Category Archives: My experiences

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December 6, 2009

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Dressed for work??

Its around 7:45 am in the morning on a Sunday. Most of the people who have to be at work by 8:00 am are rushing and zooming about on their way to work. And lo and behold, there goes the employees who belong to the Ministry of Fashion & Clothing Accessories. Believe me, I am not joking. There goes this parade of young women, barely out of their teens or in their teens, dressed for work, in a pair of low hipped figure hugging jeans, which leaves nothing to the imagination, topped off with a shirt that can barely hold their upper body inside (lord have mercy on those buttons that try so hard not to pop out).

To carry off the look, the hair would have the ‘I just tumbled off the bed after having the best sex of my life’ look together with a couple of gold or silver jewelery on the hands which would give out an eye blinding glare if it ever catches sunlight. To go with this look, from the ears there will dangle earrings the size of a 32″ LCD television. The next thing you know, when these ‘hot’ experts in fashion arrive at work, there will be oooh’s and aaah’s from those of the same group, commenting on their choice of attire to work, and a plan to go for more shopping once work is over at 4:00 pm.

Most of the youngsters today really have no clue on how to respectably dress for work. Its disheartening to see the citizens of the ‘100% Muslim’ country dressed with bare scraps of clothing as if at any moment the onlookers would find themselves seated in an arena with a ramp the size of Majeedhee Magu, and at any minute the young women would start sashaying there way across the ramp.

Even in those countries, whose up and coming trends in fashion that we try and keep up with, have a dress code for work which doesn’t include a healthy view of the receptionists cleavage. Female workers ought to respect their body more than that, rather than giving cheap shows to every one who works with them as well as those who come in contact with them at work.

It wasn’t long ago that I along with a couple of male workers at my workplace got an eye full of our colleague’s butt crack all the way down. Disturbing image I tell ya! But she really had no clue, or maybe she just enjoys the thought of men panting at her backside like dogs in heat.

What a person chooses to wear outside their workplace is of no concern to me, but as professionals who have a duty to carry out, which in no way includes wearing teeny tiny scraps of clothing that barely covers the essentials, we ought to start dressing like professionals too. Maybe those who are hooked on western fashion ought to take a long hard look at what those they follow in countries like the U.S., U.K., Australia etc. chooses as their work attire. I believe that we could really learn something from them!

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October 27, 2009

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My experiences

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Dealing with panic attacks!

Panic-Attack-3Recently I found myself on the receiving end of bouts of anxiety and panic attacks. I guess these have been a long time coming since I always tend to over worry about the minutest thing on earth. I guess it didn’t help that my husband was involved in a life threatening accident at work, though thank Allah that he is doing alright now.

Having observed people close to me having bouts of panic attacks didn’t prepare me for what really happens when it attacks you with its full force. I guess experts would say that what happened to me was little compared to what people who suffer round the clock attacks go through.

Anyhow, when it first happened, I wasn’t even aware that it was a panic attack that I was going through. A heat wave that generated from my tummy came upwards, made me sort of dizzy that made me reach out for the nearest person around me. Thinking that I was a bit low on sugar, my sis made me drink a bit of orange juice and that was it. I didn’t even think about it much, but maybe, according to the cardiologist that I saw these thoughts must have been in my subconscious even after wards.

So the next one which came in its full force caught me by surprise. I was browsing through diamond rings at a shopping mall when this overwhelming urge to just flee from everything came about. It may have been the over bright lights around, or the fact that I just wasn’t feeling my usual self. I just sort of threw the ring I was looking at, at the salesgirl (she must have thought what a bitch huh!) and I just forced myself to walk out in a hurried pace. Even then, I didn’t feel quite alright. The ride back home was the worst, since at that time, it was Deewali, and loud crashes, booms and bangs were going on everywhere. It just felt like everything around me didn’t matter and that I was not going to be around for much longer. And believe me, it was pretty scary.

Anyhow, one trip to the emergency room confirmed it wasn’t an asthma attack, and finally the physician I saw contributed what I had towards panic and anxiety. Even then, I wasn’t completely satisfied until I had seen every type of doctor I could see regarding my condition. Although some doctors weren’t really helpful, there were those who have put my fears to rest – at least for now.

