KSA's National Day celebration

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its National Day today.  This means a day off from the university. There were so many things to settle before I leave the office last night. Alhamdulillah, I have managed to finish almost 90% of the administrative works piled up on the desk before signing off for the day.

Earlier, we had a mini celebration situated at the lobby of the main building where students and staff joined together to organise various activities in conjunction with the National Day. There were booths providing varieties of fantastic local foods (which names I don't know and I am still learning to identify them), a booth offering a service to draw beautiful designs on the palm using henna (there must be a specific name for it but at the moment I can't find it), the university also provided drawing blocks, water colour paints, beads, glitter dusts, glue, scissors and other drawing accessories for anyone who wish to express their happiness and excitement through the work of art.

At the lobby entrance, two beautiful ladies served the Arabic coffee and dates to visitors. Tasbihs, national flags, cup cakes and 'pop cakes' (tiny cake covered in icing sugar attached to a stick that looks like a lollipop) were also distributed as souveniers. MasyaAllah, this was an interesting event that took me a step closer to learn the Arabic culture. I enjoyed my day.


And oh! By the way... for my dear friends and blog readers who had not known of the big news...my family and I have moved to Saudi Arabia and now we live in Riyadh. I took the offer to work at the Prince Sultan University, College for Women. I am now an assistant professor attached to the department of Accounting, College of Business and Administration. Alhamdulillah, we have been here since 28th August 2014 and we are happily adjusting our routines at the new place. The children are going to an international school just four blocks away from our apartment. At the moment my husband is converting himself to become a house-husband and he likes the idea of quickly settling all house chores including cooking meals in the morning so that he can have more time for his internet thingy and tv and friends in the second half of the day.

 Like I said earlier, all of us enjoy living in Riyadh. Alhamdulillah...

A new day has come

2014 is here.

I would like to wish all readers A Happy and Prosperous New Year. May we achieve our dreams this year. I mean,  ALL OF OUR DREAMS!!!   Ameen.

I anticipate that this is going to be a very busy year for our family, considering that Irfan and Irdina are going to sit for important exams in schools and that my applications for 2014 research grant at the university have recently been approved for two independent projects.

So, darlings, surrender all your gadgets to mommy and let's start the knowledge seeking process immediately!  ;-)

The silliest laws of the world

I am currently reading "The World's Best Book", one of the books I bought at the Big Bad Wolf book sale last year. This book, authored by Jan Payne and published in 2008, amuses me with lots of unexpected and unthinkable things that had ever occured on earth related to people, things and places. It's a selection of the best, biggest, bravest, worst, weirdest, wildest, funniest, flashiest, furthest, hottest, highest, hairiest, longest, lowest, loudest, deepest, darkest, deadliest, smallest, smelliest, strongest, most expensive, most venomous, most popular..... and the list continues.

Let me share with you one of the hillarious content of this book:

THE SILLIEST LAWS..

1. In Ohio, USA, it is illegal to get a fish drunk. 
2. In the UK, it is an act of treason to position a postage stamp bearing a king's or queen's head upside down. 
3. In Victoria, Australia, it is an offence to wear pink hotpants after midday on Sundays. 
4. In florida, USA, it is illegal for unmarried women to parachute on Sundays.
5. In England, drivers of black taxi cabs are required to ask all passengers if they have smallpox or the plague.
6. In China, you are not allowed to rescue anyone who is drowning because it is thought you are interfering with their fate.
7. In Switzerland, after 10pm, a man may not pee standing up.
8. In California, USA, it is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting licence.
9. In the city of Joliet in Illinois, USA, a woman can be arrested for trying on for more than six dresses in one shop.
10. In the UK, any person found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end can be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks.
11. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon.
12. In Milan, Italy, there is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except at funerals or during hospital visits.
13. In Kentucky, USA, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon that is more than 1.8 metres long.
14. Kissing on French railways is forbidden, and in Greece, if a man is caught kissing a woman, the death penalty can be enforced.
15. In England, any boy under ten years old may not look at a naked shop dummy.
16. In Beijing, China, you could be fined if you stop your car at a pedestrian crossing to let someone cross the road.
17. In Alabama, USA, it is not lawful to flick snot into the wind.
18. In Cester, UK, it is legal to shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow, as long as the event occurs within the city walls and it is after midnight.
19. In Alabama, USA, it is illegal to drive a vehicle while blindfolded.
20. In Vermont, USA, women must get consent from their husbands before wearing false teeth.

