have another ‘Home’.

So…..which is actually Home to me?

A place where I was born in, went the same school as both my parents did (yes, in Dubai), grew up, built an identity where people know me, a place I am familiar with or a place where I visit for a month once in 3-4 years?

A place where my entire family struggles to survive, has no definite future, a place we may have to leave any moment some Sheikh decides we must, or a place that we have an apartment of our own – for sure, a place where we don’t even have a telephone number, a place I could easily get lost, but always turn to if I had to.

Often asked this question “where’re you from?” I say ‘Dubai’, the response I get is “no, where are you originally from?”; “I’m Indian”; “Yea so where in India?”; “Mumbai”; “so you’re a Maharashtrian/Marathi”, “No”; “Where in India are you originally from”; “No where in India particularly, cuz that part now belongs to Pakistan”;”so you’re a Pakistani?”; “No”; “okay then what language do you speak at home” or “whats your mother tongue”; “Sindhi”; “So you’re a Sindhi”; “Nope, I speak a dialect of Sindhi, and we are very different from Sindhi’s”

It goes on.. I can’t justify when I say I’m from Dubai, even though I was born here and lived all my life and it’s the only place in the world I know best.

In Dubai – people would refer to me as ‘the girl is from Mumbai’, In India I’d be known as ‘The girl from Dubai’ or Dubai Girl affectionately by my doctors.

So do I have a place?

I feel appalled when something like the bomb blasts happen in Mumbai. I do have relatives and friends there, but somehow its not the only reason. People I know wouldn’t want to consider me as a ‘Mumbai-ite’, because I never lived there and don’t even know how to get from one place to another!

In Dubai, all I have is a residence visa which could be taken away any time since my dad’s having trouble finding work, and obviously my mom can’t sponsor us until my dad is ‘alive’.

Thinking about all of this, my future, where I belong, writing this post, I feel all the more confused now. Since I’ve lost interest I don’t think I want to write about this anymore… so that’s it.

I know this isnt a unique situation, probably a feeling felt by many expatriates staying in Dubai for generations.

The Maha Tag

2006-07-19T14:11:00.000+04:00

Best, Worst, Last, First, Today, Tomorrow, Favorites, Currently, and True & False

BEST:
1. Male friend: hmm.. dont know.
2. Female friend: Seema
3. Vacation: Khandala/Lonavla

WORST:
1. Time of day: 6:55 am (alarm)
2. Day of the week: Thursday. People always make plans and I'm so dead at the end of the week.
3. Color crayon: Crayons are messy.

LAST:
1. Person you talked to that goes/went to your school: Nabeel
2. Talked to on the phone: Nabeel
3. Text: Nabeel
4. Person who Instant Messaged: Gwenlyn

TODAY:
1. What are you doing now: Talking on the phone.
2. Wearing: Skirt and T-shirt

TOMORROW:
1. Is: Weekend!! Not so dead this thursday since I'm off from college.
2. Got any plans: Take all my old floppies and transfer their contents to a flash disk or the laptop.
3. Goal: not get upset with my grandmother.
4. Dislikes about tomorrow: Dont have a fixed time to leave from work tommorow.

FAVORITE:
1. Number: you choose for me.
2. Song: Hotel California - Eagles
3. Color: Red.

CURRENTLY:
1. Missing Someone: No.
2. Mood: slightly bored.
3. Wanting: some warmth (ironic I know, but its damn chilly in this office!)

TRUE/FALSE:
I am a cuddler: True.
I am a morning person: False, unless I'm going to the beach.
I am a perfectionist: False
I am an only child: False.
I am currently in my pajamas: False.
I am currently pregnant: False.
I am currently suffering from a broken heart: False
I am left handed: False.
I am addicted to Blogging: True.
I am online 24/7: False.
I am very shy around the opposite gender: False.
I can be paranoid at times: True.
I currently have a crush on someone: False.
I currently regret something that I have done: False
I enjoy country music: Some.
I enjoy smoothies: True
I enjoy talking on the phone: False
I have a hard time paying attention at school/work: True.
I have a hidden talent: True.
I have a lot to learn: True.
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal: False.

