Repost: Women In Oman

A while back, Kay had posted this interested article of which she had read on the online webpage of an Arabic newspaper by the name of Al Quds Al Arabi that questioned the rights of Omani women in general in the last few years under the current ruling of His Majesty and the government of the Sultanate of Oman.

The writer has obviously forgotten the true situation of Arabian women especially in the GCC countries. Which is far off better than the other respective Arabian nations of where a woman is not give her least basic rights in voicing their opinions nor undergo any rights movement in the country to which she resides. For, Oman, has given Omani women the rights to vote in Majlis A' Shura and to also lead in certain governmental positions of which were unheard of in the past. There has also been a rise in women taking presidential positions in the private sector as business women.

The writer obviously has a very biased opinion about how the Omani women in the Sultanate of Oman are being treated in terms of ownership of lands that are given by the government, and housing loans by claiming that is all proven by a UN report back in 2003 and the claims that she so says that this also exists on the official website of Oman's Ministry of Information webpage (which it doesn't).

Perhaps the only relevant truth in 'Basma's' is the part where she says that since the female population doesn't get a fair chance at entering SQU University because of the high grades that they achieve and that they would need far higher percentages in their overall highschool graduation certificate to gain entry but the same is not done for their male counterparts. Which is cause for rather a big debate.

She goes on further beyond that to say that there have been 'suggestions' by some that the university should not allow their female students to have their mobiles on after 11pm at night. Claiming that 'female university students are then just lab rats that should be contained and monitered' (!!!)

The fact of the matter is that most of the students that enter the university are from outside of the Muscat region and that the parent-hood over there are those who ask for these restrictions over their daughters over fear from having any public dispute go wildly wrong. And it is by no means the university that holds such a grudge but merely an answer to public social demand.

There are certain parts I cannot claim to have knowledge of, of which the writer claims that 'are no rights given to a woman should a man handle his wife violently in a case of domestic distrubance'. But to the part of having to say that the laws of the Sultanate do not admit to cases of whereby a husband rapes his wife is plainly redundant. Not because there is such a law. But fact of the matter that this 'movement' has only been introduced lately whereby a woman can claim that she had been raped by her own husband, submitting her to his sexual desires against her own will. Which for two reasons is redundant. Firstly, because there is no such thing. And secondly, because the reality of the situation begs feverishly to differ, since it is the other way around, that most of the married men undergo mounting stress over their strong sexual desires towards their families and since their wives are unwilling to submit they look elsewhere for cheep sex like the many 'working women' they may find at dance clubs, hotels, and other drinking places in Oman.

And I am sorry to sound biased here, but of which Bin Laden school does she speak of when she says that 'those who don't wear a hijab deserve to be raped'?

She - the writer - goes on to mock the Omani Woman's Association through which she sees with one blind eye on how it only marks several fashionable events, and courses on how to arrange plastic flowers (all of which are considered to be educational as well as entertainment for the Omani women) whilst mocking that 3/4 of the Omani female population is illetrate. I would like to know where she gets her numbers from, since the UNICEF site says that the adult female literacy level reached 65% through-out the period of 2000-2004, and that gross female primary enrollment reached 80%, in the same period. (UNICEF - At a glance: Oman - Statistics)

Omani women, unlike their Arab counterparts, are free to travel as they please, without a need for consent from their parents, family nor the government which is what the writer also claims. Nor is she pushed towards a certain job or major because of family pressure. In fact, most of the women in Oman (except, perhaps, the Muscat region residents) dream of staying back in their homes after they had obtained their highschool graduation certificate because they would like to help their families with their homes and other local liabilies which are held up in debt of their every day-to-day life.

There is some truth to the section of whereby the writer claims that some fathers ask for high Mahr in exchange for their daughter's hand in marriage, of which the reason to me is unknown, but nevertheless is somewhat a dying tradition since the government is addressing the issue and it's citizens to look into making marriages much easier to complete.

However, there is no truth to what is said in the article on the part of how husbands ask their wives not to have an operation that would cease pregnancy for good. After all, the husband has a right to this decision as much as his wife. And the writer brings in no evidence whatsoever over this false claim.

Kay had tried googling Basma Al-Kyumi on the 'net, yet found no information of this writer. Which pushes me to ask, who is this person, really?

For all I know, it could an alias that someone is using to stir up the community herein and has done a bad job at it by not looking up the right information.

Better luck next time, I suppose..

I Would Like To Be

I wish I was a flower.
Perhaps a tree.
Perhaps a petal.
That grows in the garden of your eve.

A fatal death is what I ask for.
Should I not be able to seek the truth that this heart casts for.

I wish to hear the words.
That lie in your heart.
The truth that cages me inside.
Like a spear through my soul unto my heart.

I would like to be the sun that shines on you everyday.
I would like to be the moon that you wave off to every night in the moonlight shades.

I would like to be the breeze that blows wiskly against your hands.
To blow the gentle ease of love's truth and romance.

I would like to be the rain that flows down on your face.
To see you smile.
Dancing like a child.
To cherish the moment that you would ever embrace.

I would like nothing than to be with you.
That, my heart, is the solemn truth.

Realizations

There's nothing like a Friday here in Muscat to help you swing back into track, I swear.

You just at your favorite place and do nothing at all, all day, except for read, have a sip of your favorite beverage and just embrace it all in. We all need to do that every once in a while. And it's something none of us can do without. Not even the ones who are doing nothing at all. It helps grasp the momentum of things, guiding you to where the compass points North. Even though if you've had a rough week. And by rough, I mean like you've been busy that if a comet were to fall on Earth, you wouldn't even have noticed.

Then, there's the best part of this day.

That's the part where you finally realize you're doing something right all of sudden, even though things seem to be not in your favor, it just feels so .. right.

The realization of all this is that I have to terms with myself - finally - with what I have become to do, now. Which is taking everything, one day at a time.

Plans are a part of a human being's normal existence. You plan to do your grocery shopping this weekend. You plan to go visit your sister sometime during the week and see the newly born. You plan to have a nice day.

Point being: plans can always be pulled down and restructured.

So what do I do?

I let it flow.

This doesn't mean that I don't have a goal in life. On the contrary. I have a great goal in life. It's just one that'll take some extra time off of me. And I have plenty of time ahead, provided I do everything the right way.

It's not a matter of expectations. But a matter of realization through self-awareness.

At least, that's the title of the book that I am currently reading into.

Smile!

A Pain That Stays Awake

The beauty of the song.
The knife within me.
The burning of the soul.
The cut beneath.
The heart years for more.
The drain of a soul so pure.
And the hidden passion that seethes.
On call of passion.
Rected to dust.
The stain I have.
Will never be just.
Burned in desire.
Of row and flames.
The height I reach out to.
Is merely a claim.
Forgotten fury of the past.
Of tender woes and passion ablast.
Of center mind.
Of pain obscure.
Of land in trouble.
Of life endured.
Rain of light.
Rainbow of haze.
Black clouds in the horizon.
Will always shade my way.
Certain figures of emotion.
Will only work their way.
The knife in the gutter.
The pain that stays awake.