So what do you think about these laws? Whilst it's funny to come across silly laws like these, they indicate that there are many ridiculous behaviours in this world that need serious attention!

Fancy a pink hotpants, anybody? Smile!

The fear factor: Bdellophobia

I have just had a bath and was drying myself in front of a mirror in the bedroom when I saw, through the mirror, a big black spot on my thigh. I took a closer look at the black spot and saw it squirming.

“Aaaaaaaaargh…….!”

As far as I can remember, that was the loudest scream I have ever made in my entire life. I shouted for help while jumping up and down in the room, obviously forgotten that I was only clad in a towel.

Mom came in to rescue me.  When I showed her the black, wriggling thing on my thigh with my eyes tightly shut, to my surprise, she screamed too! Because there was no one else in the house at that time except for my two younger sisters and a baby brother (my father was at work), we did not know what to do.

“Oh mom! I’m gonna die! I am definitely going to die!”

I cried my heart out, still jumping, while mom frantically tried to find a stick to remove the black spot. It was a leech. A huge one!

After about half an hour or so, the leech was finally detached from my skin. Not because mom kept poking it with a skewer (Yeah, that’s right. OMG!) but because it had drained up all my blood and now it felt a bit dizzy with this non-stop jumping activity of the host so it decided to take a leap of faith from high above and landed a splat on the floor. Looks like suicide to me.

That was my first encounter with a leech. I was only ten then. Apparently, the incident left a remarkably scary impression of a ferocious blood-sucking beast in my mind until… yesterday.

We had a family gathering yesterday at my sister-in-law’s house. We ate, talked and laughed merrily.  The whole night was all about food, politics, movie, gadgets, and futsal too. After some while, my SIL brought out a plastic container wrapped nicely in a black plastic bag. When asked what was inside the container, she took it out and showed the content to everyone – LEECHES. Very alive and aggressive too. The sight of the leeches gave me goose bumps. It reminded me my horrible experience with a leech long time ago.

“Anybody wanna have this leeches suck up your dirty blood and perhaps solve some of your health problem?” She offered.

“Such as what?” I asked.

“Sinus, migraine, pimples, pus, delicate backache, gout, in short, anything associated with dirty blood”

 [photo courtesy of Encyclopaedia Brittanica]

I have heard about medicinal leeches used in reconstructive surgery, or for treating abscessess, painful joints, glaucoma, and in some cases, microvascular surgery (more information here).   But honestly, I am not sure if this curing method using leeches to suck impure blood as suggested by my SIL would work. Even if it really works, I have doubts that only doing it once will instantly solve the health problem. I believe it needs to be done repetitiously in order to see results. Just like we repetitiously take antibiotics to cure influenza. As a matter of fact, the main application of medicinal leeches in modern medicine is to help with blood circulation and to prevent blood clot during major surgery. So how does sucking dirty blood from a person’s temple help him/her get rid of his/her migraine problem?  *scratch head*

Anyway, with a different objective in mind, I decided to let these blood-sucking slimy squirmy little creatures with powerful jaw sink their sharp, devilish teeth to do what they do best: suck blood! (credits go to Hugh Laurie from House for giving me a lesson or two on using magical sarcastic words!) Not to cure any illness in me, but to overcome Bdellophobia: the fear of leeches.

So here are the pictures of the medicinal leeches sticking at the back of my hubby (always the best model for a photography session!) and sucking on the so called impure blood of his to cure backache.

Also here is the picture of my SIL’s husband who threw a ceremonial feast for the spineless creatures all night long to cure his sinus. LOL.

Just look at the fantastic incision made by a medicinal leech. It has a strong tripartite jaw and hundreds of tiny teeth that cut into the skin in a sawing motion and leave behind an incision mark in the form of inverted Y within a circle. Neat!  

[photo courtesy of Carsten Morkel]

At the end of the session, I figured out that the word ‘fear’ is not so suitable for me because it’s not the feeling of fear of leeches that I felt inside me. It’s more of the disgusting feelings of ‘ewh’ and ‘yucky’ that overwhelm me when I encounter these creepy-crawlies and that include maggots and caterpillars too.

