Eid ul Adha fever, Every where!


Eid ul Adha fever, Every where!
Originally uploaded by i b u
Eid ul Adha (10 Dhul-Hijja) - the festival of sacrifice
his is a four-day public holiday in Muslim countries.

The festival remembers the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to.
Ibrahim's sacrifice

God appeared in a dream to Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice his son Isma'il. Ibrahim and Isma'il set off to Mina for the sacrifice.

As they went, the devil attempted to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God and not to sacrifice his beloved son. But Ibrahim stayed true to God, and drove the devil away.

As Ibrahim prepared to kill his son God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead.
Celebrations

Ibrahim's complete obedience to the will of God is celebrated by Muslims each year.

Each Muslim, as they celebrate, reminds themselves of their own submission to God, and their own willingness to sacrifice anything to God's wishes.

During the festival Muslims who can afford to, sacrifice domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibraham's sacrifice. (British law insists that the animals must be killed in a proper slaughterhouse.)

The meat is distributed among family, friends and the poor, who each get a third share.

As with all festivals there are prayers, and also presents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The twelfth month of the Hijra calendar is Thul Hijjah. This is one of the four sacred months, and is the month of the Hajj. The Hajj, or Pilgrimage, as it has become known in the West, is the time of year when Muslims from all over the world visit the Ka'ba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The Ka'ba is the first House built for the worship of the one GOD, ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, the GOD of all mankind. It was erected by Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma'eel (Ishmael), alaihim assalaam. Ibrahim's, alaihis salaam, faith in the LORD is well documented in the Noble Qur'an. Ibrahim, alaihis salaam, is described as being a nation by himself, due to his great faith in ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Ibrahim, alaihis salaam, was instructed to take his wife Hajar, and son Isma'eel, alaihis salaam, to Makkah. At that time, Makkah was an unpopulated, barren desert. Ibrahim, alaihis salaam, obeyed the LORD's command and took his family to Makkah. As he left them there alone, sorrow overcame him. But he knew he was obeying the LORD's command, so he supplicated, asking the LORD to preserve his loved ones, to allow the desert to bloom and provide for them, and to have swarms of people come and visit them. The Hajj is part of the LORD's granting of Ibrahim's, alaihis salaam, supplication. For over 1400 years, Muslims from all over the world, visit Makkah every year, to perform the Hajj and visit the Ancient House of the LORD.

The first ten days of this month are best and most most loved days of the year. Muslims spend these days performing additional prayers, reciting the Noble Qur'an, and offering supplications to the LORD. Many Muslims fast during these first nine days. Of course, those who have been blessed with it, are in Makkah, performing the Hajj.

The ninth day of Thul Hijjah is a very special day. It is the day of 'Arafa. On this day, Muslims performing Hajj gather at the mount of 'Arafat, in one of the most important parts of the Hajj. They pray, perform supplications and give thanks to ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, for all the blessings bestowed upon them. It is on this day that Adam and Eve, alaihim assalaam, met each other on earth for the first time, two hundred years after being expelled from Paradise. Muslims away from the Hajj, normally fast on this day.

The tenth day of the month signifies the beginning of Eid-Ul-Adha, the holiday of Hajj. Those performing the Hajj, have returned from 'Arafa, and now proceed to slaughtering a lamb or other suitable animal, in commemoration of Ibrahim's, alaihis salaam, act of obedience to the LORD. In a divinely inspired dream, Ibrahim, alaihis salaam, saw that he was sacrificing his oldest son, Isma'eel, alaihis salaam, for the sake of ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. When he revealed this to his son, his son asked him to do as he was commanded and that he would be patient. As the blade passed over Isma'eel's neck, alaihis salaam, the LORD did not take the life of Isma'eel, alaihis salaam. The LORD provided a ram for the sacrifice, and preserved his two faithful subjects. Those away from Hajj also perform the sacrifice. Normally, they keep one third of the meat from the sacrifice, distribute one third to the needy and share one third with their neighbors.

Eid-Ul-Adha is a four-day holiday and celebration. It commences on the 10th day of Thul Hijjah and is celebrated in a manner similar to Eid-Ul-Fitr. It starts with a special holiday prayer, performed in congregation in the Masjid (Mosque) or other suitable place. It is a time of celebration, of visiting family and friends and of thanking ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, for all the blessings bestowed upon us. Fasting is prohibited during these days.

