Looking forward to ...

going home. By this time Tuesday, I will be back in Singapore, to spend Eid with the family. I'll be meeting Ilex for the first time too. I've to thank my dad for this wonderful gift.

Second Ramadhan in Edinburgh

Today is the middle of Ramadhan and this is my second Ramadhan here. The difference between this Ramadhan and last year's is stark. Perhaps, last Ramadhan, the excitement of starting a new course and making new friends made it seemed less lonely. On the other hand, because of the course and adjustment period, I couldn't really concentrate on the worship aspects of Ramadhan.

This Ramadhan, it feels different. First, I have the time to sit and read the Qur'an as well as do my night prayers without worrying what time I have to get up the next day. However, it is a sad time too. I miss my family and friends, including those who had just gone home. This Ramadhan is turning out to be a lonely one. I guess that makes it easier to concentrate on the spiritual aspect of Ramadhan.

Whatever it is, I pray that this Ramadhan brings blessings to all Muslims.

Finally over

Thanks be to Him, I've managed to finish my dissertation last Friday and am now officially jobless. To counter this, I am taking a two pronged approach - firstly, work on finding a job and second, build up my publication record. From my dissertation, God willing, I think (and my supervisor agrees) that I can produce a paper with slightly different emphasis.

Even though intellectually I know He will provide, there is a part of me that is worried that I will not be able to find one. Especially when my first salvo comes up negative. Hopefully the coming Ramadhan will cheer me up and boost my morale again. Still I miss my family, especially not being able to be there for the first few months of my new nephew.

I pray that everything will go well. Ameen.

Alnwick (Harry Potter) Castle - for Umar, Fatima, and Imran

Salams, Umar, Fatima, Imran,

Your Ami mentioned you kids were getting a bit potty with the new Harry Potter movie. So, since I went to visit the castle where they filmed the movie and previous movies before the latest one, I made a short video for you.

Hope you enjoy.
Auntie Sid

An experiment on making a video

Given that I was a bit frustrated in terms of writing the final paragraph, I thought I'd try out something new - using my various pictures and combining them into a video. It is a bit rough but here's the result of my attempt. It is basically various views of Glencoe, one of the beautiful glens in the Highlands. So, enjoy. :)