 And oh! By the way, the picture below is the bag of dirty blood from 7 people in the family sucked by about 20 leeches altogether. Can you see the mouth of the leech [enlarge the pic] within the plastic bag?  Yucks!

In conclusion, I am brave enough to say that I am not afraid of leeches after all. But one thing I am totally sure, I am afraid of my creator, Allah The Almighty.

The big bad wolf strikes again!

Thriller. Fiction. Romance. Murder. Architecture. Design. Contemporary arts. Politics. Health. Beauty. Hobby. Marketing. Photography. Bibliographies. Travel. Cookery. Business. Bla..bla..bla.. dot..dot..dot.. etc. etc. etc. *sigh*

This happens at The Big Bad Wolf (BBW) book sale held at the Mines International Convention Centre (MICC) from 7th to 23rd December 2012, from 9am to 9pm. This is the second year BBW holds such event. The organiser claims that this is the biggest book sale in the world with over three million book titles offered at unbelievably low prices. Well, firstly, I do believe it. I have never seen so many books in my life. Secondly, the books are definitely cheap! Novels of RM30 to RM40 normal retail price are selling at RM5 to RM8 only! Thirdly, name what you want and you'll find it here!

The best part? For the first three days, the organiser is holding a non-stop 72-hour rally to attract as many visitors to the sale. I went there at 11pm on the first day. There was a massive traffic jam just outside the exhibition centre as people stormed in and looked for parking spaces. Either the car park are limited in numbers or there were too many visitors jamming the place simultaneously.

The exhibition hall was packed with book lovers. Would you believe that many visitors came with suitcases and even supermarket trolleys (where on earth did they get those trolleys from??? arrghh!!!) These people must have experienced the "aura" from last year's sale so they came well prepared this year.

After about four hours wandering in this big area, my legs could not stand straight anymore. Hubby has long surrendered at one corner of the hall, so I assigned him as "the bookkeeper". Hahaha! We were all tired of walking, but even then, we estimated that we have covered only about 70% of the floor area. Oh! This is what I call heaven on earth. I ended up buying 37 books, mostly English novels, each at a flat price of RM8 only. The children got some educational books for themselves too.

We went back at nearly 5am the next day. We thought by that time most people would have gone home but we were wrong. More have just arrived to join the crowd! There were long queues at all six paying counters.

Well, here are what we brought home that morning. Two boxes full of books! Now I am having difficulty to choose which book to read first....

Well, it seems like the big bad wolf isn't so bad after all...

Mourning for the death of knowledge

Gigapedia is officially gone.

I have been frequenting the website one too many times to get hold of some valuable textbooks that are hardly available in Malaysia. I even wrote a post on my Gigapedia experience in this blog some times ago.

Today when I decided to make another visit for another retrieval (a book once published in 1978!) I was shocked to learn that the virtual library was 'put to sleep' by some ugly old hags..! 

@#$%&*@#$) oh! crap!

More of the information on the closure of the website can be read here.

So that's the end of the free flow of knowledge all around the world. I once asked in my post, how on earth did this website manage to survive when many authors and publishers are labeling its act as piracy. I guess I've got the answer now. Pretty much too soon for me...

Goodbye Giga. To be more precise, goodbye to all the invisible but serious 'staff' of Library.nu. Will be missing you a lot, now that I do not know where to turn to for a fast solution to my textbooks problem.

* sigh! *

Welcome to Gigapedia

A visiting professor from Indonesia gives us a web address where we can download e-books at no cost at all. He understands that books for higher learning are very expensive to buy, what more if we student need not only one but perhaps two or more books for our reference.

The e-book website, http://www.gigapedia.org/ contains various type of books that covers on almost everything you would ever imagine in your mind. Politics, social sciences, business management, engineering, information technology, history, movies, religions, hobbies and crafts, home improvements, gardening, automobile, fashion or even a simple novel for you to read.... you name it, you got it. If you asked my opinion, I would say this is the best virtual library I've ever found so far.


 If compared to other e-books website, Gigapedia is still the best because downloading  is free of charge.



It's even better than the biggest bookshop in Kuala Lumpur, the Kinokuniya KLCC.
Kinokuniya might have complete title of everything, but the books there are way
tooooooo expensive!


