Let the photos do all the talking.. Part I

Lebanon:

Balbeek

Byblos
Sunset by the Corniche - Beirut
Beirut view from the "telepherique"

From Beirut with Love.

From DXB to BEY

The ex-Paris of the Middle East

Funny how, after working in my industry for a while you start talking about countries as if they were 2 letter codes and cities as 3 letter codes.

You spend the wkd in DXB, go for a meeting in AUH, call BRU, receive a shipment from LIS. I guess you've got the picture by now.

All this to say that in a couple of days I will be in BEY, enjoying my Eid holidays.

Hope to come back safe and sound with plenty of stories to tell about the city and the country and the post war situation. Hopefully, will also come back with plenty of stories about crazy partying nights as everyone keeps telling me about the amazing night life. Inshallah.

For all of those Iam not going to see in the meanwhile, and because Ramadan is almost coming to an end..

Eid Mubarak!!

The last 10 days of Ramadan

We have now entered the last third of Ramadan and, according to Muslims, they are the most blessed days in the blessed month of Ramadan, the month the Qur?an was revealed.

It is believed that although the Prophet Muhammad was promised Paradise , he used to exert himself even more in worship during these last ten days, hoping to draw closer to Allah.

During the last third of Ramadan, one should read more Qur?an and remember Allah more often, even constantly.
The last ten days are also known for i`tikaf (spiritual retreat). The Prophet used to perform i`tikaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan, barely sleeping during that time. I`tikaf requires a total devotion to Allah; it is a sort of vacation with Him. The time is spent worshiping, performing extra salah (ritual Prayers), reading the Qur?an, making dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du`aa? (supplication). One should leave behind the cares of this world, and even eat and sleep in the mosque. Those who cannot perform i`tikaf for ten days should try to do it for a shorter time, if only for one night or a day or two.

As for me, I am still fasting and as expected spending more times with friends around Iftars. No, I havent converted, nor do I intend to. As I said before, my fasting is more about cultural and spiritual experience, not religious. It is strange, once again, how time just flew by and we are almost coming to an end. After a marvellous Iftar with Hanna and her family, today we had Iftar at Sheriff's place and all I can say is that I ate more in these 2 days than in all other Ramadan days (well.. almost). Thank you so much for your friendship and hospitality. Now, I cant wait for the "american iftar" prepared by Matt's parents this Wednesday, how cool is that? :)

On another "it is interesting to tell you about it" note, during these last 10 days of Ramadan, one of the nights will be Laylat Al-Qadr The Night of Power- it is the night when the gates of heaven are wide open and Allah listens to the lucky ones who encounter it. That night, allegedly, is better than a thousand months in your life and and worshiping on that one night is better than 84 years of our worship. If you spend it praying and meditating, asking for forgiveness, you might end up having all your past sins forgiven. I have to admit it sounds pretty interesting... getting all your sins forgiven in one night?!

Interestingly enough, you dont know exactly when it is, except that if falls on one of the odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan. Apparently, Muslims believe that the Lord has concealed the exact date of the Night of Power so they would worship Him fervently during the whole month of Ramadan. I guess it worked, because I do see much more people gathering around the mosque now... :)

16 & Counting

As there was a beautiful full moon yesterday that means we are now on the 16th day of Ramadan.

We will now allow the moon to shrink bit by bit until it fades completely into the dark. The same way, we will then celebrate it once it appears in the skies again, bringing its vibrant energy and Eid along with it.

As last year, it has been easy not to eat during the day.. your body just gets used to it as time passes by. I havent broke my fast during the day except for a business lunch (sometimes you cant really avoid them) and a glass of lemon with mint to keep someone happy for lunch.

This year, however, fact is that I havent had that much time spent with friends around Iftars like last year... Too much to do at work also means that sometimes I have broken my fast during the most interesting situations, crazy locations or with the least expected type of food:

- Garlic Bread and laban at the parking lot of Mall of the Emirates (one of the biggest shopping malls around here). We dont really have laban in Portugal, but it is equivalent to liquid natural flavour yoghurt.

- Cherry chewing gum and water as I waited for my enrollment for Arabic Classes (I am already on my 3rd lesson and loving it)

- Mint drops and juice during a conference call with the US.

- Puff pastry and strawberry milk during another conference call with the US. (Better break my fast during the call than being in a conference call at 7am, like they have to)

- Water from the bottle of water that is in my car for more than 3 days under the unbearing heat.

Well.. Some more days to go. Hopefully this list will get replaced by pictures of "normal" Iftars soon. :)

PS- Pais, maninho, avozinhos, tio, tia(s), priminhos, tenho saudades vossas! Quem me dera que podessem estar aqui.. e que pudessemos partilhar um Iftar em familia, todos juntos. Sem antecedentes, sem nada. So familia. Toda unida. Como eu a conheco.

Priestess of Avalon

"As she browsed in dispair in a room full with books that offered no connection to her innerself, her life started to dwell in the feelings that now seem to be a constant part of her life. For some reason, as in life... these same feelings were all over the room.. in every shelf... in every desperate look for what she was looking for. She picked something else on the way, as a familiar feeling was taking over. Over and over again, she picked something else, half hearted, a contempt for reality.

But suddenly, as she was leaving.. the call was now louder than before and she could no longer ignore it.

Step by step, as a small little child, lost in the words of what she cannot write or read, lost in the path that she knew from the past, she was found...

And there it was, waiting for her... As magical as always."

She took it in her hands. Smiled. And brought it home to read.