Blue Ribbon Beauty - II: The Coffee Shop (Again)

This is the second part of Blue Ribbon Beauty that was supposed to be published but is being delayed because circumstances that are out of my hand. Therefore, I am posting it here for you assessment.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed the first part of this two-part short story.

------
She would see him everyday at the same coffee shop

Your brown eyes are always sad
It is why, that I would like to understand

You always sit on your own
Always alone
Sometimes with your friends
Sometimes just your phone

I would like to come up to you and smile
But I am afraid to give it away that it is you, I like

I sit behind you everytime I am there
Listening in to everything you say and do
Wishing you would crack up a joke of yours
Or just do the cute things you would do

He notices her; he wishes she would approach him
Smile
Perhaps even a gesture

But he's depressed already because she ignores him
Bad luck is just his life
Can't really call it that – it's just a matter of pressure
The growing pains of time

It seems such a surprise to see you here
With your great eyes and smiling face
It seems like a nice gesture from fate
To put us here in this position, this place

Night upon night, I think of you
This is the story of my heart, uneventful, yet, true

'til this night is through
I am always thinking of you

Why is it you smile the way you do?
Why is it, your heart, my soul falls to?
Why do I feel like I need to talk to you?
Why is it, this way, we are neighbors to the moon?

And after a few days
A few nights
A few years apart they catch each other's eye
They think of the years and why

Why they ever passed the chance to get close to each other
Why ever think about it for another moment
Why they put themselves in that long tunnel
Why they came out of it as if nothing had happened

And now that life is giving them a second chance
Now that what was past is past
Would they take that chance?
Would they finally understand?

Would you like to sit down and have a chat?

I would like to but I …

Can't…?

Don't get me wrong
It's not that I don't want to
I would love to sit and have a chat with you
But in front of people – I can't – and that's the truth

It's tough as it is trying to find the right person
Than it is to find them and not be to have a conversation with them

Did you know that it's your brown eyes I dream of every night?
Did you know that I try to listen to the wind that blows on the trees wishing it would whisper your name?
Did you know that everytime I see you, my heart misses a beat?
Did you know that when you leave the coffee shop, I would wish for more chances for us to meet?

A tear down the eyes
Slip from depression into life
Share impossible feelings before you're told that you've wasted your time
Thoughts roam and rhyme

Do you know that I think about you everyday?
That it is your smile I daydream about when I stare away?

Lips sealed. Shut
Feelings within, hurt

The definition of life is taken away
When the reason behind it, is so close, yet so far away

Walking away
She tries not to look back
To see him cry silently
Where he would retreat to the dark

I wish I could tell you how much I like you
I wish I could

I wish I could hold your hand
Make you understand
That this situation at hand

Is the reason behind our falling
Our hearts calling
Senses, for some time, frozen
The probability of us ever getting together, is through

I can't forget about you
Even if I wanted to
Even if you asked me to
There's nothing, about it, that I can do

The warmth, the feeling – the passion within
The darkness, the cold – that overwhelms us, to win

Can I at least see you here another time?
Can I at least keep the hope of us to meet for our hearts to intertwine?

Now staring at a glass window

I swear, that's a smile, I see
Won't you say yes for me?

Yes

His heart flew

Yes, I would

His heart soared

Yes, I would love to

He could shout out joy to the world
Turning her head, with a tear still in her eye
He moved over to her and gave her a tissue

To me you are my life
I don't know what I would do without you

With that, she smiled

I wish I could kiss you right now

Question for the ladies...and the guys, too

This is a question that rose up in debate.

It's a question that's meant specifically for women out there and it doesn't matter whether you're married or not. The guys can also participate in this should they wish to do so.

The question is this; in some cases when the male does a big mistake he is often asked by the wife to leave the house for a while. So why is it when a woman does the same, that she is asked to do the same?

Don't take the question too seriously, folks.

It's a fun question and I would really like to know what kind of response each and every one of you can come up with?

I could have..

..missed out on my appointment at the hospital and gone off for my job interview at some bank, but I have always seen my health as a priority - no matter what, no matter what others might have on their minds or wish to say.

..told the bank that I wouldn't be attending but then again, they would either have heard me saying that 'I'm off to the hospital' or 'could you arrange for another group exam?' - both coming from a redundant mind, wouldn't you say?

..saved a child falling onto a stony floor at the hospital courtyard when I was only a few feet from him but I didn't move an inch. I regret that now 'til this day.

..stayed happier by the end of the hospital visit but then the weather was getting really nice and I was beginning to think of 'everything' that made my mind's thoughts sway.

..gone home and called it a day but something inside me tugged away at my being and told me to stay. So, I did just that - stay.

..died a few times back but I am here, alive. And I am grateful for that because now I have a chance to replenish on the mistakes that I had made.

..sulked all day at why no one was looking at me, but I was smiling and whistling because I wasn't aware of anything else except for two things, my health and the career that is on it's way.

Question for everyone out there

Here's a question I give to every foriegnor out there whether you're residing in the Sultanate of Oman or outside the vecinity of the country.

If I were to drop into your country as a tourist or whatever it is I could be and I was to do a shameful thing like perhaps having sex in public or entering into a woman's bathroom would I not get into trouble because of this? Could I not face the possibly of being evicted because of such a felony?


If your answer is yes. Then tell me how the hell is it that you or either your teenage children getaway with it in our country where laws are a bit more tighter in the sense of seperation between genders, relegiously speaking?

Would the law not apply on them too or perhaps on their parents? Or is it because they are mere minors it's an excuse for not punishing them and waving away the charges? Or perhaps, because they are foriegnors of a so and so nationality then they are not held by the local laws?

You tell me what justice implores to be implied here..

Wishful Thinking

I wish I knew myself how to make myself feel better in general
Because everytime I am faced by a woman - And a good looking one by that, I feel that way

Like I am stuck
Entrapped
With a ball and a chain
In a dark cellar
Of damp prison
With shady walls
Rats squeaking
And the sands of time beneath me

It'll take some time
Everytime I see a woman
I tell myself again and again
I don't want to get married
And I keep on repeating it

And yet I find myself still looking at the beauty that stands in front of me
And wonder; what; if, how; when; who and where
And then I find myself again crouching at the sorrow thoughts that entrail their way through my heart
In my soul
In my mind

Grasping my feelings inside
Trapping my body there, thinking
There could still be a chance
There could still be a chance
There could still be a ...Chance

I'd rather it hit me and get it over and done with than leaving me tortured this way

Blogging Shame

A week has gone by since I announced the opportunity for Omani bloggers nationwide to come forth and present themselves to the society through a radio interview with a local announcer from the English FM service.

While some of you I would understand that you find your blogs a bit too personal to go forward with such a project, what about the rest of you lot? People have been calling for bloggers' meetings, gatherings and such. Yet, you sit back and make it seem like you were a deaf human being in a wedding (as the Arab proverb would go).

This isn't about popularity. Nor is it about embarrassing yourself. By logging onto a service such Blogger, you knowingly acknowledge your writing skills that you wish to entertain, hone, and develop though this small cyberspace that is reserved in your name/nickname.

