Fasting month and Naw Ruz B.E. 162

OK, so I've been nagged by the Ishikawas to update my blog and I'm finally doing it just for them. :p Things have been really busy around here the past few weeks ... ok let's see.

So the Fasting month was great. 19 days of the Fast went by quite quickly this year. Let me recount the best moments during the Fast. Dinners at the Dining Room were a saviour to those of us who had no time to cook before it was time to break the Fast. So I thank the Kitchen services for their efforts from the bottom of my heart :)

I hardly ever get to dine with both my flatmates at home just becos we have very different lifestyles and activities. The number of meals we've had with the 3 of us together during these 2 yrs can be counted within my 2 hands! So during this time, we woke up early before dawn to eat breakfast before the sun rose and this was a special period when we had a chance to bond.

There was the spicy yummy dinner at Aunty Christine's home for some of us who love spicy food. It was the only meal when I finally got to meet Faraz and Arman at all during the entire Fasting month! It was almost like we were living in different planets! And then there was this one breakfast when Swee Cheng & I decided we need to have pancakes. I had to wake up at 4:45am to walk over to her home so that we could eat at 5:15am hahaha..things I do for food... And the sunrise at her home was gorgeous that day.

Then there was this special day on the 2nd last day of the Fast when we went to the beach to say prayers before sunset. We watched the beautiful sun setting into the Mediterranean sea. Man...if anyone needed to know if there was a God, they should watch sunsets :p
We had juice at the beach after prayers and walked to the Mall for dinner.

The last day of the Fast was an extremely long day for me as I was part of team put together to assist in the Naw Ruz celebration in Jerusalem.We met up at 5:45am to set out from Haifa to Jerusalem which was about 3hours away for this big event. We were part of the crew that had to make a hotel lobby look like part of the gardens in Bahji. So that was quite a feat.Took us about 6hours to set up the 'gardens' and we had various hotel guests asking us if we were setting up for a movie or if we did this for homes etc...hahaha...maybe thats what I can consider doing if I can't find a job when I return to Singapore! :p So this whole set up was to prepare for a reception at 7pm that day where dignitaries were invited to come to celebrate the occasion of the Baha'i NewYear. It was beautiful and we had a good time even though we were dead tired. Then it was time to clear out the 'gardens' that we set up that morning. Thank goodness it took much less time to dismantle the whole thing. I think it took us about 2 hours. By the time we got back from Jerusalem, it was already 2am. I don't think I've ever slept so deeply before.

The next morning I had to wake up for a brunch which I knew I couldn't miss as it was a special invitation. So up I was at 9plus quite zombily to get a ride to the brunch at 9:30am. The brunch was great. Nice company and good food. :))) And that afternoon we had the Holy Day celebration where some of my friends and I wore our Japanese Yukatas for the 1st time. (with the clogs and robe minus the hair bun up) I think I looked kinda weird cos I didn't really put it on properly but heck,it was fun.

But the best part I must say about the Fasting month was the opportunity to go to the Shrine of the Bab and Abdul-Baha almost every day, to pray and reflect on what I did for the past 2 yrs,what I was going to do when I leave the Baha'i World Centre, my family, friends, career... This special experience of being so close to the Holy Shrines... will be missed the most when I leave...