Inspirational Blog Award

I sincerely  appreciate  my  blogging pal Moon for her kind gesture passing onto me this  award .I  got to know her through her amazing blog 'Themoonsmile2' which is bounded with ambiance and warmth.The  stories  about her family  which  she narrates  in her blogging are very interesting and  impressive.I am touched by her kindness .Thank you my Friend!

And with the award ,I have to answer the few questions  tagged.

What makes you laugh,smile or giggle?

My childrens' anecdotes.

What are the dreams for the future?

To see my children guided in the right direction.

If you are to go on a cruise where would it be and why?

I'll probably decline the  offer to go cruising.I am afraid of the ocean....

How would you spend your vacation time and with whom?

Spending  quality and quantity time with my family.

If given a choice what life would you choose? Your life now or the past?

My life now..

Is there something you wished before when you were young but you did n't get it

Cannot think of any..

Have you been in a situation where you might have given up but still you chose to move on..

This is a tough one..Can we move on to the next question please?

Is there someone in your life who has been your source of  strength and inspiration?

The ordinary people doing the extraordinary....

Here are some deserving blogs that I wish to tag this award

CloudNine

Abby's Cooking Kitchen

From My In Box

Please pass this on..

• Copy and paste the award on your site and copy the link of the person who gave you the award. 
• Then answer the tag questions! 
• Nominate any blogs you feel deserve it.

When Things Go Wrong As They Sometimes Will...

This Ramadan, I was strong-willed to make good use of the month. Besides the extra prayers that I was offering  to the Almighty in appreciation for the  bountiful resources and blessings that he has had showered on all of us: me, you and everyone. I was also determined  to make use of Ramadan - which also relates to fasting, to reduce some of those extra fat from my body. A strategy was firmly set to do some exercises, to burn off those huge amount of calories that was going to be shoveled into my mouth at the time of breaking the fast. With  great strength of mind (so I thought) I wrote down in my notepad the list of items ‘to do’ that would help me keep in shape. And the first entry in the list was  ‘eat less fried food’. Did I abide by my rules? I didn’t think so. The foremost reason was due to the food that I kept preparing for the family to feast at the end of each fast (iftar) which was a daily occurrence during sunset. While preparing the food for iftar, I would be persistent which food would be shoved into my mouth and which wouldnt. But all those became momentary, when I sat with the rest of my family to break our fast. Who wouldn't take pleasure in eating the 'hot hot’ samosas, and the mouth-watering  crispy pastries or the spicy rice porridge that  bubbled  in the pot. I just couldn’t resist. And the plan to do some ‘work out’ didn't go well either: the mere thought of running on the treadmill made me go weak at the knees.

Happy Eid

Wishing all my Muslim readers a joyous Eid-Ul-Fitr. This is a happy occasion which is celebrated just after the ending of Ramadan.  

Ramadan In Saudi Arabia

I haven’t been updating my blog recently. It’s Ramadan, the month of fasting. The month where we tend to pray more and ask the Al mighty for forgiveness. Muslims all over the world abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. This act is obligatory towards all muslims irrespective of caste whether rich or poor. Every day, right through this month, millions of people who are fasting, do exactly the same thing, when  the call for magreb prayer (sun set prayer) is heard. Families gather around the table to break their fast. Only after the initial consumption of dates and water that the other meals are served. During this month the rich do a lot of charitable work. According to a local newspaper, the Saudi Gazette, a million worshippers are served everyday, with – yogurt, dates, and Saudi coffee for iftar (breaking of fast). More than 10,000 citizens and local residents bring the food into the mosque on small carts. Zamzam water is distributed to the congregation from water coolers. Zamzam is the name of the sacred well in the holy city that supply the water to billions of people. For worshippers from across the globe, to break their fast in the two holiest mosques in Saudi Arabia is a great experience. They are fortunate to experience this one of a kind moment.