If you didn't want to be known in the 1st place, then you shouldn't have pursued the idea of going through with it (i.e.: obtaining a blog address for yourself) in the beginning.

I will be forced - should I get no positive answers by this Saturday - to embarass myself and tell the person in name, who I might add was a bit reluctant to interviewing people who had online opinions about life, their surroundings and perspectives of the society and other norms of the community around us; to cancel the whole thing.

I am seriously ashamed that you should even call yourself bloggers since you wish to have an effect on your readers and would pass out on this chance.

Destiny Awaits No One

I was reading the other day a small article about this 19 year old woman who had won a certain beauty contest in her town and got a scholarship to go to her chosen university somewhere in the USA although she was disabled in some way (I can't quite remember what her disability was).

Her folks were happy for her, and she was even happier that she proved herself and to the community that there was no obstacles in life as long as you believe in your goals.

Sadly, though, the young woman fell off the platform of a train station that she was waiting upon and unfortunately for her, the train ran over her at that time as it seemed the train conducter could not come to halt the breaks in time to save the young woman's life.

She died there and then.

Some people will think of this as a tragic story and go to weep about it. Others will grieve for a while and take the lesson out this horrible incident that occured.

Taking the courage to go against your every obstacle no matter what it is, is what life is all about. For destiny awaits no one in it's bit to change history over time. You either catch up or die up.

Life is about taking what you got even if it is the least, and doing the best you can do with it. Because let's face it; in life, there are no second chances.

UN: dissapointments & opportunities

We've been waiting (myself and my friend, Neil Monteiro) for the UN to come back to us about their decision considering their support to allow their logo be put on the package of the CD single of the song dubbed 'I'm Innocent', which we released a couple of weeks ago under the UN's name to promote it and the charity that we were working towards to in benefit of the UNICEF.

But unfortunately they haven't replied back to us. So we've decided to work on raising the money and giving it away to other local charity organizations.

It's a big dissapointment to have had all that hope since we thought we had the backup of the UNICEF.

But, on a more positive note, there's been more progress on the song that I am working on towards the same charitable work which will be a duet with a female voice and slightly more faster paced than the first song with Arabic chorus by the female companion and a little O'ud.

We're also thinking of making an entire album which would bring in several singing and songwriting talents from Oman, so if you think you're up to the challenge and you're ready to go with the flow and face the obstacles that lie ahead, let me know so we can get together and work something out. Songwriters from outside the Sultanate are also welcome but as we are obstructed by our borders we may only be able to take in your words and work on them. So, I do apologize about that.

See you all soon!

James Blunt

Most of you must have heard about this new and wonderfully talented blues singer James Blunt, from the United Kingdom.

I haven't heard any of his songs apart from a few at Starbucks and what I had seen from a video clip 'Goodbye My Lover' on a Middle Eastern music channel. To be honest, I think he's got an excellent talent for singing and putting the right rythem into the music he puts a beat to.

But this isn't what I wanted to talk about.

I wanted to talk about this small video music clip this particular artist has made that wonders about the Iraqi situation and how 'coalition forces' in that God forsaken land are working to make it 'a better place'.

The name of the music video, which is available on the internet, is called, No Bravery.

Have a look at it.

Tell me what you think about it.

----

Links:

No Bravery - James Blunt

The All Seeing Eye

I read this webpage on Islam and how the author behind the site had discussed the issue of the Dajaal (the Anti-Christ) citing several Islamic Hadeeth's that were brought upon from the followers of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

One of the key elements of the whole discussion that were surfaced was the all-seeing-eye, that is supposedly a sign of the people who will follow the Dajaal when he appears.

This had gotten me thinking, because the author had said it appeared in several places such as Cathedral colored window paintings, the US Dollar (backside), and in a secret ancient Devil worshiping society that has many followers in the United Kingdom (please, don't kill the messenger).

Up until now, you may very well ask me why am I worried if none of these are nowhere close to my hands or where I live in Oman? Well, maybe - and you may laugh at this - is because when I am always sad or depressed or in a thought provoking process, I always draw this sad eye. Does this mean that I am one of those followers of the Dajaal? Does this mean that I will enter Hell with a one way ticket?

Does anyone know how to help me out with this?

---

Links:

- Allahuakbar.net

the truth is unwanted anymore

This week, I read a good article about Symantec's grading of both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. It said that, in general, that Symantec found the giltches in Firefox as their developer crew had confessed to and found another set of glitches in the Firefox program that they didn't confess to; and thus had graded it badly. This had resulted in an outcry among developers of the free source internet browser and also big supporters. Amidst those cries, Symantec said then that it had overviewed it's grading of the Mozilla corporation browser and gave it a better grade.

This is all good and dandy. But then, it also raises a few eyebrows.

If Symantec had overviewed it and found those glitches which the corporation did not admit to and thus had to be punished with a lower grading, does that mean that public opinion would change the overall picture?

Since when does a large corporation allow public opinion cloud it's judgement?

This is widely seen in court and other large enterprises?

Does this mean that we no longer want to hear the truth and only what we want to hear? If the Firefox developer crew had any guts in their tight-couch-potato-bellies, they would have sucked it up and admitted to the mistakes they found in their browser and worked on them instead of gruntling like a bunch of unpaid mine workers who haven't been given a day off for a whole month.

I am a wide supporter of this browser. Heck, I'd buy it if I knew I could because I know it's a lot better than Microsoft's rubbishly tarmacked Internet Explorer but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't admit to the faults within the browser so we can work on enhancing security measures and overall performance.

LIVE: whose in?

Well, I had the interview and everything and it went very well - I have to say.

In case any of you had missed the chance to listen to it you can listen to the recording on Thursday (tomorrow) at 2:15pm Oman local time.

Another topic that was discussed after the show was the matter of srufacing the issue of blogs and Omani bloggers. And it got very interesting that Lakshami Kothanat, the wonderful person who had interviewed me for my books thought it would be a good idea to interview some Omani bloggers and see what they're really all about.

The proposed date of the interview would be on the 29th of March, 2006; this, again, should be a Wednesday. In case you're an Omani blogger and you're very much interested into having an interview conducted with you, please email me on this address pennedthoughts@gmail.com or just leave a comment on this topic and I'll get back to you.

I think they'll probably need some 4 maybe 5 people to have the interview with.

Let's hear it - whose in?

LIVE (again)

I have been invited for an interview tomorrow afternoon LIVE on the English language radio station here in Oman to talk about my books Rapidly Blue & Wonderous World.

The interview is supposed to be at sometime during the afternoon 3pm-ish on the 90.4 broadcasting station of Oman English FM. You can also find this transmission on the internet through this link

Hope you will be able to tune in and enjoy the interview.

Cheers!

No Excuse

Ok, people.

You now officially have no excuse to tell me you didn't know about this.

We are trying to promote the upcoming UNICEF charity song dubbed 'I'm Innocent' that is sung by Neil Montera, a very good friend of mine.