ANGER
1. Are you currently mad at someone?
Nope.
2. Which of your friends has the worst temper?
Ram, Vanita, Barkha...and many many more...
3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone?
pillows, cushions,clothes,sand, colour, water, water baloons, ice cream, ink, pencils, pens.
4. Ever had something thrown at you?
pillows, cushions,clothes,sand, colour, water, water baloons, ice cream, ink, pencils, pens and whatever my dad could reach when hed be really really really mad at me.
5. When you’re mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell and scream?
YELL AND SCREAM

EXCITEMENT
1. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party for you?
yep
2. Are you easily excited?
yes
3. What are you most excited about?
the smallest things.
4. If you won a million dollars what would be your first thought?
Oh no.
5. If you could have anything right now what would it be?
A flat back.

SELF-DISCOVERY
1. Name:
Harsha
2. Where were you born?
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
3. What’s your main goal in life?
To stop my family from getting me married out of pity.
4. How do you want to die?
List the options.

OPINIONS
1. Sex before marriage?
Nope.
2. Gay Marriage?
no.
3. Lower the Drinking age?
Nah
4. Recycling?
yup.

DREAMS
1. What was your latest dream?
I cheated on him..almost
2. Have any of your dreams come true?
I get Deja Vu all the time...nothing great..just some..scenes..conversations.. but it happens.
3. What was the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
I get wierd dreams allll the time..I have a new dream story almost everyday.

1. Straight, Gay, Bi?
Straight
2. Do you have a bf/gf?
hmm.. maybe.
3. Do you have a crush?
no

How many beds did you lay in yesterday?
2
What color shirt are you wearing?
Black
Name one thing that you do everyday?
pee
What color are your walls?
right now.. light brown (at work)
How much cash do you have on you right now?
AED 114
I can’t wait till…?
I graduate.
When was the last time you saw your dad?
This morning when he dropped me to work.
What did you have for dinner last night?
A cuppa filter coffee.
What’s the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone?
A spaghetti top from mom
What website(s) do you visit the most during the day?
Blogspot, company website
Does anything hurt on your body right now?
nope.

HAVE YOU EVER:
1. Have you ever failed a class?
a subject
2. Have you ever sung in front of a crowd?
Yesssss
3. Have you ever not taken a shower for 3 days?
umm.. sponge bath in bed for 3 weeks. so technically no 'shower' but can be counted as a bath.
4. Have you ever slept with a night light?
yea
5. Have you ever danced in the rain?
so many times!
6. Have you ever lied?
hmm
7. Have you ever had contacts?
yes
8. Have you ever tripped over something stupid?
my brother..

PICK ONE:
1. Samosa, Pakora, Kebab: Kebab (veg pls)
2. Bollywood, Lollywood, Hollywood: Hollywood...none actually
3. Love marriage, Arranged marriage: Any
4. Honeymoon, no moon: Honeymoon.
5. How many kids would u like 1,2, 3+: min 2, max 3
6. Kulfi, Ice cream: Ice Cream
7. Shah ruk khan, Orlando Bloom: Orlando Bloom
8. Meenar-e-Pakistan, Eiffel Tower: Seen neither. Maybe Eiffel Tower cuz I have no Idea what the Meenar - e- Pakistan looks like.
9. Lahore, Khi, Islmbad: Never been to any.. but could settle for Khi - ony if it stands for Karachi

There.. yes Tainted, I did read through yours and even replied to it!

Tagged:
Keefieboy
Balushi
Kaya
Dubai@Random
BreastImplants
Moryarti
CG

A Pinch of Racism

2006-07-17T09:31:00.000+04:00

I've always felt a lil guilty about being racist about Kerelites. I thought, maybe its just in Dubai that they end up behaving the way they are. I hated working with Mallus.

But after reading this, I dont really feel guilty anymore!!

aarrrrghhh.. I've had some good kerelite friends, but somehow...when it comes to workplaces here, you'd think, in a multicultural working atmosphere, it'd be different nationalities against each other, even in a healthy competitive way, but no, it'd be ALL nationalities vs. Mallus! From personal experience and others telling me. for example, Philipinoes, Iranians, Indians, Egyptians, Pakistani, Emirati (they suck up to them actually) vs. Kerelites.

Just go and live in your self acclaimed 'Gods Own Country' and stay there!!

I've got endless stories on why I generally dislike them… but its not uncommon and I'm not going to rant about it here.

