When was the last time you did anything for the first time?

Its been a few days since I’ve had the chance to post any of my mind babblings. I’ve been travelling, something that I love doing… absolutely love! Even though it was an itinerary filled trip, I still managed to find those exciting moments. I should admit that it’s the very random and the trivial things that amuse me.

I have always been in awe of little children who engross themselves with just about anything that catches their sight. Whether at the airport or at a crowded hotel lobby, you will discover that kids always have something or the other to be keep their minds occupied and distracted. We adults however crib when we’re made to wait even if its just for a tad, in que’s either during check ins or for a hotel taxi or an appointment that’s been delayed. We start getting annoyed and forget about the finer things in life.

Life is as exciting as we craft it for ourselves. I was asked the other day much to my bewilderment as to “when was the last time, I did anything for the first time?” Wow! That question surely got me lost in thought. I figured children most often than not are always doing things for the first time in their lives. No wonder, they are entertained. I figured travelers love their lives due to the opportunities they get to see something new almost everyday in different parts of the world. Maybe not in the same frequency, but we must also surely have several things which we have never attempted in our lives before.

So I have decided that I would make it a point to engage myself in regular “first times”. For instance I did several things for the first time during this very trip of mine. And it surely felt gratifying. I felt a bizarre thrill as though I was a little child again. It definitely felt good. Moments filled with absorbing the newness in my life, away from the mundane worries that usually preoccupy the mind.

I sat down to reflect on the different things that I’ve done for the first time in the past couple of days and I realized that there were quite a few. Stayed in a different hotel, which makes the stay a first time. Tried new restaurants, walked down new ally ways, ate a very famous customary after food refresher etc etc… They were all exciting in their own little way. I am usually always preoccupied with work, family and forget to appreciate the little things that excite me. And as I am very easily amused, (maybe a gift in disguise, which I’ve never realized), I have decided that instead of living the very ordinary routine life and cribbing to myself – Cést la vie, I shall watch out for opportunities to accomplish things for the first time in my life and make life as exhilarating as it could be.

So, finally when was the last time you did anything for the first time?

Palin and my views

There has been much hyped controversies over Palin including that of her spending $150,000 on her campaign wardrobe or that of her charging her children’s travel expenses on the state.

Most of the people appear to be ridiculing her style of politics including some fashion experts who may not be the finest to comment on such a note. Designer Christian Louboutin creations are worn by some of the world’s most glamorous women, but there is just one woman, the designer would prefer not wear his framed shoes. "Sarah Palin," answers Christian Louboutin, in an emphatic tone that makes no attempt to hide his disgust. The question posed by one of the tabloids before the famed shoe designer is simple: Who would he hate to see wearing his iconic red-soled shoes? "I wouldn't be excited by Sarah Palin as the vice-president in my shoes. I would rather give her a thousand pairs of shoes and she forgets about being vice-president."

In her interview with Entertainment Tonight, Palin said “There is a kind of this double-standard that's going on. I don't hear the guys being talked about their wardrobe….". She is definitely trying hard to defend herself when just another tabloid article emerged about Palin being duped by a prank phone call by comedian Antoine Audette. Sarah Palin told the Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the call that "maybe in 8 years" she will be president. It can be waived off as a plain rumor but Palin’s campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt also confirmed she had received the prank call.

Now this is not something that Sarah should be affirming, even though the entire world seems to guarantying her underlying intentions. However with all due respect, all the morons out there who for their own tinsel town talk, target news about her husband and children should really get a life of their own! Who are we to judge whether she or McCain exploited her family to gain public eye. However what I do know is that neither her fifth child Trig nor her pregnant teen deserves to be underscored as a part of an American political campaign.

Whether she is apt for the role of a Vice President or not? – That I am not convinced. However she is a hard working mother of 5 beautiful children one of whom has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome. I am sure life is not a bed of roses for Sarah but I’d say that the she sure seems to be a fighter. "It's the way life's supposed to be," Palin says. "Everyone has battles, but not everything has to fit into a mold of perfection. Fulfillment and joy go much deeper than that."
Apart from the fact whether Sarah deserves to be the Vice President of the United States of America or not, I do salute her courage and dedication towards her family. People will talk shit about anyone and everyone. Humans in today’s era seem to thrive on others misery. It really cannot be helped. – Cést la vie.

However if Sarah Palin really meant that fulfillment and joy go much deeper than perfection! Then bravo - 3 cheers to her as I wholeheartedly agree that perfection does not bring along satisfaction but in turn its satisfaction that brings along perfection!

The sentiment of missing someone

Ever since I started writing this blog, I was determined that it would be a blend of everything. Current affairs, social and environmental issues, economic viewpoints, and off course last but not the least the various emotions that flood my brain though varying points in time. Today I am going to address one such emotion.

I have always wondered, whether its only me that missed people so much. The levels and intensity of the emotion would vary depending on the person and how close I was to him/her. Have you ever missed someone that it hurt really bad? Have you ever missed someone that you become so angry with them for in turn having made you miss them? Yes I have.

