when the Choc Nut and Christmas islander blogs within the breeze of the Gulf

This is one of the mosques that I see everyday. This accommodates one of the many male Muslims that regularly pray. Normally, the females pray in a private (prayer) room. Although there is plenty of mosques in the UAE, it is still not enough and/or not strategically located to accommodate the population. Hence, those praying near and by the beach is also a daily sight for non-Muslims like me.

The mosques may come in different colors and structure, but the crescent moon over there stays quite the same. And yes, today is the (Muslims’) Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.

This is my entry for this week’s photo hunt (theme: daily).

What are you giving up for Lent?

I don’t mean to sound preachy. I just thought of sharing the jist of the few articles about fasting that I read recently. After all, I’m one of those who are guilty of finding a perfect opportunity to trim weight during the Lent through fasting. Some of us give up meat, sweets, and other stuff that seem to be a hard habit to break, in order to fast.  But why do we really fast?

Fasting is about abstaining from food for spiritual reasons. A hunger strike done by some groups even for a good cause and diet programs are not a fast because they are for vanity and/or other reasons.  We should fast:

• So that our hearts will focus on God alone. In fasting, it is important to know why we are doing it. If there is no purpose, the practice is meaningless. As we fast, the motivation, sincerity and determination intensifies.
• So that what controls us is revealed to us. We discover that it is not food that sustains our lives;
• To uncover what is not essential to us. Our desires are often reckless, and they take over our lives. We crave for many things that we actually don’t need. By fasting, we feel the degree of control they have on us and we gain the opportunity to overcome them. The harder it is to fast, the stronger our desires grip us. But the more we fast, the faster we become free from them.

Isn’t it wonderful when we really know and appreciate why we’re doing something?

Related readings:

*Why we put ashes on our forehead

*Related points on fasting

After a day’s hardwork, some of the Pakistanis go to the beach to unwind.

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• Watched Sherlock Homes. Brilliant actors, must-see film. I am looking forward to seeing the sequel.
• I found myself wanting to join the children’s mass again. So I did. I became a little emotional when the children sung Shine Jesus Shine. I felt like transported to World Youth Day in 1995. It is a wonder how one song can affect you so much, that would make you think of places, people you met/have been with (I wonder where they are now. And do they think of me, too? Hahaha!), relive selected memories and experiences, etc. in a time warped phase. And that does not happen everyday.
• Spent another day in Ikea to complete my dining table paraphernalia. I did not think it would be that difficult to match all those plates, table runner, etc. with a black and white motiff. It looks like a fusion of Japanese-Chinese-Korean setting.
• Bought a painting (with a woman meditating on it) from Bayti (Arabic term for house). This now regales my living room. I still need to frame a couple of self-taken photos. They did not make it on time for the housewarming.
• Yes, I moved in to a bigger flat because I got bigger. Hahaha. I mean, I moved to a nicer place. The past weeks were very exhausting. But finally, almost everything is at the proper corners already.
• Yesterday, the housewarming was a success. My guests left with a happy heart and tummy (buttered crabs, my infamous lumpiang shanghai, menudo, etc.) Thanks for coming friends. And for the gifts.
• Only yesterday I got the several mails sent to me last month, including the greeting cards sent by blogger pals (you know who you are). Incidentally, I have changed my address. Much thanks!

I always find it interesting to compare new and old pictures of places and people. Hence, in my most recent visit to Binondo Church, I wanted to capture the obvious changes that transpired based on available old photos in the net.

Binondo Church in 1899 – Photo from University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

Photo taken on 23 September, 2009 Read more