Ramadan is here

Again the blessed month of Ramadan is here. 1.8 billion muslims around the world will be again united in the same worship of fasting from dawn to sunset for a whole month. Our prayers just before fast-breaking, at which their acceptance is much more likely than at other times, will be for our brothers and sisters in faith and for all the people around the world who are facing injustice and difficulty.

By postponing our basic human needs, we will yet again experience, to some extent, what other people in other places have to face every day ... Hopefully, this will make us see that giving charity is the most natural thing to do with the blessings we have been given.

By weakening our material bodies through fasting, our spiritual senses will be more attentive and accessible. Therefore, during this month, we should concentrate on activities to purify our hearts from character defects and diseases.

I wish every one a blessed month of Ramadan. May Allah enable us to take the most out of it.

I would wish to spend this month in a muslim country, where the people around me would share the same feelings as I do and would just ... understand. But I don't. I'm planning to spend the last third of it in Istanbul though. And who knows ... may be I don't come back.

Rhett&Link: NYC Food Cart Song

Here is another great video from the online comedy duo Rhett & Link. You'll love the just-before-hugging expressions of the food-cart vendors.




Make sure to check out their other Alka Seltzer Great American Road Trip videos.

In memory of Randy Pausch

Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return. (Quran 2:156)

On July 25 2008, Randy Pausch died after his struggle against pancreatic cancer with which he was diagnosed in September 2006.

I came to know about his existence through his last lecture at the Carnegie Mellon University, through which he inspired and motivated many people around the globe.

I wish his family and friends patience through this difficult time. With my deepest sympathy ...

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda is the latest animation film from Dreamworks Animation. It is one of the best animation films I've seen so far. A lot of "laughing out loud" moments, funny details --> highly recommended !!

Finding Answers

Some of you, who follow my other blog, will know that I'm occasionally teaching programming to small groups of undergraduate students. Often, during the class I feel that I'm doing something wrong, because my students seem to understand the things in the class, but cannot solve the problems I give them as homework. Today I came across this quote, which pretty much sums the reason for that up:

" If you haven't really struggled with a question, you cannot digest the answer even if it is handed to you. " (A.H.Almaas)

Recipe: Halwa with Cheese - (Turkish: Peynirli Irmik Helvasi)

This dessert reminds me of the good old times. Not that these (present) times are that bad or that much different ... maybe I'm just getting nostalgic, because I miss Istanbul where most of my old times have passed.

Last week I tasted a different version of this dessert with cheese and it was delicious. So I tried it out myself. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
125 gr butter
500 gr semolina (Turkish: irmik; Hindi: sooji; German: Griess)
1 lt hot milk
2 cups of sugar
200 gr unsalted cheese (use a sort that melts well and you like the taste of)

Procedure:
In a pan melt the butter and add the semolina. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat while constantly stirring. Add the sugar and stir for another 2 minutes till the sugar dissolves. Add the hot milk, stir again. Take the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside to rest for 3 minutes. Add the cheese and stir till the cheese melts completely. Serve preferably warm.

p.s.: if you like Indian food you can also add some cardamom powder along with the sugar.

To feel at home I would have to share this dessert with my neighbours. But in Europe one does not have that kind of relationship with his neighbours. Even though I would love to knock at the next door where an Indian family recently moved in and would love to ask: Namaste ji, kuch sooji ka halwa lijiye? But I've never seen them before, so it would be inappropriate, right? ...

Moving Windmills

The human being is a remarkable creature ... even the sky is not the limit anymore.

One example for human imagination and determination is presented by William Kamkwmamba from Malawi, who, after seeing a picture of a windmill in a textbook, decided to build one for himself ... just like that :-)

For the video click here.

Considering the fact that many of us cannot even fix the simplest things at our homes, we really should be inspired by this video and try to use our potential more ...