I am eager to try to get hold of a book that specifically discusses on the application of SPSS (a statistics textbook) for my data analysis. The book costs around MYR128.00 (about USD39.00) and need to be ordered from the University Bookshop and will take about a month to wait before it is available for collection. I try search Gigapedia for the first time and to my surprise, it's there!!! Yabedabedoo!

Since then, I download more e-books from Gigapedia. All I have to do is become a member by registering my details (once only), then I am free to search for the books I need whenever I wanted. As a member, apart from downloading some reading materials from the site, I am also encouraged to contribute by either posting (uploading) new reading materials to the site or by donating some amount of money (as small as 10 Euro) to keep it running. Of course, I am bound to some rules and regulation. 10 simple rules, to be exact. The rules are the normal ones you would usually come across as an online member of a site: some stuff on privacy of members, spam, respect, accuracy of information, sensitivity, but the last one that really interest me is on LEECHING!

Rule no 10 says:

"No leeching! If you are one of the heaviest users and show no intent of helping out by posting/reporting etc. and just leech then your account maybe removed, we expect users to help out and get involved"

Owh! Everytime I read this last rule, I feel like someone is slapping my face. So far I have downloaded  dozens of e-books from the site but never contribute anything in return. My book collection at home are dusty and outdated. And 10 Euro equals USD1,000 to me....(Oh! what a bad reasoning!!)

Another thing that attracts me so much is 'the staff' that run this website.  Even though I do not know who they are and where they come from, I do sense that they are hard working people who try to satisfy the needs of every member: members with 1001 behaviour! Well, if not, then can you tell me why they put up this message on site?

"This site only has 10 short rules. Read them, understand and follow them, or else...."

and when you click on the 10 short rules,  the last paragraph indicates that they are really serious in their business:

"if you have an issue with any of the rules, contact us (contact link at bottom of all pages)



Staff might contact you from time to time and/or leave feedback, you are expected to listen to staff and follow any advice/warnings given. Ignoring staff is not a good idea and will lead to a voodoo doll being created in your image and poked with needles."

So, out of curiosity I check my account, in case 'the staff' left a message for me. There's this general  message that says:

"staff have left no feedback on your account, you have been a good boy/girl."

Phew!  That's a relief!!!

And so I happily read the newly downloaded statistics e-book, until I come to this paragraph at page two of the book where the author writes this...

"You're probably wondering why you have bought this book. Maybe you liked the pictures, maybe you fancied doing some weight training (it is heavy), or perhaps you need to reach something in a high place (it is thick). The chances are, though, that given the choice of spending your hard-earned cash on a statistics book or something  more entertaining (a nice novel, a trip to the cinema, etc.) you'd choose the latter. So why have you bought the book (or downloaded an illegal pdf of it from someone who has way too much time on their hands if they can scan an 800-page textbook)?"

Ahak! That statement choked me!!! Does this means the author knows that I am reading from the downloaded version of his book? Is he aware of Gigapedia existence? Is he actually referring to Gigapedia when he writes this? And he is labelling it ILLEGAL? If Gigapedia IS illegal, then how does it obtain consent to continue operation till this very day? These questions puzzle me. Anyway, eventually, I still buy the statistics book from the University Bookshop. Whether the action of buying it has anything to do with the statement by the author, wallahu'alam. I dont know.

I still visit Gigapedia once in a while when there's some information I need to get hold of really fast and there's not enough time to spend on a journey to the bookstore and searching for the real book to refer to. But the best I can, I will always make sure there's no doll being made that replicate myself and poked with needles... Ouch!

My sewing project - curtains for bay windows

I love sewing.

As far as I remember, I started sewing when I was 12. Small projects for a start, like making a pencil case, simple table cloth, apron for mom and scarf. When I grew older, my interest in sewing also grew bigger. I started to fancy dress making. My sisters became 'fashion icons' when the dresses I made for them turned out to be so beautiful,  and of course one so many times they also became 'fashion victims' when something went wrong and they have to suffer wearing uncomfortable dresses because I forced them to. hahaha. Everything is made on trial and error basis. I never went to any sewing classes. They were too expensive for me. The good side of it, I have to work hard to improve my sewing skill from time to time. Mom gave encouragement all the way. She bought lovely fabrics for my new project, she let me borrow her sewing machine and the necessary accesories, she did not even interrupt me when I was concentrating with my sewing works.

