We voted for you in good faith
Hoping for a change that would impact our lives in a good way
Understanding the fact that the road ahead would be, not an easy one
Knowing that there would be many a hurdles to cross
And of course the corrupt disciples of the 30 year regime to deal with
We rejoiced when the movement for change finally won
Trusting you to turn our country around, no matter how difficult a job it may be
At first, the power hungry souls remained silent
Waiting and watching for signs
Readying to move in for the kill
At times the allegations border on the line of ridicule
And one year on
The voice of the opposition seems to grow stronger
While your voice seems to move,
further & further away..
Leaving us barely clutching at straws
To justify to ourselves, why we voted for this change
Many a time we wish
That your actions spoke louder than words
And let awareness be created amongst the citizens
Unless giving armor to the opposition
is the life of good governance,
Because its high time dear gov.mv
That you learn,
Silence is not always golden!
Swine Flu.. Yikes!!
Ever since the news that a citizen of Raa Atoll Inguraidhoo died of the effects of swine flu, I have been in a constant state of ‘panic’ over the lack of awareness amongst ordinary citizens on how rapid the transmission of this virus is, which has effects similar to that of a common cold. Due to its rapid spread throughout the world, risk groups have been identified which include young children and old age people and those who have underlying health conditions which can worsen the effects the H1N1 virus has on our body. And the fact that the person who died had contact with a lot of people during his last few days, few of whom have already been tested positive for H1N1 is quite worrying.
With 12 confirmed cases of the flu in the country, 5 of them still ongoing treatment, the stories of people with high flu visiting the hospitals seem to trickle in. Within such a congested community as ours, prevention of the hike in the number of cases lies within us citizens. We need to be more aware on how this virus transmits, the precautions that we can take and pray that we are spared the effect of this virus which is reported to have mutated to a form that is resistant to the medication that is currently available in the market.
Mass gatherings should be avoided whenever possible, and those who have flu like symptoms should stay at home until the worst is over. It is the nature of us Maldivians to just ride out the cold symptoms with a bunch of Panadol tablets. And even when the cough symptoms persist, with the sound of booming cough bringing tears to the bystanders eyes, even then the policy is to ride the storm out. However, this should not be the case especially when the pilgrims on Hajj would be returning to Male’ within the coming week signaling the start of the Hajj flu season.
Doctors have advised that the best thing we can do now is practice better hygiene, i.e. wash your hands as frequently as possible with soap, preferably a disinfectant soap such as Dettol or Life Bouy, and if one develops flu like symptoms, regardless of the fact that it may or may not be Influenza A, to stay at home and avoid contact with large masses of people and take enough rest so that the body can get on with the job of healing itself.
I was appalled at the thought of the thousands of spectators in the Galolhu Football Stadium on Saturday night, when the exact number of cases of swine flu as well as how the person who died after contracting the disease actually got the virus in the first place remains in a grey area. For now, we should adhere to the advice given out by the health professionals and pray to Allah that our country be spared of this virus that could wipe out a huge chunk of our population if we aren’t careful about it.
The League of the Ex-Atholhuveringe Club
Someone has nurtured them to think they are above the law
and that to no one they have to answer to
It doesn’t help that upper crust of the management have similar issues
of course, it doesn’t help much
when you have been nurtured in a certain way
for the past 30 years!
They are too busy trying to save their face
with the rapid changes that have come about,
rather than tackle the issues that are at hand.
Leaving the gentlemen of the club, to do as they please.
Anyone who has an opinion cannot survive,
they really need to fight it out till the end.
And when its over, the club of gentlemen always wins,
cause no matter what, the league has cast its web of deceit
far and wide amongst the upper crust.
Their management style is unlike anything
I have ever seen.
And they are proud to show it off,
because it keeps those opinionated fools,
who work to change things for the better at bay!
Oh, how much do I wish we could all just walk away,
and leave the club to run the organization on their own.
I bet they would be floundering and drowning
in their own pile of shit in no time!
But alas, circumstances of us lower class employees
dictate we stick around
and let the spray of shit hit us, when it goes around!
This is dedicated to those few brave employees at the Commission, who fight it out everyday to change things for the better! This one’s for you guys! :)
The Maternal Urge
Being married for quite sometime and having no kids to show for it, I am always bombarded with questions from friends and acquaintances whenever and wherever I see them on 
whether I have kids or not and when I reply that I do not, when I would be trying for one and that my biological clock is ticking and so on. And when it comes to my family members, its a whole other story. They pick on me every chance they get, to get me going on the biological forefront before my non-existent eggs die of shame, because when it comes to babies, although I love them as much as the next person, I really do not have that sense of urgency nor the desperation to have one!
Now some women might find that a tad odd. But I really have no clue why how I feel this way. Recently I had a conversation on the same topic with a close friend of mine, who is at the moment trying to conceive and frankly I am a bit surprised on the turnabout of events, since she is someone who has always craved constant change and challenges in life and wasn’t in the mood to try for a baby the last time I saw her. So in the end I find that like me, she has no particular urge to have a baby, but the thought that time is flying by and she may never get the chance and all the what could have beens are propelling her towards the whirlpool of baby making.
Maybe my sense of being disconnected from the maternal group might have something to do with the fact that my biological system really doesn’t work like a well greased clock, but rather it just goes on as it pleases. I was diagnosed with PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease) whilst I was in my teens and ever since doctors have advised me on the course of treatments that I would have to take to conceive. Being not so much of a fan on the intake of hormonal medicines that make me grumpy, cranky and the worse kind of person on earth to be around with, I really do not find the thought of going through various medicinal cycles and treatment courses to have a baby. And the tales of how scary the birthing process might turn out to be doesn’t seem to help much as well. Might be that I would regret NOT having this particular urge, but for now I am content with the way things are, and maybe one day before its too late, I too would get a buzz of the maternal fever that seems to catch up with us female species!
Dealing with panic attacks!
Recently 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.
Work of Art 