#I guess Ramadan is over for me extra early this year

[liu-lang]

day 3 & 4 - day 3 I rmbr’d to wake up for sahur but I didn’t take my day time allergy pill…I checked the weather and thought it was only drizzling but I went out around 14h and it was full on raining and I started to have an allergic rxn (felt like cold urticaria ?) The telltale sign is that it always starts on my legs and it ramps up very quickly to intense itching that makes my legs feel uncomfortably warm and welts will develop….so I had to break my fast in the middle of the sidewalk and take a pill 😞

day 4 I managed to fast the whole day but I was veryyyy sleepy ; I’m still trying to find anxiety drugs that work for me. Starting in Jan, at the recommendation of my oncologist, I got off SSRIs, worked with my psychiatrist to try Lamotrigine for a month (we had weekly appts) but in the end had to stop bc side effects that were typical for just starting the meds persisted and worsened when we increased the dose and she was concerned about Stevens–Johnson syndrome being triggered (would not recommend googling as there’s images of severe skin lesions). After the Lamotrigine failure my PCP recommended off-label use of Hydroxyzine for my anxiety. I’m only taking it as needed though at 5 mg once at night (back to pill cutting) bc it makes me super sleepy….which back to the start of this story, I was soooo sleepy on day 4 to the point of being unable to read on the train and almost missed my stop

anyway today is day 5 but I had my oncology appt today so I didn’t fast and after everything we tried for the last 2 months, today’s labs showed no improvement in the components of my CBC we were tracking so …I inevitably have to go the infusion route 🫠 time is a circle blah blah I cried so much ; they urgently wanted to start this week, as soon as Wednesday march 29, but I wanted more time to think and to try to have one more normal week so …the first one will be Friday …but now I réalised I double booked myself and I have to move my appt with my psychiatrist tt I usually have on Friday mornings …..at least I get to sit in Central Park after the infusion though and the weather will be nice …maybe I will see ppl walking their dogs in the morning too

[dreamsinfiction]

April 2024 recap (aka the month my social battery was truly spent)

Lol am already two months behind my recaps haha. It's okay, as long as it gets done, it's okay~

Highlights of April:

a. Got a better-than-expected PB 🥹 - Alhamdulillah! Honestly thought I was gonna get an average or get thrown under the bus with a lower than average PB since I already posted out of my previous dept. But yes, thankfully my efforts over the past year was (rightfully) recognised (because I was thrown a lot of shit in my last couple of months there hahaha)

b. Dad's birthday and impromptu Raya shopping - Brought the family to The White Label (before they closed the North Bridge Road outlet and reopened back at a Bugis hotel) for my dad's birthday and it was really nice seeing everyone enjoy a good meal out since it's so rare. TWL's food is really the best and the food didn't disappoint. The night also turned out to be an impromptu Raya shopping for the parents cos I convinced them to get matching baju with me and my sister. Getting older, it does make me feel warm inside when I was able to buy them the clothes that they want without worrying about the prices. Alhamdulillah for the little things truly.

The food was next level amazing gah.

c. Signed up for volunteering - This year I wanted to do more for the community and thought Ramadan was a good place to start. I did sign up with a volunteering organisation but I think it was oversubscribed and I didn't end up getting picked 😔. Need to be more intentional next year; maybe signing up with a smaller organisation will help my chances. If anyone knows of any lobang to volunteer for a meaningful cause, please let me know!

d. Raya! - This Raya was more meaningful for my family because my dad semi-reconciled with his siblings. It'll be too long to get into the reasons why they were fighting here but I'm just happy to see everyone trying to make nice as they get older. I guess it also helped that they have a common foe (maybe too strong a word but I can't wordsmith it right now) in my grandma and her very stubborn/toxic ways. They banded together and tried to manage her situation right. I really enjoyed visiting everyone and seeing how they're growing up (even though it's at the costs of my limited social battery hahaha)

Featuring a vary manja cat at Nek Muda's house heh.

