13 April 2007

The Un-Relocation of Prometheus

Regular readers (yes yes, as opposed to decaf readers) will remember the relocation of Prometheus from Mumbai, India to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He came here with a dream and a half-baked plan. To kill the suspense a la Quentin Tarantino, the half-baked plan morphed into a full-blown disaster. With a side of calamities back home. And yes, "they" supersized it all. Prometheus read somebody quoting from Coelho's Alchemist or some such that said that if one strongly desires something, the universe plots to let him/her have it. Well, in the case of Prometheus, the universe heard him wrong.

Onto more interesting stuff then. He was suitably impressed with the UAE. Much happened. The UAE Community blog gave him his first blog friend. Who in turn gave him Lizza. Lizza interviewed him for her Expat Interviews site, where he could talk about expat life in the UAE. And before you could say 'blog', he had made a good number of amazing friends. The links under 'Prometheus likes' went forth and multiplied. He has become a better blogger than he was, which is not to say much, but it is an improvement nonetheless.

Blog asides, Prometheus came to like the UAE. He did read stories of racism, the secret police, and he did see a censored Internet. But as a whole, he likes this place. For the Average Abdul, this place has more ups than downs. All his life, Prometheus has lived in one of the most superdense cities of the world. So the UAE, with its space, yet retaining the conveniences of modern life, had a nice effect on him. He wished to be here for a long time. Man proposes, String Theory disposes. For about a month now, he went through the turmoil of undoing everything he spent a year doing. Having been there and undone it all, these are his last week or two in this amazing country. He has said before that Mumbai's work ethic will probably not let him blog so often, if it lets him blog at all. Prometheus solemnly swears to blog as often as he can and hopes he can come back here with a better plan and more of that fickle thing called luck.

Prometheus picked up bits and pieces of Arabic and manages to read a few words in this complex but beautiful language. He takes your leave for somtime then, with this beautiful number that he stole from his newest blog friend, Shaykhspeara Shaira. The song is titled "The Anguish of Love & Yearning" from the album "Qasidat al-Burdah" by Ahbaab Al Mustafa of Yemen. The genre is called Nasheed. Prometheus can't explain the lyrics but they do sound very much like the title suggests. Apt for the moment, wot?



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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

The song has a beautiful title and a solemn feeling melody. I'm sure the lyrics of this song is something that will affect one's life. Sir Prometheus, always keep dreaming and do your best in everything and the rest will follow. I'm sure UAE has so much to offer for you. :)

Anonymous said...

I remember the post on which your presence first graced my blog, and I remember being mightily pleased at reading yours. Also, it's our honor to have your interview on our site; we thought it was very, very good.

I understand you have lots of things to do, but I'll still miss your posts. Dammit, it's bad enough that H went AWOL. Now you're going too.

Don't diss the power of the universe, mon ami. This is just a bump in the road. There are better things waiting for you, I'm sure. You have to believe that.

And when (not if) you get your hands on enough of the green stuff, git your arse over here, hear? We have some beaches to hit and alcohol to imbibe. :-D

Radha said...

not another hiatus pls ! :(

The Ego said...

You're leaving AGAIN???

Prometheus said...

Happy that you like the song LAR, and Prometheus will remember that advice.

Liz, Prometheus has a semblance of road amidst those bumps. And yes mon ami, the moment Prometheus lays his hands on the green he's got a ticket over to ya and San Miguel.

Prometheus will conspire to keep the hiatus as small as possible, Radha. He loves blogging for you guys.

Yes Deez, and this time Prometheus is leaving for good. He hopes to return someday, but he can't see that day yet.

Radha said...

Well good luck on the new life in Bombay! I love that city so Im not sad for you at all. But Dubai will miss you!!

Optimistic Guard said...

Hey good luck with the move back to Bombay, blogging is fun promethius, I was hoping we could plan the easter egg heist oceans 11 style.

R said...

Some folks in the Blogosphere will miss you. For more reasons than one.

Prometheus said...

Radha, Prometheus is sad. Though Mumbai is home, Dubai or rather the whole of UAE has grown on him.

OG, the Polizei might be humane, but Prometheus would rather not take chances with the Shurta or worse, the CID.

Jules, and we don't them to miss Prometheus, do we? Pray tell the other reasons.

The Ego said...

Awwwwwwwww...
Try blogging as much as you can from there... We're gonna miss youuuuu!!!

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

I thought you were already in Indian? gees go figure, I am a bit slow these days...too many trips to Ikea.

How on earth did you manage to steal the song? Chura liya hai tum ne meri media player ko lol

I am thinking I should post the other 5 parts of the song as well...it's a song in 6 parts, all with different melodies, and the poem called Qasidatul Burdah is one of the most famous islamic poems in the world sung from China to the States. Imam Busairi who wrote it after dreaming it was born a beduin in Morocco but lived in Saudi and finally Egypt where he passed away about 1000 years ago.

So...you are in Dubai til when? Well good luck with the move, we just have to embrace life wherever that is.

Anonymous said...

Prometheus, I think you read that quote from the Alchemist on one of my sites. And I don't believe it either. Anyway, thanks for the tune, I'm taking it in, bra.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Ok part six of the poem is now playing on ABC, have a listen, it has a more melancholy sound too it.

Prometheus said...

Deez, Prometheus is gonna miss you too. Somehow, even if he does manages to blog regularly from 'there', it won't still be the same as 'here'.

Shaykhspeara, as Bade Ghulam Ali Khansaab said, Daaka to nahin daala.

Gemmolina, Prometheus is happy you enjoy the music. Perhaps it is the exotic-ness of the song that makes it more appealing.

Shaykhspeara, thank you for the music, as that amazing Swede quartet said.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Gosh, an ABBA reference...lol well you are the dancing queen, young and .....oops?

lol

R said...

The Blogosphere doesn't abound with g(r)eek bloggers, you know. That's one of the few reasons.