YOU can help by downloading the song from the permanent link that I have placed on the right hand sidebar that says 'UNICEF - Download Charity Song Here', and when you do promote it where you are. Get people to burn it on their CDs and for every person who wants to copy it off of you, ask them to pay a simple donation that goes to the UNICEF fund. The end sum of which you will all set aside to give at the UNICEF headquarters where you live.

We need all the help we can get on this project. So please, don't waste any time on it!

Thanks!

Horizon newsletter - Pt. 3

The Horizon newsletter that is printed and published by the Sultan Qaboos University had at last published my second short story which is titled Blue Ribbon Beauty.

This short story is the first of a two-part short story series on which I plan to send the second part in due time to the people behind the newsletter for publishment.

And since the newsletter has no official website on which you can check out the story, I have - below - typed it out for your pleasure and enjoyment.

Please do share your comments on it..

------------------



We smiled
We just kept on smiling
Her eyes into mine
Our lives were connected

‘Hi’
‘Hi’

We stood there. We didn’t talk
We couldn’t speak. We couldn’t breathe. We just had to fall

‘Can I buy you a coffee?’
‘Maybe a drink?’
Anything to make you happy
Anything to make you stay with me

My life is embodied by the jewels that are around me
Your eyes; your lips; the elegance that surrounds me

‘If I could be this night’
‘I would ask to stay forever like this’
‘Why is that?’
‘So I can always remember you like this’

She just stood there and smiled
Her eyes gleamed like an innocent child

‘Would you like to sit down and have a chat?’
‘Maybe a better chance for us to know each other, to get to understand’

She was like a wildflower
Blooming, while she gazed
My heart was racing
Unstoppable, at this stage

Blue ribbon, on her hair
You’d think I was nuts
But I assure you
I have seen her before. Where and how? And why was I unaware?

Life beyond life
Beauty beyond compare
This night
This passion flare

Looking at her
‘You’re late’
She looked at me suddenly, worryingly
‘What took you so long to come into my life? Today?’

I only wish
I had seen you before
I have only dreamed of this moment
For a night, with you, to hit into my heart – the centre of my love, the core

Her cheeks blushed
She stared into the floor
She was smiling deeply
Yet she could not hide it at all

She flapped her hair over her ear
That is beauty
That is beauty
To me

I wish I could have said to her
That day
How could I let her go?
‘I have to go now; maybe we’ll meet some other day’

As she got up heading for the door
She turned around, smiled back at me, but unaware
That as she headed out
Something had fallen off of her, but I think she did it on purpose to show how much she cared

Getting up to reach it
Before it fell to the floor
She left, but the image of her, in my heart, it will always be
I pray that I will know her, one day more

As I knew I had another chance
Because of the blue ribbon within my hands…

good response

I wasn't able to come online tonight until around 12:30am local Oman time because electricity was out in one whole sector of the Muscat, aka: Qurum 29, for a full 4 and a half hours. This electrcity blackout wasn't limited for the night but had happened earlier on, as I was informed by others, this afternoon another 3-4 times.

Apparently, there were a few fuses burnt. And when those were fixed. Things went back to normal for a little time until the night came and it blew the cable. Sparks flew and neighbors didn't know what to do. Where aliens to blame? Was God trying to teach us to conserve power? Or was it the night we should just enjoy the beauty of nature in terms of the bright full moon and starry skylit night?

All in all. It was a night to remember for those who were there. And enjoyable it was even though stressful to come and go every half an hour to check it the power was back on or not.

I guess every dog has his day.

...woops ;oP

Racism: The unclosed chapter of man's existence

The world has now been able to overcome major diseases in the name of national science and bio-technology and the developments in these two fields hold almost every second of the day all over the world. But, unfortunately, the world has little to claim over taking out another disease that has been manifesting even since the existence of mankind on this Earth. Namely; racism.

Where-ever we go these days there is surely a big group of people that calls on the errdication and destruction of another race, nationality, or mere face that they care not to look at in the mornings they walk across the plains.

And it is more unfortunate even, that this not only exists in developed countries but also in developing and under-developed countries. Africa and the Middle East is by no means an exception. Even though the cases that arise are that of minority, but if it is not capped now, the problem will only grow larger beyond solution in the future and authorities will face an extravagent challenge in belting society and the indviduals who carry out inhumane acts of nature against their own brotherhood.

Such is the example in Africa, where Ethiopians, Somalis, and South African fight to regain their freedom in the lands they were born on but with the cost of their lives as they also fight to survive in hostile environments without food, water or shelter for that fact. The mere word co-existence will ignite a simple tribal war within the region let alone kill hundreds of thousands of innocent children, women and unable men.

In the Middle East, and specifically in the GCC region, the expatriate passport owner is unfortunately looked at with a red eye of mistrust and the ever-ready pounded fist of single-minded fury that shows no mercy on which the 'law of the jungle' is carried out on. Where most of the Omanis think that Indians are an under-classed race that should be stepped on and mastered over only because they are living off the peanuts their 'masters' present to them at the end of the month where in reality these so-called 'low lives' are the same ones who built everything their 'masters' live in, from roads, villas, apartments and the such all over the country. I very well dare any Omani to come forward and say that they built so and so in such a place in Oman. Because Omanis will only graduate from their under-graduate studies to follow a dream of sitting behind a desk with a PC in an air-conditioned office and have the company 'tea-boy' bring in his morning choice of hot beverage.

If anything, Omanis should be grateful to those have built them their homes and roads by showing some gratitude and respect instead of shouting at them as if they were animals or robots with no feelings whatsoever.

Omanis have learnt everything that the world has offered to teach them, but is there really a need to bring in a new subject called 'respect 101' & 'respect 102'?

There is little appreciation for the actual working force who work their butts off in the hot sun and only get 80 or 100 Omani Rials per month and send back almost 3/4 of that payment to their families in their homelands.

And somehow, it doesn't seem to be getting any better..

Heaven

There's not a soul that wants to say that it's ok to stay alive
There isn't a person in this world that says that life isn't worthwhile

You have to breath to appreciate
The wonders at your feet, the barriers you break
The different experiences your mind takes
The feelings, the emotions, the wisdom in-construction that you are given only to give back again

With all it's ups and downs
Like a rollercoaster
The hole you dig for yourself when you're depressed and alone
Is only yours and one day you would die in your thunder

Precious moments
Come and pass by
The candle you light
The moments you catch a smile
The flirtatious character you set loose and wild
Is perhaps the only thing that might get you to the end

Heaven is a wonder
And oh what a wonder it is
She smiles
She laughs
She cries tears of joy
She's there when you are under stress
And the world plays with you like a toy
She's the only one who would comprehend

Time will pass
And after many years you'll learn to understand
That love isn't a treasure you have to find
In fact
If it ever is something
It's the way you find yourself in her eyes
In the way you make her smile
When you find your way to her heart
It's the only thing that would get you by

...that's Heaven

The Child Inside Me

Mind the headache
The steps that I try to take
The wind that slaps in my face
I try to turn away
Yet I am lured into the game

Passive sense of love
The lies, the deciet, the mistrust
The path of the woods that grow dark and get you lost
Wind's in my face, your voice, I hear you not
The vigilant craft of the mind
The feelings I aim to hide
I take aim
I play the game
I keep focused
I stay the same

Now all alone
What do you do?
Face the facts
I am told
You will never get what you want if you stay that way
Learn to stay behind in the line so you don't experience pain

So now I tell myself
That I am no longer myself
I no longer care for the world and what everyone thinks
I start to move on, I get a pull, tugged on
And this child inside of me looks at me with these innocent eyes
He's crying
He's sad
He's asking
'What about me? When would everyone understand?'

