Mild aftershocks rippled through Dubai’s high rise buildings late last night. Ceiling lightsbulbs swayed and house plants shivered.  Even still the city slept peacefully and welcomed a warm, overcast day this morning.  It seems the real aftershocks were to be felt among Dubai’s residents.

This morning, when I arrived at the office, I was greeted with ‘you missed it all the excitement yesterday’.

Just for the record, I miss all the excitement that goes on in my office as it seems ‘excitement’ is strictly reserved for the afternoon slot.

‘The desks were shuddering’ said one colleague.

‘S was praying’ blurted another (couldn’t blame her!).

D, in a confessional moment, named one of his biggest regrets as not having gotten married.

It must have been a scary experience to feel the office move; 30+ floors up and everything swaying.  I am sure I would have thought about bolting.  Some did.  Some staff made a dash for the lifts (obviously not familiar with the correct evacuation drill procedures!).  It was reported that a client made a very swift exit from the office, so swift he left his brief case and paperwork behind.

‘Wow…that was a big one’ commented the level headed MP.

Managing partners are managing partners for a reason.

By this time everyone had emerged from their stuffy, cubby hole offices wondering if the trembling, which was the equivalent of a 4-5 Richter scale reading, was more than their overtired imaginations.

‘Should we stay or should we go?’ they asked.  ‘If we do, can we use the lift?’

Conspiracy theories  were abound.  Is Iran causing these quakes deliberately?  Will there be a tsunami next? Was it a terrorist instigated attack?  Do you think North Korea had anything to do with this?

When ones office is staffed with so many different cultures, many of which give overwhelming credence to superstition, the banal and witchcraft, what people do, think or say does not come as a surprise.

Even so, one theory, proliferated by the office FBI agent (whose supporting friend is Google!), that struck me was that the US is triggering earthquakes in Iran using extremely low frequency technology.  Let’s face it, the US is not on good terms with Iran.  In fact it is never likely to be.  Iran’s nuclear power is a major bone of international contention.  The first quake last week was 60 miles from one of Iran’s known nuclear power plants……I have no idea if our agent’s intelligence is close to the truth, or whether it is even possible, but it is food for thought, at least until I get a chance to my own research.

Before long, the managing partner undertook a walkabout telling everyone to get back to work.  According to him, this is ‘life’.