Precious Moments, Memories Forever!

First of all, separate and awesome thanks to Andy, Red, Suburban, Geet, Mr. President and Balqis. Your few words mean something. Words have become wayyy too cheap in the modern word, but you (atleast the bloggers) know the power of words. I felt some of that.

But alas, your push, while wholesome, was not enough, as it seems that the tradition of Nature pushing someone in a deep pit does not end there, but then she actually starts shoveling sand quickly before the aforementioned person can try to get out.

I lost a friend in Haiti. A good friend, someone who I’d spent short, but quality time with. Turns out, I didn’t even know he was there, but sadly he was. I got the news a couple of days ago and was trying to get through to his family in the USA. But either they’ve travelled (which seems most likely) or something esle has crept up.

Since we ARE in a funk already, why not push the envelope a bit further, why not test the mettle a bit more, why not serenade the misery to its miserable cresendo!?

Again I thank you for the comments, and again I wish I’d pull myself out of here … it’s getting dark…

-FK

Bah! Humbug!

Hello,

As you can see, I’m not dead.

I could wish I was, or pretend that I was. I could even pretend that my vacations had not finished, but they have. I have been back home, in Oman, at my lonely abode in Qurum, sitting and wallowing in self-pity since December. Doing nothing. Oh yeah, I do go to work everyday. I shop, buy supplies, get the occasional phone calls, have meetings, the lot, but I have done nothing. And my wife is here too, so are my parents, and my in-laws, and a couple of friends of mine visited; I have lots of people around me but still I’m lonely. I’m busy in many different things, but I’m not doing anything. I’m at home, in Oman, but I’m still lost.

That my current status: busy, tired, lost and lonely.

Things have been happening. The New Year started, blessings to you all. I did not send a single message, email, card or call on the 31st/1st. Rumors of new labor laws are abound, *shrug* so what! Nothing new, expats are already under pressure. There has been a massive crackdown on VoIP users and Internet Cafes… good riddance, never used the damned thing anyway. Free/other sponsor-visa workers have been massively curtailed, good for the govt. to show on paper, bad for the economy. Now there is no labor to do odd-jobs and the pocket-pinch is hurting even more. A 5 R.O job is now costing 15 Rials, excluding transport. And one would imagine that by stopping other-visa employees, the govt. would increase labor clearance rate…. No Sir! Now the labor office even sees your physical shop/business office and also determine the workforce amount you require. The other day I had a dumbass come to a sister concern of ours, look at the 20 ft x 45 ft office space we’d leased – and remarked “For this place you do not need more than 12 workers, you already have 12. So we cannot give you a clearance.” If I were in the mood, I could have let my jaw hit the floor and shit my pants, simultaneously! How the heck can a bureaucrat determine MY workforce, MY workload and MY business volume based on leased office space. If I want to cram 200 south indians in a 10×10 space, that is MY concern. Why can Al-Habib do that with their labor force and I cannot do that with MY workforce!!! Ergh!

Ino ther bad things, I haven’t had a chance to visit a single blog on my blogroll since April this year. Considering I used to go through them atleast once a week, I’d say my ratio has gone titsup. Add to that the complexity that my workplace PC has some problems with WordPress’ sign-in certificates which I am in no mood to resolve, I can’t even leave a comment at any of my fav blogs. yayyy. life rocks. -_-

And I dont even know whether anyone is reading this or not. If you are, leave a comment, please. It doesn’t even need to be meaningful or something readable. Just leave a fullstop or a question mark or something, so that I know someone read this.

-TFK