Family fishing weekend


Family fishing weekend
Originally uploaded by i b u
Remember, fish with care, and concern for future generations of people and fish!
Busy? How often do you answer, "Yes!" but you want to make time for the children in your life? One way to do that, and connect with the natural world at the same time, is through fishing. Perhaps you've never fished, or forgotten how. So even if you wanted to, you may feel you're too busy to learn enough to make it fun and rewarding. If that's the case, then this booklet is for you. Whether you're a parent, or someone who cares enough to help a child, here's just enough to get you started. Once you've tried fishing, we're betting that you might not want to stop.

walking on the beach- Maldives 2008

I used to title "walking on the beach" of theYear 2008 Calender Project
Aside from the beautiful view of the ocean and the great people watching there are many benefits of walking on the beach. Walking in sand requires a greater effort than walking on a hard surface. Your muscles and tendons will work harder as your foot moves around. Experience in Maldives.
Don't forget that one of the many benefits of walking is that walking is relaxing so don't forget to stop and pick up a pretty shell, look for porpoises playing in the surf, and notice the always changing colors of the water and the sky.

hold me close mum!


hold me close mum!
Originally uploaded by i b u
Hold me close, under the sun.
and let Gods blue and whites soothe your eyes,
like this is all a dream.

Hold me close, under the sun.
You can kiss my neck a little, if you like.
Or better yet, walk my silk shirt off my shoulders.

Flickr Explore Tips and Tricks


joined flickr for almost a year, and have 61 pictures on Explore. I once strategically made a few of mine to show on Explore... although I can't force them to get up there, I do have a pretty good idea how it works. Here are some pointers and cruel truth about it:

#1. Faves, Comments, and Views are basically the things that account for the positive score (interestingness) that count towards Explore.

#2. Adding to groups account for negative points (interestingness penalty) .
#3. Source of views/comments/faves matter; and the person who views/comments/faves your picture also matters.
#4. Repeated comments from the same person are not worth as much as comments from different sources, if not actually penalizing the shot itself. Think about it, some people use certain pictures to carry on discussions. Explore has to screen those out...
#5. Joining many groups, and leaving the groups and rejoining tactics simply don't work... trust me it doesn't. This shot on the right was submitted to too many groups after Explore dropped it the first time, and it never made its way back regardless of how many views/comments/faves I got afterwards. It just lost too much grounds to be covered.
Now that pretty much sums up the basics of the scoring system... note that if you place your shot in too many groups to begin with, your shot better gain a huge flow of traffic and faves, or else it will never cover the lost grounds and make its way up to Explore. How do you get the views/faves without adding to too many groups you say? Yea that's what makes it difficult... I'll sum up a few points here:
A). Sex sells. It's universal... a picture of a very pretty person will definitely have it easier than a picture of your living room. But beware, R rated pictures that are marked would probably be removed, or you may be penalized...

B). If you're a female with a pretty picture as your icon, congratulations... you'll have an easier time than me, or Joe next door... :) Flickr is pretty much web 2.0... and it's a social network. Like I mentioned above, since views and faves matter, you might notice that certain types of people get it easier than others due to obvious reasons.

C). Your subject matters. Some subjects have it easy because they draw people to click on the thumbnail to view a larger size. Our curiosity always gets us, because a bigger picture and the full details are just a click away.
D). Pictures with really eye popping effects or stunning visuals or jaw dropping elements always work. People would also generally fave those shots because they'll want to be reminded of the originality or the technique. Be generous and share the details behind your shots, because it helps others and also provide your viewers a platform to discuss, resulting in comments.

E). Get your shot technically right - Have it properly exposed, color balanced, focused correctly, etc. I don't think we need to go too far on this topic, I'm sure you all know this is important.

F). Be truthful to yourself. If your shots really aren't as good as those up there on Explore 500, maybe you need to improve before trying to push them up on the list.

G). Build up your contacts and social network, because those who like you or appreciate your shots would usually be kind enough and come back and view your latest work, and possibly earn your more views/comments/faves.

H). Yes, there appears to be a time zone on Explore. Afterall flickr is a worldwide network. From what I've heard, it is based on Pacific time zone, but I find flickr updates many times every day and so it probably doesn't matter when you submit your shot really.

I). Don't underestimate your tags, descriptions, and titles. They are the fields that allow your shots to be found when people use the search feature. That's one good source of allowing people to find your shots among thousands and thousands of pictures uploaded to flickr every second. Also, keep your pictures well organized, and navigation-friendly.

Finally, let me add one last thing to wrap this up... Flickr is about Photography, please be kindly reminded of that. Although I know you all want your shots to be listed on Explore or gain some publicity, it's also very important that Explore maintains the level of quality. So far I think it's got a very good algorithm in picking interesting shots. If you really want to make your way there, here's basically what you should do:

Improve your photography; learn how to positively critique; learn how to LISTEN to comments and critiques you receive; learn to appreciate great work of art; generously, nicely, kindly, and genuinely comment on others' work; be original, work hard, and enjoy the process.