Happy Ramadhan

It will be 3 days before the start of Ramadhan. Where the muslim will fast throughout the day and do as many good deeds as they could to capture the essences point of the holy month. Most of my friends who had never been to the UK or even celebrated Ramadhan for that matter were very curious to how do we do it here. Well, let me tell you. It's a whole lot different here celebrating ramadhan and fasting. For example we don't have the luxury of the famous Ramadhan bazaar. Where hundreds of people come and get overwhelmed by the variety of foods and drinks. We cook our own food and sometimes when we're lucky there would always be an invitation from the embassy or friends or some Ministry if they come here. But most of the day it's the same like the other day.

We have a different time of fasting hours here since it depends on the season it falls on into. Like this year we aren't so lucky because it's summer and we begin our fasting as early as 3.00am and break it as late as 10.00pm. But eventually it gets better. Although it's a long hours compare to the usual it isn't as bad as it seems. Because it's a different ambient here we aren't as hungry or as thirsty if we were to fast in Malaysia. Except when there are group of chinese students having a feast near your office and you could smell their lovely asian food. Other than that there won't be any saliva swallowing drama.

Usually one of my favourite activity during the Ramadhan is the tarawikh prayer. Well ok, I admitted I don't usually complete all 30 days going to the mosque and pray. Some of the day I just prayed by myself in the comfort of my home and in the convenient of my time. But my best tarawikh is when I'm in our Kuantan home some of the week, the family and I would walked to the nearest mosque and that's when the night breeze will smell of an ocean and the ambient is cool and soothing because our house is just 5 minutes to the sea. Pure bliss.

Although Ramadhan and Syawal is the time we miss most of our home, I'm still glad that I have Fairuz to share it with me. Fortunately there will still be a huge celebration of Ramadhan in London in its own unique way. We will still find cards in Hallmark shop that says "Happy Eid Mubarak and Happy Ramadhan" in a different language on the shelf. There will still be many muslims everywhere that travel to the mosque for the tarawikh and free food everywhere in the mosque. And there will definitely still be new clothes send from mama through the Royal mail post.

And although the ambient and atmosphere is not the same back home, Ramadhan is still Ramadhan. It's the month where god is kind and generous and I still get to eat the best food. It's the month where we're given bonuses by doing just a slight Ibadah. It's the month where we remember the unfortunate and reflect ourself. And to some of us like me, it's the month where I reset myself. It's the month of Holy.

And for that I would like to say my gratitude and thank god that I am still alive to this day and I'm wishing every muslims and all the friends, my loyal blog readers and my family back home whom I love so much for a happy Ramadhan. Now you all be good ok?