There are several occasions where I’ve missed someone and felt terrible because I think that he/she didn’t miss me that much. I have often wondered if I meant anything to him/her at all. If not to that extent whether I meant as much to them as they meant to me? Thinking if he/she cared for me the way I cared and thought about them.

We often do a variety of things whether consciously or unconsciously when we miss someone terribly. I find myself constantly looking at my mobile to check, just by luck/fate/destiny (whatever one may want to term it) there isn’t a message sitting there that I could have possibly missed. I find myself rushing to my mobile once it rings hoping that it's him/her on the other end. I find myself looking out of the window hoping that he/she would surprise me by appearing downstairs. I find myself sitting in front of the television but thinking of him/he and missing the final episode of my favorite show. I find myself laying on my bed and thinking of the last time we were out together. I find myself going to places where he/she usually went, just hoping I would bump into them. I find myself talking to people and having no clue what the conversation was about as I was so lost in thought about him/her. I find myself thinking of the things I would say or do if he/she were to just walk through that door. I even find myself very stupidly getting excited in the hope that I would soon stop missing him/her.

When I realize that he/she isn't at a place they usually would have been, or haven’t called/messaged me in a while, I’ll even start worrying about him/her. I miss him/her so deeply, even as I realize they were such a big part of my life and now that they are gone, the void is too large to fill. I miss him/her for the happiness and satisfaction they brought into my life.

Missing someone exposes all of us to feelings of loneliness. It teaches us that there is actually a feeling known as emptiness. Isn’t it just crazy how much we can miss an individual? We miss them so much that we can’t cry because we know it won’t bring them back. It gets to a point when we can almost see them, smell their scent, hear their voice in our ears and almost feel them. But like someone rightly said, almost doesn’t count. It’s not good enough!

People may advise- Cést la vie. That's life and to move on. But I want him/her back in my life. I want the pain to disappear. I want to stop missing and start living.

Cos that’s “life”! – Having you in it

No to Plastics

We are all guilty of the fact that we do not take utmost care for the environment around us. At least in most of the western countries, campaigns of the environmentalists are voiced out to the lay man. People are aware of the harm they are causing to the Environment around them. Global warming has become a dinner time conversation.

However we here in the Middle East have been quite spoilt and pampered. We care for noone or nothing other than me, myself and I. We consider ourselves to be self sufficient and have blinded ourselves to the idea that even we might just be in need for help at some point. Most would argue about the aid and donations being given by the Middle east. I am not denying that fact, but even charity seems to be to earn the tag of a “good deed karma’’ on the individuals shoulder. How many of us are genuinely concerned about the multiple causes or needs around us? Coming back to the environment, how many of us are really concerned about our surroundings? Our mundane lives just go on and we satisfy ourselves thinking, everyone else is doing the same. Why would I stop? Its too bad, but Cést la vie.

Oman time and again has beach clean-up campaigns. The litter mostly found includes a lot of cans and plastic bags.

A recent article in the Gulf news: Say no to Plastics

Oman's sea birds, marine mammals, turtles and land mammals such as goats, die due to ingesting plastic bags, according to Sayida Tania Bint Shabib Al Said, President of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO).
The ESO on Saturday inked an agreement with the Oman LNG for their support in the six-month-long campaign that looks at radically changing the way residents think about using plastic bags.
The six-month campaign, fully endorsed by the Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs and supported by Oman LNG LLC aims at educating consumers on the impact plastic bags has had on the environment. Residents of Oman will be urged to reduce and reuse plastic bags, while opting for reusable jute bags.

The change should begin within. Individually each one should be motivated enough to make a difference. Hypermarkets like Lulu and Carrefour should be promoting this campaign. They should have jute bags near their check-out counters so at least people have the option to buy them. People should at least try and reduce their usage of Plastic even if it cannot be avoided completely.

It may be small, miniscule-but each one can make a difference. So lets just try.

Is the truth really out there?

One among the several conspiracy theories is that of an alien world beyond our realm. I am not completely convinced either way. I guess that’s why its termed as a conspiracy theory.

There just could be an entirely different world out there. Possibly different world’s with different forms of civilization. Maybe they are far more sophisticated than our so called advanced technologies and human etiquettes. Perhaps they are on a constant watch and can see that we are on a rampant self destruction path, ruining our planet earth. So maybe this intelligent race mite just see this as an opportunity to make their abode on plant earth. Is it difficult to fathom that they mite be visiting this planet for the reasons we would visit others (to make as much of a mess of them as we have of our own)?? Would they be friendly or mean harm?

One such article caught my attention. “At one point two apparently alien beings can be seen in what seems to be the cockpit of a UFO.” Are they finally approaching?

Sky News: UFO sighted

UFO enthusiasts at a conference in the UK have described newly released footage as the most convincing evidence of aliens ever filmed.

UFO enthusiasts say the new footage is 'not a hoax'

The video, captured by a security guard in Turkey, appears to show various alien craft in the sky above Istanbul at different times throughout this year.

At one point two apparently alien beings can be seen in what seems to be the cockpit of a UFO.

