Ramadan

"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love. "

-Morihei Ueshiba 

This post might be too late already but hey, i pondered it's still jiving with this month's major themes in the calender, the last week has been full of hustle and bustle for me cuz of the transition in my shift schedule to be in a "broken timing".  It's because RAMADAN has finally arrived.

(photo courtesy of vladstudio)

Eversince i was a kid, the fascination  in seeing the moon crescent leaves me in awe and wonder. I didnt know though that this has a significant connection with Ramadan. Although it was taught to me in history classes back in elementary and high school,  i never had the full appreciation of its beauty and essence until i knew just recently with the association to the holy month of the Muslim world.

Ramadan's the ninth month in the Islamic Calendar, the holiest time for Muslims worldwide in observance for fasting and the offering of more prayer than usual.

One of the many facts that i recently unraveled as per my conversations with my Muslim friends is the process on how to determine the start of the Ramadan season. It's a must that the naked eye must see the first sighting of the moon crescent, to officially start this holy religious tradition. As per articles of reading via Wikipedia, this sighting of the crescent of the moon rooted from Saudi Arabia.

Fasting is being observed between the time where the sun has signaled its first ray (mostly during dawn) until the sun has finally sets in again (sunset). At these timeframe where sunlight is visible, it's a must to practice fasting - no eating or drinking of any sorts. This holy sacrifice would halt as soon as  darkness starts to creep in after the sun sets, and would begin again during dawn time. This will continue for the whole month of the Ramadan and being revered by all Muslims.

It's also noteworthy that the season of Ramadan varies every year just as the moon crescent appears from the naked eye. I gathered a table from Wikipedia presenting the start date and stop date of the season. I was thinking all along that Ramadan would be always in the month of August but i was found wrong upon learning that the lunar calendar goes 11 - 12 days shorter than that of the solar calendar. I reckon that this table verifies the fact that these were approximates:

(photo from Wikepedia)

This year, it happened that the official start of this holy season was August 11th. And as per the table, it would end this September 9.

Greetings to all the populace of Muslims around the world in celebration of Ramadan.






~mAc

Accident

Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident.

-Accident, as defined by BrainyQuote.com

It's been a week since the passing of that jerky accident where it ruined the newly drew-out SUV of my friend. I'm glad no one's hurt. Everyone is in proper shape and composure although i felt a surge of guilt on what happened to both of the vehicles.

So this uncomfortable mishap happened last Friday, July 30th, giving an aftermath of preventing us in attending an important event. (we had the first leg completed but on the second round, it turned out to be this way). I guess everything happens for a reason.  Let me rephrase that, I do believe everything happens for a reason.


My buddy is driving so smoothly and flawlessly without any tinge of braking, like i know and felt that we never slowed down. It's only that during our conversation, i was pressuring him to get into a faster pace. And upon saying those words, there you go...

A loud thud heard impacting me to jerk forward (though i was wearing my seatbelt); and lest we know, the unnecessary indeed came up!

It's an understatement to say that aside from the fact that the offender was left unscathed, everyone is cool. I got used in Manila where  shouting and rudeness would bark out from both parties. But here, we waited patiently for the policeman to arrive and make a report.

It would seem implausible to consider that only 4-5 exchanges of phrases and clauses happened between my friend and the unnamed Egyptian - who dislodged the SUV's behind (though he speaks English), i reckon that the guy focused mostly in reaching for the help of the authorities. I dialed 993 on my phone but the other party can't understand English and neither would i speak nor understand Arabic. Ending for the Egyptian driver to speak to the insurance company which in turn sent out for the policeman to accomplish a report of the accident.

Around 30- 45 minutes have passed when a car patrol came into view, took shots on both of the autos and silently internalizing the damage. (this is for real folks!, without interrogation at all). Neither he asked for how did it happen nor seek both parties for explanation. He went inside to his mobile car, drew out some papers and started filling out the forms in arabic after he has retrieved the licences of both including the insurance company of the offender. We waited patiently close by on his car's side. Then he opened the side window to let the papers be signed. Gave one copy each of both parties and he left off. A total of 10 minutes in finalizing the report. There were statements, no direct orders or whatsoever. (i'm sure he's not deaf or mute)

And here's the irony of it all. The report was written all in Arabic language. My friend and i just shrugged and we moved on our way home.

Here's a shot of my friend's SUV

... with the offender's frontal damage almost billowing the windshield of his Toyota Yaris.

