Eid Time

The good thing about spending Eid in Ottawa is I get to be with family and friends.

It’s definitely a more complete Eid, as far as being with loved ones is concerned.

The bad thing is Eid in Ottawa is hardly ever on the same day for everyone.

For as long as I’ve been here, Eid has seldom been celebrated on the same day by all the Muslims in this city.

If it were the country we were talking about, I might have been able to understand, because moon sightings can vary depending on geographic locations, but how is it that people in the same city celebrate Eid on different days?

I’ve never quite understood this, and to be honest it seems rather silly.

In my understanding, everyone celebrates Eid here today, whereas Canadian Pakistanis celebrate it tomorrow.

I’m not sure whether there are people of other origins who are also celebrating tomorrow, but it’s possible.

Why the division though?

Isn’t Eid supposed to be a time to celebrate together, and share happiness and good wishes?

Although Islam doesn’t permit segregations, Muslims have nonetheless separated themselves into countless groups, but do we also need to be separated on Eid?

Isn’t this a day of unity and togetherness, when we forget any (self-created) differences, and put it all aside?

Just like Islam doesn’t allow for segregation, I’m reasonably sure it doesn’t condone celebrating the same event in the same place on separate days either. That would defeat the purpose, if I dare say so.

Why this isn’t obvious to everyone is something I will probably never understand.

If we can’t come to an agreement about one day, how will we ever come to any sort of consensus on issues that threaten to differentiate and divide?

Perhaps this is a question that will remain unanswered for a long time.

Whether today or tomorrow, here’s hoping your Eid is blessed, and one which includes everyone, and not just those you hold near and dear.

More later,

xx

Back to O-town

Not surprisingly, I find myself back in Ottawa (yet again).

My flight here was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing as far as air travel is concerned.

I did catch something off the plane though, and spent the next two days after I got home in bed – asleep, other than when I woke up for six hours in between to eat, shower and the like.

I still have a sore throat, stuffy nose, and an annoying sinus problem, but hopefully it’ll get better, until the next time I travel anyway.

Halloween here was pretty quiet this year, and other than that I just ventured out to meet up with bestie in downtown.

It was cold, wet, and miserable outside – typical for this time of year here.

I had no plans to return to Ottawa, but as is usually the case, no matter how much I plan, something always ends up bringing (read dragging) me back here.

Maybe if there weren’t so much dragging, I’d miss the place myself and come voluntarily, but that’s something I’ll probably only find out when the time comes.

Maybe I just need to change the way I think about my trips here, and start appreciating them more, instead of grinding my teeth and saying how much I hate million hour flights.

I do despise flying though, so maybe I need to change the way I think about that as well and dupe myself into believing I actually like it.

On second thought, perhaps I should try to brainwash myself about everything else I find unfavorable too, like the weather, crocs, beetroot, housework, Paris Hilton’s celeb status, and the appeal of the Twilight series.  

The world might be the same, but at least I’ll be a happy (albeit brainwashed) camper.

That’s going to be a whole lot of brainwashing though, and there’s always the chance I might accidentally brainwash myself into something unintentionally.

So in everyone’s best interest (especially my own), I’ll leave things as they are.

No one wants to have to bear with an accidentally brainwashed Annie who thinks she’s Paris Hilton and wears pink crocs to work, snacks on beets, and talks about how she’s either on “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob”, depending on which side of the bed she happened to fall out of that day.

Well I’m glad that’s settled then.

Now to make a more difficult decision, such as what am I going to have for lunch today?
And for those of you who are celebrating Diwali, have a great one. Tell me how you partied it up and what you did!

More later then,

xx