Jumhooree Celebration

All corners of Maldives are celebrating. A celebration which is self organized by all small and large communities. All most all junctions of the populated areas of Maldives is in festival mode. Dances, music, public speeches etc. All the mosques filled with believers thanking god with happiness. Like a huge eid extended over weeks. A fresh smile and a sense of ease and relaxation on everyone's face.

As a tourist I was looking at all these things kind of puzzled. Because my guide warned me that this country is officially in a "mourning" period and the flags are on half mast. Because their president passed away while serving his 29th year.

Maldivians to act on the remake of Muhamaduh Rasoolullah series

Muhammadhah Rasoolullah is an old series. They have been showing re-runs for years. And the new google generation is not interested to watch the old style films anymore. So the great big king Fahudh of Arabiya has donated few millions from his trillion dollar empire to do a remake of the series.

The casting director was recently in Maldives and was very happy to find the full cast with all extras from this country. "They do not even need any more costumes or make-up" Al-Ghurai-Bin-Alaq said "we also were able to make a deal with musicians (percussion and natural sound based) and the greatest maldivian vocalist for the project." May Allah bless this country's alternative cultures.

Now the production directors are deciding whether to bring the camels to Maldives and shoot or to modernize the role of camels using Wave cycles (all models). But they have to think of a way to sacrifice them.

Two people walking near IGMH today

Around 5:30pm near IGMH I waited on my Wave 100 for a friend. Golden light rays of the setting sun reflected off the gray pavements of Male' lighting up the dust from the ongoing traffic when my gaze focused on two elderly men in their late 40s walking towards me. They were engaged in a viscous conversation. One person was wearing a checkered gray and black short-sleeved shirt untucked and a dark brown trouser. The other a red t-shirt and a similar trouser. Their clothes looked reasonably worn out and desaturated possibly due to the quality of the materials, the detergent (or no detergent) the purity of water used for washing them and extended periods of exposure to bright sunlight. They were both engaged in each other deeply. From the few words I heard it seemed like a conversation about another person who lives with them.

They went past me I had my gazed locked on to them when the guy wearing the checkered shirt stopped in front of a house with a blue wooden door and cleared his nose with one swift motion of the thumb and index finger of his right hand. The mucus that came out was thrown near the blue door. The conversation continued with it's flow and the two people walked on.

My friend came out and we left off on the Wave like a wave.

Riding towards Majeedhi Magu tonight

I had to slow down my Wave 100 on an average road of Male' leading to the central Majeedhi Magu. There were many Wave cycles parked on the right side parking zone at 20 to 50 degrees angle from the one stone pavements. On the other side along with Waves parked parallel to the road are pedestrians squeezing through between them and the ongoing traffic of Wave cycles, bigger cycles and taxi cars. The sports car look-alikes don't come into these roads because this economy is not what the drivers of these cars want to show themselves to. The road is crowded with very small houses of three floors on average. Each house appears unfinished, or not painted after Jumhoory 30 of 1998. Dusty and corroded but still with living people and pests inside. All houses are full. Some overflowing with people. People stay in front of the house wearing a 8080 Mundu (sarong), listening to AM Radio with an antenna or wearing a BodyGlove trousers (shirtless) talking on a Nokia 6300 perched on one of the parked Wave cycles that doesn't obviously belong to him. Or a teenage boy (with long sleeved shirt) holding a girl (wearing a midi and burugaa) in the shadows.

I had to slow down my Wave 100 because a taxi was slowing down just ahead of me. It finally stopped in front of a house almost the length of the taxi. The right door opened into the sitting room cum maids room of the house. Three ladies came out of the taxi. One wearing a baby blue Buruga with glittery silver stars on it. She had lipstick on her lips and a reasonable amount of red powder on her face. She looked the eldest (in her late 50s) of the three. Then came out the other two, probably two daughters of her in their early forties. The dickey of the taxi opened to find 3 large plastic shopping bags. 1 red. The other one yellow with "Bright Brothers" printed on it. They slowly took the bags, one filled with cheap plastic wear, one with some noodles packets and the other with make-up stuff. Three of them slowly went into the house making sure the door of the car is slowly closed to make space for them to enter the house. The door didn't close properly the first time so the taxi driver had to awkwardly put his right hand over his shoulder to close the back door by himself.

It was around 11:08pm tonight. Friday night shopping has become a custom for the people of Male' now.

Happy Birthday to Flickr, 25 square pixels of fame

Flickr is a website for non-proffesional Maldivian snappers to spend time bonding and getting attention. Here are some testimonials from some of the addicted Maldivian flickr-graphers.