e. Meeting up with Aunty Eny - Aunty Eny was here for Raya! And also for some medical check ups for Uncle Jim in the area. Even though we've not met up in a while (think the last time was early 2023) it still felt so easy and peaceful to chat and catch up. She also recently opened up a cafe back home in Glasgow so now my mom, sister and me are itching to go back and visit heh (summer 2025?😛)

f. IU in Singapore - OMG fangirl dream came trueeeee. I actually went to the concert alone (not a big deal for me, in fact I loved it more cos I could truly appreciate her music and bop along) in my baju kurung cos I came straight after visiting my cousin for Raya hahahaha. Also my seat was amazing like it was very near to the stage and I barely need to zoom for my videos. IU is amazing live - she's the same age as me but I don't know how she has the stamina to sing and perform for 3 hours straight with 2 encores?? K-pop concerts are putting Western concerts to shame hahaha. During the second encore, she straight up just asked the audience what song we wanted her to perform and she just sang it (to the horror of her live band quickly flipping thru their scores lol). Love it. Ngl, I did tear listening to her ballads which are my fave (Love Wins All, Through the Night)

g. Work stuff - Volunteered to do some extra CCAs! One was organising the monthly divisional meeting for the next quarter (Apr-Jun) + the quarterly HLS/teambonding activity. Doing it with Farah and I think our combination is the best - she comes with the wacky ideas and extroverted self while I help to rationalise everything/tone it down when needed and do the backstage stuff haha. I also volunteered to help out with the Volunteer Festival happening in July! Thought it would be good to have some brownie points on my appraisal this year and it seemed quite straightforward in terms of stakeholder management, ground ops, plus the location I volunteered for will be at Lot One hehe.

Phew my April was super packed; how did I even go through all that and come out in one piece lol. Till the next recap! Which should be quite soon since I'm so far behind in writing them down hahaha.

[ninjanonymous]

I’m pissed off, and sad, and scared, and I have a lot to say right now. This all needs to be said, for my own sake if not for anyone else’s.

Very recently, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that employers under the Affordable Care Act are now allowed to roll back access to birth control for their employees, as long as their religion disagrees with it. This ruling was made in the name of religious tyranny, and NOT that of religious freedom. Christian-run businesses can now force their beliefs onto their employees by actively denying them the healthcare that they very much need.

Can you imagine the outrage there would be if SCOTUS decided that it was suddenly okay for a Muslim-run business to break FLSA standards during Ramadan? After all, if a Christian-run business shouldn’t be forced to pay for all ACA-protected aspects of an employee’s healthcare, why should a Muslim-run business have to sacrifice profits when eating lunch during Ramadan is against their religion?

“Oh, but there are federal protections to keep something like that from happening.” Are there? Are there really? The ACA gave employees FEDERALLY PROTECTED access to birth control through their employers, because an employer’s religious beliefs shouldn’t be used to control the freedoms or hurt the wellbeing of others. Now look where we are.

This court ruling essentially dictates that religion can make you exempt from federally-mandated rules for the sake of profit. It puts the employer’s beliefs above the beliefs and wellbeing of their employees. It puts any company’s self-proclaimed God over the law, and allows them to forgo worker protections because, according to them, it’s what Jesus would want.

And where do we draw the line? Should a company that’s run by a Jehovah’s Witness be allowed to deny coverage for a needed blood transfusion? Can a religious company claim that any illness is a righteous punishment from God, and the use of modern medicine to treat it would be sinful? What would that mean for something as devastatingly expensive as cancer treatment? What if the CEO doesn’t agree with vaccines? And really, why even stop at access to healthcare when there are any number of ways that a company could encroach on their worker’s rights in the name of God?

Too many people in this country are entirely dependent on their employers for their health insurance. Healthcare costs in America are the highest in the western world by far, and life-saving treatment is often prohibitively expensive without it. This SCOTUS decision may ultimately deny many Americans their constitutional right to life.

Employers pay private insurance companies to provide care for their employees. This is a blanket expense. They don’t get an itemized bill for the healthcare that they’re covering. They’re paying for general healthcare coverage to be provided by insurance company, and that’s it. The employers are not the insurance companies themselves. They are not the ones processing the claims and choosing which to deny and which to cover. Your medical record is private, protected information. Your employer does not have access to that information under HIPAA. If your employer isn’t allowed in the room with you during your doctor’s appointment, they absolutely shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose what care you can and can’t receive.