Just yesterday, while having breakfast with dad, he was telling me about his keralite friend, who is a kerelite himself and hates all this shit that goes on here. In Dubai either you have wasta, or you are a mallu, to rise up in your organisation. I'm talking international companies too. This particular friend of my dad deserved a promotion, he wouldnt get it cuz he refused to lick another mallus ass.

Everyone in Dubai must have realised... 2 mallu strangers… they dont know each other, but just cuz they speak the language, they somehow hit it off!

And please, the last thing I want is, some mallu coming and justifying themselves/ arguing about this.

I DONT WANT TO HEAR IT!

FYI, I still have a handful of respectful mallu friends, who aren’t like that and am also grateful to one or two particular kerelites for helping me out in my life.

But on a general note, THEY SUCK AND ONLY THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES EVEN IF IT MEANS MAKING SOMEONE ELSE LOOK UGLY!!

Note:

A. Thank you Gwen for the link.

B. Kerelites who want to tell me how great they think they are and wanna list their achievements here are not welcome. Anybody picking on my so called 'cast' and pointing fingers on my people are also not welcome.

Atleast when someone asks me 'Are you Indian?' I don’t say 'No, I'm from Kerela'

Shaky Shakira @ FIFA World Cup Final

2006-07-11T10:13:00.000+04:00

I've seen it all...

2006-07-10T09:37:00.000+04:00

Being a die-hard ‘Friends' fan that I am, I usually watch the 6:30 show on One TV every evening. Even though they play the same seasons over and over again, you can’t get enough of friends, can you?

Likewise, I was watching ‘The One Where Nana Dies Twice’ from Season One, this episode has been aired before on One Tv, but only this time besides cutting all the kissy scenes, everytime someone said ‘gay’, it was dubbed by an unidentifiable word, wouldn’t make sense to someone watching it for the first time.

Maybe if people in Dubai didn’t hear the word, they wouldn’t know what it was and hence never accustom themselves to it.

High heel sprints in Moscow, winner gets a 100,000 Roubles shopping voucher. (wish I had a link, you can see it in yesterday’s main paper…on some page).

Very interesting. The spread of Jumeirah Jane-ism is on the rise.

Oh come on! You know how many pains (and gains) it takes to prepare for and participate in a race like that! It has a criteria too! 9cm!!!

Child Rape in Mumbai

2006-07-02T12:04:00.001+04:00

A lot of you/us would have read/heard/been aware about the murder of the 10yr old girl working as domestic help in Mumbai.

You can click on the links above for info on this story.

This whole topic has been talked about alot at home because I have a grandmother who is the guru of all gossip of the community. And yes, this family does hail from the same clan as myself. Though we dont have any direct relations or connections with them, we do hear about them at times. For eg. Rajesh , the primary accused, got engaged recently.

Theres nothing extra that I would know so far than any of the coverage all of this is getting already, except that his sister Roma may be covering up for her brother because he is supposed to get married in December. How smart of a woman to bring home a sister in law to a rapist brother. But then again, if this is the truth or assumptions of the relatives of the family involved, I may not know. My grandmother is the last source of reliability.

The reason I'm putting all of this down here is the thoughts I was having earlier : WHAT IF I HAD TO JUDGE THIS ENTIRE SITUATION.

Should the parents of the little girl be punished, for sending their daughter to work at the age of 10? Should the guy be punished for raping a 10 year old girl? If he DID rape her ie. Should the sister- also now accused - be punished for sticking an aluminium rod up the girl for using her moms make up kit? Should the parents of both be punished, to bring up such adults? (the sister is a mother of 3 herself)

The victim also has a 15 year old sister who works as domestic help in the same building.

If the sister of the accused is proven guilty, will her own children ever near their mother?

"The police are now awaiting the results of DNA fingerprinting and semen tests, currently being conducted on samples found on the victim and those taken from Rajendra and father Vinod."

I ponder : what kind of aluminium rod produces semen?

*I was delaying the post, as usual not trying to bother myself with writing about anything on my blog, but this post by Tainted, motivated me to post it.

Himesh Reshamiya - Part 2

2006-06-18T17:12:00.000+04:00

As much as I am addicted to reading blogs, I somehow resent writing about myself. I intend to many times, but like I've mentioned before (I dont know where), I tend to mentally make a draft about what I'm going to post, and by the time I sit to actually put it down, I dont feel the need anymore. Since I've already thought about the stuff going on around me/ within me , or have simply discussed it with someone.

