HENCE-FORTH!!

I declare to be a Sugar free, Fat free, Hypocrisy free and above all free of materialistic ideology.

Right, where to start?!!!!

I guess, first port of call would be the goody cupboard that stores all the cupcakes and the rest of my quick fixes.

This change, i am hoping, will be reinforced by tomorrows Ramadan start, but I am hoping that it will go beyond Ramadan and become a life style change. Sugar, is playing havoc with my system and it needs to go.

RAMADAN KAREEM!!!

You can never be too ready for Ramadan. You do all your shopping and get ready with the list of who to invite for Iftar, get all the spring cleaning done(spring cleaning for Muslims is days before Ramadan and Before any other Eid) and change the curtains.

However, when you think you have done all you could you found out that there is more and more and more to do. Aaarrrrrrggggg. Well, getting the worst Flu of all time doesn't help.

Though, this is tiresome, I am immensely enjoying it. you get ready for this and even if things don't go as they should, it is still the best time ever, Ramadan makes you better human.

Cooking old recipes that has been past down by your mother and her mother and so on so forth, and also finding new exciting way of cooking Ingredients that are familiar in to a new recipes.

This is the Month we all hope to be a better Muslims but also hope that, in the way, we lose some weight, shamefully thought you are more likely to gain weight in Ramadan than lose it. It is all about the fry ups and the sugar rush we give our self in attempt to get energy.

well, no fry ups for me this Ramadan, and no sugar rush. we are also as a family cutting the portions, this is not only for a dietary reason but we figure out that if we spend less on food it will be more on charity(watch us fight over the leftovers hehehehe).

what sets this Ramadan apart from the previous ones is that in this Ramadan if you are a Somali you have the added responsibility to help your people that are in Somalia and part of East Africa which is officially declared the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Helping others(this time your people) is a rewarding experience and will take Ramadan to a whole new dimension, if you haven't planned to do so, please do it now, for Ramadan is the best month for Sadaqa(charity).

Here is a refreshing drink that may help you with much needed fluid.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FARMER CAN'T FEED HIS FAMILY?

This is all too familiar picture across Somalia today, Livestock farmers are losing their livelihood to the worst drought in the world.

Nomad sitting next to his dead camel.
A farmer struggling to plow his ones fertile land.
Simply dead livestock.

This Drought started 2 years ago, the Nomads of Somalia had been living with this for the past two years. Yes, it just got worst but bottom of line it was there all alone.

The war in central and southern Somalia is making the drought even more deadlier. The people that are today in danger of dyeing due to starvation are actually the farmers of the nation, whether they are the crop grower of the south or the livestock farmers of the central.

So, what happens when a farmer can't feed his family?

The Simple answer to that is they(the farmers family) starve, but this is the bread-makers of the nation so the answer is the nation starves.

There is no turning to the land it is dry and dead, there is no turning to the nomads they lost most of their stock and are struggling to feed their family, there is no turning to the sea it is infested with pirates and war-ships.

So,where to turn?

It is a shame that we the diaspora have to live with and take responsibility, it is a shame that the Somali government have to live with and take responsibility for.

The cries of the Somali children in and out of Somalia are deafening to those who are listening for others it is just a minute of oooh that is so bad.
The sad thing is, this is the worst humanitarian crises but not the last,until we find some sort of stability we are doomed to be a tragedy to be reported and studied.

Help must come from us, the Somali people. yes, we need the help of everyone that can help us. However, as it is the tradition or use to be the tradition of our believe HELP YOURSELF , SO ALLAH MAY HELP YOU. We need to help our people and stand for those too weak to do so.

This is our wake up call, all hands on the deck.

Please help our brothers and sisters, so may Allah help you!!!

Stories of new arrivals Dadaab with English subtitle

this is so shameful. it is a shame to me, to my fellow country men that can afford to feed one person and to the Government of Somalia...

SHORBA BABY,, HERE I COME!!!

Shorba

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Samosas

Ramadan is here and i am already thinking of what I will like to have and what not. Honestly, people usually start shopping in advance and according to what they would eat and their preferences.

In my case, it is usually dream about what i would have and how i would have and who i would invite over for a Iftar and then remember that i haven't actually made any shopping(aaaahrgggggg) and hit the shop in a rash, ending up buying different ingredient to cook boring dishes(usually stock pile Samosas as they are easy to store).

My favorite dish for Ramadan is Shorba and I remember we use to have it every Iftar when i was in Somalia, now, I don't remember last time I had one, it is been years.

So, I am thinking that I should revive those childhood memories and this year do Shorba.

Shorba or Shurbad in Somali is a cracked wheat soup with either chicken or lamb depending on the region, Mogadishu recipe involves Camel meat, London is in shortage of Such delight(Ok, there are no camels in UK,Full stop.) So, it will be chicken Shorba.

Easy to make and Delicious, it is also healthier than Samosas. It is what everyone breaking a fast should have.

Hopefully this year(inshaalah) I will have a SHORBA.

Focus,Focus,Focus!!!

This Blog is becoming so erratic going from travel to drought to fashion-ish.

Now! i am on my next on the wish list to do daa dada daa DIET.

I decided to go on a diet and went on a shopping spree to get ready for the diet. Well, sadly or happily I should say I found out that this is ill timed diet plan.

The thing is I can't do it at least not now, Ramadan is to start in 2 weeks. I keep doing plans that I can't go through with this month. Ramadan is hard as it is it doesn't need diet in the mix. Focus girl!!

Drought in East Africa.

It is the worst drought that east Africa has seen since the 1950's and Somalia got the worst case of all.

prolonged drought, civil war and a mismanaged and corrupt government in Somalia are having a disastrous consequences for the civilians that are caught in midst of it.

For those of you that doesn't know much about Somalia let me give you a brief introduction.

It is A peninsula that is on the tip of the horn of Africa, it has the longest coastal line in Africa. The country has two rivers that are located in the south at the heart of the Agriculture belt. with tropical climate Somalia has several harvest per year.

however, Militant(al-shabaab) that are trying to over trough the government are controlling that area so farmers flee their homes with nothing and now are starving.

It is sad that we(the people of Somalia) are subjected to this kind of life in our own country while god gave us the best land man could ever want. very sad indeed.

PRODUCTIVITY AND RAMADAN!

I am so unproductive these days that there is a hole forming in my favorite lazy chair. Since, i come back i had less work and basically no classes. but to make my stay home time bearable i tent to watch X amount of TV(x= INFINITY).

Don't get me wrong, i do have a job, it just isn't that much. So i end up having 8hrs of nothing to do a day. I am planing to do something about this before Ramadan(1.08.2011). If, I do make the change that will have a positive impact on the Ramadan Month, it will mean getting up early and pray on time the Fajr prayer. It also will mean being more social and visit family and friend.

To be more productive in Ramadan and doing something in Ramadan does not mean to get myself more work but simple watch less TV and pray more.
I know more about TV personality than my own Friends, that can't be good. So the challenge of more prayers time and less rubbish TV is on and make time for Family and friends.