garden of Eden

over the hills
in a wierd little land
lived fairies and goblins
with more than two hands

some gremlins they say
can come with four eyes
but dragons can scorch
with the simplest of sighs

the scariest things
to people like us
coz nothing can touch them
they're allergic to fuss

until their mother appeared
starts roaming their valley
hiding and pouncing
from damp dark alleys

no noise
no chewing
no signs of fight
devouring the children
with a plate of french fries

the bitch as she's called
in the company of elves
brought this tormenting
curse upon herself

shes been on a bender
and staggered home pissed
found an eighth
and some Rizlas
and rolled out a spliff

got the munchies
and reached
for the handiest snack
she ate her own kids
and spat them straight back

forgive me my beauties
what a dreadful mistake!
the children cant hear her
they're gone
its too late

the Orion story

According to legend, Orion was the mightiest hunter of all time. One day he boasted of being able to defeat any animal on Earth. His constant bragging was overheard by Mother Nature who, fearing that he could destroy every creature on Earth, sent a poisonous scorpion to sting Orion and kill him. Diana, goddess of the hunt, felt sorry for dear Orion. To honor him, she placed Orion among the stars. (The scorpion, Scorpius, was also places in the sky. It may be found directly opposite Orion in the sky so that it would never harm him again). In Maldives, either one, Orion or Scorpius, will always be visible in the night sky throughout the two quarters of the year. This is because the Maldives lie on the Celestial Equator (the projection of Earth's equator up into the sky). Some countries in the Northern and Southern hemisphere is known to see both constellations at the same time during certain times of the year.

It seems that there is no rest for the weary. Even in the sky, we find Orion doing battle again, this time with Taurus the Bull. To locate Taurus, draw a ling through Orion's belt and extend it to the upper right (north west). You will come to the bright orange star Aldebaran, marking the Bull's eye. The head of Taurus is formed by a V-shaped group stars called Hyades. Extend two lines to the two stars above its head to create Taurus's long horns. Names like Aldebaran and Hyades might seem foreign to those who don't hear them often. Yet, once you start seeing and hearing them enough, it is surprising how mystically beautiful these words sound (maybe even more so to our Maldivian ears, as most names such as Aldebaran have Arabic origins).

Orion is depicted in the night sky as trying to club the Bull over the head in order to save the Seven Sisters, who were kidnapped by Taurus. The Seven Sisters is the tiny cluster of stars known as Pleiades. Most people can spot six or seven stars, though apparently, on an extremely clear night, some can see up to fifteen (in the northern hemisphere). The seven sisters in Dhivehi is known as "Kethi". It is said in Maldivian folklore that a person to spot seven stars in Kethi is a person who someday will rule our islands. Now, a good telescope or binoculars will reveal that nearly a hundred stars lie in the Pleiades cluster. Maybe our ancestors didn't have good eyesight?

Returning to the belt of Orion, continue the line in the opposite direction down toward the southern horizon to spot Sirius, brightest star in the night sky. Sirius can also sometimes be known as the Dog Star, as it belongs to the constellation Canis Major, the Large Dog. Take Sirius as a jewel on the dog's collar. The star Mirzam marks a front paw, Adhara a hind paw, and Aludra the tip of the hound's tail. Canis Major is but one of Orion's two faithful companions. His small dog, Canis Minor, can be found to the north which consists of only two easily visible stars, the brighter one named Procyon. Canis Major and Canis minor are Orion's two hunting dogs, who is said to have never failed him through his hunting quests.

Watching Orion battle Taurus are the twin brothers Gemini. Their heads are marked by the bright stars Castor and Pollux. In ancient mythology, Castor was a famous horse trainer and soldier, while Pollux is said to be Sparta's leading boxer.

These myths have deep meaning and men have believed them fiercely for hundreds of years, so much so they are mostly intertwined with the Greek Gods and Goddesses.



Note: Click the image above to view a bigger, better version of the constellations and their names.

