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While at a workshop yesterday I saw an interesting statistic.  The number of searches that were performed on Google in single day was estimated at 3 billion in Feb 2010, and then the question was asked what did we do before Google?  Now while some of you may be thinking, "What! There was a time when Google did not exist?", well I have some news for you, yes there was a time when Google did not exist, in fact there was a time when the internet, as we know it did not exist. Remember the time when we had to do research using encyclopaedias?  What I remember most was the time the encyclopaedia salesman came to try and sell a set of encyclopaedias to my family.  In his grey suit, white shirt and dark tie wielding a set of beautifully bound Encyclopaedia Britannica, all 30+ volumes and the students companion World Books.  He proceeded to explain what an encyclopaedia is, the quality of the pages and the binding.  And then to prove how useful they are he asked m...

It is easy to forget the promises we make to ourselves.  I was contemplating my future and what I would like to do and I realised that that which I had originally set out to do I had forgotten in light of work and other commitments.  So I have decided to pen a few things that I would like to do, my bucket list if you want. First I would like to visit India all over again, this time as a tourist to experience the country and its people and most of all to visit the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in new Delhi.  This to pay homage to two of, in my opinion, greatest of Moghal emperors.  Shah Jehan, who left us the Taj as a testament of his love, and Akbar the great, who achieved what few leaders have, a common understanding on religious grounds, thus uniting a nation. Then off to the Far East, Tokyo and Malaysia, to experience Japanese culture and their dedication to the search for perfection.  The vibrant colours and people of the Malaysia, where the fusion of cultu...

It has been a long time since I cooked seriously.  Not to say I have not cooked the odd meal here or there, but I was finding it quite difficult to cook for just one person.  In the last few weeks I have been watching Master Chef Australia, especially the master class segments they have once a week, and I have been inspired to cook again. But maybe inspiration is not quite the right word.  For the last few months I have been indulging in a bit of fast food.  I even got to the point, scary thought, where I could tell who made my fried chicken, or  who assembled my burger at the big M.  Well almost.  Like with all cooks and or chefs there are good ones and not so good ones, and in the fast food industry there are good chicken fryers and burger assemblers, and not so good ones. Well I can identify a good one from a bad one. So, to fess up, I am tired of the distinct taste of flavoured cardboard and greasy chicken. So I decided to dawn my apron and coo...

It is that time of the fasting month.  People are now starting to consider Eid, the festival that signifies the end of fasting.  Like all religious festivals, Eid is a family day. It is a tradition, from the time of the Prophet (P.B.U.H), to wear your best clothes and many will spend hours in the shopping malls.  Family will be visited and hatchets will be buried, albeit for a day, as a sign of respect.  I can remember, in the days of my youth.  Waking up before sunrise, and going to mosque for the early morning prayer.  Coming home to the smells of roast in the oven as my mum was preparing for the mid morning meal.  A cup of warm milk-which has been boiled with sago, almonds and sugar-and something sweet for the mouth.  A little something to symbolise that we are not fasting. Then off to the Eid prayer.  It is traditionally held in an open field, everyone brings their prayer mats and lays them out in rows.  All dressed to their best...

The month of fasting is upon us again.  And the entire Muslim community undergoes a metamorphosis. Some become more religious, others frequent the mosques, yet others adorn religious garb and generally become more "practising" Muslims, while others go into seclusion to fast and pray. All who observe the fast hope to gain the mercy of the Most High in this world and the hereafter. Fasting is a deep spiritual experience where, from sunrise to sunset, you abstain from food and drink and through this abstinence nourish the soul.  This abstinence from food serves two purposes, it serves as an indicator to others that the fast is being observed and more importantly it serves as a reminder of the other desires that are being denied.  Desires, are like veils that conceal the essence and the true inner beauty of the soul.  By denying the desires, the veils are removed and the true inner beauty of the soul is revealed. For me fasting has changed, from the time in my youth ...

To contemplate, To think, To consider,  my significance is absurd. 6 billion souls and more, I would be insolent, I would be arrogant, to even think of myself as significant. Significance... Cannot be bought, Cannot be earned, can only be given by others. To give significance, To those around you, Is the best gift you can give, a gift from the very heart. But the greatest gift, A soul can give, Is to give significance, to Him who holds my life in His hands.... :-)

It occurred to me as I was looking at myself in the mirror, attempting to remove the facial hair that had started establishing its presence during the night, that while we grow older and our hair changes from black to grey, that hopefully we become wiser and more mature so that we are able to deal with life and life's challenges appropriately and live a more fulfilling happy life. I have, in the past few months, met a number  of people.  Some have had a zest for life while others have a rather sceptical view of life.  Others have resigned themselves to the fact that they will never be happy and that happiness is meant for someone else. While others swim along being carried by the tide in total subjection of the situation.  Yet other are motivated and driven to achieve there hearts desires at any cost. And a few, very few, are content and live in the moment experiencing it to its fullest. I thought about the varying ways in which we experience life and I realised ...