Contemplation on the beach

I was looking through my old notebook where I penned my thoughts.  It is funny how technology has made me so lazy to write anymore.  Anyway, I found this piece in November of 96 where I can recall myself being at East Coast beach in Singapore.

16/11/96

Sitting by the beach, just after the rain and the sky is still grey, cannot see the horizon.

The horizon; a "false" break between the earth and the sky, which in "reality" there isn't.  I've been thinking, a lot of things on my mind.  Especially about "reality" and what we perceive by our senses.

There, in the horizon, is a lesson to be learned.  What we perceive may not be what is truth.   How then can we judge the truth?  What is true?  How do we recognise it?

"Truth is clear and falsehood is clear."  Maybe the Prophet s.a.w. said that - I can't remember.

I see some people fishing and is reminded of a passage I once read a long time ago.  For many, fishing is a challenge, a competition but for the French, it is a way to relax, to think, to reflect.  Fishing is a soothing pastime.  While waiting for the fishes to take the bait, one has a lot of time on one's hand to reflect.  What kind of reflection would I seek if I was a fisherman?  What "fish" do I hope to catch?

The sound of the waves hitting the shore, the waves coming in one after another and dissipating, creeping back to where it comes from.  White foams on the beach soon to vanish away, replaced by others.  Life is like that too.  Old memories forgotten, replaced by the new.

Eid Al-Fitr in Edinburgh 2012

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.

This is the first year I actually celebrated Eid Al-Fitr with the Edinburgh Muslim community since I've lived here.  Definitely, it is very different from celebrating Eid back home.

On Eid, a beautiful Sunday with the sun beating down on us, I finished prayers at Central Mosque and went for an outdoor brunch with friends.  It was great to reconnect with some of the sisters - a group of us descended upon the newly opened Olive Tree Cafe on Nicholson Square.  Lovely atmosphere and the food wasn't too bad - except for the hash brown; but then again, hash brown is a U.S. thing, not a Scottish thing.

Anyway, was invited to the Malaysian open house later on but since I had invited my non-Muslim friends to join me for an Eid dinner, I declined and went home to have a rest.  The Eid dinner at Thaisanuk, a halal Thai restaurant near the Royal Commonwealth Pool, was fabulous - the company was lovely and the food was excellent...I recommend the duck green curry.  One of the things I miss about back home is that your non-Muslim neighbours and friends celebrate Eid with us - so the dinner was my way to ensure something of that nature happened here.  It was also a good way to introduce Islam to my friends as they asked questions about Ramadhan and Eid.

Monday, it was back to work but I managed to get the afternoon off from my boss.  Again it was another lovely day and with the Fringe Festival still on, I decided to go be a tourist for the afternoon.  Strolling along the Royal Mile, I caught a couple of the street acts.  I basically ended up in Princes Gardens.  Before I entered, I listened to this busker playing his guitar.  Wow, the guy had talent!  After enjoying my lunch while listening to a Scottish lad singing on the wee stage in the middle of the gardens, I took the bus to Ocean Terminal to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia.  I can't believe in all the years I've been here, that was my first time at the Ocean Terminal.

Britannia was classy - I really wished I had brought my camera with me. As it was, I only had my phone camera and my battery was very low.  So I only managed to take a few:

This one is of the Officers' Mess.  Can you find the hidden monkey in this picture?  The monkey was supposed to be a gift from someone important and no one was supposed to touch it but mysteriously, everyday it finds its way to a different spot in the Mess.

This is the posh gang-plank that the Queen or any Royalty on board would use on their official visits.

There are times when a yacht is just too big - so for the Royals to be ferried across, the yacht is equipt with this barge and others like it.  I regretted not managing to photograph the Rolls Royce that the yacht have stored away for the Queen's use in the old days when there might not be a suitable car for her in the country she was visiting.

The day was made even better when I spoke to my brother since I was unable to talk to him the previous day when I facetimed my family.

The Eid celebration didn't end with just those two days however.  For the following Sunday, we were to have a lovely Eid in Lord Ancrum's Wood.  In fact, it was mentioned in the newspaper.  Alhamdulillah, the day turned out beautifully sunny and dry which is a rare commodity right now in Scotland.  We had a talk on Islam and nature, guided tours in the woods, a treasure hunt for the kids, Dhur prayers in the lovely sunshine, and brilliant food for lunch.  Best of all, I met some lovely new people and enjoyed the company of my friends.

Below are some of the pictures I took of the woods and the event.  Respecting that some people are not comfortable being photographed, I will only put up some of the kids photos here.  I've enjoyed the day and hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

This kid was so cute.  I shot this photo of him playing while the others were listening to the talk.

Some of the yummy food.

And the desserts.

With the kids following her, she reminds me of the pipe piper.

The yew tree is able to change the pH of the soil, making it slightly acidic and so discourage undergrowth.  How marvelous is Allah to create such a thing.

And that's Jenny, our ranger who pointed out the difference between wych elm and hazelnut.  Both have fuzzy leaves but the wych elm leaves are not symmetrical and do not join the stem at the same spot.  The first photo is of the wych elm and the second for hazelnut.