I have no answer for the child
I move on, lifeless onwards with time

The Omani tourism policy

Up until a few years back, there were strict restrictions on who gets to come into the country and who gets their work visa in the Sultanate of Oman. You would need a sponsor for your visit/work/vacation visa(s). Tourism wasn't even an industry back then because of the low amount of tourists that would visit the country and the beauricratic policies that both the governmental and private organizations took into looking at such issues.

There were only a handful of 5 star hotels in the Muscat capital area, and even then they were far too expensive to have a long stay in. Still then, there were no actual local companies that would promote the country outside Oman especially regionally and internationally. There were hardly any companies in the Sultanate who you could call professional tour operators that would tour the tourist sights all over the country.

The only amount of money that was spent to keep this little sector running back from the government was the financing to recreate the structures of the castles, forts, and relegious grounds that offered a high heritigal and relegious values to the visitor of Oman.

When the oil fields in Oman started to show signs of drought, the government embarked on a new era. That was to open a Ministry of Tourism and allocate to it an annual budget of 50 million Omani Rials for both; the sixth and seventh five-year plan.

The ministry started to allocate automatically to it all the sights that are relevant from a tourist 'perspective' forts, castles, relegious grounds, hotels, hotel night-clubs, and the such.

Thus also embarking on a wide scale but narrow field - or niche - of customers that it would target to attract. This means that the Sultanate was looking to attract middle and upper-class tourism to it's land. But there are discrepencies between the public eyes that this might lead to Oman being much like it's neighbor Dubai; which the government assures it won't, but nonetheless, it still lurks within the community.

There have been several projects of investment in the tourism industry since then like the Shangra-La Bandar Jassa Hotels & Resort, the Blue City located near Al Sawadi, and now a new fishing and ocean lining systems company to open up in Al-Duqm bya several Chinese and Omani investors, not to mention the Wave that includes several investors from the UAE and Oman.

Oman may be all set to start it's right foot into the tourism venture league. But this arises many questions such as; why the sudden opening to the tourism sector when the country isn't that aquainted with tourists in high quantities (almost every 10-15 days about 2000 - 3500 tourists arrive on an ocean liner)? What about the visa norms, why have they still not been relaxed? Why is the government still focussing on middle and upper-class tourists when they know that these individuals will pay cheeply - once they get here - for all their supplies? Is the community in Oman ready to face such an open-market policy now that Oman is now in negotiations with almost every main international airports to make Seeb International Airport and Salalah International Airport a main hub in the Arabian Peninsula?

Links:

- Shangri La, Oman
- The Blue City, Al-Sawadi
- The Wave, Muscat

The Blind Man

I suppose I have only myself to blame for the state that I am coming up to now which is the state of indeciveness. As in to not be able to clearly think out what is it that I really want.

Don't get me wrong here. I clearly know that I want to go further and hone my skills in the field of artistry. But as an online friend here once told me that such a future is doomed to fail here in Oman since there is no light to head to in that path. While I believe that if one was to pursue their belief no matter what anyone says or does and makes their dream ambition a reality that they would prove everyone wrong.

I know I want to write. I know that I want to also have a proper job. I know that I would like to, one day, settle down. But I sometimes cannot come to terms with the world outside and how lonely it feels to be alone. I guess no one can. I am asked constantly to look at the glass half full. I am asked to look beyond such long term goals and take things one step at a time. I am also asked to not rush into decisions and take my time with everything.

But I can't help it.

When I was young; I always wanted everything to happen so fast. When I was really young and had a light moustache - yes, go on, laugh all you like - I used to think to myself that I wanted to grow a full beard. But now, I am so bothered by my facial hair since it grows back almost fully in under two days.

When I was 19, I started to think about getting involved with people from the other gender (aka: females). But from one bad relationship to another it almost seemed like someone up there either doesn't like me to the point of punishing me of being single. I like being single, but I also don't want to die single.

I've come to learn that rushing things will just get me burnt all over again with almost everything except for those things that are of valid cause for quickening in speed measures.

Right now, all I ever want is to get me a job, which is just the thing that I am focusing on in terms of sending CVs and the such. And even though it's going to hurt me a lot inside and I know it will. I will just have to ignore my heart's calling for the time being until I am settled down with everything career-wise.

Yet, right now, I wish for the worst thing to happen to me.

I wish I was a blind man.

They Were Just Kids

She looked into his eyes
And blushed away
Smiling like the Angel she always is
Refraining to look at his face

He would pass a look
Maybe one or two
He'd smile often
Because she was there, too

They both fell for each other's eyes
Together, they became another love affair at first sight

But sadly
The day had to come to an abrupt end
They were both just kids
Back then

But who knows?
Maybe, the powers-that-be
One day, they would re-unite
And live happily, for all eternity?

Starlight Surprise

In a surprising turn of events, I have been asked to turn the lyrics that I had written down for the UNICEF benefit, which is due to be launched, into a full song.

Thus, I will be starting to work on my first song ever, written and sung by me.

Surprising, eh?

Horizon newsletter - Pt. 2.5: Eratta

Just a correction here about the Horizon newsletter from the Sultan Qaboos University here in Oman..

I mentioned in an earlier post that it was going to come out on March 10th, 2006. When I realized that that exact date is a Friday..

So I figured the date that was given to me was wrong and it should be out on a Saturday.

In any case, when it does come out - I will publish the short story herein this blog..

Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

One step too far

I found out my ultimate fault.

I think into things way too far into the future. I predict for myself such a bright future or just as much a bad one, for that. And when I am hit by reality it's like a brick wall hitting my head at a thousand kilometres an hour.

Talk about having an astronomical day.

That's mostly why I shift into fifth gear with everything around me expecting the unexpected to happen in my advantage and when we collide you can all say goodbye to Rose and Jack.

God. Where's an iceberg when you need one?

Colliding nature
Divided dillusion
Sense of love of kiss and tell
The weather isn't always warm as Hell

I tell myself a thousand times
That I can always get up and do a million things
I can always move move up
And accomplish my dreams

But I am not happy
I am no the least
I have almost everything I could ever want
And nothing I wish I had

Dreams are clouds
Of lies and make believe
The sense, the pride
That we hold onto, the rise from the fall beneath

Hollowed into a corner
Sitting all alone
Crying there
On my own

Credit Cards & Maturity

I was having this discussion yesterday (Tuesday) night, and it started to become tense because of the way it was being dragged and I thought to myself I might as well post it here to see what the others here on the web would think and reply back to the issue.