Hence the lack of personal posts. I've been the kind of person who ppl address when they need to talk, or I somehow sense it and get them to talk stuff out. It makes me feel good , maybe I'm a good listener or I have a fetish to invite ppl to come to me and blurt things out to me. I must be sick. One the other hand, I for one am a difficuilt person to take things out of , as in,tell people whats going on within me.

In short, lots has been going on, a lot happened during the past month that I was away from work. I actually enjoyed being at home full time, since the only time I spend at home otherwise is when I am sleeping, I dint even realise how time went by. I happened to be blessed with a non boring but fun family - who I like hanging around with and sit and enjoy conversations.

What do we have here, I was supposed to copy paste a mocking article on Himesh Reshamiya and ended up writing all of this. I was pretty low cuz of some stuff going on but a message on msn kinda lightened me up, so I'm gonna stop right here and paste the damn email I recieved.

Here goes :

After spending many sleepless nights at the Central Prison for Music
freaks and making fellow prisoners go through uneasy times by making
them listen to the irritating Himesh sounds the other prisoners staged
a protest here today. Himesh Reshammiya was earlier arrested and
awarded a death sentence by a local court. All the prisoners have
demanded that Himesh Reshammiya be moved to a sound proof cell. In the
meanwhile Himesh refused to comment on the issue and claimed he had to
practice and since he was refused bail there was no other way. In the
mean while the President has rejected Himesh Reshammiya's mercy plea
today. Himesh's lawyer sent a mercy request to the President that
Himesh be left with a small penalty on the condition that he won't
sing too much.

Apparently the President was supposed to approve the mercy plea today.
But it appears that he tuned into his television set last night and
heard Himesh Reshammiya's name on the credits for composition for two
more new movies. The President got annoyed instantly and demanded that
Himesh's songs be banned since they posed a higher threat to the
nation than the current reservations issue.

The President however laid down certain alternatives to a death
sentence for Himesh Reshammiya considering the fact that Himesh was in
a depressed state and might voice some disgusting sad music in prison.
The President suggested the following alternatives;

++ Himesh could be sent to Andaman & Nicobar islands. The tribal
population can find Himesh as a good inspiration for crappy music.
They can also tie him up and eat him if they're not satisfied.

++ Himesh could be sent to the LOC with Pakistan. He could help scare
away possible intruders along the LOC!

++ Himesh and his so called 'followers and fans' could be sent on an
island on the Indian Ocean and they can enjoy each others company.

++ The CBI can use Himesh's music in the torture rooms. The victim can
be made to listen his songs until he vomits the truth! Also the FBI
can be provided with the same if they'd like some outsourcing!

++ Some of our people would be visiting the moon very soon. The
spaceship shall emit Himesh Reshammiya's music in order to scare away
any possible alien attack!

Why it takes women so long in a public restroom ?

2006-06-13T16:12:00.000+04:00

I just *had* to break my blogging fast for this email I recieved from a friend :

Why it takes women so long in a public restroom ?

My mother was a fanatic about public bathrooms. When I was a little girl, she'd take me into the stall, teach me to wad up toilet paper and wipe the seat. Then, she'd carefully lay strips of toilet paper to cover the seat. Finally, she'd instruct, "Never, NEVER sit on a public toilet seat. Then she'd demonstrate "The Stance," which consisted of balancing over the toilet in a sitting position without actually letting any of your flesh make contact with the toilet seat. By this time, I'd have wet down my leg and we'd have to go home to change my clothes.

That was a long time ago. Even now, in my more "mature" years, "The Stance" is excruciatingly difficult to maintain, especially when one's bladder is full. When you have to "go" in a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women that makes you think there's a half-price sale on Nelly's underwear in there. So, you wait and smile politely at all the other ladies, who are also crossing their legs and smiling politely. You get closer and check for feet under the stall doors. Every one is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter. The dispenser for the new fangled "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty.

You would hang your purse on the door hook if there was one - but there isn't - so you carefully but quickly hang it around your neck (mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance." Ahhhh, relief. More relief. But then your thighs begin to shake. You'd love to sit down but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance" as your thighs experience a quake that would register an eight on the Richter scale.

To take your mind off of your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you would have tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more. You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday -the one that's still in your purse. That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It is still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes open your stall door because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet.

"Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle, and sliding down, directly onto the insidious toilet seat. You bolt up quickly, knowing all to well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper and your mother would be utterly ashamed of you if she knew, because you're certain that her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, sending up a stream of water akin to a fountain that suddenly sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged off to China. At that point, you give up.

You're soaked by the splashing water. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket, then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past a line of women, still waiting, cross-legged and, at this point, no longer able to smile politely. One kind soul at the very end of the line points out that you are trailing a piece of toilet paper on your shoe as long as the Mississippi River! (Where was it when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has since entered, used and exited the men's restroom and read a copy of War and Peace while waiting for you.

Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who have ever had to deal with a public restroom. It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked question about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other woman can hold your purse, keep the stall door closed, and hand you Kleenex under the door.

I wanna Show Off!!

2006-04-23T10:12:00.000+04:00

April 19th 2006. I finally turn 20. Not that I was waiting to, but in fact a b’day I wasn’t so enthusiastic about. Being 20 makes me feel OLD (I know it’s a lot less than the age of the ppl reading this right now). I hate growing up.

I wish I could remain daddy’s princess forever! I’m afraid I cant. Suddenly just going from 19 to 20 makes a lot of difference. I may possibly get better jobs now and not get turned down after several interviews, just because they think I’m capable but don’t want to keep me because I’m a teenager. I still don’t get to drive alone though, cuz I aint 21. I’m not gonna be able to enter a club without a being stopped even till I’m 30 , so that doesn’t even count. I can now officially blame Sam for being a teenager when I don’t want to agree with something he says.

My grandmother would now entertain other grandmothers when they look at me and ask her who’s daughter I am. Also I would now get more stares from women 3-4 times my age than guys my age. My brother, 4 years younger to me, is still gonna pull my cheeks no matter how old I get and how taller+stronger he gets. My cousin(also 4 years younger) finally feels like calling me ‘didi’. I still fear my future. I do not know what it holds for me. Its scary, and I move ahead, what doesn’t seem slowly.

I prefer my past. Don’t we all? Inspite of all the hospital stays, guilt for mom having to leave her jobs, use up a pretty good amount of savings, not be allowed to participate in sports, horrible adolescent fights with dad, facing the fact of scaring of some kids and amusing some others; it all seemed much easier. I would still be popular in school/among friends(not that I’m not now, but it’s a completely different scenario now), be pampered ( I still am), my best friend would still be alive. It was so much easier to handle.

All this is what was running in my mind as I approached my birthday. But by the end of it , it was’nt so bad, infact it was really good!

Now let me tell you how I spent it! Tadaaa~!

As usual I was expecting my mobile to start ringing at 11:55 pm 18th April, only it started 11:52 pm instead. My dad n brother were watching cricket and mom was sleeping, so I headed towards the kitchen to answer my calls.

While on the phone, my dad enters the kitchen for something and sees me on the phone and starts making signs asking who I was talking to. I ignore. This went on for next 5 mins, where he repeatedly entered the kitchen trying to figure out who the hell I was on the phone with past 12:00 am , so he finally asked me in a loud assertive voice, to which I responded by continuing my conversation in my mother tongue( I was talking to his sister, my aunt) and ignoring him so that he would get a hint. He gave me a puzzled look and left. He finally figured after muttering an ‘Oh Shit, its her b’day’.

Next morning, before going to work I received my first b’day gift from a friend:

An iriver MP3 Player

I absolutely luuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrveddd it! I always wanted one but could never really afford one for the time being.

Then usual day at work, treated everyone with a Twix bar. 1:00pm – boss walks in , office boy offers him a bar. Boss asks him why he was distributing chocolates, office boy replies ‘Harsha’s b’day’. Boss looks right at Harsha who is now smiling and cries out ‘OMG! HOW DID I FORGET, I HAD KEPT A REMINDER’ and takes me out for lunch at Delhi Darbar(Karama). ( my boss is double my age, and we 2 are the only ppl working in the company, the ppl I treated with a chocolate bar are the those who work in the company we sublet our office from)

Post lunch, back at work, head home, then to college, write a shitty mock exam no1 else bothered to write, get picked up my parents at 10:00pm. Sit in car – have a silent speedy ride back home, my dad had lost his mobile. The ride wouldn’t have been so silent had any of the other members of my family misplaced their cell phone. Anyway we found it the other car and zoomed off to Diera. I dint know why. No body bothered answering my repeated questions. Finally we picked up my pamper friend (langotiya yaar, chaddi pal) and her brother – who is my brother’s pamper friend as well and headed to Hyatt Regency’s ‘The Kitchen’. (b4 going there we stopped at the corniche for some filafil sandwiches where my mom revealed we were gonna have a chocolate buffet.) Yay!!

