Ramadan Routine…..

So, in anticipation of Ramadan, I looked up the Islamic calendar for the upcoming month – my main interest was when do I start, and when do I finish my fast…. for now all I can say is “hmmm…. interesting…”

The first fast will begin at 0400, and will end at about 1950; not bad, almost 16 hours… however, we shave off 2 hours towards the end of the month (days are getting shorter), and I am totally used to that, so it should not be a problem.

One question which a lot of people have asked me is what about the hunger (btw, thanks for the questions… keep ‘em coming!) – surely if you have 2-3 meals a day, and then “quit” eating for a month – doesn’t it make you ill? The answer to that… actually no, and this is the reasoning…. *puts on nerd hat* …

Sure – for the first couple of days, the body is still in the stage of adjusting to the new routine… but part of the “feeling hungry” experience is to do with how the mind craves for food for the stomach (with me so far?).

Now for example – if you are hungry, and then you are served with your most favourite dish on the table – you may actually eat more than you should/would. Overeating is not controlled by the stomach, but actually by the mind. In the same way, when you are fasting, your mind “knows/learns” not to expect food for a sustained period of time, and hence although the stomach may initially send the food signals, the mind will ignore it. If you spin the above slightly differently – I am sure that you will encounter a dieting technique which is very similar to fasting.

I have had a decent record of losing weight during this month; 2 years ago, I lost about 7kg and I actually became a lot leaner. However, I did not look after myself since then, and have put on a fair bit of weight. This time round, I am determined to replicate the achievement from 2 years ago, but hold on to it…

I keep adding new blogs to my reader – I think I will thank 20something bloggers for that! During Ramadan, I think I will fall short for time to read up every post (yes I do read every post – but don’t always comment) – I will make every effort to keep reading and definitely posting as well!

The first fast begins on Monday, the 1st of September. I actually am looking forward to it a great deal! I hope to use this time to get myself on track in many different ways….

Ready…. set…. go! (well, almost!)

My First Time…..

I picked this one up from Auburn Kat….

I got my first teeth at 4 months old….

I relocated to another country for the first time when I was 6 months old….

I got my first stitches (outside edge of my left eye) at 3 years old…

I played truth or dare for the first time when I was 5… (and I am not telling you the dare that a guy had to do… gross… )

I had my first career vote of confidence when I was 14… I wanted to be a journalist… I lost that vote….

My first job was working at a Petrol/Gas station…. it was the worst job ever ever ever…..

My first real friends back in England were made at university….

It was the first time that I felt that I belonged here…. it took me 2.5 years to get that feeling….

I “fell in love” for the first time when I was 22…. it didn’t last long….

My first European holiday was in 2005… Barcelona ROCKED!

I broke a bone for the first time in 2007… my depressed fractured thumb is still kinda broken….

I started my first blog in 2004….

But my first post was not till May 2008 on this blog….

This summer, I met a fellow blogger for the first time…. She is as “funky” as her blog….

This is the first time that I have posted a first time “meme”…. I don’t think I will post it again….

Tell me about your first times…..

crisis?….

This is bothering me for some reason….. I was wondering – if a mid-life crisis takes place in your 40s, and a quarter-life crisis in your 20s…. what happens to the depressed 12 year olds?

Anyone?…..

Ramadan…

Ok, so this is aimed to be an educative/informative post. It’s more about trying to create awareness, trying learn the basics further myself (I am Muslim), and I am keen to answer questions from whoever reads this post – I think I can educate 2 people with this post – You, and Myself! OK, here goes….

Ramadan is a very important period in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar, a lunar one, has 12 months each of which have approximately 30 days (approximately because of the lunar cycle). It is also the month in which the Quran was revealed to the muslims.

The month of Ramadan is significant to the Islamic world because it is spent fasting from the period of Dawn to Dusk; and by fasting, I mean no water, no food, no injecting “food” into yourself etc. The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends – although all these are not restricted to a single month alone! The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well.

Ramadan begins circa 1st September this year. It will be interesting from a personal point of view because Dawn is about 4:30am and Dusk is about 8pm. The length of the day does get shorter through the month, however the length of time which I will spend fasting will be something new to me.

