The Holy Month of Tragedies

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Ramadan Kareem friends!

Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, carries a whole new meaning here in the Middle East, ...unlike Malaysia, where nothing much changes for us Non-Muslims. Yes, the Muslims fast, and the pasar malam (night markets) do bustling business during buka puasa times (breaking of fast), but that’s about it, life goes on as usual in Malaysia. Here, in the UAE, the mood, the crowds, the traffic, shop timings, office timings, everything changes. The malls which are normally packed, are half empty, especially before Iftar (breaking of fast). All the restaurants and cafes are closed, except for some fast-food joints which cater only for takeaways. While Non-Muslims aren’t compelled to fast, eating or drinking in public is banned for all (except kids). Most shops will extend their opening times till 1 or 2am, past midnight (they normally already open till midnight here, great huh?). Office timings end at 2pm for most, although many Non-Muslims I suspect, work normal hours, especially if it’s a Non-Muslim company, like ours. Because of the shift in timings, traffic patterns shift, meaning that it takes us Non-Muslims a fraction of what it normally takes for us to get home after work. The streets and supermarkets are dead quiet at Iftar and the whole place is filled with Iftar offers, and Ramadan Kareem greetings.

This Ramadan is no different. It started well enough with the FIFA World Cup in full swing, and everyone in football fever, Ramadan or not. But it's turning horrifically into a very tragic period, with the incessant bombing of Gaza, the shocking shooting down of MH17 in Ukraine, and the ongoing wars in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria and the indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya... The problem with these incidents is that there are so many innocent civilians killed, so many children among them, caught in a senseless rivalry between warlords and religious zealots who are bent on getting their agendas fulfilled, irrespective of the number of lives lost.

I pray for peace, God. Do so many innocent people have to die?

For my Muslim friends, I wish them a blessed Eid al Fitr / Id ul Fitr / Aidil Fitri. Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya! May you and your loved ones have peace and joy in your lives. Leaving some photographs of a beautiful mosque here for peace of mind.


A view of the mosque interior - the largest carpet in the world






More views of the mosque interior - this is one of the nicest mosques I've visited ...ever - so clean, beautiful and serene






Chandeliers in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque


Dad, at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi


Anu and Justin at the Mosque


Kim and Anu, with abaya – these are obtainable at the entrance for free. Yup, it’s compulsory for ladies to cover up to enter the mosque.


Dark Acolytes of the Ivory Temple – just kidding, Kim & Anu at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque


Ablution centre, one of the many in the mosque


One of the few day time pictures of the mosque in my possession, courtesy of Anu. She’s the only one among us who’s visited the mosque before during the day, way back in 2009


Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi at dusk

...Heart Wrenching News

The last thing I’d expect to hear was another air disaster involving MAS.

So many innocent lives lost. Whole families killed for nothing. This is murder, and the people involved, whoever they are, should be brought to justice. I hope Malaysians, of all races, religion, and political inclination put aside their differences for once, and come together for a prayer to the families of the ones affected. May God be with you, MH17. RIP.

The Apostle Who Chose India

Interior of the San Thome Basilica, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Here’s a church for a change.

Would you believe it, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ actually chose India of all places to spread the gospel? I dunno whether he really ‘chose’ India or was ‘assigned’ India among his fellow apostles, but that’s where he ended up in. That’s what matters, right?

O yeah, St Thomas sailed to India sometime after Jesus’ crucifixion and ascension to heaven, and landed in the now Indian state of Kerala. He established 7½ churches in India before passing away in what is now an area inside the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. There are different accounts of how he died. Some said that he was accidentally shot, with a spear, some said that he was intentionally killed, and some said that he died naturally. This was in the first century, so I doubt there’s much of a CSI: Chennai, or a decent detective then. Heck, maybe there wasn’t even paper to write the report in? When was paper invented by the way?

Now, St Thomas is regularly regarded as the patron saint of India. Part of his body (relics) remains in India (at this church), and is now a pilgrimage site for many. See my earlier post, On a Pilgrimage Spree.






More views of the San Thome Basilica, Chennai

Further South, across the Sea

Punchi Katharagama Temple, near Chilaw, Sri Lanka

More Dravidian Hindu Temples! This one is on the west coast of Sri Lanka, somewhere between Negombo and Puttalam. We saw it by the road on our way to Anuradhapura from Colombo, and just stopped to take photos. Have no idea, what it is nor where it’s located, …until Google Map came along. That’s the beauty of Google Map, just trace your way along the route you travelled and Ta-Da! There it is, with name and all!




More views of the temple

I’m posting things from our past travels as there’s practically nothing to post about now, here in Dubai. Dubai is an open-air sauna at the moment, so going anywhere outdoors is only for people who wanna know how it feels like to be roasted alive. Anu is heavily pregnant and I have more work than I wished for, so it is travel blog mode for the time being, till things get a little relaxed here.