Even insects have feelings

I remember a story my mother recounted a few years back. She was on one of her regular chores - scrubbing clean anything which was already clean. Ofcourse the definition of 'clean' is something that she will never disclose to anyone. So on one of her lively scrub-apades, she came across a wasp hive. It's one of those nuisances we take for granted - they're positioned at obscure places and before you know it - they're bigger than ever. Scraping the wall off was a tussle, even more messy were the hives contents. The mish-mash of yellowish slimy eggs and brick red colored hive gave it the appearance of a squashed rotten egg. Right after my mom accomplishes this immensely satisfying task, she religiously gets back to her cooking. A while later she notices the lone mother wasp hovering around the clean wall where the hive once 'stood'. And what shocked her later was that the wasp was following her. No, not a vengeful pace. But at a slow, calm and dejected one. You could almost feel for the wasp, when in contrast you've been force fed news by supergeek scientists that beyond humans and animals - the rest of the living kingdom are run by instinct alone. 'Survival of the fittest','instinctual bee hive rituals', etc. The wasp would fly low and stop right in front of her. It was as if it wanted my mother to end its life too, in the same manner as its offsprings. After being followed around to the living room, the dining room and beyond, my mom gave in. She couldn't stand it. It saddened her immensely, but she had to. The wasp had given up on it's life.

As I read this article in the paper, I resign myself to the fate that awaits me. I'm no labourer, but a newcomer(as regards work) to this cruel part of the middle east where many people have made it their home. I'm an underpaid employee, just as many employees across the UAE are. Prices of labour cards, licences, you name it - they've all been jacked up to such an extent that people have forced themselves to be fickle minded when recruiting newcomers. I can understand their dilemma, they're actually being penalised for helping out individuals who start out on a career. As a result, they lose out on an otherwise cost effective yet loyal employee who'd benefit the company for many years to come.

So now labourers have found out ways to make someone pay for their suicides. It's a gamble that will pay off a jackpot (in relative terms) to their family. And in most cases, even the family doesn't care about the condition of the remitter as long as the remittance is good.

Why is nothing being done about this state assisted suicide?

A country that refuses to endorse the dignity of labour will never grow. All the Palms and the worlds and whatnot cannot save you. America has finally reared it's ugly head for the UAE, the same way we were shocked to know when 'The Passion of the Christ' failed to secure an Oscar nomination, the same way Fahrenheit 9/11 wasn't generally accepted because the producer was a 'fat, ugly man' (as commented by many in the IMDB message boards).

P.S Excuse me for the sorry/poor comparison. It befits the wounded.

Paradise in vain

I watched the critically acclaimed 'Paradise Now' yesterday. The movie is about the never ending fight between Palestine and Israel. At a crisp 90 minutes, the movie beautifully portrays the life of two protagonists, who're close friends. It's a unique story, with both sides of the conflict effectively dissected through one side. This is the first Arabic film I've ever watched, and needless to say, I'm very impressed. Just like 'Motorcycle Diaries', never do you ever feel detached from the story. You immediately feel as if you're well conversant in Arabic.

The most poignant scene is when they start filming a proclamation by the suicide bomber, hours before he sacrifices himself. It's a tense moment. As the human bomb trembles under the weight of the Kalashnikov on one hand and the statement on the other, beads of sweat appear on his forehead. He desperately wants to turn back and run home. But he has taken a step forward which he believes is the right step for his people. To return would signify that he has given up on them. Fulfilling this deed would guarantee martyrdom. He can already see people renting and buying cassettes of his speech and remembering him as a holy brother who succeeded in furthering their cause. And so he reads from the parchment, unsure whether this sacrifice would offer him the bitter sweet cocktail of retribution, salvation, revenge and martyrdom.

Halfway through the discourse, he catches his mentor enjoying a sandwich through the corner of his eye. His rational yet conflicting inner voice grips him by the throat, unable to reconcile on falsely believing what his mentors have told him. This catches his mentor by surprise, as he was also exposed for a fraction of a second.