A lot of people comment on the conditions under which the fast is kept. Yes, I agree that 14-15 hours without water or food is a little crazy, however – it actually does go almost unnoticed. That again though may depend where you are fasting – for example the UK has been pretty cool this summer, however somewhere in the Middle East, I think the thirst may be a huge concern.

Every year, I set myself some aims to achieve during the period of Ramadan. I want to lose close to 10kg in weight by the end of the year. I think I can make a major dent in that number during Ramadan; sensible eating will definitely help the weight loss. I also want to work on my patience. I am generally quite patient – but I feel that certain events have encouraged me to lose my temper a little and lose my patience easily too. I think this period of personal reflection will help me gain my composure again.

I hope I have put in my 2 cents in raising some awareness about Ramadan. While at university, a good friend of mine wanted the Ramadan experience, so he fasted about a week and quite enjoyed the experience. Would you try fasting a day as an experience? Do let me know if you do!

Any questions or comments – I would love to answer them!

Random…. and weird facts….

So Amanda tagged me for this meme a few days ago… and I had to think quite hard about this! but here goes….. (btw – bFlat has posted this one too!)

Here are 7 random and weird facts about me…

I get panicky if I do not have my mobile with me at all times…

When I decide to lose weight, I can drop the pounds at will…

I am a salad freak – I could eat it AS my every meal….

I struggle to tell my lefts from my rights… I have to think hard about it before I decide…

I have dark skin – so you cannot quite see/notice it, but I blush when I receive a compliment…

I am very very time conscious – I believe in getting anywhere well before time….

I lack creative/artistic skills… I cannot draw a dot properly….

Ok, so my facts are not as weird or whacky! Why don’t you tell me yours? Do grab this meme from my post – I haven’t tagged the 7 people as I should because this one seems tricky, and may not be everyones cup of tea…. Try it anyways!

So the holidays are over…..

He stretches his arms… cracks his knuckles…. loosens himself….. ready to post….

About time too!

It lasted 12 days…. it was relaxing…. it was humid…. and pretty damn hot! But it was excellent!

For those who don’t know, I have spent the first 15 years of my life in Dubai. I went back “home” to re-visit memories, to meet family – some of whom I have not met for about 15 years, to relax a little I guess, and most importantly – to try and get to grips with the direction in which my life is moving.

I guess I was able to hit home on all bases… I had a good time to reflect on the last 2.5-3 years, and where I want to be in the years to come….

Spending time in Dubai itself was fantastic! I was amazed that I could still recognise most areas 8 years after my last visit. I thought about driving myself around, exploring parts of the city, but decided against it after experiencing racetrack driving on the roads. That responsibility then fell on MA (formerly of Changing Direction without my GPS…), who took great care of me, and got me to everywhere whenever I needed to get there…. Thanks again big guy!

I ate a lot on holiday…. I was planning on losing a little bit of weight, and no matter how much I sweat (and sweat I did!), I have put on a couple more kilos…. I guess with Ramadan coming up, I will lose some weight for sure. A full post on the Islamic calendar month of Ramadan coming up next week!

I also had an opportunity to meet a fellow blogger – Lhjunkie. It is the first time that I have met a blogger; MA doesn’t count because we are related. I guess I am a little shy meeting new people , but do warm-up to them soon enough. Nice meeting you either ways U.

I feel quite refreshed now that I am back from holiday, I think I noticed the “increased productivity” within my first week. Will it be sustainable? Well…. we’ll see! I am still catching up on posts on Google reader, still a fair way to go – I still have guests at my place… so waiting to grab a spare moment next week.

The Dubai trip was very good, very refreshing, and very memorable. I had a moment to reflect on myself, and life in general. I have also made a couple of work related contacts, and I may be back there again soon….

Life is taking an interesting turn again….

Let’s learn the alphabet…..

The Almost Right Word tagged me with a meme. Here is an A-Z about me!

