Aag My Cerberus

In Sanskrit fire has an almost god-like name : Aag

Hades I am, and Aag my Cerberus. The bond once forged can never be broken.

I have spent a great deal of time and effort, pursuing my ultimate goal of graduating MA (Hons) from the University of Burnt Fingers.
In order to gain a Master of Aag, one must initially acknowledge the ultimate truth. There are 4 states of matter, solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Plasma (also known as Aag, the business end of a fire) is King of this Court of state. It is the Great Leveller, the Eminent Homogeniser. So, as you will have realised, to master the Great and the Eminent is a feat unto itself and worth celebrating. I am the Emperor to its King.

An MA is a risky undertaking, but the rewards endless. I know how to make fire out of stones, sticks of wood, concrete pavers, even bowls of water. I know how to make a fire which will only explode into life exactly 14 minutes and 30 seconds after I have left the scene. I know how to disarm a miscreant fire in one deft move. I can stoke fires of immense heat, yet nurture ones I can plunge my hands in to. And I never use petrol. Petrol is for idiots.

And don't think that you can be as good as me, because you can't, so don't even try. Or I'll turn your car to ashes - after I've emptied it's tank.

Nostalgia.

I was watching Around The World in 80 Days, by Michael Palin, recently. What a great experience. The series was filmed just after the Iran-Iraq war had ended, around Ocotber 1988. The episode I loved was the one where Palin travelled through Saudi Arabia, into Dubai, and onward on a dhow to India. Even though there was only a fleeting glimpse of Dubai in the background, the sights (or lack of them) cajoled all my stored memories back from their neural repositories.

The UAE of my childhood was made up of dusty, one-camel towns scattered along the western coastline. I lived in the dustiest, no-camel town of Ajman with my parents, brother and little much else to keep me company. In fact, if you were from the area, I am in no doubt you would know my parents, but I will not give away those details so easily in one posting (maybe slowly over time).
I lived by the sea. In fact, looking out of my bedroom window I remember that I could see the crystal clear aquamarine water, and the spotless white sand that made up that idyllic beach. I was never alone as a child, even if human company was sometimes a little thin on the ground. The world was my companion. The birds, insects, sand, earth, grass, trees, dogs, cats, lizards would all conspire to keep this young boy happy. It was our big secret, and if anybody came out of the house to check on me, in a flash all these partners-in-crime would vanish.
When I was younger, and much smaller, the earth gave up its secrets to me. The leaves would whisper in my ears, the grass would tickle my toes, the insects would transmit their thoughts. Bushmen experience similar symptoms, after living with nature for many years. They do not think anymore, they simply are. My faunal friends were the orchestra and I was their conductor. And what a bloody great show it was.

Dubai Nonsense

You know, I dislike Dubai for a few reasons - not only is it a sprawling urban matchbox of randomly designed buildings, but it a city that has been built off the sweat and toil of millions of poor labourers. With every Dubai apartment, villa or condo on the market, comes membership to the human exploitation club. Fee-free and indefinitely valid. Congratulations.

True, there are probably worse places on this planet, I hear you all say. But, they are all in the same region and they all have the same issues.; just take Big Brother Abdul Wahhab next door, for example. Saudi Arabia has taken the whole issue of exploitation to another level. Over there, you can work till you die and then get tried (in absentia, cos you're dead) for unlawful death.

I am going to make my case watertight with examples now:

- Exploitation Workers Unpaid Salaries
- Unlawful imprisonment Moral Police
- Hypocrisy beyond comprehension Pardons for money
- Sexual Devilry Girl Raped (and imprisoned for being raped)
- Fraud Developer runs off with money
- Nightmare traffic james KT Article

Yes, you may make some money living there, but there IS a price you pay for it.
Nuff said.

Back Again!

Hello y'all - I'm finally back again. I had just left this by the wayside to concentrate on other things . Anyway, I will try and write stuff periodically from now on. So, since the last post I went to visit my parents / remaining friends in Fujairah (where I lived as a child / teenager). That place never changes, I tell you. It is exactly the same as when I left it in 1997 - the same people, the same idiots roaming the streets with nothing to do. That's what makes it special. I mean if everyone turned into intelligent, forward-thinking liberalists I think I would fall over dead. So just as well really...