Its been long.

It's been a while.

It was very bad on my part not blog. The problem with me is that I often find a very thin line between blogging and writing a diary entry. Hence, my personal posts are mixed with a professional front and my posts about the professional front carry rich personal undertones. I do not know if this is right, but whenever I sit down to type out a post it happens. Maybe its just an indication of my personality or maybe its a style of writing which I can prune and control but am not doing so, at least, for now.

Well I've got a lot to tell you guys. My last post was exactly two days short of a year back and things have obviously changed since then. For the better or the worse, only time can tell.

Firstly, I now live in a cliche i.e. Dubai. I live and study in the city of Gold. A place where one observes glitter all around which he cannot touch. Famous restaurants I can't eat in, famous malls I can't shop in, most visited landmarks I can't visit and cars I cannot drive. But there is of course the fact that I'm here to study and you can see how easy it is to get distracted. I shifted here just before New Year 2012. And rang in the momentous occasion with my mom and a good family friend, Keith, to whom I owe a lot given how accommodating he has been over the past 8 months. I began studying my Masters in Strategic Marketing at the University of Wollongong in Dubai in February and finished a semester in May. The first semester was marked with three trips to Salalah during which I made 2 tries to complete the road section of the driving license test and failed both times. After the first semester, I went to India for my regular health check ups and hurried through the 10 odd days I was there for. Big Guilt feeling there because I couldn't meet and greet most of my relatives and friends even in that span of time. I returned from India in the beginning of June after which I began a relatively short second semester which will end this next week. So that's that for the University.

Me, Mom and Keith at his place prior to leaving for our New Years Eve Dinner

Supraket comes home to visit me (or Tuffy?) during my short trip to  Mumbai

Its surprising that in that short time I managed to change my place of stay thrice. I began staying with Keith at Discovery Gardens, then moved in with William at Al Fahidi, who by the way is another gem of a Goan and made me feel very comfortable during my stay at his place. After that, I shifted in at Quisais. Unfortunately, things didn't work out well and I got back to Discovery Gardens to stay with Keith again, but this time at a new place.

A Lazy Boy Chair at Keith's new place at Discovery Gardens

As of July 15th, yours truly has also officially begun working. Spontaneous social media updates may have kept well, most of you informed. I work at Hang On Media, a start up digital media firm (The website currently routes to their first advertising product, but is in for an up haul soon). I'm currently working on some very exciting projects there including an e-commerce facilitation website. I love it here, and the fact that we're a start up is only adding to my experience of other routine office work in play. I work in Al Quoz, almost adjacent to the Oasis shopping centre and travelling there is a bitch because I have to change a bus, metro and a cab, thus increasing the income of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority in all three forms of transport.

One of Dubai's many swanky metro stations on the Red Line

To be absolutely truthful here, I really feel the pinch of not having a car. Dubai isn't much pedestrian friendly no matter what the PR plugs in the newspapers say and a car is an absolute necessity here. On the other end, trying to get a license here is equivalent to trying to become a Chartered Accountant. People have been known to take numerous tests and still fail. Ironically, If you're European, American or Arab, you can easily transfer from your country's license to a Dubai one. So with my options limited, I go with the flow and put my faith in the public transport system here to get me places.

I think I have spoken a lot for now. I shall conclude with the same old self-promise to blog more often and if you are one of the extremely small if any minority who happen to read my blog and will like to read more, please remind me to post. Hopefully, I'll move on to write about the happier aspects of my life here.

Till then, Bye Bye from Brian in Dubai.  

Joblessness

The days pass by, one drizzle followed by another, and the only kind of tension that erodes the mind's calmness is the choice of peanut butter to be brought home for consumption in the following week. I sort of love this uselessness, but somewhere within my mind a ticker has begun its countdown. It reads; 'Days left for blow-up'. The lava in the head is pounding and the hurry to get seated in a job is increasingly astounding. 

Its not that I'm in a real hurry to begin work as soon as possible, but after studying a course that didn't leave you with much breathing space at the end of each day, it definitely is odd when i wake up each morning to realize that all i have to do today is 'nothing'; Zero, Zilch. (besides getting Carl Johnson closer to a 100% game completion).