So here goes..

The issue in discussion is about credit cards. Someone I know (who started the whole flamengo) was just employed recently for a company that issues it's own credit cards and it has it's own bank and banking system. And he was flattering the company because it was of an American origin and he never liked American products or services (because he himself is a Palestinian) - but that's besides the point that is being made here.

The point that I am trying to make here is that he went on about how only mature people can recognize the special treatments that included with having a golden or a platinum credit card.

Having heard that, I tried to move in with a few questions such as why would anyone in the world need a credit card, even though they have the unreasonable highest interest rate in the world over?

I believe that the credit card scheme has been over-valued all over the world because the very concept of the whole system is manuplative. You are lured in to get a credit card for your account in your specific bank with all the glimmer glamour that camouflages the actual truth behind it.

You get free tickets, free treatment at VIP airport lounges, free drinks at a certain restaurant, free discounts at some international hotel chain and the list just goes on and on and on. And for what? So that you end up taking a loan on your account that you have to pay back in time and if you don't you have to pay it all including a daily interest rate?

I am talking about the relegious point of view here that states that this very transaction that has maddened the world's economic population wildly thus increasing it's growth in the very terms that Islam says it is prohibited because it is basicly an act of riba - whereby you are taking a loan on something you don't own and have to pay it back with an extra fee.

From a logical point of view, why would anyone want to get into the never ending maze of paying for a scheme which in all honesty laughs in your face and plus charges you extra fees should you want to pay the amount later on?

Why?

Why put yourself into this position in the beginning? The world does not revolve around squandering money here and there. Although it may feel nice to actually buy some new stuff every now and then. But why should you be worried later on about how you're going to pay the amount?

And how does this all link to maturity?

I await your answers..

UNICEF - Making it happen

Here you go people..

Here's the link to the song I'm Innocent.

You can download it as many times as you want to for 30 whole days, after that the link is inactive.

But a request from me to you all.. download it, burn it onto a CD and pass it on to everyone else you know but before you hand a copy of the song to the other person make sure that they donate a small sum of money - no matter how big or small - towards the UNICEF.

Please.. Please.. Please.. we need to make sure that everyone we know who can access this file has to download it and pass it on and make a small donation for the UNICEF.

Make it happen.
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I'm Innocent

Health in the hand of the ROP

Here's something you don't see everyday..

An ROP escort to an important VIP delegation slowing down traffic to about 60km on a 120km speed road limit on the way to a hospital. Obviously you can't overtake them because they would then arrest you and interrogate you asking you a lot of dumb questions like why you were attempting to overtake the escort group and such. But being the smart alecs they really are, they wouldn't guess in the end that you were in a hurry to the hospital.

Someone should arrest them for having to willingly endanger someone's vital signs in a race against time to the nearest hospital.

Is the country's security system taking a backward step? Or what?

The boundaries of freedom

Let me be very clear about what I am going to say here. I am very much in support of freedom and the right to express freely as long as it does not offend another's culture nor relegion or society/community. That being said, this does not mean that we, as citizens of our country, should tolerate the misbehavings of foreignors here or their defyness to local laws.

And now; on with the post..

I saw what I would have thought I would not see anywhere in any other Muslim country in the world - a couple kissing in public in broad daylight. I have nothing against the couple kissing but in public? If they really did want to enjoy each other's lucious lips then they could have respected the country, it's culture, it's relegion, and it's people by doing it within the privacy of their own home.

The point that I am trying to make here is if we as Muslims in our country let these 'simple things' go on freely without reaction from authorities then whose to say that further into our future we won't say anything about a couple having sex in the middle of nowhere in daylight in public? If we shut up about the small things and do nothing about them now they'll only build up more and more to a point whereby we cannot contain what goes on and it turns out of control.

This is seeing it from a logical point of view and not relegious. Just so that I point this out before anyone starts to lash at me for intrusion into private affairs. Which, reminds me, if they were private affairs, shouldn't have they been doing it in their own private quarters?

It's sad to see two grown ups do this in a country that has allowed them, neigh, trusted them to respect it's laws, culture and relegion.

Such a shame.

Such a shame..

Horizon newsletter - Pt.II

The short story that I had submitted to the Horizon newsletter has been approved for submission and will be printed in the coming issue of March 10th, 2006.

The story submitted is part one of a two part poetic short story named Blue Ribbon Beauty.

I am hoping that anyone who gets their hands on that copy will let me know what they think of it and when I do I will make sure to post it here as soon as possible..

Cheers!

The singles club

There has been a major discussion over the years on the reasons that have driven the youth of today to either getting married at a late age or staying single in pursuit of their career-like ambitions.

And unfortunately, although it may seem to be a sign of progress that Omani men (as do the women of this society) think of other things to be their ultimate goal in life besides getting settled down and having a family; it is also viewed as an alarming trend that the community is trying to curb. As according to a recent census that was achieved back in 2003, there are now 3 Omani women to every 1 Omani man in the country.

Many thought the reason behind such as this debatablely-large ratio is that they (men) look to marry from outside the country which current laws forbid unless given an approval certificate under stringent rules and regulations. Others sought the reasons to be that there could be a rise in same-sex relationships between the two sexes (although this can never be confirmed as it is prohibited both by law and Islam). Then comes the final reason that ever could rise; that neither gender is really interested into getting involved with the other. This is due because of the many experiences of the youth of today that attempt to court the other gender in various ways and also due to abnormal societal norms.

Many of the youth today prefer to know each other before they get into a maritial relationship whether it is an informal or formal one. Having said that, the bad experiences they take on possibly gives the impression that such a task is almost impossible in achievement. And thus, they shelf the idea from ever happening.

Abnormal societal norms include heavy expenses for wedding treats such as the wedding night, the honey moon, and the mahr (which is the amount of money that the man pays or offers to the woman in order to court her formally), which, in many wilayats in Oman, could reach a sum of 40,000 Omani Rials (roughly $25,000).

And since most of the population (75%, actually), is under the age of 30 years old and mostly 'looking for a job' they pretty much have to take whatever job offer they can get their hands on. Even it means that you have studied for a bachelor's degree (with honors) for 4 whole years and all you end up is with a job that pays you barely 300 Omani Rials a month (minus 6% for social services) that makes you work 6 days of the week at a 10-hour rate every day with only half an hour lunch break.

And the government is thinking in the right way in implementing Omanization in the private sector but what about the salaries? When someone with only a high school certificate with so many children and a wife lives off a 120 Omani Rials salary?

The solution may be in employing more Omanis in the private sector but to make them grovel for their slight pay that scarecly helps them survive over the first week isn't helping at all. Even with all the free education, free health services that the government provides.

The current population of the Sultanate of Oman is now standing at 3 million people, where half of million of which, are expatriates. In 10 years time, this number will probably double or tripple. The current accurate number of people looking for a job is unknown, but that does not mean that we have a big time ahead of us in order to arrange the suspension to cushion that coming calamity.

