The Real Deal–JoDi’s Blog

What is Eid al-Adha

At the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca), Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). In 2008, Eid al-Adha will begin on approximately December 8th, and will last for three days.

What does Eid al-Adha commemorate?

During the Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham. The Qur’an describes Abraham as follows:

“Surely Abraham was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous.” (Qur’an 16:120-121)

One of Abraham’s main trials was to face the command of Allah to kill his only son. Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to Allah’s will. When he was all prepared to do it, Allah revealed to him that his “sacrifice” had already been fulfilled. He had shown that his love for his Lord superceded all others, that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to submit to God.

Why do Muslims sacrifice an animal on this day?

During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember Abraham’s trials, by themselves slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. This action is very often misunderstood by those outside the faith.

Allah has given us power over animals and allowed us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life. Muslims slaughter animals in the same way throughout the year. By saying the name of Allah at the time of slaughter, we are reminded that life is sacred.

The meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah’s commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from Allah, and we should open our hearts and share with others.

It is very important to understand that the sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin. This is a misunderstanding by those of previous generations: “It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.” (Qur’an 22:37)

The symbolism is in the attitude - a willingness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay on the Straight Path. Each of us makes small sacrifices, giving up things that are fun or important to us. A true Muslim, one who submits his or herself completely to the Lord, is willing to follow Allah’s commands completely and obediently. It is this strength of heart, purity in faith, and willing obedience that our Lord desires from us.

What else do Muslims do to celebrate the holiday?

On the first morning of Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world attend morning prayers at their local mosques. Prayers are followed by visits with family and friends, and the exchange of greetings and gifts. At some point, members of the family will visit a local farm or otherwise will make arrangements for the slaughter of an animal. The meat is distributed during the days of the holiday or shortly thereafter.

I was browsing through the Causes Application on Facebook (which is more than a year old already ) when I came across this site on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness. I don’t know if a lot of people know, but I lost my second child to miscarriage. I didn’t even know he or she had passed on until I had undergone and emergency ultrasound at the hospital. That was in December 2005. As the month is about to roll by, I’m starting to feel a little more depressed than usual. I sort of dislike the month with a passion. Same goes for June…that was my supposed due date..June 15th-16th. Of course, life goes on, and we’ve nothing else to do but accept things that are not meant for us. Still, the pain lingers on.

http://pattycake.blog.friendster.com/2005/12/bye-bye-baby/

Anyway, I looked up on other awareness ribbons and bumped into a site that tells which color ribbons supports the following causes. I thought it would be cool to share since we’re all not that aware of it… It’s a pretty lengthy list, but a little education here now and then (even on blogs) wouldn’t hurt now, would it?
RED = Aids/HIV, alcohol substance and drug abuse (includes inhalents), MADD, DARE, Epidermolysis Bullosa, love, heart disease (also uses the red dress symbol), supraventicular tachycardia, Wolff-parkinson-White Syndrom (WPW), Pro-life, hypertension, Evans Syndrome

ORANGE = hunger, leukemia, cultural diversity and racial tolerance, feral cats, motorcyslist safety, Multiple Sclerosis, self injury, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Support of the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and North Samaria (Israel), skin cancer (with a sun in the center of the loop), Underage Drinking, Deep Vein Thrombosis, Work zone safety, Highway and Road Worker Memorial, Agent Orange exposure, kidney cancer

YELLOW = Support our troops, POW/MIA, suicide prevention, adoptive parents, spina biffida, missing children (amber alert), endometriosis, sarcoma (with or without a sunflower), myxoid liposarcoma, bladder cancer, liver disease, liver cancer, cholangiocarcinomas, hydrocephalus or hydrocephaly, hope in general, boycott Aruba (hope for Natalee), carbon monoxide poisoning, genocide awareness

GREEN = Tissue and organ donation or transplants, depression (both adults and children), bipolar disorder, mental health, mental illness, eye injuries, Tourette’s Syndrome, bone marrow transplants and donation, Fanconi’s Syndrome, worker and driving safety, Von Hippel Lindau, glaucoma, missing children, leukemia, environment, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans, kidney cancer or kidney disease, neural tube defects, Mitochondrial Disease, growth and rebuilding, Progressiva, Cerebral Palsy, Save Darfur, Stem Cell Research, Neurofibromatosis, Lissencephally

BLUE = Child abuse prevention, arthritis, free speech, crime victims rights, waterquality, colon cancer, Dysautonomia, hystiocytosis, Erb’s Palsy, Ankylosing Spondylitis, domestic violence, water safety (flooding, drowning and accidents), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), dystonia, interstitial cystitis, bracial plexus injury, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Alopecia, Reyes Syndrome, education, Steven Johnson Syndrome, short bowel syndrome, Myositis, Leukodystrophy, Hurricane Support, Huntington’s Disease, police officers lost in the line of duty (AKA, the Thin Blue Line), Malaria, Syringomyelia, Neurofibromatosis, Sex Trafficking and Slavery, Cri du Chat Syndrome, Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome,
polio awareness, Primary Immunodeficiency Disease, Sensory Processing Disorder (reflex blue shade)