These companies are literally just saying, “see that person right there? I don’t like that they’re on birth control, because I’M a Christian, and that’s against MY beliefs, so now THEY can’t have it.” A Christian forcing their beliefs onto someone else isn’t religious freedom, just like a Muslim forcing their beliefs onto a Christian wouldn’t be. This is religious tyranny the and Christian-backed persecution of women.

And for this specific ruling, it really is that arbitrary. This ruling is a poorly-disguised move to further strip away the rights of women in the name of Abrahamic theocracy. The idea that this decision would save money for these employers is completely asinine, considering good reproductive healthcare and access to birth control reduces long-term costs overall (I will be adding the stats and sources to back this up in a later post).

And here’s an important reminder for you all: reproductive healthcare is still basic healthcare. Taking care of one’s needs regarding their reproductive system benefits their overall health. And even if you disagree with me there, “birth control” is a pretty damn big misnomer. While it is commonly used to prevent unwanted pregnancies, there are a myriad of other reasons that a woman might need it for.

Birth control can control hormonal acne. My own mother was put on it for this reason back when she was a teenager.

It can be used to help regulate one’s mood. A dear friend of mine is on it for this reason. She suffers from severe depression, occasionally to the point of suicidal ideation. I am fucking terrified about what this court decision could mean for her.

It reduces one’s chances of getting uterine cancer. I have a family history of uterine cancer, and it can be hard to detect. They only found it in my grandmother by chance when they were performing an unrelated surgery.

It reduces your chances of forming ovarian cysts. Women with PCOS often suffer from these, and they can be quite painful. My mother had to have a football-sized ovarian cyst removed from her abdomen, and histology found that it contained pre-cancerous cells.

It can relieve symptoms of PMS and PMDD. Again, this is a form of hormonal mood regulation, as well as a means of controlling many of the unfortunate physical side effects of the menstrual cycle. PMS and PMDD are often topics of ridicule, but their symptoms can have a serious negative impact on one’s day-to-day life. I’ll add more information on this later, since there’s a lot to cover.

It can help regulate one’s menstrual cycle. For reasons I shouldn’t have to explain, knowing when blood and viscera is going to start pouring out of your crotch really helps with being prepared to deal with it. It also helps to avoid really embarrassing situations in public, or the need to clean bloodstains out of clothes and furniture. Irregular periods are a gruesome guessing game. I’ve been there. I don’t want to go back.

It can make your periods less painful. Periods happen when, once a month, the uterus sheds its inner lining. As in, the person having their period is bleeding internally, because one of their organs is shredding and expelling parts of itself from the inside. That shit hurts. Many women have reported vomiting or passing out from period pain. For me, the average period cramp can be compared to really bad gas or diarrhea pain. You know, the kind that has you breaking out into cold sweats on the toilet while you silently beg for mercy to any god that might be listening. Fun, right? I’d recon my pain level is about the average, too.

It can be used to manage menstrual migraines. Did you know some women get migraines in conjunction with their periods? Migraines are debilitating. Imagine having them chronically, getting them frequently around the same time every month, then being denied affordable access to the one medicine that was keeping it in check because your asshole boss says that Jesus wants you to suffer. Bonus points if you get fired because the migraines had a negative impact on your ability to work.

It can reduce your risk of anemia. Some women get really heavy periods. Like, crazy heavy, to the point where they bleed so much that it’s unhealthy. Technically speaking, I fall into this camp. I’d hemorrhage to the point of needing a transfusion if I went long enough without birth control. Gee, I sure hope the insurance-throttling company that I work for isn’t run by a Jehovah’s Witness.

Birth control is the only non-invasive way to control uterine fibroids, which often go hand-in-hand with endometriosis. These are non-cancerous growths within or around the uterus can cause uncontrolled bleeding, and may be quite painful in and of themselves. A ridiculously high number of women have this, myself included. Most women that have them have no or very few symptoms. I was not so lucky.

And that’s just a few of birth control’s many uses. And actually, let me talk about my fibroids some more for a second, just so you all have a better idea of what it means to live with this shit. TMI time. I take birth control. I’ve been taking it regularly for about five years now. I’ve never had sex before, and I don’t plan on it any time soon. This is the one and only reason I’m on the pill.