You guys! You should see this place, they have something called the ‘Chocolate Buffet’ which consists of the most amazing desserts in the wooooooorld, there were like a billion desserts to choose from allllll made out of chocolate, you name it, its there! All at AED 40 per person. Not bad, infact AMAZINGLY YUMMY!!!!
Here are a few glimpses of 2 plates we filled and dug from:

(they actually looked a lil more attractive than this)

THIS WAS THE BEST B’DAY EVER! I’m kind of a chocolate freak, especially dark chocolate and they had enough of that too.

Anyway, pictures of other gifts I received:

This is a very pretty salwar kameez suit piece from the friend who accompanied us at the restaurant.

And this is a beautiful Jewelry Box from my aunt and cousins. Inside which I found this:

And theres another Salwar Kameez suit (the picture of which I dint take since I just remembered about it now) I got a few days b4 my b’day from this old family friend who’s come to Dubai for a while, who son, when we were much much younger, would keep announcing to everyone that he’s gonna marry me when he grows up. I’m not in touch with him. Thank God.

So, I’m 20. Not so bad.

Drinking Problem

2006-04-18T09:57:00.000+04:00

Click for larger view.

Can you Freakin' Believe This????

2006-04-05T12:40:00.000+04:00

Paris Hilton Eyed for Mother Teresa Role

Film director T. Rajeevnath, who is based in Thiruvananthapuram, India, says Hilton is on his short list to play Mother Teresa in a biopic he's planning about the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who worked among Calcutta's poor with the Missionaries of Charity.

Who's the bigger publicity ho', Paris or Rajeevnath?

Just hope this movie doesnt turn out to be to the likes of her previous movie (excluding House of Wax)

FALCON gives du international wings

2006-04-05T11:14:00.001+04:00

by Alex Ritman

The UAE’s second operator, du, has opened its landing station at Jebel Ali in Dubai connecting it to the undersea FALCON network stretching across the Gulf. The new high-capacity, multi-terabit cable system has landings throughout the region, from Egypt in the west to India in the east.

The FALCON cable system is owned and operated by FLAG Telecom, and will allow du to offer international calls and broadband connectivity without having to utilise the infrastructure of incumbent Etisalat.

Alcatel Submarine Networks has been building the cable system, and handing over segment by segment as installation is completed. Flag accepted handover of the segments from UAE to Oman and from UAE to Qatar in mid March 2006. The segment from Qatar to Bahrain is due to be handed over to operations team later this week. The network incorporates the Gulf region’s first self-healing submarine network ring, providing all connected countries with reliable, high quality connectivity. Following trials in Oman that started in April 2005, and a pact between Omantel and Flag, Muscat became the hub city for FALCON.

du has made a multi-million investment in the cable system, and joins other operators in Bahrain, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and Sudan as landing parties and customers. Interestingly, du’s competitor in the UAE, Etisalat, is a 40% stakeholder in Kanar Telecommunications, Sudan’s second fixed-line operator which is providing FALCON’s first East African landing station based at Port Sudan. Once Kanar is operational, Etisalat will manage, operate and maintain the network.

The system has been designed so that further landings can be added in the Middle East and East Africa as demand arises.

During the opening ceremony, du CEO Osman Sultan made a calls using the new system to B D Khurana, group president of Reliance Infocomm in Mumbai.

____________________________________________________

Seafood...anyone?

2006-04-03T15:35:00.000+04:00

Dubai...

2006-04-03T15:12:00.000+04:00

My Mother Taught Me...

2006-03-29T11:50:00.000+04:00

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!

(I dint write this)

_________________________________________________

A nice quote I read at the end of a story today :

'Change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.'

Himesh Reshmiya's Cartoon by MTV Fully Faltoo

2006-03-14T11:41:00.000+04:00

The Moo Story

2006-03-14T10:30:00.000+04:00

SOCIALISM:

You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM:

You have 2 cows; the Government takes both and gives you some milk.