After several years, mom asked me if I was ready to sew curtains. I said I don't know, because curtains seem like something so huge and heavy and time consuming. Anyhow, one day she bought a beautiful pastel colour fabric with small flower prints and lovely tassles and white tapes and told me to sew a curtain for the living room. To my surprise, the outcome was very nice, though very simple too. Alhamdulillah. Thanks, mom, for giving me a chance to prove myself.

Since then, I started to make curtains. Every year during Eid Mubarak we hanged new curtains that I made. I enjoyed it very much. With my own pocket money, I bought a second-hand sewing machine. One day, Ann, a very good, long time friend came to my house for a visit. We started talking about ourselves and I told her I am mad about sewing. I showed her my work and she was impressed. Very little did I know that Ann is also good at sewing herself. So that day, she taught me how to make scallops for the curtains. Masya-Allah, very beautiful. I will never forget her kindness in teaching me new things in sewing. May Allah grant her more knowledge and grant her happiness in life. Thank you, Ann!

Until now, I never have to buy curtains from the drapers anymore. I made them myself. I sew curtains for mom too. She is one demanding customer, though. hahaha... Must follow exactly what she desires for her curtain or she'll turn sulky! Oh mom! I love you so much!

Last year, my husband bought me a seamlock machine so that I need not go out to the regular tailor to have the edge of my fabrics sewn. That's a pleasant surprise. "For my crazy wife" he said. Well, he knows I am crazy about sewing...Thanks, dear, for understanding me. Alhamdulillah, with the new seamlock machine, my works became much, much easier and I can finish a project within one or two days only.

I attached herewith some pictures of the curtains I sewn myself.

This white and red organza are from last year's Eid Mubarak. It consumed about 40 metres of fabrics. I like the soft flower prints. I doubled it up with plain white organza. Very soft and soothing. I like it very much during windy days when the wind blew each piece of the curtains and they moved as if they were dancing.

To make it more attractive, I use crystal beaded fringe of matching colour.

 
 
 

 
 
At my place, if you go to a draper and ordered for something like this, you might end up paying around RM1,000 to RM3,000 (about USD285 to USD857). I spent less than RM500 (USD143) for the fabrics and accessories. Phew! That's a huge saving!
 
 
 

This year's curtain, I chose something retro for a change - lace fabrics
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I made the scallops from satin to contrast the lace fabrics. As usual, that was a trial and error kind of thing, but I am glad they complement each other nicely.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
And add up some frills to make it lively. I have to confess, making frill is really taxing, but look at the outcome... trust me, it's worth it!





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

The result....Taraaaa...... !

   

 
 
I already have another great idea for the curtains next year, but as for now, that will have to wait. I need to concentrate on my study. And I am also huffing and puffing for air all the time due to my pregnancy. So, I'll let time decide when the new project will actually take place. Insya-Allah, if God wills.... Perhaps next time I'll post on my sofa cover project. That was really a huge makeover for my living room!

p/s: Girls, this is one of the many ways you could fulfill your past time and benefit from it, Insya-Allah. You may say you don't know anything about sewing. I was like that too, but alhamdulillah, the courage I have in me and also strong supports from everyone around me make it easy for me to learn step by step. If you can't sew, then maybe you can cook! Or create some decorative art from recycled waste such as cardboard, bottles or old newspapers. Better still, you can also share your knowledge by giving tutorials or tuition classes to children at your place. All these will be rewarded handsomely by The Almighty, insya-Allah.

Show that you are a talented muslimah! For good cause, Insya-Allah.

Virtual visit to Masjidil Haram...everyday!

Assalamualaikum warahmatuLlahi wabarakatuh everyone!

I pray all of you have a blessed Ramadhan so far.

Today I'd like to share something interesting with all of you.

A friend of mine introduced a blog of a Malaysian living in Makkah. He is working at Al-Jewar Royal Orchid hotel, located exactly in front of Masjidil Haram. Masya-Allah, his blog contains lots and lots of beautiful pictures of Al-Haram for everyone to view. He updates his blog regularly, at least twice a day, so readers would know what is happening at Al-Haram from time to time.

