Seriously, I can't keep up

....with fashion trends.

Fine, harem pants are comfortable, camel toe is gaining popularity (Helloooooo Megan Fox), skinny jeans for fat cows are somehow acceptable, but what in God's name is up with fluorescent lipstick?

Seriously?

Think about it - you're sitting down, enjoying a cuppa, people-watching, and enjoying overhearing snippets of loud conversations taken out of context. Then, it approaches you. Lips so bright that a hippie on LSD would consider an eyesore.

Yet there's something so intriguing about trying understand the psyche of someone being slathered in department-store bought ostentation.


Okay that was a lie.

Hajj Practical Guidelines Part 2; Pre Planning, Packing, and the Umrah *updated*

Planning your trip

As per the requirements of your Hajj visa, you must get your meningitis and influenza vaccination. This is standard procedure and will keep your immune system up.

And of course, if you're flying, you have to stick to these general guidelines.

For the female pilgrim, make sure that you are not due to start menstruating during those two-three weeks. If you are, visit a gynecologist and they will prescribe pills that will help delay your period. Make sure you understand the dosage and side effects of these pills. Also, make sure they are strong enough to last you through the duration of Hajj. I used Duphaston*, which did not work for me, nor did it work for two other people I know who used it. (TMI, maybe?)

*side effects included nausea, headache, cramps, and spotting (clearly not good for Hajj)

Some of you may be concerned about body odor and general hygiene when in Ihram. Remember, you can bathe while you're in the state of Ihram, but you cannot use any creams, cosmetics, and fragrances (which unfortunately includes most soaps). There are odorless crystal deodorants that help curb the growth of foul smelling-armpit-dwelling bacteria available, and believe me, they work. They don't do much to prevent sweating though.

Useful tips for packing

• Pack lightly; nobody really cares what you look like, and neither should you when you're devoted to prayer.
  

• Carry two to three pairs of light pants, not jeans, and a few t shirts which you can get washed in Makkah.

• Travel detergent for your clothes. A few hangers to dry your clothes out.
  

• One sweater should be enough for one night in Muzdalifah. One shawl per person might also come in handy.
  

• I found it useful to have three abayas which I wore on alternative days. It helps to have one that opens from the side and one completely closed one. (details later.) Men don't require as much because they'll be wearing the ihram. But for men, carry two to three sets of ihram.
  

• Pack an extra backpack to carry with you to Mina. Make sure it isn't bulky because if you're walking with your stuff to jamarat, there will be security guards stopping you from taking your bags in. (You can rent sleeping bags in Makkah before you go to Mina if the group doesn't arrange it for you)

• A lightweight drawstring bag will be particularly useful to put your slippers in and sling on your back when you go to the mosque (there have been cases of missing shoes), especially during tawaaf. I do not recommend a fanny pack because it draws too much attention to yourself, making you a prime target for pickpocketing.
  

• Take lots of comfortable underwear that you plan on disposing of.

• One pair of slippers, preferably not thongs, so you can wear them with and without socks) and one pair of sneakers should suffice.

• Plenty of safety pins in varying sizes

• Keep large, size 117 rubber bands. Will come in handy for keeping your pant legs up in the bathrooms in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.
  

• Men can buy stitch-free slippers practically anywhere from Makaah and Madinah.

• Go prepared with lots of LEGAL medication (no codeine, please) such as aspirin, cough syrup, antihistamines, anti inflammatory tablets, lozenges, nasal spray, abdominal pain medication, generic eye drops, cold and flu tablets, deep heat, vicks, and lots of effervescent Multivitamin tablets. Trust me, you'll need all of them.
  

• Take bandages, because your feet might get cut up. Similarly, take callus pads or heel pain pads to alleviate the pressure on your feet from all that walking. I recommend Dr. Scholl's products.

• Carry lots of hand sanitiser, or unscented waterless washing liquid, antibacterial wipes and toilet paper, too. (this will come in particularly handy in Mina and Muzdalifah)

• Unscented soap

• Unscented, high SPF sunscreen.

• Vaseline or chapstick.

• General, everyday toiletries
  

• Socks

• Towels, it is unlikely you'll get them at most hotels.

• Surgical face masks. The amount of people coughing and sneezing with their mouths uncovered, will make anybody paraniod about catching some sort of disease.

• For women, hair tie backs (much like oversized headbands) and stitched, one-piece scarves are essential so that no hair sticks out.
  

• A battery operated hand-held fan will get you through the heat.

• And of course, don't forget your religious items: Quran, a book of duas and supplications, prayer mats and prayer beads.
  

• Please, please, do NOT carry an umbrella. You'll poke someone's eye out.
  

Makkah is the holiest city in the world, which is why it came as a bit of a shock to see the entire place a filthy mess. However, once you get over the initial shock of seeing the Holy City in a holy mess, you come to realize that this is only because people from all walks of life, those who have common sensibilities about waste disposal, and those who don't, converge at the same time in this city.

Upon Arrival at Makkah - Umrah, Tawaful-Qudoom.

This is where you perform the Tawaf (circling the Ka'aba 7 times) and the Sai (Walking from the points as-Safa to Marwah a total of 7 times)

Performing the Tawaf is one of the easiest things to do, even if it is crowded. The only tricky thing is to make sure you have counted how many rounds you have completed.
What we did to keep track was we wore 7 rubber bands on our right wrist, and each time we'd circle the Ka'aba and pass the Hajirul Aswad [Black Stone] (there will be a green light indicating which corner to start from), we'd take one rubber band off and put it on the left wrist. After you're done with that, you need to perform the Sai which is approximately 100 meters away.