NAZISM:

You have 2 cows. The Government takes both and shoots you.

AN EGYPTIAN CORPORATION:

You have two cows. Both are voting for Hosni Mubarak!!!!

DUBAI SYSTEM:

You have two cows. You create a website for them and advertise them in all magazines. You create a Cow City or Milk Town for them. You sell off their milk before the cows have even been milked to both legit and shady investors who hope to resale the non-existent milk for a 100% profit in two years time. You bring Tiger Woods to milk the cow first to attract attention.

QATAR SYSTEM:

You have two cows. They've been sitting there for decades and no one realizes that cows can produce milk. You see what Dubai is doing; you go crazy and start milking the heck out of the cow in the shortest time possible. Then you realize no one wanted the milk in the first place.

SAUDI SYSTEM:

Since milking the cow involves nipples the government decides to ban all cows in public. The only method to milk a cow is to have a cow in on one side of the curtain and the guy milking the cow on the other.

BAHRAIN SYSTEM:

You have two cows. Some high government official steals one, milks it, sells the milk and pockets the profit. The government tells you there is just one cow and not enough milk for the people. The people riot and scream death to the government and carry Iranian flags. The Parliament, after thinking for 11 months, decide to employ ten
Bahrainis to milk all the cows at the same time so cut back on unemployment.

LEBANON SYSTEM:

You have two cows. One is owned by Syria and the other is controlled by the government.

More paid parking spaces created

2006-03-12T14:28:00.000+04:00

"We have already started a new study on the parking needs of Dubai. Through this study, which will finish in July, Dubai's parking problems and needs will be studied.

Need I say anything?

"We have created the new paid parking zones after conducting comprehensive studies related to the parking needs of particular areas," said Mehdi Ali, Director of the Parking Department at the RTA.

A comprehensive study has already taken place - as a result of which they installed more parking meters, so what study - in which they will study- will finish in july?

"Projects to solve parking problems will be launched based on the results of the study," he said.

If parking meters were installed as a result of the comprehensive study, what are they gonna launch? parking city?

"Our objective is not to make money (pun intended??) but to provide facilities for traders and residents. Paid parking also helps prevent motorists from double parking, blocking spaces and parking on pavements," Ali said.

How many parking meters have prevented ppl from placing their cars a little above the rest?

HASSLE-FREE
Tickets to be renewed via mobile phones
"They won't have to rush to buy a new ticket. It will give them peace of mind and save them from unnecessary parking fines."

I'm really curious about this. Any Idea how this is gonna work out? How would the time on my ticket, lying on my dashboard, change while I renew it over the mobile?

Another Tag...

2006-03-08T13:33:00.000+04:00

After exactly one week from starting my Blog, I have been tagged by Destitute Rebel. So here goes:

Four jobs I've had:
1: Marketing Intern
2: Accounts Assistant
3: Choreographer
4: Customer Relationship Marketing Specialist - Database Marketing

Movies I could watch over and over:
Taal, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Face Off, Andaz Apna Apna, Sound Of Music
you'd seldom find me watching any 'latest' movie, more of music person and very less of movies.

The Only Place I've lived in:
Dubai (ok at times sharjah too)

Five TV shows I like:
1: Friends
2: Everybody Loves Raymond
3: Baa Bahu Aur Baby
4: Scrubs
5. Oprah

Four places I've been to on holiday:
1: Pune
2: Goa
3: Mumbai
4: Lonavla/Khandala

Four favorite dishes:
1. Anything Paneer, Paneer and lots of Paneer
2. Methi Matar Malai
3. Sandwiches
4. Kadi
You know, I could just go on ... I LOVE FOOD

Four sites I visit frequently:
None in particular, depends on what I feel like reading/browsing. Got regular set of newsletters coming to my Inbox from people.com, chicken soup for the soul, ITP, Cinestar etc. For News, I read gulfnews, zawya, cnn, reuters, etc.

Books I've read:
ok I never seem to remember both the Authors and the Books name but I started with Enid Blyton, moved on to Ann M. Martin, then loads of Chicken Soup for the Soul books, numerous books by Robin Cook and other Medical Thrillers/Suspence Thrillers who's Author's or books names I dont remember, Something for the Weekend, Who Moved My Cheese? and Lastly but not the least, Archies was always there!