As Mom says that my recuperation from the happenings in and around the ghastly month of October last year is yet to reach stages of completion, a part of me believes in the fact that this stage of blanket nothingness too shall pass. There will definitely be a day when I'll begin working and will also realize that from then onward there shall be no space for nothingness. Maybe sporadic bursts of procrastination but just that.

I must tell you though that it pains me to look at my fellow friends get cozy in corporate offices actually applying the theory we may or may not remember from our days in BMM. I feel that I should be there doing that, because well that's what we were trained to. I didn't get through the oddity of the course just to cool my heels once im done with it. There seems to be a void of action here. But that too shall pass. 

The kind laws of the Sultanate of Oman mark 21 as the legal age for an expatriate to work (read: be granted an employment visa) and since yours truly is about 7 months short of that ripe age, I am forced to Intern here and train there. But my experiences so far have been pleasant. I have completed a month's training with the best of the advertising firms in Salalah, and that makes me take my current state of joblessness a little more easier, if not lighter. 

But the heart yearns for more, though the brain is clearly enjoying the slumber (I have never been so forgetful as I am now) and as I enjoy the benefits of amazingly fast broadband, unlimited water (a statement few will understand), good stuff to eat, the warmth of affection from ze folks, rides in friends cars well past midnight on roads without a blink of a pothole i can only muster up the courage to say to myself, This too shall pass....This too shall pass. (except for the affection bit, that is).

Christmas in Salalah

Boredom dominates me these days and hence the blog is often left with the stale post stained with the smell of last month's randomity and joy. As much as I love expressing my happiness here, I hate mentioning my sorrow. I always feel that Its upto the blogger to draw in the reader into his/her world, and when I post once in two months anyways, its pretty unfair to let that post succumb to my desperation.

I am currently in Salalah picking up my life where i last left it before entering the doors of the operating room. If I do happen to pick some of the Humor i lost on the way, I'd be one happy man (pun unintended).

Christmas is almost here and celebrating it in Salalah means tray loads of sweets prepared with rations of almond and raisins and tutti-frutti whatnots budgeted out from the parents' november salary. Some purchased from the Local Supermarket and the latter imported from Mumbai through the luggage of one hospitable aunt. We have to give the traditional rum cake a miss though, mom adds; a result of the side-effects of my surgery (No Alcohol of any sort). We can do the 'Neuris' though, those half-moon shaped deep fried stuffed puffs, a staple of any respectable Goan mothers' christmas tray. Now for all those who don't know the tradition of the tray of Christmas sweets, lets just say every Goan household HAS to have one stacked up to the brim with an array of sweet somethings for guests to peck at. My Childhood memories of Christmas in Goa are filled with many instances when my humble peck turned into plundering. Okay, Neuris done and stored out of reach of the Pet Parrot, we're onto the sweet nothings; Kulkul and Shankarpali. Till today No one who has eaten these has even once paused to salute the elongated hours that have gone into the making. Its just *Click* *Crackle* *Chomp* not necessarily even in the same manner! Sometimes the tray of sweets might also have indigenous friends packed and stacked neatly into the same, earlier mentioned aunts' luggage and sent over to Salalah. These include Bebinca (Oh Good Lord, Its too much to make it at home. Lets leave it to the workers slogging in Goan Factories. Merry Capitalism to you too!), Perad (Guava Cheese. Can stink at times but heavenly when eaten, especially when you don't know whats gone inside), and Dodol (Close relative to the Bebinca when it comes to the procedure.). There are a host of other sweets which make it to a Traditional Goan Tray but I just left it to the specifics or rather, the favorites, i must say. ;)

With regards to the decorations, owing to the fact that Dad leaves on the 22nd of December to celebrate Christmas with the Sister and also because half here and half there never form a whole, we shan't be putting up much of those. Maybe just a wreath outside to show our all-christian neighbours that we too have spent money on the decorations (9 Rials Just on the Wreath #FTW). Also we might, just MIGHT spend Christmas out of Home (us referring to Mother and Myself, Dad flies to Mumbai remember?). 

The remainder of the Christmas Week shall see Long Shopping Sprees, Repetitive visits to the 3 measly departmental stores in Salalah, the same old rush to pack and then just 6 hours after i ring in the New Year in Salalah, i shall be off to ring in the new year in Mumbai.