The Sai area is approximately 1/2 km (0.31miles) each round. The total of seven rounds is approx 3.5 km (2.17 miles) I suggest you either wear callus pads and a pair of socks to protect your feet when you walk because your feet do start to hurt by the fourth round. Also, when there are people walking in groups or forming chains, it is best to give them way because they might push you out of your way which will result in you losing your group.

Hajj Practical Guidelines Part 1: Intro

With Hajj fast approaching in less than three months, (time sure does fly!), I thought now would be the best time to explain my experience at Hajj last year (1429H), and pass on a few suggestions.

I'm not going to go into detail about what duas you should recite or the specific rites you should perform at the risk of giving out misinformation. You can always get more information from religious scholars and the guide/group with which you travel.

Rather, I want to spare some PRACTICAL information about what to do, what to wear, what to pack, etc. that I felt was lacking.

For those of you who have been reading my blog for the last year, you may have come across this post, which was a pretty tainted outlook on my experience. What I've realised, though, is that what you take back with you spiritually from Hajj after months of contemplation is much greater than what you actually experience in those ten to fifteen days. Looking back, I would go through all those days and nights of roughing it all over again.

It's strange how opinions can change after a few months, eh?


So here are some practical guidelines on how to prepare for Hajj.

Let me start off by saying this: Hajj will be difficult:

Reported by Imam Bukhari, Aisha related: "I once asked the Prophet "O messenger of Allah, we (the women folk) consider that jihad is the best deed; why then may we not go forth and fight in the cause of Allah?" The Prophet answered: "The best form of jihad in the cause of Allah for you is the hajj (pilgrimage), which is free from all vices and defects."

No matter how prepared you are for the challenge, or how much your VIP tent in Mina and your five star hotel bedroom overlooking the Masjid-ul-Haram* cost you, Hajj will be a struggle. That's the whole point of the experience. Fourteen hundred years ago, people traveled hundreds of miles in the heat of the desert to perform these rites. There were no air conditioned tents in Mina for them to sleep in, and they did not have running water. It might not seem as difficult now, but think about the mass exodus of people doing the same thing at the same time. You'll have to navigate your way through three million people, and get exposed and fall prone to all kinds of illnesses because your immune system can't possibly keep up with sleepless nights.

* That white mass in the picture shows ALL the pilgrims gathered in and around the mosque for prayer. Lovely, isn't it?

I've created a brief outline of Hajj and Umrah available for download that you can customise to your dates of travel here. (Sorry it's a word file.)

Also, I found nifty Hajj guides which include everything from the duas you're supposed to read, their phonetic translation, along with a little map here.

Because this post is getting long, I'm breaking it up into several little parts. The next few posts will go into detail about the Umrah (Tawaful-Qudoom) and the 8th day of Dhul-Hajj
Links provided shortly.

Ye olde bucket list

Because everybody needs one.

This is an abridged version of the list I maintain in several little notebooks.

#1 To have more structure in my life;
#2 Get 100% note streak on every song in expert on Guitar Hero;
#3 Learn Latin;
#4 Learn French;
#5 Learn Italian;
#6 Learn Arabic;
#7 Learn Cantonese;
#8 Learn Hebrew;
#9 Learn German;
#10 Learn Russian;
#11 Learn Japanese (among many others);
#12 Become a dictator;
#13 Read (and understand) philosophy;
#14 Know so much about everything that most people would consider me crazy;
#15 Own a large collection of comic books;
#16 Become a nerdfighter and be one with John and Hank Green;
#17 Go to a Cosplay event dressed up as Faye Whitaker and Elaine Marley. On separate occasions, of course;
#18 Grow my own food in an organic environment and not have to worry about GMO;
#19 Stay straight edge for as long as I shall live;
#20 Have people not judge me for my beliefs;
#21 Travel, but I don't want to travel first class and stay in a five star hotel. I actually want to see how the locals live and interact;
#22 I want to appreciate everything I have and get rid of the 'want' in my life;
#23 Finish every book that I have started and have left mid-way;
#24 Read all scriptures in their original languages;
#25 Join Mensa;
#26 Read every single book featured in '1001 Books to Read Before You Die;'
#27 Watch every movie featured in the book '1001 Films to Watch Before You Die;'
#28 Start praying on time regularly, and never stop;
#29 Get my Masters degree and then a PhD in any of the following: Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Political Science, Diplomacy, Sociology, History or International Relations;
#30 To be able to use my degrees for good. (Except for being a dictator, of course);
#31 Live an eco-frienly lifestyle;
#32 Write a short novel. It does not matter if I don't get any recognition for it whatsoever. I just want my name in print before the medium dies;
#33 Start up schools in LEDCs and teach;
#34 Fund charities all over the world;
#35 Help everyone I come across who is less fortunate than I;
#36 Paint. And not care what anybody else thinks of it;
#37 To stop belting out cusses;
#38 Drink more water;
#39 To never want to live an extravagant lifestyle and have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to buy happiness;
#40 Educate people on how sinister this world really is;
#41 Be able to call myself an honest person;
#42 Let go of hate, jealousy, and all other insecurities in my life;
#43 To finally understand all that reiki, chakra and aura cleansing hoopla my mother goes on about;
#44 Have better handwriting;
#45 Have orchids growing in my home;
#46 Let caged birds free;
#47 To die happy, with the one I love, so that I'd never know what life would be like without them.

The Blackberry Song

A song on behalf of all the disgruntled Blackberry owners in the UAE.

I must say, this is pretty catchy.

All those who want a quality education, say 'I'

I



So.
Two more days to my finals.

Have I learned anything new?
No.

Was my money for this semester well spent?
No.

Have I done all the necessary research for my classes and tests?
Yes.

What now?

Three more days!