Bloggers that will be tagged with this:
I take the initiative to end the line of 'Tags' right here, before it gets all lame and boring! Ok chal, lets just tag Gautam

with increasing rents in Dubai...

2006-03-02T11:35:00.000+04:00

...*the* Solution!

e-Gate facilities at Airports

2006-03-01T15:40:00.000+04:00

okay, I may be wrong but clear me out on this one.

'He said after the full implementation of the system and introduction of electronic National Identity Cards for all UAE residents, the entire immigration procedures would be done electronically using smart cards.'

I don’t travel much but this is what I collect:
e-gate system at the Airports is a smart card you are provided with , which you can swipe through a gate, hence reading/recording all your data, instead of waiting at the immigration counters.

Scenario: Mr. xyz, is on his way to (enter country that does not have e-gate system) from Dubai International Airport, prior to traveling, applies for the 'e-gate card' to avoid having to queue up at the immigration counters. Arrives at the airport, checks in and instead of waiting in line, swiftly passes through the e-gate swiping his card away (guess there’s a finger print scan for this too).

On Arrival in (enter country that does not have e-gate system), oh boy, line! ok , he waits, as he approaches the counter officer, hands over the passport to the officer, who looks at him suspiciously says 'where’s your stamp?', Mr. xyz : what stamp?; The officer calls in the ground security and they take him in.

A confused Mr. xyz is taken into custody and is charged with entering the country illegally. Mr. xyz then realises that the e-gate system dint require his passport to be stamped (exit/entry from/to a country stamp in your passport) at the Dubai airport and frantically shows them the smart card whilst trying to explain the system there.

Since (enter country that does not have e-gate system) don’t have provision for such a system and are unsure of what he was saying, held him in for say 3 hours at the airport as a result of which Mr. xyz bribes them and flees the airport having to throw away his e-gate card that probably cost him AED 200-300.

This is something that has happened with someone I personally know about 2 years ago. I'm sure(hope) by now they've got things in place and passengers dont have to face such consequences.

Something to make PETA and designers, both happy!

2006-02-28T14:33:00.000+04:00

Click on the thumbnail below:

Dubai in 1960-early 1970s.

2006-02-28T11:47:00.000+04:00

No no no no, dont lie.....!

2006-02-28T10:49:00.000+04:00

what REALLY lies beneath...

2006-02-27T14:31:00.000+04:00

I dont know the origin of this but a friend of mine sent it to me.

Click on the thumbnail below:

any familiar experiances anyone?

The Venn diagram of life

2006-02-27T12:34:00.000+04:00

The editors column in Construction week

Saturday, 25 February, 2006

Why bad parking is costing developers

Drivers who park their cars diagonally across two spaces have always occupied a special place of contempt in my heart.

In the Venn diagram of life, where set ‘a’ is occupied by Porsche drivers and set ‘b’ is occupied by imbeciles, you will generally find these people in subset ‘c’.

It isn’t so much because they just do that. It’s because you instinctively know that they are the same people who like to accelerate to within 3cm of your rear bumper, while flashing their headlights with strobe-like speed.

They are there again when you’re waiting at the traffic lights — tooting their horns behind you before the lights have turned to green. The only time they are ever in front of you, is when you are trying to park at the shopping centre.

They’re the ones who stop exactly in the middle of the road between the rows of parked vehicles, so that the fourteen other cars behind cannot pass on either side, while they languidly wait for a space to be vacated.

What has any of this got to do with the construction industry? Well I believe it is the occupants of subset ‘c’ who are to blame for most of our parking woes.

They are one of the reasons why parking has become so vexingly difficult lately
— and why the local authority is now considering increasing parking densities as part of its review of existing building codes.

The new parking requirement is one of several options currently under study.
Other measures include the stricter policing of buildings under construction to ensure there is adequate wheelchair access, and the greater use of energy-efficient materials — all seemingly good ideas.

But it is the proposed increase in parking densities that will be of most interest to developers, because of the obvious cost and design implications involved.

It will potentially add to the cost of construction by demanding larger podiums, deeper basements, or more development land, to accommodate the increased number of spaces required.

But it seems to be a sensible approach, given the projected increase in the number
of cars on the road — expected to have grown by around 45,000 over the last year alone, according to DM estimates.

In the absence of legislation permitting the culling of drivers who park across two spaces, it may be our only hope.

Sean Cronin
Editor