Slippery facts of traditional Omanis & Oman

Let’s point out some facts about how Omanis people live their life, some common traits and some common interest...Etc.

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So, An Omani family will gather around one plate for lunch and dinner. Their tool to eat would be the five fingers.

Omani traditional Guy will marry his cousin who is already preserved and booked for him even before they were born.

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#ComercialBrands,

Emmmm, until few years ago Omanis' commercial brand would be Toyota cars, Nokia phones, Mountain Dew as a drink (treated as a wine of Omanis' youth), while old people drink coffee and eat dates.

Years ago Rieker is the shoe of a wealthy men, while normal people prefer a brand called Tiger (this was long ago before Gazhalah exist)

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# Omani-to-Omani conversation pattern,

If two Omanis meet up, there is a 'must' question which needs another 'must' and unchangeable reply. We can call it the introduction pattern of Omani-to-Omani conversation. It goes like this:

X & Y: (Greeting.)

X: Ma Shy 3loom? Ma Shy Khbaar ?

*(X: any news? any news?)

Y: Ma Shy, Bhw.

(Y: Nothing, nothing at all.)

Y: Min Soobkom?

(Y: From your side? (And you)?)

X: Ma shy. Bhw

(X: No, nothing at all.)

X & Y: continue the conversation

* This green colored sentences are #LiteralTranslation of the original ones

The most Weirdest thing about this pattern is the 'must' answer: “Nothing at all” = “I don't have any news”

But later as they continue the conversation a long queue of news will appear. So don't forget to answer with "Ma Shy 3loom"

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# Socialization

In term of socialization, there was always Sablah or the Mosque in which men meet up every day. In some places they meet twice daily; the early morning and after the Isha prayer at in the evening. In contrast women meet up twice also the first meeting would be around 9-10am and the second would be 4-5pm evening. They meet either in their houses by turns or in a distinguished place in the village (Example: under mango tree).

In these meetings everybody contributes with their Fwalah (Food of hospitality) usually this consists of fruits like Orange, apple, Mango....etc... And the 'Must' things are: Dates and Coffee. So there would be always plenty of food in front of them while chatting.

I guess the talks are usually Gossiping about other Women in women meetings while men discuss a variety of topics including the daily interests and needs like: (price of fish and dates.., cropping time and plans for harvest seasons). Moreover, they must mix these discussions by rising up some political issues from around the world.

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To conclude, all these might be an incomplete list of slippery facts of traditional Omanis but the spontaneity, generosity and honesty of the most welcoming people are undeniable.

*Note: these random thoughts were written originally in 2008(nothing is added except correcting spelling mistakes)

The End - الـنِــهَــايــَـة

The End

It is time for me to go, mother; I am going.

When in the paling darkness of the lonely dawn

you stretch your arms for your baby in the bed,

I shall say, "Baby is not there!"

- mother, I am going.

I shall become a delicate draught of air

and caress you; and I shall be ripples

in the water when you bathe;

and kiss you and kiss you again.

In the gusty night when the rain patters on the leaves

you will hear my whisper in your bed,

and my laughter will flash with the lightning

through the open window into your room.

If you lie awake, thinking of your baby till late into the night,

I shall sing to you form the stars, "Sleep, mother, sleep."

On the straying moonbeams I shall steal over your bed,

and lie upon your bosom while you sleep.

I shall become a dream, and through the little opening

of your eyelids I shall slip into the depths of your sleep;

and when you wake up and look round startled,

like a twinkling firefly I shall flit out into the darkness.

When, on the great festival of PUJA,

the neighbors' children come and play about the house,

I shall melt into the music of the flute

and throb in your heart all day.

Dear suntie will come with your PUJA presents and will ask,

"Where is our baby, sister? Mother you tell her softly,

"He is in the pupils of my eyes,

he is my body and my soul."

by Rabindranath Tagore

الـنِــهَــايــَـة

إنّهُ وقتُ الرَحيلْ .. أمَاه .. إنّيْ رَاحلْ ..

فِيْ الظُلمةِ الشَاحبةِ مِنَ الفجرِ المُوحش ..

عِندَمَا تَمُدّينَ ذِراعيْكِ لِـطفلكِ فِيْ الفِراشْ ..

عَلّيَ أنْ أقولْ "الطِفلُ ليسَ هُنَا" ..

أمَاه .. إنّيْ رَاحلْ ..

سَأكونُ تَيارَ هواءٍ رقيقْ ..

وألاطفكِ ..

سَأتموجُ فِيْ المَاءِ حِينَ تَستحمينْ ..