There is a diyer need to do something very urgently about this. Everyone - the government, the private sector, and the individuals involved - are all demanded by their moral, and social obligations towards this society lest we all fall into recession.

------

This is my 500th post!

Horizon Newsletter

I had been requested to submit a new short story to the Sultan Qaboos University's Horizon newsletter once again ...

So I'll have more information on when it should come out, inshallah..

Doesn't it feel good to be appreciated?

Spotlight - Pt. II

As promised..

Here is the article that came out in the newspaper about my new book (Sorry, but it's in Arabic)..

-------

Omanis on roads: Ignorance is bliss

It's no wonder that Oman has the 2nd highest accident rate in the world after the USA. People drive here as if they own the roads that others have paved for them to use carefully - not carelessly.

The other day I was taking a stroll in my car and I was entering a small roundabout around where we live and on that roundabout I needed to go straight. Now as far as my teaching goes, we were instructed, that, should we want to go straight we would have to take the right lane to go right or straight and to take the left lane should we need to go to the left of the roundabout or take a U-turn on it.

So what did yours truly do? I took the right lane. First indication that I wanted to go either right or straight.

As I drove into the roundabout in the right land I noticed that on my left hand side there was this woman with a man on her right passenger seat and child on his lap. She was attempting to go straight where I was heading. Having seen this, I increased slightly to take my leading position to my 'goal'. But still she pursued as if nothing had changed. And she almost hit me too had I not tapped my breaks.

I was furious with this person. Terribly.

I gave her a honk and a signal signifying to her that she doesn't know how to drive properly or that she could have gotten her driver's license from Nizwa. She - in her own melodramic way - pointed out that it was her way. I was this close to stopping her in the middle of the road and getting that man on her passenger's side to keep her on a short leesh otherwise I would be very much tempted to give her a piece of my mind and send her home with two black eyes.

And this is just one incident amongst many that happens more than occasionaly on Omani roads despite the fact that the ROP has installed traffic radars every 1.5 kilometeres all over the Sultanate up until every road border that is known.

People don't understand that the instructions that they are taught during their schooling years of driving are meant for all life and not just to pass a slight exam that you have 2 police officers over looking at every mistake you might take taking into consideration that your instructor is there to be either tormented or delighted at your performance (sometimes it's delightness in both cases - should you pass or not - because in both cases he gets paid more).

I will say this, ignorance will not go unforgotten on roads.

Neither will breaking the law either.

Let it not be said that everyone's not been fairly warned.

Soaking in The Rain

I sit and wait for you in the pouring rain
I sit just to have a glance from your face
I sit there and wait for your eyes
To gleam down upon me in surprise
I try to acknowledge the part that you are not for me
But my heart aches, my pulse pushes away, and I still dumbfounded by the fact that you and I are not meant to be

I stand in the rain soaking wet
I stand soaking wishing you might just regret
I stand there with hope and glee
I stand there looking for your presence should you ever come over here
I stand there all alone
I stand there no one to cure my heart's ache but you alone

Here I am
Standing in the rain
No one to take my hand
No one to share my pain

Sick once again..

Something's gotten ahold of me and I don't know how it has because I take extra care of my health.. but it seems that a visit to the hospital is in need to check on my throat and on this God-forsaken cold that keeps catching up on me..

It has really gotten very tired so I have arranged with my Doctor tomorrow for a quick check up to see what's wrong with me and if he could prescribe anything for me in the meantime..

Nothing serious so there needn't be any worries..

Spotlight

There will be a spotlight on my new book Wonderous World in the Oman Arabic Daily Muscat Cultural City supplementary tomorrow.

I had been informed it would be in either page 10 or 11.

Be on a look-out for it..

Dillema of Dillemas

I just don't think I can take it anymore.

I know I am supposed to act all positive and everything. And that I am supposed to hold within me some sort of passive sense of self-motivation. But I don't have it in me anymore. I have the lost the will to fight for anything.

I tried so many times to get up and attempt to make it on my own. But life keeps throwing casualties in my face. I am told that I am not old. But when you think of it, if I am going to get any progress done; it might as well be now or never. Else I will face dire consequences of having to deal with things that I should have dealt with when I was younger. But I didn't have the chance because of many factors.

I still have to find a place for me life. I know I am a good writer and I have put that will to the test, be it in the sense of writing poetry, short articles for theweek, or short stories for the Horizon newsletter in Sultan Qaboos University.

I aspire to become a very well known writer. That's my goal. Yet, my goal will only get me so far in my life should I choose to live furtheron here in Oman. And then I would have to deal with many other things such as my medical situation, plus the fact that I am still single.

So single isn't a problem to many of you - in fact, most of you. But to me, it is a case of insercurity. And I udnerstand that I cannot go on with that unless I get myself properly employed to own up to my responsibilities. But fact is, no one's willing to give me a chance. Dozens of CVs are sent within a month's time and still no answer. And when I say I want to a proper job I mean one that would that would suitably compensate for 4 years worth of Business Administration degree studying and not getting underpaid just because that's 'company policy'.

But still, the future ahead of us is still unclear - is it not?

Rotten

What has one
If he doesn't have it at all?
The love
That he asks for

The plight of relequishment
Of feeble delight
Of tender moments
Lived throughout the night

The jester, the humor
The sight he sees
The crude morbid sense
Of anguish subdued in superficial laughter that misleads

The mood that throws one astray
The joy of light has gone, what can one say?
The beauty of the Moon is now forgotten
The light the shines off is just a white rose without a smell; rotten

Sponsorship & Publicity

Consumers here in the Sultanate of Oman have often made varaible mistakes about companies and what they visualize as sponsorship from them in certain events like in special offers during festivity periods, for example; Muscat Festival.

The misonception lies that the consumer obviously thinks that he is in gain from the company when they offer their regular offers and an added-value to it at a lower price to consumer such him/her, when the truth lies in the fact it is the company who is actually in gain from them in the long term.

How is this so?

Let's say for instance, that Oman Mobile has advertised for an offer that allows you to pay for one of their postpaid packages at a lower price and at the same time offering you a some amount of free talking time plus free SMS/MMS. The gain that the consumer thinks he/she is into is that they pay less for more (even though it is the short term) but still states that with the number of consumers that think along that exact pattern the more consumer base the company will build and therefore increasing their profits from selling such service products in the long term.

The whole idea behind sponsorship isn't to invest into a special period of time to make it successful but rather it's the publicity the company gains behind it (granted that it comes at a high price, but this makes no matter to the firm at hand because it breaks even after they build their consumer base).

So next time you think that a company is sponsoring such a festive period, and they are offering an irresistable package - think again: what's in it for you?

The Power of Prayer

I have heard so many times that if you pray that everything you have ever wished for will come true for you. Although, this is could be partially true; could this mean that we don't need to work towards our goals? Does this mean that all we should do is pray for everything we ever wanted and sit back and wait? If this is the meaning, then it's pointless that we should ever look for a job.