Picture courtesy of Manzlie from http://manzlie-makkah.blogspot.com/

If you have been to Makkah either for umrah or hajj, you may virtually come back to this holy land to bring back all the good memories you encountered when you were there. If you have never been to Makkah yet, this is the best opportunity to get to know what's going on over there recently. May you set a goal to be there one day, Insya-Allah.

The blog owner, Manzlie, or better known as CL, loves to take pictures of everything, from the masjid itself, to the various kinds of people visiting this place, animals like pigeons and cats, restaurants and other business centres, construction and development surrounding Al-Haram, the various beautiful pendants in the masjid, its interior design, zam-zam water, cleaners, food, night life, sahoor, taraweeh....etc.

Kaabah at 3.00 a.m. crowded with worshippers!

Enough from me! Go visit and experience it yourself. I guarantee you'll like it. And oh! by the way, the blog is in Malay language. You may need the 'Translate' button to help you. Not much, but at least you can understand what's told behind the story.

Enjoy the view! I do...  Here's the blog.

Al-Hijama and the Isra' Mikraj

Wanna know what we both husband and wife did last week?

We detoxisified the dirty blood in our body using the traditional blood cupping! Sounds scary to some people especially those who are afraid of the sight of blood, but interesting and adventurous to us who were so curious to know how it feels like after the treatment!

Blood cupping (also known as Al-Hijama) is one of the Sunnahs of our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. On the night when Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. was ascended to the sky for Isra', he went through the process of blood cupping to clean and purify himself.  

 Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. said,

"I did not pass by any group of angels on the night of Al Isra', unless they said to me, O Muhammad, tell your Ummah to do Hijama."

(Reference: Ibn Majah, 3477)

The Prophet S.A.W. also said:

"If there is anything good in the medicines with which you treat yourselves, it is in the incision of the Hijama therapist, or a drink of honey or cauterization with fire, but I do not like to be cauterized."

(Reference: Muslim, 2205).

Muslim believers are encouraged to experience the blood cupping at least once in a life time. It is said that blood cupping is able to prevent from 93 critical/cronic illness! Masya-Allah!  You can read more of the information on Hijamah here in English language and here in Malay language.

  

The traditional cupping practitioner, who perfers to be known as Embong, has been helping people with various health problem for many years ever since he is a young lad. For each cupping session he will set a reasonable charge, depending on the number of cups used and the seriousness of the health problem. He told us that dirty (bad) blood creates lots of health problem, and that the most feared one is stroke. This dirty blood is restored under the skin surface and does not flow together within the clean (good) blood in the blood vessels. Gradually, it will become toxin that harms your body. 

First step is to suck out air from the cup using a special pump. When this is done, the cup will be attached to the scalp, it could not be removed easily, as if it is glued to the scalp. After a few minutes, a huge 'bump' will emerge in the cup due to the sucking effect. Embong will then remove the cup, make nine tiny wound using a sharp blade and then put the cup back on the scalp and suck the air out again.

Within a few seconds, the dirty blood will come out from the tiny wound made. Irrespective of how much dirty blood you store in your body, it will be sucked out slowly but effectively through the process.

So how do you decide if it is a dirty blood? If your blood colour is dark, brownish red and it has a thick texture, then that is dirty blood. Good blood (clean) should contain more hemoglobin and oxygen, which is reflected in its brighter (lighter) red colour. For comparison, the colour of dirty blood is like the one in the cup, and the colour of a clean blood should be similar to the colour of the shirt sleeve.

Once when the cup is about a quarter to half full, it is removed and replaced with new cup. My husband has to change the cup for seven times! Can you see the jelly look alike blood clot? Eww! Nasty!

In the seventh (last) cup, Embong spotted some white bubbles coming out and accumulated in the cup. He told us this is the worst toxin that could ever exist in our body. He was glad he has been able to suck it out. The white bubbles can be related to many health complications, especially migraine, high blood pressure, severe headache, and many more. Can you see the dustbin with blood discharge from the cup at the bottom left of the picture?

Next is to suck the dirty blood from other various parts of the body, starting with the back, chest, stomach, and further down to the pair of legs. Same procedure took place here, except that this time razor blade is no longer used on the skin. 

