Category: Everything else

The magic of ‘Inshallah’ – Note: This post is non-religious

I took many many lessons from my 4 month stint in beautiful Oman. One of the biggest of them all was the magic of ‘Inshallah’.

My Omani friends (bless them) say ‘Inshallah’ from time to time. Inshallah literally means god willing. And it is typically used when talking hopefully about events in the future.
I’ve found this to be very practical. Here’s how.
Imagine you meet a relative/friend down the road. This is a relative/friend you don’t necessarily know very well but is generally nice and warm. It turns out that you are home only for a few days each time and somehow, the relative/friend is never high enough on the priority list for a special separate visit. (let’s face it.. we can’t be everywhere!) It gets VERY tough when they ask for a promise ‘Next time you make it, you will come home right?’
Now, if I made such a commitment and didn’t manage to live it up, it would eat me. So, my options in the old days were –
1. Smile – Wasn’t very effective but worked sometime..
2. Laugh loudly with an ‘I’ll try’ – Pretty effective with people who don’t persist
3. Give an excuse/Complain – I hated doing this but again, tended to work

All these worked with varying levels of successes – This trip however, I say ‘Inshallah’. And it is the perfect answer – God willing (God, being the excuse). The reason is that I don’t want to say ‘No’ but neither do I want to say ‘Yes’. Who know? Maybe I will be overcome with the urge to visit this friend/have coffee with the relative.
Somehow, it also feels less offensive. And to those who feel it is too religious for your taste, you can of course modify it to a version that suits you (Inshaganesha/Inshajesus?).
Thank you Oman. You’ve added a lot of happiness with this learning. And most importantly, now I choose which commitments I say ‘Yes’ to. After all, it’s important you don’t say ‘Yes’ when you want to say a ‘NO’.
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Once again, I would like to reiterate that this post is non-religious and is not intended to offend anyone. The spirit of the post is that ‘God willing’ is a nicer and more practical way not to dig holes in our lives by over-committing. Apologies if I have offended anyone.

Quality of a place = Quality of the restrooms

Isn’t this always the case?

What’s a big difference between a developed country and a developing country? Excellent public toilets
Many 3 star hotels have similar opulence to 5 star hotels – the real difference, though, is typically the toilets
Try rest rooms, department stores – top class rest rooms typically means top class management.
Or even imagine walking into a first class house decorated beautifully. Would that impression stay if you walked into a badly maintained restroom?
Probably not.
Why?
Because we are best judged by how we behave on our worst day (read: crisis, stretch) and hence, restrooms make or break us. Funny as it sounds.

The Desert

In my attempt to catch up on the many learnings from the last two weeks, I was trying to recollect the biggest highlight of them all – and that simply had to be the desert.

Seldom do we think of the desert when we think of holiday destinations. Places that come to mind are the beaches in Hawaii/Indonesia/Brazil/Australia, the Alps in Europe and the like. And I must say, the desert more than surprised me.
I couldn’t even capture the most memorable desert moment on camera – sitting under the night sky. The desert has the most beautiful night sky thanks to the absence of any lights around the area.
When I sat looking up at the millions of stars in the sky, I felt closer to Mother Nature than I had ever felt, while also feeling extremely small and humble at sight of the vast expanse above me. I found myself wondering what it would have been to have spent the night with close friends and family and of many things that could have been..
Ever since I read ‘The Alchemist’, the desert had captured my imagination and going into this trip, I had great expectations. And, to put it simply, those expectations were met, and duly exceeded as well.
Diversity is what makes the earth a wonderful place to be in. And having tasted the magic of the desert, I can hardly wait for my next night under the desert sky..

3 out of 4 laptops in the browsing area at Changi Airport

had this logo on their screen –

How has Facebook managed to become a ‘need’?
Is it our need to feel appreciated by our social circle, our need to know what’s going on within our social circle, our need to stay ‘connected’ or our need to look at photos?
I’m not sure myself. Whatever be the case, Facebook’s web browser domination (in terms of time use) is awe-inspiring.