Five years ago, during my freshman year of college, I started bleeding out of the blue. Really, really badly. This “spotting” was sudden, and heavy, and unrelenting. I’d completely bleed through a super tampon in less than two hours, when one of those would last a good eight hours on my heaviest day during a normal period. I had to sleep with towels on the bed, and set an alarm to wake up early so I could take deal with the shed blood before it got too bad, and to give myself extra time for cleanup before classes. After going from horizontal to vertical for the first time in several hours, getting to the bathroom was a race against time and gravity.

I lived like this for a full month. Tampons and pads, for those of you that have had the privilege of never needing to buy them, can get really pricey. Doubly so for a broke college student, triply so when they need to be extra-large packs containing extra-large products, and quadruple-y so when that broke college student is still managing to bleed through those products at an absurd rate. And, it hurt. The pain was worse than usual; the camps were sharper, more persistent, and sometimes it felt like someone was jabbing a big needle into my abdomen and twisting it around. I was taking OTC painkillers constantly, and they barely made a dent in the pain.

The bleeding started just over a week after my last period had ended, so it was way too early for it to be my next cycle. I figured that maybe my cycle was syncing up to my roommate, or some other chick on my floor had some weird hormonal imbalance, and the outside interference from other people’s hormones was screwing with me enough to make my own body act weird. I figured I’d just have to wait out this one bad period, and everything would settle back down to normal. But, two weeks passed and absolutely nothing changed. The bleeding wasn’t slowing down, and I started to get worried that it wasn’t just an abnormal period. I waited a couple more days, then booked an appointment at the health center. It was more than a week until they could see me.

The consensus was fibroids. They couldn’t give me an official diagnosis without an ultrasound, but all signs pointed to that one conclusion. They said that the only way to make the bleeding stop was by taking birth control. I wasn’t happy about it, since my mom had me convinced that birth control would actually increase my risk of cancer (not true, as I later found out), but I agreed anyway. The nightmare was over a few days later.

So, off topic but still related, I had surgery on my foot a couple months ago. It had to be immobilized for a while, and I was put on blood thinners to prevent any clots from forming while I recovered. Birth control pills can actually increase the risk of blood clots, so I made the choice to hold off on taking those for a while, just as an added precaution. Sure enough, only five days later, the bleeding and the pain was back. Again, it had been only a week since my last period.

I still need to be on birth control. It is a medical necessity for me. My fibroids are still around, and I’ll still spot and cramp up if I miss a pill. I’ve recently been told by my doctor that a permanent fix, and my only other option for treatment, is a hysterectomy. I am 22 years old. Most surgeons would never dream about performing that procedure on me, even if it didn’t already come with its own health risks.

And hell, even if it is used just to prevent pregnancies, what gives someone else the right to deny a woman her bodily autonomy? Human beings are sexual creatures. They’re going to fuck, regardless of whatever laws or religious doctrines are involved. We are quite literally built to have sex, and it’s entirely healthy to do so. There are plenty of peer-reviewed studies that go into detail on the matter; just hop onto Google Scholar and see for yourself. And, maybe, preventing pregnancy is a need in and of itself. What if a woman has a condition that would make pregnancy extremely high-risk? Is she not justified in taking birth control to protect herself from grievous injury? If she’s married to a man, does that married couple not have a right to sleep together without fear of one of them literally dying for it? Even by Christian standards, it doesn’t seem right.

This decision that the Supreme Court has made is utterly shameful, and countless law-abiding American citizens will now be denied access to needed care that they otherwise couldn’t afford without insurance coverage. This is truly a loss for America and her people, and one that will cause suffering for decades to come.

[holmjanson-blog]

The sun dips down in the sky disappearing into the Atlantic Ocean. I seldom have watched a sunset so intently; waiting, waiting, waiting for that last little sliver to disappear. So much rested on that last sliver. My gaze moved from the sliver of sun to the restaurant around me.  Families and couples sat at the tables with a platter of water, orange juice, a hard-boiled egg, and some bread in front of them.  It was then that I realized that traveling during Ramadan in Morocco was a real learning experience.

This wasn’t the first time I was in a predominantly Muslim country during Ramadan.  In fact, I still remember being in Zanzibar in 2006 on my career break travels when the hotel owner warned my sister and I not to go out right after sunset because it was Ramadan and the streets would be empty.  I didn’t really understand what he meant – but we did take his advice.  I was also in Istanbul Turkey one hot July during Ramadan; I was intrigued with the holiday, but I didn’t really try to learn much about it – until now.