Just thought of giving you a lighter perspective on my otherwise boring stay in Salalah. (Believe me, this dial-up tone played by the modem is like a horror story in my otherwise perfect Hathway Internet-serviced life). Hope You Enjoy It. Ill Plug In later to wish you guys. Go Spread some of the Christmas Cheer now! 

My return from Salalah and other non-important subjects

Wheww. Salalah was Fun. Specially when your first week involved being diagnosed with a Stomach problem diagnosed only because of excruciating Stomach pains on being administered a dose of Epsum Salt which was meant to clear the Stomach in the first place. Well that had a somewhat happy ending too, as I had my first experience of being on Saline and a bland diet which only helped my mom think up of tantalizing recipes for fish ands chicken made entirely oil-free and with very few spices.

The Mid-evening and Late-Night escapades were fun, considering the fact that most of my school friends now have Omani Driving Licenses along with Cars they actually drive! Well THAT only shows me where i stand on the Status List today, and i must confess, besides BMM, i have nothing to present to the world. Maybe a pack of Gulf-Imported Galaxy. Just That.

Mornings were terribly boring as i had to keep company to my pet parrot, a literal pain in my huge little backside. My Dad really loves him which is probably why he stuck around so much anyways.

I had this really nice routine done up for me where i decided to watch one movie from the Oceans' series every night, three-days-in-a-row. I realised with disgust why a Badmaash Company couldn't even get close to this wonder of a series. I also fell in love with Detective Beckett and the "Castle" series. Hoping to get my hands on a season soon.

With all this fun and merry-making you can bet your ass off I was missing Mumbai and the beautiful and sexy people who live here who have the privilege to be called "Brian's Friends" :D (Yes that was lame). I felt a little dagger stab me oh-so-softly when i realised i would be a week late for college. It was good the same dagger didn't show up when i learnt of my diet-to-be for the next one year. I would have probably pulled that dagger out and thrown it at the Doc. instead (The Bugger charged around 8k JUST for his first sitting).

Anyways, i returned to Mumbai two days back, on the 16th....and life which seemed would get better, is actually not. I seem really bored in classes, and something's probably gone wrong somewhere. Just waiting to figure out what. If you are an inquisitive classmate of mine and probably know what's bugging me, please write in at my e-mail id. I really need to get a hang of this unworldy flu.

Salalah

Lets face it. A lot of people complain about my excessive obsession with Salalah, and well, life in the Gulf in General. And i definitely know that a lot of my friends who've spent their whole life in Mumbai definitely stand by the nature of this metropolitan city which never sleeps and if it does, gets up in a few hours and gets going again as if on a dose of red bull. I respect their opinion. But being born and bred in the Gulf, or as i'd very much like to say, Salalah, things have never been the same to me. Mom and Dad both told me very honestly on my departure to India, that Son, once you live for three years in Mumbai, We're sure you'd choose it over Salalah anytime. But Im sorry folks, my obsession got the best of me. Be it those huge houses with two of everything, or that sloppily made shawarma. Everything, right from the namaaz at 6 in the morning do the difference in the taste of Mountain Dew have contributed in the process of making me fall in love with a country that is not mine.

It is just these days, during my vacations that i realize how badly i miss that place. No matter how hot or how cold. I'll even get through a cheap plane ride. But I just want to be there. I'm not doing anything quite creative here, neither shall i do anything there. But I must admit it, I'm dying to get to my hometown, If one can call it.

In one and a half year to be approximate, my visa shall expire and i will not be able to travel to my country of birth as a resident. It pains to even think about it. But whatever it is, Ill enjoy myself really well the next time i get there which, (taking into consideration my TYBMM), shouldn't be anytime before one year. But ill wait. As patiently as I can.

I was, am  and shall still be an Indian. But I cant help but acknowledge that little country lying below the UAE which has in more ways than one helped me become what I am today. Thanks Dad for taking the brave step of defying the usual work culture of the family. I'm glad you didn't set sail on any ship but rather went to the Gulf. And Thanks, both Dad and Mom. For letting me and Sonia grow up in a country i can proudly call my home. In fact, I can mention more ways by which I'm more of an Omani rather than a Goan.

PS: If Oman were in the running to the FIFA world cup, I'd be the proudest Indian :D