Why I am bringing this up is because I saw this advert a couple of times that shows someone who doesn't pray on time and that his life is follow of rocky climibings (in a matter of speaking) of problems and such, and that one day he starts all over again to pray on time that results in everything he ever wanted in his life to become a reality with an ending in Arabic that translates 'Pray and your life will flourish'.

Although I don't pray myself (and I have said this many a times that I am not proud of such a statement) I still believe that this advert somehow carries an inaccurate message to the audience who attends it. I believe that should you work hard enough for your goals - regardless whether you pray or not - that God will give you what you want. But it's the part of praying in a sense of thanking Him that will allow this proseperity to continue. Is it not?

What do you think?

Zasperella

So what is the point of pursuing something that you cannot attain in your life?

Like, for instance, if you should think of getting into a long-term relationship that would lead in the end to a potential marriage suite but something along that rocky road goes horribly wrong and you end up in the corner asking yourself what you have done wrong?

What is the whole point that you should get up and try again everytime only to face the same fate all over again?

Why should you have high hopes for something that just doesn't want to work out for you at all no matter what you try of nice gestures; pushing fate forward, and having to be so nice to everyone not because you want to be but because it is in your nature?

What is the whole point?

Why should you ever stick your heart out to someone who'll only look the other way and say to you that they are just not interested and you end up having your hopes burnt up in a cloud ineverted smoke?

Why?

Why should you try?

UNICEF - Pt. 4

If you had your FM radio on and tuned in to the local English FM radio station which was hosted by Lakshimi Kathanat (I hope I got the spelling correct, please do excuse me, Lakshimi); then you would have the opportunity to listen to a small sampling of the newly made song in benefit of the UNICEF fund dubbed 'I'm Innocent'..

It should be launched sometime during this coming week and it will also be featured in a future publication of theweek.

I hadn't got the CD yet, therefore, I apologize for not living up to the promise for posting the song online for a limited period on a web hosting service from a third party website. But I will work towards that goal.

But you will happy to know that you will be able to purchase one of the final copies of the CD - of which, we are going to make 500 copies - once it is launched.

Fingers crossed..!

Omanis think 'civilization' is a new fish dish

Apparently, Omanis are not civilized enough, which is very unfortunate..

If I remember correctly, if you're a smoker (forgetting that I hate the mere smell of smoked up ciggarrettes), then it is considered quite civil of you that you should ask the people around you if they would mind that you light up your ciggarrette. Omanis don't have this feature installed with them. Maybe they'll get that with the upgrade of Brain 1.1.

Omanis have not seen movies, or ladies their entire lifetime. They consider both to be a rare moment and to cherish it they must either clap, whistle like in ungentleman like manner, or perhaps even make the loudmouth gesture to do something inappropriate whether it was in a closed theatre or in a public place like a coffeeshop. I mean, if they're here; then who's running Hell?

It doesn't seem that future generations will be getting any better with all the efforts being made to make their time something worth waiting for. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe by the time they get older and show some responsible behavior (inside and outside of their households) then they do deserve what they have coming their way. But right now they have little to show for it.

My Dying Words

Life isn't life
Anymore
I pose a fake smile
When my heart is torn

I live with a yearn in my heart
I live to breath only to try a new start

The time I have placed
In my hands
I swear it's as if my dreams
Were built out of sands

Of beauty of love and Heaven to meet
Of lonesome doves and blackbirds of grief

The slightest touch of warmth, of comfort
The right words, the gentle whisper that is never rushed

Of lying days in the winter
Of dying souls that slowly disappear with their whimper

Of lying along
Under the Sun
Of lying there
All alone

The flower in my hands
Withers away
The petals are gushed
With the cold, cold wind

These are my dying words
The heart you have torn
The death you have sentenced me upon
And the soul that is being, like a corpse, burnt

What Can I Say?

I was full of cockiness today since I awoke at around 7am to take my car to the service and what happens with me is if I wake up and make a slight movement out of bed at that an early a time I can never go back to sleep except if I throw myself into the bed. But that didn't happen unfortunately.

And unfortunately for me, also, I didn't sleep a wink all day from that time until now (the time now is 1am here in Muscat as I am typing away).

I couldn't think of anything else to write than what happened during the course of the day because my mind has stopped working, my and body is crying because of soreness in the muscles since I haven't done this in a very long time. And what's worse is that I might have to do it all over again tomorrow (Thursday). Sheesh. Talk about a long day to go over..

I got word from my friend that the UNICEF office here in Muscat had uploaded the song 'I'm Innocent' to their counterparts in Dubai, UAE and that all we're waiting for is a final green light from them over there to go on and start producing the copies which would take no time. As of now, details are a bit sketchy of this project, but be prepared that this will have the Omani community at abuzz because of the cause that the charity is being targetted to.

What else?

I saw The Pink Panther today. But you already know about that in the post before this.

I was so high today it was so incredible I had so many tickle bones in my body that I could use them as drumsticks and start my own one-man-band. I was throwing cocky gestures to anyone who's anybody left, right and centre. And what's even worse, I couldn't stop myself. I was really enjoying the day today. People were trying to make me feel down but I took that in and turned it around in my favor.

With great cockiness comes great irresponsibility. Te he he he ;o)

And what else?

Oh yeah.

Oman won against Jordan today 3-0. Yipee. Big deal.

The dumb footballers couldn't pass their test against the UAE in a friendly since they lost to them 1-0. No offence to any Emirates nationals meant here. Those people (Omani footballers) are far off better in camel racing - they don't even need licenses to drive those sahara ships. And if you had a hard time making them out in the horizon all you need to do is look out for a head bopping up and down between the distant semi-sand-himilayas. These people couldn't win football match even if it was fixed. They are that bad.

And then the Omani public bemuses itself at running wild on the streets with the 'pride' of having their national team win in a friendly match against a contender they hardly ever meet up with for a sporting even let alone, socially.

But what can I say?

What can I say...?

The Pink Panther (again)

Twentieth Century Fox had blew it with The Pink Panther movie that was recently released with odd French accent from actor Steve Martin, who although added a pinch of comedy to the cartoon/movie franchise was as good in French as George W. Bush is in making foreign policy speeches.

Beyonce Knowles, as dazzling as she was, was used for a mere eye-candy role, along with her musical talent which added a nice touch to the movie's soundtrack along with the late Henry Mancini's original movie/cartoon theme that gave the franchise the fame and the coolness of our fine Pink Panther friend.

All in all, it is a good watch. Nice if you would like to have a laugh and not interested in a big plot. It could also be categorized as a family movie.

But don't rush out buying the DVD; that's my five cents..

Aspiration & Where it Leads to

If someone were to aspire to something, how should they go about it? Say, for instance, that this aspiration is a long and winding road, and is thus, not filled with danger, but rather full of stops that one must stop not to gaze but to make a lesson out of. That would mean that this road is a tiring one and it must end up somewhere but only after a long wait.

Would you still go after it, even though the fact still states itself, that you should wait, perhaps, too long, and that you should come to terms that you will lose yourself many opportunities along the way to reach this ultimate goal..?

Long story short; would you forego on life's opportunities even those that are dearest to you, to reach an ultimate goal in your life?