A man sits in a mosque and reads the Quran in Turkey

When I arrived in Morocco, I had no idea Ramadan was supposed to start in 3 days. Unlike Christmas that falls on the same day every year, Ramadan changes days every year.  The Islamic calendar has only 29 or 30 days in each month; therefore, Ramadan changes by 13 days every year. That was the first of many surprises that I encountered regarding Ramadan in Morocco. 

For some reason I always equated Ramadan as the big Muslim holiday, similar to Christian Christmas, but I learned that this holiday was far from joyous, in fact it seemed like more torture than ‘joy to the world’.   Yet I also learned that Ramadan had more in common with Christmas than I first thought. 

Ramadan in Morocco

I took a lot of time on this trip to learn more about this important time.  And it was interesting being there at the beginning seeing the daily life go from normal to Ramadan.  95% of the population of Morocco is Muslim, so this holiday affects pretty much everyone.  However, I wanted to also understand how it affected travelers like me and ultimately answer the question – should you travel to a country when they are celebrating Ramadan?

But first – some background.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the month in the Islamic calendar when the Quran was messaged to the prophet.

Mosque in Casablance

Praying in Turkey

Mosque in Casablanca

At this time Muslims fast from eating, drinking (even water!), smoking, and sex from sun up to sun down.  Depending on the time of year the month falls, this can be up to 16 hours of fasting a day!  They do this in order to know and feel the hunger pains of the less fortunate and be grateful for what they have. It’s a time to remember the poor and destitute. It is supposed to be a time when you work hard and focus more on religion and God. Muslims spend more time at the mosque and more time praying.  And they always go to Friday prayers.

How is Ramadan Celebrated Today?

Ramadan is powerful…so powerful it has the ability to turn back time! On the night before Ramadan started our guide told us the clocks would be changing by an hour.  No – this wasn’t some sort of daylight savings time – this was Ramadan time.  By moving the clocks back an hour it allowed people to break their fast a little earlier in the evening.  It will change back after the month is done.

Upon searching – I did find a lot of food pictures!

“Ramadan can be hypocritical,” our guide Rasheed told me.  “Normally people aren’t in the mosque, but during Ramadan it’s full, you can’t even find space to pray!”  It’s true – many times as we walked around the cities, we saw people praying outside the mosque as there wasn’t room inside. It seems as if Christmas and Ramadan have more in common than I thought!  What church doesn’t have to pull the folding chairs out of storage every December 24th for the extra people at the services they only see once a year?

And also, like Christmas, according to Rasheed it seems that Ramadan has also gotten caught up in modern day commercialism, straying from the original meaning and origins. Families and restaurants often have huge dinners on display for after sunset – going the other extreme to overabundance. I did see plenty of ads for ‘breaking of the fast’ dinners at fancy hotels around the area while staying in various cities in Morocco. It seems that even Ramadan has been swallowed up by social media and marketing.

Fasting and other Hardships

The abstinence includes food, drink, sex, and smoking.  I’m not a smoker, so I personally think that the not drinking any liquid would be the real challenge.  Especially considering it was well into the 90’s while I was in Morocco and I can’t imagine 15 hours without any water in that heat.  Plus, we were traveling around the Sahara Desert; it sounds like a bad horror movie – not being able to drink in the desert!

Rasheed said that the first 2 or 3 days of fasting are the hardest as your body adjusts to a new schedule.  I personally can’t imagine how hard it must be in the beginning, especially if you have to be around people eating like our poor guide. He would normally get us to lunch and then go in the back and take a nap or read the paper.

He also mentioned that this is a month where you get very little sleep since in the dark hours you are also making sure you are drinking a sufficient amount and waking up early to eat. He normally drinks 3 Liters of water at night; he’s up all night peeing.

Breaking Fast

This is where we get the term breakfast, and breaking fast at sunset is a pretty welcome experience as you would guess! I noticed that people go about this in different ways; some load up on food, and some start really light with water and soup.  But the thing that is consistent among everyone is that they are inside eating something at sunset.  This is when the entire place full of hustle bustle just minutes before, turns into a ghost town for an hour; vendors close up their shops, and the streets are quiet.  It’s actually an eerie experience to see the streets of Marrakech go from full to empty as if the zombie apocalypse is coming and no one gave me the message.