Another sequence captures an arc of light along the edge of what could be described as a sleek airborne object. Although the images are indistinct, Haktan Arkdogan of Turkey's UFO research centre, claims that they have been scientifically analysed and verified.
UFO Footage

"This is no hoax," he told Sky News. "The footage represents an important development in our understanding of UFOs and alien life beyond our planet."
Mr Arkdogan is on a world lecture tour trying to convince both believers and sceptics that the material should be taken seriously.
His attempts have been received enthusiastically at the UFO DATA magazine conference being held in Pontefract. One of the organisers, Philip Mantle, said that the footage is rightly attracting a lot of attention.

He said: "I have been involved in UFO research for thirty years and I have never seen anything quite like this.”Normally we get pictures that amount to no more than blobs in the distance. This is the clearest evidence I have ever come across."

Over the years there has been several sightings across the globe, then why haven’t they still acknowledged the existence of UFO’s? Could it be that US might just loose its title as the ‘Superpower’? Would everything that we have ever been taught in schools go down the drain? Would the disciplines of various religions be questioned? Would governments loose control over their people?

What could be the reason? Why do they hide facts from the common man? Do we believe in their existence or not?

In the end we have to be satisfied thinking – Cést la vie. Some questions will always remain unanswered. Some things will always remain ambiguous left to discernment of each individual.

Madness on the roads

I am appalled by the traffic situation on the Muscat roads these days. Commuting to and fro from work has become a living nightmare. Just yesterday while I was driving home for lunch, there was a lady driver on the road who without any indicators just barged her way in front of my car as though it was her right to do so!! I had to apply sudden breaks and just the mere thought that she was so cool about it was frustrating me. There was absolutely no space between the car in front and mine, however she still crept in!! And she did the same with another driver at another signal. Boy, it came as no surprise.

I mean give me a break! We are all guilty of breaking que’s, even so we do it with composure. We are still considerate about the driver and the car whose que we are jumping. But this was an absolute shocker! Now a days it’s saddening to even see women on the road driving so brash.

There are naive people on the road that don’t have spare money to squander on insurance premiums in case they bump into the rear of her vehicle. More than that, doesn’t she have a home to get back to? Doesn’t she have a family that might be worried if God forbid some mishap happened on the roads due to her aggressive driving? Why wouldn’t she consider any of that?? Why wouldn’t any of the drivers on the road with their road rage reflect on any of that? That driver next to you is someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, husband or wife. We all want to get back home safely. We look forward to living life and not wasting a day worrying whether we are secure driving on the roads? We don’t want to ruin our frame of mind by being frustrated about such drivers on the road and their ever increasing road rage. Why should I spoil my evening cos of some lady who couldn’t care less about others?

But the answer to my own questions – Cést la vie.

I however choose not to destroy my evenings being aggravated due to few inconsiderate people and in turn taking it out on my loved ones.
I choose to care about others.
I choose life.

The Closing Bell

I had received this cartoon image as a part of one of those ‘start of the week’ forwards. I don’t usually read all my forwards to be quite honest as they quite often fail to amuse me. However considering the global financial crisis resulting in the paramount economic gloom and the plummeting state of affairs for countries across the globe, its only natural that I went through a forward with the title – The Closing Bell.

A great deal of people would have lost a huge chunk of their hard earned savings and the fortunate ones would have lost slightly less in comparison. We here in the Middle East have been continually reassured that we are mostly insulated from the rest of the world. But are we really?
One of Kuwait’s largest lenders, Gulf Bank is said to have incurred losses of up to 200 million dinars after some clients defaulted on derivatives contracts linked to the euro. The loss occurred as result of the significant decline in the exchange rate of the euro against dollar. However, the headline news in Kuwait Times today stated, “No need to panic-Central Bank”. The Central Bank has stated that the losses will not affect the Banks financial position and has guaranteed to back the Bank and its deposits. And the government is reportedly pumping KD 1.5 billion to shore up the banking sector.

These efforts ought to help the depositors bring back their confidence. Here in Oman, the CBO’s conservative banking regulations (which was often criticized earlier) is now actually working in favor of the depositors in this global tumult. “As a pre-emptive measure, before RO liquidity becomes a concern for the local banking system, CBO has decided to effectively reduce the reserve requirement (by allowing CBO CDs and cash portfolio of banks under the 8 per cent reserve requirement up to 3 per cent), which would inject about RO 270 million back into the banking system, and that would be available to them for meeting their short-term liquidity needs. The lending ratio norm, which had to be tightened from 85 per cent to 82.5 per cent effective from November 2008 to contain fast growth in credit in the banking system, has also been deferred till restoration of normal conditions in the international markets, so that banks could continue to lend and meet genuine credit demand in the country.”(Source: Zawya)

Depositors should be able to distinguish between banks that are directly affected by the crisis and those that are indirectly affected due to the weakening confidence and panic in the market. They should be able to draw confidence from the concrete capital and profit figures of the banks and also from the willingness of our government authorities to intervene at any stage to ensure the smooth running of Oman’s banking system.

It’s a rough time for everyone. But Cést la vie. Based on facts and figures, let’s work towards steering clear of the increasing panic.