Photo source: Arab News

Muslims across the globe break their fast with  dates (fruit grown on palm trees)

A Trip To The Tea Country

The Tea Country is the most picturesque location of Sri Lanka with spectacular views of mountain ranges and narrow valleys, meandering roads and waterfalls. During our recent summer vacation, we had the opportunity of staying in a bungalow which was nestled amongst tea bushes, overlooking the Castlereagh reservoir. The beautiful Rivendell bungalow is set upon the crest of the tea plantations. The cool climatic condition was an added windfall to all of us who were trying to get away from the humidity in the capital city.The magnificent view from the bungalow’s balcony was breathtaking. The setting in the vicinity is  naturally embedded. The sight of tea bushes, waterfalls and a reservoir was refreshing and revitalizing.The whole ambiance in this location was a complete change. I think, for the first time in many years, we were breathing pure, fresh and clean air. This getaway was a great experience. We spent three lovely days here, with new things to explore and experience.We carry with us beautiful memories of Rivendell.

Tea plantation - Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is known for producing quality tea

The food served here was traditional rice and curry. In Sri Lanka, almost all the vegetables are cooked with spices and coconut milk.I got to indulge in some favourites too.‘Mallum’ green leaves  minced and eaten as a salad .I loved the sweet and spicy taste of red beets, which was finely cut into julienne.Mouth watering Thallana Battu (Thai eggplant) was cooked with a lot of spices and fiery condiments.

Have A Break! Have A Cool Summer!

Summer is  officially here!  ( Picture illustrated by my daughter)

How Children Interpret

Children need not have to watch an adult movie on television or "grown-up" only channels to grasp the concept of violence. They learn it anyway watching their favourite cartoons on the kids' channels!
The other day, my older son, who will be seven later this year, was deeply engrossed in his world of drawing. While admiring his artistic creations, my eyes caught the attention of a specific one; this particular picture enthralled me. To me, it depicted something like a NASA Space Shuttle landing safely on Earth.
However, driven by curiosity, I asked my son to tell me the beautiful story he had just put on paper. I was flabbergasted when I heard his interpretation.
The picture which looked like a Space Shuttle was indeed a 'Missile', which according to my son was launched from outer space and that the aliens were waging a war against the Earth. I thought his imagination was running helter-skelter.
Gathering some patience, I calmly questioned him as to how he got the concept of the aliens destroying or attacking the earth. I just gaped, when he, in his childish innocence, said, "I watched it on Cartoon Network."
As parents, we have to play the role of a 'Teacher', especially the mother, whom the child spends most of the day with'.
If you think your child is watching too much television (even if it's a kids' cartoon programme) or watching channels which you think are not suitable for his age, try to divert his attention somewhere else, like; reading, writing, drawing/painting, (which did work quite marvellously, with my four "Fond Of The Television" children).
Exposing children to all kinds of violence on television, be it the war, the killings/shootings taking places in schools in other countries, violent protests on the streets and even the children's cartoons with the wrong message, can subsequently carry a negative impact on the growing young minds. With this type of adverse effect, they will lack the social skills to interact with their peers. Some children learn to mimic improper and violent actions of some cartoon characters and develop unhealthy attitudes like being arrogant and aggressive.
Our duty is to teach the children positive attitudes in life from their tender age, instil good habits and good behaviour into them, and mould them to be good human beings in their later years.
Nonetheless, we should set restrictions and guide them to watch appropriate television programmes and channels. Being too harsh or punishing them severely for watching inappropriate programmes, will only aggravate the situation. We should also bear in mind that under such circumstances, always try different options to fix the problem; not mix and mess it.
It is our responsibility to spend 'quality' time with our loved ones, bonding and sharing special moments with them, so that 'quantity' time in front of the television is reduced. We should also learn to relax with our children (away from the TV room), take them outdoors sometimes and have time to give ears to their voices however much, insignificant it may sound. And, I, as a mother, learnt a lesson as well, from my son's drawing. I learnt to value his opinion.


( This is my article which was published in a newspaper magazine)


My son's cyber painting