One of my favorite evenings was sitting at the Casablanca beach restaurant watching the sun go down.  I could sort of feel the energy in the air as families and couple came into the restaurant to sit down and wait.  The waiter was calm and collected as he placed trays of water, orange juice, bread, and egg in front of them.  I noticed that not many people were even watching the sunset.  I had expected that everyone would be facing the setting sun just waiting for it to disappear – because that’s what I would be doing if it were me! But to my surprise most people weren’t even watching the sunset. They weren’t really talking either; most just sat in a zombie state quietly.

I was also expecting everyone to open their water and chug it as soon as the sun disappeared. Or maybe quickly shoving the bread and egg in their mouth with a feeling of relief. However, it wasn’t like that at all; the people in the restaurant just got up and went the buffet at the restaurant and filled their plates.  It was all very civil.  I was astonished at why they didn’t open their bottle of water or drink their orange juice first.  I’m pretty sure I’d be ravaging after 15 hours of nothing.

Travel Considerations for Ramadan

During this time of fasting, I think you have to be considerate as a traveler, but it doesn’t mean that all tourism stops.  There were a few times on this trip where I hit my ‘hangry stage’, my stomach was growling, it was hot, and it was taking us forever to walk for lunch.  I had to stick with the schedule and the group which irritated me in my angry, hungry state.

My anger turned to our guide who was walking too slow for my liking. My stomach growled again as I took a drink from my water bottle and studied our guide walking slowly in his djellaba (long robe). He hadn’t even had breakfast or a sip of water on this hot day, and he was slowly plodding along doing his job leading us as he had been all morning in this heat. My hanger suddenly softened a bit and gave me a whole new respect to what they were going through.  While I was having a childlike temper tantrum inside my head thanks to my hunger, they were total professionals; you never would have noticed any discomfort on their part.

I thought a lot about how hard it would be to work in the service industry during Ramadan.  I don’t think I could do it!  Having to be accommodating and polite while not eating OR DRINKING all day was unimaginable to me. I think as a traveler though it is important to have patience and understanding for the people fasting while also working all day.

Travel Tips for Ramadan

1. Be patient People may be a bit more tired or irritable (especially the smokers!), but once you understand they ‘why’ behind it – I think your tolerance and understand increases too.

2. Plan your dinner before or after breaking fast The sunset hour of breaking fast minorly affects you as people tend to disappear for a little bit at that time such as hotel staff, shopkeepers and taxi drivers. You’ll have to plan accordingly and eat about an hour before or after sunset at any restaurant. I was at the bar in my hotel when the bartender came over and settled up the tab right before sunset and made sure that I had everything I needed for a little while; he said he was getting ready to go eat.

3. Stay off the empty streets during breaking fast Locals have warned me to not go out on the streets when they are empty for fear of theft. I always found that odd, as I thought everyone would be inside eating and I’d be safer! However, once I walked around an empty Marrakech I totally understood what they meant. You feel pretty vulnerable with no one around, and I made sure to follow their advice after that.

A busy souk in Morocco

The streets in Marrakesh during breaking fast

Should you travel to a country During Ramadan?

As a traveler, Ramadan is a minor disturbance, but it’s not enough to change your travel plans.

If you are someone who enjoys cultural travel and is curious about other cultures, then I think it’s a great time to travel! It’s a chance to see another side of a country and learn more about a religion and holiday that is celebrated all over the world. However, if you are expecting everything to run smoothly without any issues, then you might want to skip this time. But then again, if you expect everything to run smoothly with no issues on a trip, then you might as well burn your passport and stay home regardless!

In the end, I came back home more knowledgeable about a big part of the world culture – and isn’t that what travel is really about? Learning about each other, sharing, and understanding are the elements of a successful trip in my world!

Follow my Travels

The post Understanding Ramadan in Morocco appeared first on Ottsworld Unique Travel Experiences.

