Contemplation

Is it not about time that we did something about our environment? Although Bahrain has a couple of organizations that are concerned with the environment, one finds the local majority completely ignorant about issues like energy conservation, recycling, global warming and climate change.

Perhaps I would be criticized for claiming the ignorance of the majority here, and so I shall take up the challenge and bet the majority to prove me wrong on this one, for I’d be glad to lose this time.

The facts do remain though. Many people still litter, and many others leave their lights on unnecessarily, think that stand-by modes are energy efficient, crank up air conditioning to freezing levels, and cannot properly spell the word “recycle” (or any positively associated word with the prefix “re-”).

During the previous bloggers meeting, and thanks to a wiseman and a star, we had achieved the “blogger’s prophecy” (which requires the common presence of three or more bloggers at any one time and place) and an epiphany was bestowed upon us.

It was to do something “cool”; to become (following eMoodian fractionalogy) half blogger, half prophet, and half tree-hugger.

Prophecies don’t lie, and thus I found myself googling environmentalism and stumbled upon my inescapable destiny. I clicked-through to GlobalCool.Org. There, I came across one of my eternal loves, whom I fell even more in love with her after reading her following quote:

“Stop completely twatting your planet, because we haven’t got anywhere else to live.“

And so, my environmentalism mini-season begins.

Modern photography, prose, poetry, and beautiful music; the venue substituted tables for chairs as the increasing crowd settled down for the event to start. Friends and family showed, a multicultural bunch followed, and closer friends thereafter.

Elham introduced the guests, who took to the floor one after the other. Arthur D’Souza discussed his unique techniques of combining positive film and colored paper to create beautifully framed layers that speak beyond the images created.

The dazzling, South-African writer, Melissa van Maasdyk then managed to lose her essay papers, however, short to be found and read to the audience. Personally, this lost-and-found theme gave new meaning to her short essay. Perhaps, this theme will extend its meaning to her “never-ending story”.

The venue was also honored by having the mesmerizing Bahraini poet, Hameed Al Qaed, recite some of his Arabic and English poems alongside the beautiful Oud music, played by Hasan Al Hujairi, who stole the end of the show with a Japanese-Arabic fusioned piece.

Elham, that is muse, and mused I was. What was once an unappealing, and then lost, identity that I associated with Bahrain, is now replaced with a newly discovered culture. I found a new home within an abandoned one.

Coming back to Bahrain a little bit more than a year ago, I found myself becoming increasingly misplaced; disappointed by the lost hope, the mechanical routine, that most people subscribed to. While I was then surrounded by saddened, despaired and despondent people, I now found those with a passion, a glowing core, and a bright future. These artists, my heroes, they found and realized what others took for dreams.

More to what I hope, is for such culture to be bolstered anew within a re-invented brand of Bahrain; to invite designers, artists, film makers, writers and musicians, to this island; to establish a hub of galleries and “culture cafés”.

If it so happens, and you find yourself reading these pages, I hope you enjoy it.

Not quite the “Hello World!” post, or title, but more to introduce the name.

Yes!! Hi, hello, how are we doing? Why I habituated myself to postpone first time greetings is because it only brings sudden immediate awkwardness.