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

                                                     

Consumer Rights

As habitual, I turned to the online edition of my native country’s newspaper, for local news . While reading,I was drawn towards an article which I thought was creditable.It was a worthy act taken by Sri lanka's Health Ministry ,who has directed food manufacturers throughout the nation to take care when printing the date of production,the date of expiry and the ingredients used on the food and drink labels, which will be in effect from July.
From now on, manufacturers will have to strictly abide by the new regulations imposed by the Ministry when selling their manufactured goods.

The Health Ministry has also cautioned the public to keep vigilant on the sale of unhygienic and outdated canned food items and various soft drink products sold by supermarkets, groceries and other food outlets. This move will in fact make the consumers more watchful of what they purchase from the supermarkets or the grocers.They should take extra care to always check labels for the production and expiry dates. In addition,they must make it a point to read the labeled ingredients ,so that they will know if that particular product is good or harmful to them..They now have the right to report to relevant authorities any sale of unhygienic or outdated food stuffs in the supermarket. This step will also make the traders think twice about selling cheap and unhygenic food items with the intent of making quick cash.The risk of falling sick eating food which is outdated or unhygienic,is on a greater altitude, so consumers too should treat this warning as an eye opener .

E-Coli Is Back

Cucumbers exported from Spain to Germany have been contaminated with the E-coli bacteria, that’s what I have been reading lately.Now this gives me the goose bumps.This is the only vegetable my children eat without a fuss.They love it in their salad . This is freaking me out. After this disturbing news, I kept checking my refrigerator compartment to ensure there were no traces of dirt or dirty particles embedded in my stored cucumbers .I wash them well ,all of the vegetables. ‘Please conserve water ,don’t waste’ ,everyone cries! But how can we think of using water sparingly in a situation like this. As it is ,I wash and scrub these vegetables thoroughly if I use them in salads. It is alarming however to watch the food enthusiasts demonstrate on television their culinary know hows and cooking their favourite vegetables or meat, straight from the packet to the pan.When do they wash the vegetables or meat? How ever much they say the vegetables are hygienic, We got to wash them in clean running water once we bring it home from the grocers and just before cooking them.I remember ,there was this outbreak of E-coli in spinach leaves,a couple of years ago, We being miles away from the affected places stopped eating Spinach through fear. Now it’s back again ,this time tainting the cucumber the ones grown in Spain.
E.coli is short for Escherichia coli - a bacteria (germ) that causes severe cramps and diarrhea. Certain strains of E. coli, possibly create lethal toxins. Food poisoning by E. coli is usually caused by undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables , feces of infected people, and contaminated water. It also causes serious and life-threatening complications .The illness varies considerably;it can be fatal, particularly to the young and the elderly . This bacteria lives in the digestive tracts of animals and humans and most are typically harmless. They help our body break down and digest food. Nonetheless, some strains of E. coli can be very harmful and lead to grave infections that can make us sick quickly.