[adilamkarol]

‎السّلام عليكم ورحمت الله و بركاته Hello & warm welcome once again! With Ramadan less than 2 weeks ahead, I cannot think of anything better than sharing with you some tips and tricks to go an extra mile this Ramadan and make the MOST of it. Oye,I have no magic to tell you. But personally, these are some tips that helped me sail through the past two Ramadans and hit Eid with a sense of satisfaction. And if you are thinking 'Nah, Isn't it too early to prep up for Ramadan?', No, we are way behind. But don't lose hope, better late than never. Now imagine a valley full of gold and you are told to take from it as much as you can. Which of the three types of people are you? 1. The type that will just not care and move on thus taking nothing, or 2. The type that will fill up their pockets and leave, or 3. The type that will bring trucks after trucks taking truckloads until it’s over. It’s clear, without a doubt that all of us will be of the third type. However, the month of Ramadan is greater than a valley full of gold but yet you will find the majority of the people simply not interested and will leave empty handed. This is an interesting analogy that I read somewhere last Ramadan:) Start preparing for Ramadan before it sets in, make to-do lists, clean up your spaces for worship and cleanse your heart. Purify your intentions, seek the reward only from Allah and then ان شاء الله (if Allah wills) you will find time for everything you thought you wouldn't. I am not going to give you an exhaustive list of to-do's. Plus you don't have to stick to every single step. Pick up those you feel are 'the' ones for you and work them up. So, yeah, roll up your sleeves and let's get started! 1. Before speaking of anything that adds up to your productivity, first let's address any issue that costs you distractions. Delete those useless games off your phone, stop watching those Youtube videos for entertainment and everything else not worth getting into your Ramadan schedule. Maybe it's nothing haram, still, keep it outside Ramadan if its not clearly not necessary. So No.1 - ward off distractions! 2. Set Quran memorisation goals for the month. Maybe you have never done one. Or maybe you feel you are too old for it. Or your memory isn't good enough. Stop. Stop making yourself believe this nonsense. You never know what wonders you can do unless you fail at least ten times. You don't have to compete with anybody. You don't even have to tell anyone. Pick up a surah you feel you can complete in 30 days. Download a good slow recitation and listen to it a minimum of 15 times. If you confused where and how to begin ,check out my earlier post here. Trust me, nothing is going to stand in comparison to the happiness you'll feel at the end of the month. You may ask why this is so important, it's because Allah introduces this month in the Quran as, "Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).." (Q 2:183) 3. Learn 20 duas by the end of the month. We all have those mini sized books quoting all duas. Duas are to be in our hearts and not papers. C'mon. This isn't hard. 20 duas in 30 days. 4. Make it the month of Ramadan. Try to build an incredible connection with the Qur'an this month. Choose a surah, maybe it's the same one you are memorising or some other- doesn't matter. Learn the meaning of it. Find an authentic tafsir online or buy one and read it over and over this month. If you have no idea what I'm telling you, start reading from Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Let it penetrate your heart so much that every time you think of Ramadan 2017, you have happy memories of that surah. Go out of your way to internalize it. If you feel you are going to see a dip in motivation to move further a little later, Buddy up! Find a Friend who hold a similar interest and hook up. That way, you can encourage each other. Go find one! 5. Find a small sized notebook to list down all things you wish to make dua for this Ramadan. Let it run from teeny weeny things like asking Allah to make you brave to big things like refuge from the hellfire. One side of the book be for this list in English and one side for Arabic duas from the Qur'an and sunnah. I made myself one like 2 years ago and it still helps. Without one, you'll find yourself scratching your head when you are sitting down to pray. It's not always that you remember all the things you ever wanted. A written list makes it super easy! 6. Block an hour or 45 min purely for the recitation of Quran . It's okay if you don't understand what's being said, there's still abundant rewards. 7. WARNING: This tip is only for those who are able to control your use of gadgets. If you are sure you will not waste your time over other useless apps, download the Ramadan Legacy app available both on the AppStore and PlayStore. It is super amazing. I've used it during Ramadan in the past two years and I rate it 5-stars. It helps you track down all the progress you are making and there's so much more! The 2017 version of the app will be available in a few days and their team sent me a mail claiming to have a new planner and so many new features, yippee! I'm excited! And last but not least, the others. Don't miss your suhoor(pre-dawn meal). Don't overeat at Iftar. Break the fast with dates or water. Stay up at night for some extra prayers (taraweeh). Try getting your to-do's done right after fajr prayers if possible. Plan things around salah times. Don't associate Ramadan with hunger and thirst. Don't sleep all day long. Make it an amazing spiritual experience. Fast is not just for your stomachs but for your tongues, ears ,eyes and the entire self. And try involving in every bit of good possible. Yeah! I guess that's all I have got to share with you right now. Share in the comments below your ideas and tips too! Follow me on adilamkarol.wordpress.com for more! May Allah (SWT) make us of those who take full benefit of this blessed month ahead! ❤️