"Flickr can make anyone feel really happy on a gloomy day. Specially if you upload a bad photograph" == a newbie 25

"My life was full of downs. Nothing seemed to work out well for me. I am highly educated in Mathematics but I could not get any work done. So I joined the Flickr group. Now I'm superb. My mobile phone pictures has got number one on many hourly Flickr competitions. I FEEL GOOD" == a 38 year old

"Flickr is the place. It's so Fucking cool. Fuck.. oops can I say Fuck on the net?" == a cool dude 18

"For each Super comment I write. I get two Excellent comments and a smiley. I will never leave this place" == 22 year old son of a carpenter

"Some Maldives Flickr people are very helpful. They help me find nice crops.. and they help me understand a good ISO... and out of all they love me as I am" == a member of Unique Maldives Group

"I used to hate Flickr.... it looked so stupid... the way these people try to be pros with pro accounts... but now I love it. because flickr loves you. and we get free meetings every week.... now sponsored by major businesses of Maldives.." == a taxi driver turned semi-pro-photographer's helper

The party at Seahouse was very lovely. Although there was a small rumor that part of the funding raised for the event went to the pockets of some of the organizers, that was not a problem.

At the end we all knew that everyone will have their own 25 pixel squares of fame when the pictures appear on each others Flickr. We were all advised to quickly mark the face with 25 pixel squares and put a name. I just marked me on some of the Flickr users. I'm getting so much attention now.

Before tourists starting giving dollars to Maldives people, our fathers were all good fishermen who used net very well. we stayed alive by fishing and climbing on coconut trees and of course reproducing. The new generation of fishermen has a different kind of net. they don't work like the fathers but they surf. very fast speed very expensive. but the tourists pay for these. one of the fish that caught up on all these people's net is a fish called Flickr.

T.A.G.G.E.D!!!

Finally I've been Tagged as well! Thanks all who tagged me.

A - Available?: Yeah baby,
B-Best friend: Jihattey and others
C-Cake or Pie?: Boakiba
D-Drink of choice: non-alcoholic vodka
E-Essential thing used everyday: Iloshifathi (very innovative broom)
F-Favourite colour: Purple
G-Gummi bears or worms: worms
H-Hometown: Paris, Hilton
I-Indulgence: What is the meaning of this?
J-January or February: April
K-Kids and names: Skyla (Gawd I love this name)
L-Life: is too short
M-Marriage date: When my boss says I am free
N-Number of siblings: Eight minus one :(
O-Oranges or apples: very rarely I get these. I'd prefer both
P-Phobias: fear of the world, and big shot people.
Q-Quote: Just do it!
R-Reason to smile: dream of getting a wave saikal
S-Season: salt and pepper
T-Tag three people: Nasheed (Kutti), Maldives Sex Stories, swytiepie
U-Unknown fact about me: I see dead people
V-Vegetable you do not like: I have to work very hard to get vegetables in Maldives
W-Worst habit: I don't smoke (very uncool in cafes)
X-x-rays you have had: never
Y-Your favorite food: roshi
Z-Zodiac: none

Experience of coming out from Shiyam's House in Maafannu, Male', Maldives

At 12:30am I came out of Shiyam's house with my friend. Shiyam's house is in an alleyway inside a small lane (goalhi) in Maafannu. Shiyaam lives on the 2nd floor of the furthest house from the 4 houses in the alleyway. The alleyway was created when the 1000sq house of Shiyam's land owner's grandma was sliced into 4 pieces (excluding the area of the road) to divide among the very competitive siblings who were able to build 4 bread slice like towers on each piece of the land they inherited. Shiyam is just renting a room (with attached toilet) there.

As I came out from the Alleyway onto the road I heard two people speaking. Sounded like very serious conversation. But in a Hindish kind of foreign language. As the conversation went further the music of suspense was added. At that point I realized that it must be a movie. The sound was coming from a Store Room (Godown). A building made with metal roofing sheets covering the walls and the roofs. It gets really hot in the afternoons in these buildings. But traditionally these were made to store non-perishable goods by businesses and the government. But why would these commodities be watching a movie? I don't understand. There was a little window like opening to the outside. I saw two Kondu-Kendi (under shirts) and one blue men's briefs hung on a red nylon rope.

Then I heard the phone ringing. Sounded like it's coming from the movie due to the ringtone. I heard the voice of a person talking on the phone. And the voice came closer and closer to me. From the window I saw a human holding a Nokia phone which is sold for RF 650 from Dhiraagu (with 7 days warranty). He was speaking in a Hindish kind of language too. He seemed like a malnourished young adult from either Bangladesh or India.

And then I raced off on my friend's Honda Wave 100s.