Simple pleasures...

There is much in life I am thankful for—and the one thing I am most thankful for is that I am blessed in that almost everything I desire is either readily available, or easily achievable.

The food I crave for is from Easagey Aadhanu hotaa. And I get to indulge myself every night.

The clothes I prefer are in dull colors, and usually very cheap.

The movies I like to watch are Hindi movies from the 70s and 80s. And I get to watch one anew every Saturday night on the Super Max channel.

I enjoy music from popular artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Ricky Martin, etc. I also like almost all of popular Indian music and the Dhivehi versions of these as well.

I'll come out of the closet and say it: the books I enjoy reading are Mills & Boons and similar trashy novels. I know they are targeted at aging housewives, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them (immensely). Disclaimer: I don't find Doctor-Nurse romances that appealing, though.

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My bells are ringing...

"What does it take to be good at anything? What does it take to be a good writer? Someone who's good is a combination of two factors: an accidental mental correspondence to the needs of the disciplines, combined with a mental ability to not be stupid. That's a rare combination, but it's not at all mystical. A good programmer must enjoy programming and be interested in it, so he will try to learn more. A good programmer also needs an aesthetic sense, combined with a guilt complex, and a keen awareness of when to violate that aesthetic sense. The guilt complex forces him to work harder to improve the program and to bring it more in line with the aesthetic sense." - Bob Frankston

In case you are wondering, I'd be the last person to call myself a "good programmer". I'm trying to figure out which of the features (he mentions) are missing in me. Maybe all of them, since I am in this "disciplines" by accident, and a couple of bad decisions I made earlier in life. :D

Spiritual rituals

We're half-way into the Holy month of Ramadan... If you want to belong in this society, and stop feeling isolated, take part in the rites and rituals of Ramadan. Fast from dawn to dusk--denying yourself water, cigarettes, sex, food, and intravenous injections. Attend the Salat prayers, and read from the Holy Koran. At dusk, go to the mosque, and with the call to Maghrib prayer, break your fast with a dried date, fresh guava juice, and water provided by charitable families living near the mosque. After the prayer, go home to the sumptious meal the women-folk have prepared from what you had earlier bought at the markets--a water melon the size of your fist, fresh frozen fish, some barely edible leaves, and anything else that had caught your hungry eyes, including some mouldy sticks of tapioca. After the meal, and a cigarette or two, go back to the mosque for the Isha prayer, and Tharaaveeh prayers (depending on your patience, and devotion to God on the night). It is then time to visit friends and family, tasting their juices, fries, bakes, roasts, and boils. Then, when your stomach grows to rest behind your throat, go home to sit infront of the TV with your women-folk, and enjoy the special Ramadan fare from TV Maldives: the singing and dancing, the game shows, the tele-dramas, and the cooking show that inspires the women-folk with what to prepare for "fast-breaking" tomorrow. Have a late supper, and then go to sleep, ready for the next Ramadan day's rituals and rites.

I've never felt comfortable going through rituals more complicated then shaking hands with people I meet, or saying "Hello" when answering the phone. This Ramadan is, as usual, a painful experience of isolation and disorientation. I need a cigarette, and it's only 11:30am--six more hours to wait...

Fake drugs in Nigeria and a gum infection

I watched a documentary on BBC last night about fake drugs and their effects in Nigeria. The interviews with the Nigerian authorities were excruciatingly painful to watch. They don't know... Was it reported? I had no idea... Yes, it is sad... Heh. But, no... No one is responsible... Reminded me that no one who has any authority is responsible for anything that goes wrong in the Maldives either. Except maybe if you are MDP... But that's another story.

Anyways, most of the fake drugs are imported from India. And where do we import drugs from? India. That scared me... Especially when I'd just been to the doctor with a gum infection. I rinse with Listerine twice a day, but I still have a gum infection... Fake Listerine?

The doctor has given me antibiotics and some other pills to take for 5 days... One of the pills was from Pakistan... The rest were from India... I'm taking the drugs because I want to get rid of the infection quickly... But... What if they are all fake? :(

NK News

"NK News is a searchable database of North Korean propaganda. It contains nearly every article published on the KCNA's website, in English and Spanish, since Dec 2, 1996"

This is fun to read. Until you realize that we don't have it any better: our news is certainly less defiant, but still, just as much fawning towards our leaders, and in almost total disregard of reality...

And that face, and that shirt... So familiar. Heh.

So much to do, so little time

I have suddenly run out of time to do everything I am supposed to do. If I can pull everything off successfully, it'd be so satisfying... *grin*

Peace and harmony

Everyone says that it is mostly spectators on the street. But, with TVM dispersing information regarding the unrest regularly, we should all be watching what's going on on TV, safe at home.

Every time I switch on the TV, Shakeeb is there... Giving information. But why do people still go to watch what is happening? Is it because they don't believe Shakeebbe? If so, why?

Self defeating

I’ve been thinking about why I cannot get this blog going—and it is because of my self-defeating attitude towards self-expression—whenever I had started to blog on my experiences and thoughts—in the middle of the post I conclude that what I am writing is of no consequence—the “big picture” comes to mind—my experiences and thoughts don’t seem worthwhile or relevant—and it finally happens that I may post something in jest or a joke instead—but usually I don’t post anything—because jokes come from humour and my humour is overworked whenever I’m awake—trying hard not to express my real feelings and thoughts.

A list of what I hate most...

1) Not getting enough sleep at night.
2) People not returning my calls: its only common courtesy, and with caller-id available to all, there really is no excuse.
3) People with no real achievements and little or no talent trying to impress everyone else about how great they are... ie. people who are full of shit.
4) Ants... especially the little red ones.
5) Sleeping alone... but I am getting used to it.
6) Having to iron my trousers and shirts in the morning.
7) Yuppies who like fancy gadgets... especailly when they ask me to configure their gadgets for them.