Ramadan Update: The First Weekend

The first weekend of Ramadan has passed by happily, with me not missing a fast, Alhumdullilah. Although I'm behind on my quran readings, I had been trying to follow a way of finishing the quran in the month. Since theres 300 pages in the quran 20 pages a day is a effective way of completing the quran during the month. But due to work and exhaustion I've fell behind, but Inshallah I'll be able to add a couple pages to my following daily readings and finish the quran this month. My main cause of exhaustion this weekend was missing Sehri a couple of days because I slept through them, so i fasted without eating. With the fasts being from around 4am-9:30pm,  more than seventeen hours, and working a 9 hour shift the same day I was quite exhausted. But Alhumdullilah I got through it and Inshallah I'll fast all month. It's surprising I have not yet fasted a whole month in a row, due to getting sick or being in travel, inshallah this is the month I will fast the whole month. Also I need to work on completing all 5 of my salah's per day even whilst at work. All of that being said not eating and drinking is not the hardest thing to do this month but it is the spiritual and emotional obstacles you have to overcome that are the hardest part os this month. This month gives us an amazing chance to recharge our dean (religion) and to leave all our bad choices and habits behind. Being more respectful, helping others, fulfilling all my commitments as a muslim, and seeking forgiveness are all the things that result from Ramadan. Hopefully the impacts of and the things I learn during Ramadan last till the next.

On a lighter note a big thing on everyones mind this month is getting ready for Eid-ul-Fitr (the end of the month of fasting). This entails my mom and sister spending a lot of their time buying, sewing, designing clothes, accessories, and jewellery for the big day.  Me and my sister have thus far planned some of the outfits she'll be making. One we'll cut today is a Angarkha like floor length jacket dress out of a old embroidered chiffon green sari with silver wide legged trousers and a silver Kali (knee-length shirt/shameez). She and my mother seem to be clinging to the long (floor-length) shirt lengths in fashion in Pakistan. We're also designing a outfit of Gota embroidery that has a fully embroidered loose fitting floor length with a raised front pishwas (dress) joined with a silk sharara (wide legged trouser) underneath. Stay tuned for photo's of our creations and their inspirations.
 Getting ready for eid also means trying to lose weight/stay fit, which doing while fasting is ver difficult. I know their are some amusing memes going around, like : "Ramadan puts the slim in muslim" or "Your so lucky to have a religion with a built in wieght loss program". But realistically in Ramadan finding time to work out is so difficult, I am trying to do it right before the end of my fast or following. But with the fasts being so long this is so far turning out to be a hurdle I have to overcome in the next few days. Also all the delicious unhealthy foods made this month make for binging on samosas, briyani, golgappa's, and other fried goods during iftaar or sehri. I need discipline!