Ahh... Recession

Update from Dubai

This is a blog update from Dubai, UAE. I have been visiting the Arab Emirates since the last week with my husband who is here for a business venture. Things have changed a lot since i was here last time around. The global financial crisis has brought the tax free haven to it's knees. Dubai has been hit really hard by the present financial crisis. The real state boom is dead with a bang - the remnants of which can be found at the airport car park. The parking lot is littered with luxury vehicles from the Mercedes to the Bentleys, which have been left behind by their defaulting owners. Most of the foreigners took off when they lost their jobs, fearing that they might not be able to pay the loans on their credit cards and mortgages. This run off was caused by the UAE laws which basically jail people for not paying off their debts. Still, i am sure that because of the investment that was made in the services sector, this tiny city state will bounce back. I am a believer in globalization, whose merits in my humble opinion overwhelm the ills.

Looks like plenty is going on at home. Will write more when i get back. Also, thanks to all of you who have been emailing me. It's pretty flattering to know that i have a pretty good following.

To friends

I feel anxious, worried, cornered, insecure and lonely. There are people around me - loved ones whose presence should not make me feel like this but i can't help it. I just can't. I just feel that writing these words on this blog and sharing my self to the eyes and minds of strangers would somehow soothe me and it does. So thanks to the audience here. It is not easy for a woman to bare her soul and talk about things and issues which are difficult to talk with even amongst the best of friends.

I fail to understand myself at times. My life is littered with the wrong choices. My emotional and sensitive nature only makes things difficult for me. The sensual and licentious part in me evokes much wilder emotions. The latter only adds to the sexual frustration and general dissatisfaction with life. The fire of lust rages in me and makes me want to step into the forbidden - a line which i have crossed by now yet want to indulge in more. Perhaps, giving in to the delicious temptation is my sin. I know that it is very important to be grateful for what one has but at the same time too much of it could kill the ambition whether in bed or otherwise.

Anyways, this entry is dedicated to all of my readers - strangers and friends.

Reflection of our mindset

I am sick and tired of the double standards of our society. The problem that Pakistan is facing today is a product of our own making. Way before the Americans entered Afghanistan post 9/11 we were in a state of mini civil war b/w the Shites and the Sunnis. We have such short memories, remember how the rage in the 90s was the mowing down of namazis through AK-47s as they prayed at various mosques? Stop blaming others for what ails our society.

Secondly, there is no need to take a massive operation in Swat and FATA. Simply, because different surveys have spelled out clearly that fanatics do not have the support of the local population. In fact the biggest disappointment for the people of Swat has been the lackluster attitude of the army towards the Taliban. It is time that our well fed army does some good. It is very well within it's capacity to take out these so-called miscreants. The truth is that we do not want to acknowledge these maniacs because they are a reflection of our society and our highly prejudiced mindsets.

Just a job?

My job is getting frustrating day by day. I didn't even need to work when i started but now it has become a part of me. It's sort of my identity, something different from my life other than a dumbed out housewife. I am still eager to please like i have been all my life in all my other relationships. I have been very competitive in my job and have worked very hard to establish myself here. I did recognize that i did not have a job experience prior to coming over here and with that in mind i put in extra effort so that after the probation time period my efforts would be recognized. I was promised initially a review meeting after the end of the first 3 months. It's been more than 5 now and the higher ups keep delaying it. All i seek is a better position, not even a high pay. They know that i am not working for money. I am just sick of it, but than maybe they have recognized the weakness that i have for this job.

I am especially mad at my VP, who is a egoistic bitch. She has nothing better to do in her life than to make sure that everyone else is feeling lousy. i did not want to write about work earlier on but now i feel the urge to express my frustration.

The fascist Taliban

The cruelty and barbarity of the Taliban has forced the state into submission. The deal with the Taliban in Swat remains in place uptill now - which has brought some respite for the citizens of that beleaguered area. but the Taliban is just buying time before they unleash and expand into other areas of Pakistan. This is very much the quiet before an impending storm of cruelty.

The media coverage has been topsy turvy regarding the Swat debacle especially in the western press. The following articles by Rahmillullah Yusufzai, Kamran Arif and Manzoor Ali which i found through the excellent Pakistan tea House blog - give much needed insight into the cause and effect of the Swat tragedy. Read and reflect!

Disarray

The Lahore attack aftermath shows all the signs of a government in total disarray. Two days have passed and yet scant little is known about the attack that took place. It just goes to show the dismal state of affairs. The officials have not stopped being casual about these attacks which are now occurring on a more routine basis. It almost seems like they are getting used to the whole idea.

We still do not know how many militants stormed the Manawan academy, how many were killed, whether they took police recruits hostage, or whether they wore police uniforms.

A local television channel reported a construction worker present near the academy just before the attack told the channel he saw five men wearing backpacks disembark from a white pickup truck in front of the academy's main gate and scale its walls "commando-style"There is confusion about how many attackers were involved, how many were killed and did anyone of them manage to escape. So, while four or five attackers came in from the front, did others scale the back wall and join up with their comrades in the central building area where the main drama unfolded?

Officials from the head of the interior ministry and the army spokesman to the provincial police chief failed to clear this up. They did not even agree on how many attackers had been killed. While interior ministry official Rehman Malik said that three attackers "blew themselves up", an army official at the scene told newsmen that "four attackers have been killed". This is lackluster and pathetic!

Did the fourth attacker also blow himself up, or was he shot? If this is the case than where is the body? The number of injured varies as well. All of this give credence to the conspiracy theories doing the rounds. One of the more popular theories out there is that this apparent nonchalance is largely due to the continued interest of some sections in its powerful defence establishment to keep the militants afloat. I am myself is starting to believe some of those theories.