The irony of it all was open, the sandwich which gave way to it still in his palms. Yet he prods him to go on.

He finishes his speech, and then he comes to know that the camera had a problem. It didn't record anything, for something which felt like eternity to him. His mentor then nonchalantly asks him to repeat all of it again. He is not interested in petty feelings of yet another martyr. After all, the guy's as good as dead.

The Sales Engineer

Found only in the UAE.

Education: 12th grade pass. Probably a B.A for the heck of it.

Salary: Approx Dhs.2000+ with commission.

Requirements : Ability to bluff, excellent driving skills, a good command over English.

A sales engineer is in more demand than a regular engineer. The main reason is that he's a product of the new generation. Speaks well, looks good. Ask him something technical and he'll immediately call you back with some well rehearsed answers. Change the variables and you catch him red handed. So what's the word 'engineer' doing on his business card?

Because thats his USP. Because that's what will get peoples attention. 'Marketing agent' on the same card would sound like the 'traveling salesman', which in todays world has turned into a very demeaning job, courtesy the idiot box. 'Engineer' protects him from the demeaning glances and derogatory comments, which must be encountered in order to grow as a person. Dubai and its glorious facade will only get you this far. Somewhere down the line you are bound to be at the mercy of some pot bellied 'entrepreneur' who'd blame you for every single loss incurred.

Who are these 'engineers' hurting?

Genuine engineers. Genuine marketing specialists. Genuine professionals. People with a conscience. People who don't live the life of a con job.

I almost forgot, this is a dog eat dog world. My bad.

Gulf (Sponsored) News

Gulf News has reported about the Burj riot. 3.5 mil Dh worth of property has been damaged and this newspaper plays the entire issue down. The news is reported on page 4.
So whats the important news that hogs page 1?
UAE mulls allowing new Internet Service Providers.
Activist told to stop using villa.
Linesman's middle finger angers lawyer

Theres something even funnier in the first headline too. ISP. The abbreviation is well known and is often used. Ofcourse it could be expanded in the article. But that would mean putting another piece of crappy news to cover up the grand page 4 news.

I believe it might have been decided to be pushed to page 4 because of the double whammy in todays paper. It's a special "letters to the editor" day, in response to the article "Is Dubai still good value".
Other than a few irksome responses in support of enjoying the 'Dubai experience' (whatever the hell that means) from The Managers of Dubai (a random survey would show 7/10 people are some manager of some sort), the majority simply re-affirmed what we all knew. That everyone has an expiry date, the moment they set foot here. This however does not apply to western nationalities. I even know of the butcher who's a teacher here. White skin really does wonders, you know.

So what can we expect on Page 1 from tomorrow (it infact has started today)?

Dubai Metro will boost business by 5 billion USD.

Dubai first city in the ME to launch metro system.

People celebrate in anticipation of the Metro system.

Children bully parents to ditch their SUVs.

B-School bums

Two fresh graduates from IIM, B'lore are peeved to no end. Their grossly overpaid salaries have gone public, which is a standard practice in every Indian daily. Why are they irritated at this?
Is it because
a) They'd be expected to hand out loans to everyone they rub shoulders with?
b) They expected to settle down in the Cayman islands after working for a decade, drowned in opulence?
c) Potential robbers lurk everywhere?

All answers apply. And they rightfully deserve it. Being blessed with an analytical brain and perseverance does not justify a $193,000 job. Being paid $16,000 every 31 days without the perfunctory 'experience' is like winning a lottery. But we shouldn't blame them. Barclay's feels absolutely OK with the salary they offer. Theres no problem in that.

But why crib when you get the cake and get to chomp it too? Any half brained dimwit knows that all grads get humongous salaries. It's only a matter of time before they are hunted down by their relatives. As soon as they get their offers, they leave, never to return except for the 3 day annual leave which they grant themselves.

In effect they're pissed at the fishing net thrown far and wide by the press for non-entities aka far off relatives to pull at their wrinkle free shirts.

Three cheers to you bums for amusing us all.