Reading through material on the Internet has helped as well. Drinking water, whenever I feel such nervousness take root has helped a LOT in this case. Prayer and meditation has also helped on a large scale in keeping those attacks at bay. Although even now, sometimes I feel that these attacks might catch me unawares at any moment, I have learnt one thing – There are certain things in life that you don’t have any control over, So STOP worrying about them, cos then in the end it is you who suffer because you can’t enjoy those little things in life when you are worrying around the clock. And the advice that not to avoid thoughts that cause me fear, but rather think those thoughts through, and rationalize those fears have helped me on a huge scale to take each step without fear of impending doom.

 

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February 12, 2009

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The inefficient queueing system at ADK Hospital

Early yesterday evening, I developed flu symptoms of some never-ending viral bug that’s been going around Male’. Since I am asthmatic, I’m always careful about seeing a doctor and getting prescribed medication before I develop wheezing symptoms.

So last night there I went with an aching head and a throat that was hurting like hell. I took the queue number for consultation. Mind you, that this is the token to get a token number to see the doctor. I had previously telephoned the hospital and found out that tokens for the doctor were still available. I sat down on one of those leathery cushiony chairs and waited out since there were around 10 or so token numbers ahead of me. I sat around for forty minutes (which ain’t easy when you are sick and want medical attention and just go home and lie on your bed) to find out when my turn came up that the tokens to be released for the doctor were over. Now lets do the math, 10 token numbers in forty minutes. There are five to six stations with token queue number displayed on top of them. Out of those clerks/receptionists were seated at four of the stations and work was been carried out at only three of them. So 40/10, it took around 4 minutes to process a token, which is quite unacceptable. I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but deemed as a private hospital which “cares about you when you need it most”, I don’t think that they are living up to their proclaimed image if a person has to wait for a token number for forty minutes. That’s worse than the bank queuing system. At least there, you won’t be about to fall at your feet because your body was undergoing a rapid defensive reaction. Nor do they charge you gruesome amounts of money for services rendered.

It was the same story this morning when i again trudged on my way to see the doctor. However, the difference this time was, I did get to see him after around 40 minutes at the token system and a couple of twenty minutes or so to actually consult with him.

I have seen them in action without the token system, and I would have to say that ADK was more efficient without it. Then we didn’t have to stay around for the receptionists/clerks to press their dainty little fingers on the “next” button to display the token number to be serviced.

I guess the millions of Rufiya that Nashid and his enterprise rake in every day doesn’t really allow them to build a more efficient environment for patients. Oh and before I forget, wasn’t he the one who criticized teachers for being “money-hungry” since they went on a strike to fight for their rights to be paid better salaries? Or maybe I might be more racked with fever than I thought to see myself paying a hefty sum of money to see a doctor at his hospital?

Oh maybe, Nashid isn’t a “money hungry politician”, but rather a “humble man” and a “philanthropist”, giving “free” or “affordable” and “quality” medical care for those who need it the most. Blech!

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February 4, 2009

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Bitchin’

Bitchin’ has become a way of life for us Maldivians. We bitch about stuff from next to nothing. For instance the fact that we have to get up every morning to go to work/school or wherever one has to be, the fact that your boss is just a bitch when it comes to dealing with you or the fact that the tea/food served at some restaurant wasnt up to your liking can get one to start bitchin’. And we women have one extra god-given reason to be bitchy as much as we like and that would be PMS my friends.

Anyway, what started me on this was, I have been cooped up inside a meeting room with 8 or so colleagues from my work place for the past 2-3 weeks from morning till evening finalizing some work stuff, and I realised just how much we really bitch about stuff..

Dont get me started on our bosses (if i may say so).. they just tend to make me grind my teeth and like joey in Friends says, you just wanna rip your arm off so that you would have something to throw at em’. And then starts the political grumbling and whining and that gives me a headache literally.

Workmate 1: Why did the government have to change the working hours from 8-4? (the fact that we had been working from 7:30 to 4:30 prior to that didnt even matter)..

Workmate 2: Its all political. You know conspiracy and shit. It must be most prolly cause Anni cant make it to work if he has to report to work at 7:30.