T I R E S W I N G

i took the Polaroid down in my room
i'm pretty sure you have a new girlfriend
it's not as if i don't like you
it just makes me sad whenever i see it
cuz i like to be gone most of the time
and you like to be home most of the time
if I stay in one place i lose my mind
i'm a pretty impossible lady to be with

Joey never met a bike that he didn't wanna ride
and i never met a Toby that i didn't like
Scotty liked all of the books that i recommended
even if he didn't I wouldn't be offended

i had a dream that had to drive to Madison
to deliver a painting for some silly reason
i took a wrong turn and ended up in Michigan
Paul Baribeau took me to the giant tire swing
gave me a push and he started singing
i sang along while I was swinging
the sound of our voices made us forget everything
that had ever hurt our feelings

Joey never met a bike that he didn't wanna ride
and i never met a Toby that i didn't like
Scotty liked all of the books that i recommended
even if he didn't i wouldn't be offended
wouldn't be offended

now i'm home for less than twenty-four hours
that's hardly time to take a shower
hug my family and take your picture off the wall
check my email write a song and make a few phone calls
before it's time to leave again
i've got one hand on the steering wheel
one waving out the window
if i'm a spinster for the rest of my life
my arms will keep me warm on cold and lonely nights

Joey never met a bike that he didn't wanna ride
and i never met a Toby that i didn't like
Scotty liked all of the books that i recommended
even if he didn't i wouldn't be offended...
would'nt be offended...
even if he did'nt i would'nt be offended!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Last week was Chinese New Year here in Singapore and for all Chinese around the world. It’s the Lunar New Year for the Chinese and it was celebrated on Thursday, the 7th of February. The Chinese celebrate their new year for fifteen days. It’s a very special occasion, perhaps the most significant holiday celebrated throughout the year.

The most important night is the eve of Chinese New Year when the family cooks and has dinner together. It seems that fish and chicken are common dishes on the table. Also, a large bowl of salad is put on the table. The family takes the salad in chopsticks, all in one motion high in the air and drop it back in several times. This is apparently called "tossing the salad" and I am yet to find out the exact purpose of this tossing.

Next comes the visiting. The visiting goes on for the next fifteen days or so and priority is given to seniors. A very remarkable thing in their custom is the giving of hong bau during their visits. This is basically where married and elderly are expected to give money to other family members (mainly to children and people who are not married). Money is given in little red envelops. The amount depends on their social status or how much they earn. Four is considered a bad number relating to bad luck. The explanation I got for that is apparently because the number four sounds like death in Chinese (in cantonese or mandarin or hokkien i don't know). It is customary to give money in even numbers, as giving money in odd numbers is practiced during funerals. I was surprised to know that some kids the age of 16 or so get an average of about 1000 over dollars every New Year! Of course it depends on how big your family is. The bigger the family the better huh!

I couldn't help but relate Chinese New Year and our Muslim Eid. They are unbelievably similar in some ways. For example, the families cook and have dinner together much like when we Muslims cook for lunch on Eid. It’s an evening for everybody to get together. To be at the table on the eve of Chinese New Year is considered a must! I guess that explains why it was such hot news when China was hit by a snow storm last week. Imagine the chaos it would cause if there was a snow storm in Mecca during Hajj season!

The other thing that strikes me is the visiting. Muslims try to make it a point (atleast in our family) to visit their aunts and uncles on Eid and the next few days that follow. The Chinese seem to practice this custom too, only at a larger scale over a period of fifteen days. It is expected that everybody be in town for the lunar New Year, no matter where in the world you live.

Lastly, I noticed that the giving of money (hong bau) is also reflected in the Muslim tradition as well. Here, unlike the Chinese, I feel that the Muslims do it slightly differently. Our Zakat on Eid is distributed to the entire poor community. As for the Chinese, they practice it within their families.

What really fascinates me is the extent to which the Chinese take their celebrations. The priority they give to visiting their family, the strong belief that it would bring bad luck if they don't give money in little red packets, or see their grandparents at least once a year. I just wish that we Muslims were as passionate about our Eid as the Chinese are with their New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone.

Back again

Hi all,
As you would've noticed I hav'nt written anything for quite sometime. Honestly I'm not much of blogger, more of a reader. What changed? Well my life has taken a turn recently and as I love to write I thought I'd share some ideas, not that I expect anyone to read but just for the sake of writing and sharing. I guess some things need change. Anyway, here's a new article. Any ideas, comments, criticism is most welcome. Hope you like it.
Cheers.
fareY.