وأقَبِلُكِ .. وَ أقَبِلُكِ مرةً أخرى ..

فِيْ الليلِ العَاصفْ ..

عِندَمَا يَقرعُ المَطَرُ بِخفةٍ عَلى العُشبْ ..

سَتَسمَعينَ هَمسِيْ فِيْ فِراشِكِ ..

وَ ضَحِكِيْ .. سَيُومِضُ بَرقَاً مِنْ خِلالِ نَافذةِ غُرفَتكِ المَفتُوحة ..

وإذَا استَلْقيْتيْ .. وَ بَقيتيْ يَقظَةٌ ..

سَأغُنّيْ لَكِ بِصُورَةِ النُجُومْ ..

" نَامِيْ .. أمَـاه .. نَامِيْ " ..

فِيْ شُعَاعِ القَمرِ الشَاردِ ..

سَأنْسَلُّ فِيْ فِرَاشِكِ ..

و أتَمَددُ عَلى صَدرِكِ أثنَاءَ نَومَكِ ..

سَأكونُ حُلماً ..

وَمنْ خِلالِ جِفنَيكِ المَفتُوحيْنِ قَليِلاً ..

سَأنسَلُّ دَاخِلَ عُمقِ نَومِكِ ..

وَ عِندَمَا تَستَيقِظِينَ وَ تَنْظُرينَ حَولَكِ بِفَزع ..!

سَأطِيرُ خَارِجَاً فِيْ العَتمَةِ ..

كَالفرَاشةِ المُضيِئةِ ..

وَ فيْ احتِفَالِ عِيدِ الأمِّ العَظيمْ *..

عِندَمَا يَأتِيْ أطفَالُ الجِيرانِ وَيَلعَبونَ حَولَ المَنْزِلْ ..

سَأذُوبُ فِيْ مُوسيقَى المِزمَارْ ..

وأنْبُضُ فِيْ قَلْبِكِ طُوَالَ اليَومْ ..

وَ سَتَأتيْ العَزِيزَةِ "سنتاي"* مَع هَداياكِ لِعيدِ الأمِّ وستسألكِ :

" أيْنَ ابْنُكِ يَا أختِيْ ؟" .. وَ سَتُخبِرِينَها بِهُدوءْ :

" هُوَ فِيْ بُؤبُؤ عَينَيّ ..

هُوَ جِسميْ .. وَ رُوحِيْ " ..!

ترجمة: أماني الخنيزان

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.

There was a time indeed
they used to shake hands with their hearts:
but that’s gone, son.
Now they shake hands without hearts:
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.

‘Feel at home’! ‘Come again’:
they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice –
for then I find doors shut on me.

So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses – homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart.
I have also learned to say, ‘Goodbye’,
when I mean ‘Good-riddance’;
to say ‘Glad to meet you’,
without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been
nice talking to you’, after being bored.

But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!

So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.



Once Upon a Time- By GABRIEL OKARA a Nigerian Poet

Declan Galbraith - An angel

I wish I had your pair of wings

Had them last night in my dreams
I was chaising buterflies
Till the sunrise broke my eyes

Tonight the sky has glued my eyes
Cause what they see's an angel hive
I've got to touch that magic star
And greet the angels in their hive

Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you

All the sweet honey from above
Pour it all over me sweet love
While you're flying around my head
Your honey kisses keep me fed

I wish I had your pair of wings
Just like last night in my dreams
I was lost in paradise
Wish I'd never opened my eyes

Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you

But there's danger in the air
Tryin' so hard to be unfair
Danger's in the air
Tryin' so hard to give us a scare
But were not afraid

Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you
Sometimes I wish I were an angel
Sometimes I wish I were you

Wish I were you

Oh I wish I were you

Foreword

Random life is my gate to blogging world. let me admit that I am still not sure if this blog will be developed/progressed or not. This uncertainty came from the fact that I am a person who never like sharing at all. However I realize recently that it might be not healthy to keep living as a lonely individual, passive person who tend to be in a far corner and prefer to walk in the dark. though I still sometimes doubt this realization.

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Anyway,I started looking at the world differently. My attitude is changing day by day. I opened my my FB account. then, I start tweeting and now I am here launching my blog.

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Why Random Life ?

Well. It is all about a way of living; to think randomly, to walk randomly, to remember a random events or memories, to eat randomly, to study randomly.....etc.. It is all about doing and acting in a random way. It does not mean to be aimless or not planned, but it is likely to let things go easily and to discover how fate wants to play with you.

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So this is my favorite life's style at the moment....

Here we go...

let us see how this blog will be run, but for now I just want to say :

Let's randomize life.