Me (silently talking to myself): Hello!!! He doesnt even have to report to work at anytime.. Hasnt anyone ever heard of the “rules” that allow the “responsible” folk in the office to come and go as they want???

Workmate 1: This is ridiculous giving lunch break at 12. (prior to that we had been taking lunch breaks between 12 and 2 for one hour).

Workmate 2: How do we eat?? We cant all go home and come back.

Me: Hasnt anyone heard that people in other countries too work from 9-5? And their homes arent within a 10 minute walking radius? And that they still manage to finish work without grumbling? And what do you expect? With a pay hike to work even lesser hours than before. aaargh!

Workmate 3: i dont get hungry even by that time (grumbles some more and we all turn back to work)..

some 2-3 days later, after receiving the news of foreign investers signing up MOUs to open up their business and hospitals in Maldives.

Workmate1: Its ridiculous. Why is he so hell-bent on opening that many hospitals? Whose gonna go there to get medical attention? We dont have that many people here in Maldives.

Me: Goodness me.. It jst amazes me how these people think. Hello! Dont we always talk about the lack of receiving adequate medical attention and care here in the Maldives. What more do these people want? To go back to the 1920’s or something.. Darn!

So you see why i am bitchin’ about them here in my blog. It just frazzles my nerves every friggin’ time they start condemning something without even really bothering to make any sense when they open their mouths. Anyways, it has been a “fun” filled three weeks.. Am gonna miss the bitchin’ (or NOT) when our meetings would be over tomorrow. So until then.. the bitchin’ continues!

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January 11, 2008

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The Disciplinarian and the indulgent Parent

They exist in most of the nuclear families. The disciplinarian instills discipline in his/her kids, enforces on them to choose the right path over the wrong one, and punishes them if the disciplinarians authority has been put to test. As the children grow older, and if the disciplinarian doesnt change his tactics to suite that to the age and wisdom of his/her kids, most of the time, the children would tend to form a “distant” bond with that parent. The kids would tend to begrudgingly respect the disciplinarian. However once they grow older and have kids of their own, the kids do come to realise that the disciplinarian was necessary in order to keep them from letting their lives go for ruin.

However the indulgent one in the family pets and cossets his/her children. He or she tends to become the “coolest” parent in the family. That parent wil be the one who comforts the child when they come running from one of their rows with the disciplinarian, this parent tends to cover for their children at times when he/she feels that the children has had enough of being “disciplined” for the day and as the children grow older, they would tend to form a closer bond with the indulgent one.

Its rare for a family to have both parents acting as the disciplinarian parents. If this were so, the some of the joys of being a kid would never be felt. The kids would always be browbeated by either of the parents and the kid would grow up resenting the fact he was born to that set of parents. Its rarer still to see both sets of parents being indulgent ones. If this were so, the society would be rampant with misbehaved and ill-disciplined people who have no regards whatsoever to the rules of civilization.

From my parents I would have to say my father was the disciplinarian. He was the one who taught us our religion, enforced us to practice it, gave us ear-deafning lectures when we misbehaved and turned the “you may cry now” stare after the hour long lectures. Back then sometimes I resented the fact that he always found some fault with how things were done by me. However as I have grown older and wiser, and eventhough I do not have kids of my own I do realise that he did all that he did to turn me into what I am today. And I love him and respect him for that. Though he tended to make shivers up and run down the spine with fear even in the neighbourhood kids, he has become one of the coolest parents as I have grown older. Though conversations still do turn out into argumentative ones, we have developed a relationship that ensures that I can laugh, joke and be a “friend” with my father.

And my mom tended to be the indulgent one who ensured that food was properly made and put on the table, that we were clean and ready to sleep by bedtime. We could always count on her to sympathise with us and dry our tears when we were crying about some stupid childhood stuff. And even though we drove her crazy when dad wasnt around the house by running around the house with the neighbourhood kids, she was the epitome of patience.

I believe that each nuclear family should have one of each in order to ensure that the children they bring out into the society is a benefit to it as a whole rather than a hindrance. The parents should learn to “let go” as the children grow older, become their friends later on so that they would always be sure that their parents could be counted on through the best and worst in their lives.