A. Attached or Single?
Single…. kinda… i’m working on it….

B. Best Friend?
R (who has changed her name from T),  I all the way in Toronto, Canada, and finally, but one of the best – MA (formerly of Changing my Direction without my GPS)

C. Cake or pie?
I have never eaten Chocolate pie…… so Chocolate cake…. black forest cake… YUMMMM!!!

D. Day of choice?
Anyday when the sun shines….

E. Essential item?
My Phone, and wallet…..

F. Favorite color?
Purple and silver…

G. Gummy bears or worms?
ummm…. what??!!!…. Neither!

H. Hometown?
Birmingham, England……

I. Favorite indulgence?
If I choose one indulgence…. the others will get jealous!….

J. January or July?
July! The best month in the year! Also, I am a same date as the month birthday kid…..

K. Kids?
I do plan to have them one day…

L. Life isn’t complete without?
happiness and being humble and thankfull

M. Marriage date?
Hopefully soon….

N. Number of brothers and sisters?
2 others (brothers), but I would like to think of it as 3 (2 brothers + 1 cousin sister) others…..

O. Oranges or Apples?
Oranges…

P. Phobias?
no phobias…. I think….

Q. Quotes?
You play to fight the idea of losing – Eric Cantona (the best ever!)

R. Reasons to smile?
No reason…. I just smile….

S. Season of choice?
Summer…. Nice and warm please….

T. Tag 5 people:
Auburn Kat, Amanda @ Cusp of Normal, Freshly Squeezed, Tied together with a smile, and Alexis @ No More Myspace at Work.

U. Unknown fact about me?
I cannot stand people spending hours playing video games….

V. Vegetable?
Anything – everything!….

W. Worst habit?
umm, many – each one as bad as the other!

X. X-ray or Ultrasound?
Neither I think…. but I have never had an ultrasound!….

Y. Your favorite food?
Lasagne

Z. Zodiac sign?
Cancer.

If you want to grab this meme – go ahead, tell me about your A-Z!

I’m back….. again….

So… I’m back from my short relaxing break…. I have a ton of things to post about… if it can only be held in my head long enough…..

Hopefully I will put something down this week… till then..

I want to get away…..

(This was thought out,and posted on paper on 2nd August… on a plane…. above somewhere between London, UK and Doha, Qatar…)

OK, so I mentioned previously that this was to be a unique trip as such, and simple things have crowned the trip so far…

I have a problem sleeping on the night before something important. I dropped off about 2330 last night because I had to be up by 6am and out by 7am; I have woken up every 30 minutes or so since 1am, and I was fully awake by 4! I am really tired now, but the adrenaline of the travel has taken over, and I just cannot sleep!

It’s the first time that I am travelling with Qatar Airways (who’s service has been A star so far), traveling via a new terminal at Gatwick airport, I found a new route to the airport which halved my travel time using public transport… I think the small things matter when you are going to travel for 14-15 hours.

One moment of “concern” during the early stages of the flight was when the cabin crew had to re/start the entertainment system. Now, normally this would be ok, but since the system runs on Linux (Ubuntu for all those who care), it looked as if something super technical was happening…. and a couple of people had “worrying” looks on their faces… I watched the usual suspects on the plane, and a few episodes of friends, and rules of engagement. I really didn’t fancy any of the other movies, they were the predominantly chick flicks or cartoons.

I think I was losing my inspiration in my posts over the past 2 weeks; I think this could have been due to the amount of time that I spent working on various things… I am trying to step up to the plate at work when nobody else wants to…. I hope the experiences during my break will replenish my mind, and I will be back to my posting best!

On Friday, I decided that I needed a better book to read. I posted my reservations on Midnights Children by Salman Rushdie – the book was too hard to read, follow and understand. I went against my original thoughts and got hold of No Country for Old Men; the movie was excellent, and I have got stuck in to the book on the flight…. Half way through already!

I have 2 hours before I land, and 3 hours before my connecting flight… Lenny Kravitz is screaming out on my iPod – I want to get away… I want to fly away….. This is exactly how I have been feeling leading up to this trip…. Rock on Lenny!

– ** –

(a few hours later)

So I have landed in Doha, and it is quite warm… 37C at 2130; as I am waiting to be transported to the terminal, I wonder why the bus is using the windscreen wipers….. the penny drops…. it’s the 150% humidity outside! Seriously – it’s that humid!

– **– (fast forward even more hours)

So it’s now Sunday, and I am in Dubai…. the heat is about 47C… it’s not quite hit the peak as yet…. but it’s great! The journey begins now!…..