[hoteles5estrellas]

Hey there,

Like I put in this post, I will be in Europe at the end of June. My team is having a meeting in Sevilla for a week and then I'm taking another week off to do some personal travel. I will most likely travel alone.

Personal Travel Plan: I will fly from Sevilla into Lisbon, landing at 0700 on day 1. I depart on day 3 (also the last day of Ramadan) at 1345 and land in Marrakech at 1525. I'll spend the night in Marrakech and then on day 4 depart on a trek to Toubkal that will end on day 5. Day 6 is a full day in Marrakech. Day 7 is a long travel day, going first from Marrakech to London Stansted, and then to Cologne (via RyanAir). In Cologne, I will stay with my friend and then depart early on day 10 from Frankfurt.

I have a map here with points of interest and airports listed. I went through each of the destination threads to find some ideas. I'll have to revisit them, and other links, to prepare for the cultural differences. I will also post in the relevant subreddits as the trip gets closer.

All flights and AirBnb's have been booked.

Sevilla: Most of our nights here are already planned but I'm hoping to find some cool things to look at/do on the one unplanned night we have (Sunday) and in between work and events.

Lisbon: I am here for 2 full days. I'm thinking Sintra is where I should spend a day? And the other day I will spend exploring Lisbon proper, probably.

Marrakech: I was going to go through this link for a 2-day trek at €250 but just found this page for €160. I already told the first link that I would go with them and I will pay when they pick me up. Not sure if the extra money is worth it or what to do. After this trek, I have a full day and then I depart the next morning. Considering that I'm there right after Ramadan ends, I'm hoping to really experience Muslim culture. As a deist from Texas, I hope this gets me safely out of my comfort zone.

London Stansted lol: I laugh because I posted this thread here and, well, look at the responses. I can't do much with my 5 hour layover (assuming RyanAir doesn't cancel or delay). I may explore the town around the airport? We'll see.

Cologne: Like I said, visiting my friend here. I know there's a chocolate museum and a cathedral. If I have time while my friend is in class, then I'll probably do these two things. Leaving it up to him, though.

Interests: HISTORY. Food. Exploration. Sports. Being outdoors in manageable chunks (I'm a data analyst with a 9-to-5 office job). Get me out of my comfort zone! I went to university with people from all over the world and it's the thing I miss most about school.

Safety: When I was 11 in Europe, I wore shorts under my pants and kept the important things in the shorts. So I'm paranoid and don't want to lose anything. But, again, get me out of my comfort zone.

Language Skills: I'm half-deaf so despite 3 years of high school Spanish and working off-and-on in kitchens for the last 6 years, the only Spanish I know is a little rude. I'm going to try to do Duolingo but lets assume I learn nothing. How screwed am I?

Transportation: Flights and trains! Further research is necessary but I'm confident in the Europe transportation system. In Marrakech, if I do a trek, all transportation to and from the mountain is covered.

Housing: AirBnb/trek/friend's apartment. Pretty much covered. The three AirBnb locations, as well as the hotel in Sevilla, are in or near the city center/medina.

Length: Overall, about 15 days. 10 days personal travel.

Budget: Low-cost, preferably. My company is covering all flights so that's a couple thousand dollars I'm saving. AirBnb cost another couple hundred. So I've already "spent" about $2100 on this at the personal cost of $200 or so. The trek will be another $200ish. I'd like to spend no more than another $600 to bring the personal cost to $1000 but if I must go over, I'll be able to.

Climate: June in Europe is.... warm, I guess? I'm from Texas, so heat doesn't bother me.

I know it's a lot! I'm ready for the culture shocks, the different people, new food, and experiences. Most importantly: How do I avoid being a "typical" rude American? I want to give these places America's best so that, hopefully, I can experience the best in return.

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