After a minute, this is how it looked like.

Cupping procedure done at the back of the body.

About an hour afterwards, the session completed for the back of the body.  Can you see some circles darker than the others? According to Embong, the darker spots represent problematic areas within the body. Examples are back pain, high cholestrol level, bad fat compositions, etc.

My husband resting for a while before the session continued with his legs. Our maid was so scared to see these blood circles on his body that she refused to come closer. The fact is, though it looks bloody awful, the process is almost painless.

Cupping revealed cholestrol problem on the left chest (near the heart).

And finally, cupping at the neck areas as prevention to avoid stroke and heart attack that could either cause paralysis or death.

I went through the cupping process too, but in a closed session handled by Embong's wife. Nevertheless, the dirty blood that came out of my body is not as much as my husband's. Embong said women discharge their dirty blood on monthly basis through their menstrual period, so it is not surprising even if no blood come out at all during the cupping process. On the contrary, men do not have any alternative to naturally dispose their dirty blood accumulated in the body. That is why the rate of men getting severe illness or dying at young age is higher compared to women. Hmmm....How I feel blessed becoming a woman! You should try it too, one day. It's not a painful process at all, I promise.

Three days after the cupping session, here is my husband's observation and comment:

1. No more serious headache

2. Body feels lighter and energetic

3. He feels happier and more organised in planning

4. Better appetite

5. Clearer sight (eye vision)

6. Calm and peaceful

7. No more mood swing and bad temper

As for me, I am much happier now. No heavy, sleepy head in the morning because there is no more sleepless ordeal at nights. No more fatigue. Also, at this point of time, I have not experienced any migraine yet, and hopefully it will be gone forever. I can concentrate more on my study now.

Alhamdulillah.

Mission accomplished.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Tour around Amman 3

Our final destination in the tour around Amman is the Dead Sea.

The best picture I could snap on a moving bus!

I did some homework before visiting this place to find out what is so unique about the Dead Sea.

 The other end of the sea is the land that accomodates the Israelis, cruelly seized from the Palestinians (I hate Israelis!) 

The 60km length lake situated at the border of Israel-Jordan, is the lowest point on earth, that is 411 metres below the sea level. It is called the Dead Sea because unlike any other seas and oceans of the world, no living thing can survive in it due to its saltiness. The sea water is too salty that if you taste it at the tip of your tongue, your tongue will immediately feel numb and thick as if it is swollen (I have tasted it myself and it’s true!). On top of that, if you wet your hands with the sea water and then rub the palms together, you’ll feel the greasy or oily texture of the water, even when there’s no evidence of oil in existence. If you jumped in to the water, you’ll float like a duck. It is almost impossible to sink here (what more to dive) in the Dead Sea!

Click on the picture to enlarge it. You'll get a clearer picture of the low land structure of the Dead Sea.

So, that’s what the Dead Sea is all about. Of course the fact is gathered from scientific point of view. Another surprising fact: scientists and researchers (such as Werner Keller from Germany) recently announced that the gap of 411 metres is gradually becoming wider that is it now reaching 415 metres or maybe more! Time is the reason this value has changed. With the low replenishment rate, extreme heat, and high evaporation and some volcanic activities, the level of the Dead Sea is lowering at a rate of approximately 1 meter every 10 years. Wow! And you know what? The floor of the sea is estimated at 400 meters deep from the sea surface, which makes the sea bed about 811 to 815 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean!!! SubhanAllah!

If you don't swim on your back, there is a chance of
getting drown though afloat!

The researchers also discover in their studies that there was (used to be) some kind of life form deep within the sea that is yet to be revealed to the world. It has not been easy to conduct investigation due to the hypersalination of the water, but they’ve started to find artifacts! So what had happened there? Let’s study the mystery from different point of view, by going through the history in Islam.

I am aware that I have non-Muslim readers here at my blog. Great! Keep reading. For the non-Muslims, perhaps I should highlight here that the history of the Dead Sea and its mystery was already mentioned in the Al-Quran, thousands and thousands of years ago (approximately at 1800 B.C.) , long before the modern technology arrived to human kind. Which means, what I am about to share with you is not something that is purposely created in the past 100 – 200 years ago to make the story sounds interesting to read. This is a true history in Islam and recent findings further confirm the existence of two cities "swallowed" by the Dead Sea. Hopefully it could convey a good message to you. Happy reading!

