Shopping & Death in 2011

Hi Guys!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I can't believe it's been so long!
I promise I'll try harder to blog, but somehow everything in the news these days is so trivial!

The past few months for me have been pretty rough. Health issues have in some way left me apathetic, and sort of dissociative from my life.
But hopefully with the new year it's all about to change!

I'm still surprised by the amount of people that somehow come across this blog. It's crazy, that someone out there is still listening to my crazy rants half way across the world.

So here we go...

As you all probably know by now there's very little to do in the Gulf besides eat, shop and go to the movies.
I was having this conversation with a friend of mine when I realized that's mostly what society (almost everywhere) has been reduced to these days.
Buying stuff.
After a year of non-conventional work, and seeing the other side of things, I've become very tired of buying things (anything really...). It's become quite exhausting.
So with that in mind, I cringed this morning after reading the following headline in Bahrain's own Gulf Daily News;
Dubia Festival on Way

What festival you may ask?
Something cultural?
Some fun and games for the little ones?
A state of the art technological exhibition?
Something useful?

No, no, no, and you'd be dreaming.
Instead it's the one and only Dubai Shopping Festival!!!
Woohooo!!
Now before everyone gets on my case I have to admit that many many years ago (really... many) when I was a young girl I went to that same festival when it first started.

All I can say about  it is that many a dubai rant has originated with that experience.

The fact that shopping has somehow become an event that people flock to from all over the region is ridiculous.
It would be different if it was something unique and authentic.  Instead it's come down to the Marks & Spencer, Claire's and H&M's of the worlds slashing prices to attract tourists.
That's it.
That's what the world has come to.

But what's even more shocking is that this sort of news is somehow more important than let's say the murder of Punjabi governor over his anti-blasphemy law stance.
Having a difference of opinion, and using death and fear to get your way has somehow become acceptable these days.
I remember when these tactics were mostly used in places without a firm governing structure, but now it seems like it's the norm everywhere.
Let's kill anyone who doesn't agree with us!!
How has it become so normal that we've stopped noticing?
How is it that we've just switched off our mind and blanked out to the reality of the world around us?

I have to admit that I'm there.
But hopefully with the new year things will change.
Hopefully.

And there we go, a positive note for 2011!
 :P

Lyla.