Later this week, i learnt that my buddy claimed for a repair damage on his car against the insurance of the offender. His SUV unfortunately is under maintenance at this moment. Hopefully, it would be released sometime next week.

The accident has no drama, no hubbubs, no flaring emotions spilt over. Only the process of shedding objectivity to results and resolution. Somehow it created intense pressure unseen but it has passed so abruptly.





~mAc

Contemplation in Brief

"Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise. "

Sigmund Freud 

All my life, I've been searching for tenderness
Lifting my eyes above, to echo the loneliness
The rain has smoothly fell on my cheeks
Infusing the rupture, mending on the bricks

Once there was child, of smiles and cares
Unknowingly savors the moment it shares
Toward the winds of endless hopes
Toward the plays of gripping ropes

the resonance of the melody
humming in thy mind so profusely
unstopping the memory
in remembrance of the past's melancholy

Oh how the days have gone so fast
In the enchantment of each that never last
For why? all thy good things come to end
Alotting sighs and utterance trying to bend

The caress and the passion
To oblivion it came through
That in begging it will never cease
To deploy the ageless truth








~Mac

Blackberry Internet Services: to be banned in UAE

"For one cause or another, it has become necessary to impose restrictions upon the use of many commodities, including not a few of the necessities of life. "

-William Lyon Mackenzie King

(information on the blackberry issue were taken from news articles published in NYtimes.com and BreakingNews.com)


Two days back, i clicked on the tweet of Breaking News on twitter about UAE's banning of Blackberry Internet Services. Later that day i stumbled on NYTimes' article about the issue. Subsequently finding again that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is about to follow suit after UAE's lead in barring the internet services of the famous Blackberry Smartphone.

Yesterday, UAE is on #TT(trending topic) via twitter, spreading like wildfire on the heat of the issue regarding blackberry's services coming to a halt this October. The flare increased when rumors that KSA is going to do the same thing.

The main reason is about security concerns. Having a data plan and activating the Blackberry Internet Services for your Blackberry smartphone lets you enjoy the benefits of Blackberry Messenger, Email and other application clients dedicated only for Blackberry users. These services are exclusive and that the data passing through the cellular towers are then routed high-encryptedly in the networks of Research In Motion (the company for Blackberry). In effect, whoever is the carrier forwarding that data to RIM's server, they don't have much control over it.

All these hubbubs confronts the different angles of opinions in my behalf. Im afraid to be blunt on this but rationalizing the reasons on why they are shutting off the BB services is somewhat untechnically savvy on their side...

There must be a way to decrypt and intercept that highly encrypted data where Research In Motion is controlling over their servers. Giving up on the premise above is like saying dump your Blackberry phone in the garbage and levelling your IT guys to be incompetent.

Consumers are at the losing end in the first place upon implementation of this. With the blackberry internet services being disabled, it defeats the purpose of having a blackberry.

October is a long way to go, for sure they would come up with a brighter and more sensible idea on how to address the "i can't  eavesdrop" thingee.






~mAc

August wishes

"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow 

it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, 

but all that had gone before. "

~Jacob August Riis 

August is the month of floods and rains in the Philippines. It's the month where umbrellas and raincoats are indispensable for everyone walking and travelling. In contrast, August is the month in northern hemisphere located countries (like some part of the US) where summer is at its peak. This is the eight month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. This is also the month where Edinburgh Festival in Scotland is celebrated - the largest cultural event in the world. Nevertheless, August for me marks the month of my natal day, somehow it's fulfilling to convey my thoughts of wishes and clamors and cravings.

Wishlists (nine tops)
- im planning to integrate a photo of the day in my Tipsterize blog which shall commence prolly on the 2nd week of the month.
- to have a blessed or somewhat consecrated w.s. on the week of my birthday
- to have a long talk with my mom and dad
- to have more followers on my blog and on twitter
- hell yeah! to see and pet a dog (been a while)
- to get my 3gs jailbroken with the iOS4
- that on the day of my bday, may it be passing smoothly and without hubbubs, where contentment and love floats all day and all night long
- to dance and sing in the rain (sounds absurd! i know this isnt going to happen for where i am seems impossible)
- last but not the least? to find the girl of my dreams (shocker! but then im not in love at the moment, it's been a while me evading that magical feelings of all)


So there you go, my top nine's desires to accomplish, wishes to dream and hopes to endure.






~mAc