I have been looking forward for this visit to take place. We departed for the Dead Sea around noon when the sun was shining brightly and the cool air was so nice. All of us in the bus experienced our ear plugged as we move close to the sea (the same kind of experience when you are in a plane high up in the air. It's due to the high pressure surrounding us). The moment our tour bus arrived at the beach (the Jordanian bus driver refused to park closer, so we had to walk a long way to the beach), I was all ready to get into the water and experience myself the floating sensation that has always been told in stories. But then our tour guide, Ustaz Haji Mansur Manni, immediately refrained us from swimming. We asked why, so he told us of the dark history of the Dead Sea.

During the time of Prophet Lut A.S., he was sent as messenger of Allah to give da’awah (Islamic teachings) to a group of people who practiced homosexual lifestyle (men lust on other men in preference of women). These people lived in the city of Gomorah and Sodom, at the valley of Siddim (Well, that explains where we get the word “sodomy” from!) Unfortunately, Prophet Lut was not only unwelcomed, but also mistreated by the people. They refused to listen to him, instead challenged him to ask Allah to cast a disaster upon them! Astaghfirullahal’azim!

One day, Allah put His final test on the people of Sodom, so He sent down two angels to earth in the form of very handsome and attractive men, to visit Prophet Lut and become his guests at home.

The news of the arrival of these two men was soon spread by no other than the wife of Prophet Lut herself, for she supported and approved the homosexual life style. And so, the people of Sodom became interested and came to Prophet Lut’s house and demanded him to surrender the two handsome guests to them so they could do whatever they want with the guests. Prophet Lut refused, and gave warnings that something bad will take place if they did not stop their perversity.

When the people of Sodom could not be stopped anymore, Allah saved Prophet Lut and his ‘household’, except his wife, and left behind the people of sinners destroyed as has been described by the Qur’an. And how were they destroyed? The angle Jibrail raised the land where the prophet's people lived, tipped it upside down and threw it back on earth, causing the ground near the impact to cave in.

The holy Qur’an cites these in many surahs as:

“turned upside down” – violent earthquake

“showered with brimstones/clays” – volcanic explosion

To simply explain the dreadful catastrophe, imagine you turning upside down a charcoaled meat (caught on fire and still burning) on your grill.

More information, supported by the Qur’an verses can be found from this informative and useful site:

http://www.islamicity.com/science/QuranAndScience/destruction/GeneratedFilesNoFrame/ThePeopleofLutandTheCitywhichwasTurnedUpsideDown.htm


        That was me collecting some crystallised salts

Ustaz Mansur continued to educate us by conveying that as a Muslim, we are encouraged to visit historical places that used to receive severe punishment from Allah, on condition: the intention of visiting such place is not for sheer fun or holiday, but more towards learning lessons and the visit should assist in increasing our believe and faith in Islam. That was why he forbade us from swimming in the Lake of Lut that was once cursed by Allah and ‘swallowed’ the whole region of two cities horribly. And that was also why the bus driver refused to stop closer to the beach. SubhanAllah..!

A souvenier shop close by. Wonderful things sold here. 

I have managed to take some photos of the crystallized salt from the Dead Sea. It really looks like the salt we used in our cookings, but I dare not taste it this time!

Later we went to a souvenier shop and bought many good things for remembrance, such as brooches, bookmarks, T-shirts and many other beautiful small items for decoration.

And talking about the sea salt and the mud from the Dead Sea, though there were evidence in abundance on the advantages for skin treatment and its mineral ingredient were used in many popular beauty product, but again, for the Muslims, the salt and mud came from a place cursed and destroyed by Allah the Almighty, so, its improper to paste the ‘cursed ingredients’ on your lovely faces or body parts, don’t you think so?

We finally ended our tour in Amman. (We did not visit the Citadel or Petra, as these places are not related to Islam). So we went back to the hotel, packed our things, ate lunch and prepared for our flight to next destination, Jeddah.

Goodbye Jordan. Goodbye great country of great people. I’ve got many sweet experiences here, and some unavoidable sour faces too! Hahaha! But I’ll never forget the dark history of the Dead Sea. It still gives me goose-bumps till today.