Selamat Hari Raya

Hi Natty!  How are you today?  I hope all is well with you, and you are feeling good.  Ah, I didn't have to fast today!  Today is the Eid, one of the 2 Eids that Muslims celebrate, this being Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.  I had to work of course, I don't get holidays.  I've been on my own all my life and had to work, so I don't have much of an emotional attachment to public holidays.  But when we marry inshaAllah, we will have to celebrate Ramadan and the Eid as a function of strengthening family.  Oh don't you worry about society Honey, I will be every much as isolated as you.  I have no friends.  It is family that we will focus on.  People usually prepare much festive food for the occasion.  My mother had a modest spread this year, so I ate some of that.  The Eid can be compared to Christmas, but the kids don't expect presents.  Instead, they expect cash.  Kids here used to go around from house to house, knocking on doors and yelling "Selamat Hari Raya!" and folks would give them cash.  Yeah, like Halloween.  Not this year though.  But you have to admit, cash is easier to deal with than buying presents right?  They can have presents on their birthdays.  That is a monumental enough task for me.

Qur'an 20200524

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

14.  And when they see a Sign, turn it to mockery.

15.  And say, "This is nothing but evident sorcery!"

16.  "What!  When we die and become dust and bones, shall we be raised up?"

17.  "And also our fathers of old?"

18.  Say, "Yes, and you shall then be humiliated."

Those ranged in ranks 37:14-18

Spaghetti again?

Hi Natty!  How are you?  I hope you are healthy and happy!  It's the last day of Ramadan today, so no more mandatory fasting for this year!  I get to drink coffee in the afternoon!  I'm so happy!  Simple pleasures.  I think I managed to step up this Ramadan, inshaAllah.  It sure has been a busy one this year.  The first half of the month was full of aches and pains, and the rest was Internet chaos, all within the frame of Covid-19.  I can't say that Covid-19 is a blessing, but other than that it was a great Ramadan.  Thank You, ya Allah.

The most memorable meals this month were the beef jerky, and the spaghetti!  Yeah I had spaghetti again, for the pre-dawn meal.  It's a beef and onion sauce, onion being the thickening agent.  The beef and eggplant was a better sauce, but this one is a success alhamdulillah.  For breaking fast this dinner, I'm having steamed rice, crunchy anchovies, a couple of sunny side up eggs, and "sambal tumis petai" (bitter beans in hot sauce).  Very traditional.  I would offer you some, but bitter beans is an acquired taste.

Floating earrings

Hi Natty!  How are you feeling today?  I hope you're not getting nervous about having to talk to me.  That's what marriage is, right?  Being together and talking to each other?  Don't you worry about a thing, my beautiful Princess.  Everything is going to work out nicely for us inshaAllah.  I get the feeling that after a while, you are the one who is going to be doing a lot of the talking.





Oh dear, I didn't notice those floating earrings until after the photo shoot was done.  Those earrings must have been set up for the old system head.

Onions

Hi Natty!  How are you feeling today?  I hope you are feeling absolutely great, and having a marvelous time.  What's for dinner?  Are you hungry?  I just got done spending the evening in the kitchen and boy, it was hot and sweaty.  I was making spaghetti sauce.  Onions are cheap right now, so I'm using onions as the thickening agent in the sauce.  Onions were ridiculously expensive recently because somebody got into a quarrel with India, but now onions are cheap again so there.  I blended the onions with garlic and cilantro, then fried them up in a little oil.  When it got saturated, I added a can of tomato soup, a can of water, and the spices (cayenne pepper, black pepper, and mixed whole spices).  When that got blended well, I added the ground beef.  Now the fire is off and the pot is sitting on the stove top waiting for sunset, when I can add salt to taste.

But that wasn't dinner: the sauce is for tomorrow.  I bought a loaf of sliced bread yesterday, so I'm making sandwiches.  I got sliced tomatoes and onions (yeah, I like raw onions in my sandwich) and the lettuce ready in the cooler.  I made a small tofu omelet, and fried up some chicken tenders.  So that's dinner, Honey: chicken tender with tofu omelet sandwiches.  Want one?

Thank you

Hi there, beautiful Natty.  You truly are a lovely angel, with a beneficent and generous soul.  Thank you for being so patient with me.  I love you with all of my heart.

Qur'an 20200520

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

77.  Does not man see that it is We Who created him from sperm?  Yet behold!  He is an open adversary!

78.  And he makes comparisons for Us, and forgets his own creation.  He says, "Who can give life to bones and decomposed ones?"

79.  Say, "God will give them life, Who created them the first time!"  For God is Well-versed in every kind of creation.

Ya Sin 36:77-79