PURPLE = Domestic violence, religious tolerance, animal abuse, the victims of 9/11 (includes police and firefighters), pancreatic cancer, Chron’s Disease and colitis, cystic fibrosis, leimyosarcoma, macular degeneration, Sjogren’s Syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, sarcoidosis, the homeless, Mucolipidoses, thyroid cancer, ADD, ADHD, alzheimers, cancer survivor (this is a general color that anyone who has survived cancer can wear), Pagan pride, Arnold Chiari Malformation, children left unattended in cars, childhood or pediatric stroke

WHITE = Innocence, victims of terrorism, peace, right to life, diabetes, sexual assault of students, retinal blastoma, blindness, alzheimers, adoption, bone disease and bone cancer, anti-child pornography on the internet, carbon monoxide poisoning (CO poisoning), post partum depression, survivors, Scoliosis, Anti-stalking, Men working to end men’s violence against women, Holocaust remembrance, Sex trafficking and slavery (efforts via the childrens anti-pornography and men working to end violence against women groups in 55 countries!).

BLACK = Mourning, melanoma, anti-gangs, Anti-terrorism in Spain, narcolepsy, POW-MIAs, Primary Billiary Cirrhosis, Amish Support, gun control, accidents (general designation)

BROWN = Anti-tobacco, colorectal cancer

GREY = Diabetes, brain cancer, Parkinson’s, asthma, allergies, end sex trafficking and slavery in the UK

LIME GREEN = Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Lyme Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Ivemark Syndrome, Sandhoff Disease, Support for Adoptees Rights to open adoption records that have been sealed, mental health

TEAL = Ovarian, cervical, uterine (all gynecological) cancers, food allergies, substance abuse, sexual assault, Myasthenia Gravis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, agoraphobia, panic or stress disorders (includes PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fragile X, Batten Disease

TURQUOISE = Native American reparations (dark teal items work too), interstitial cystitis (IC Network designation), addiction recovery, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

BURGUNDY/MAROON = Hospice care, multiple myeloma, cesarian sections, headaches and migraines, adhesions, thrombophilia and other coagulation or blood factor disorders, meningitis, polio survivor, Post-Polio Syndrome, Hughes Syndrome, brain aneurysm, Hirschsprung’s Disease (Congenital Megacolon), children undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with rare disorders or diseases, amyloidosis, hemangioma.

PERIWINKLE = Eating disorders, pulmonary hypertension, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, GERD, IBS

PINK = Breast Cancer, Birth Parents, cleft palate, nursing mothers

HOT PINK = Inflammatory breast cancer

PALE YELLOW = Spina biffida

AMBER = Appendix Cancer

PEACH = Uterine Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

CREAM = Paralysis, spinal cord injuries, spinal diseases or disorders, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

LIGHT GREEN = Pelvic Pain (chronic), Celiac Disease, STD Awareness, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

EMERALD GREEN = Homeopathy awareness

JADE = Asian and Pacific Islander campaign by ALC to raise Liver Cancer and Hepatitis B awareness.

LIGHT BLUE = Prostate cancer, mens health, thyroid disease, lymphedema, Addison’s Disease,Trisomy 18, Velo-Cardio Facial Syndrome, Klinefelter’s Syndrome, hyperaldosteronism, scleroderma, Behcets Disease, Graves Disease, Shprintzen Syndrome, Edward’s Syndrome

LAVENDER = All cancers (general cancer awareness), epilepsy, hypokalemic periodic paralysis, rett syndrome, Hodgkins lymphoma, foster care or foster parents, infantile spasms, hysterectomy

ORCHID (VIOLET) = Testicular cancer

PEARL = lung cancer or lung disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Mesothelioma, emphysema, Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

SILVER = The Silver Ribbon Campaign For The Brain© for brain disorders and disabilities, Children with physical or learning disabilities, elderly abuse, stalking

GOLD = Childhood Cancer, COPD, Embryonal Rhabdomysarcoma, Breast Feeding (The Gold Standard)

COPPER = Menkes disease

CLEAR = Lung Cancer, Lung Disease

LIGHT PINK AND LIGHT BLUE = Pregnancy and infant loss, SIDS, Male breast cancer, baby safe haven, amniotic fluid embolism, Hyperemesis Graviduram

LIGHT PINK, WHITE AND LIGHT BLUE = Group B Strep (newborns)

RED AND WHITE = aplastic anemia, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

RED AND YELLOW = Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Teen abstinence

RED, WHITE AND BLUE = Patriotism, 9/11 victims, fireworks safety

RED AND BLUE WITH A HEART= Congenital Heart Defects (also red,blue and red stripes)

BLUE AND YELLOW= Down Syndrome, designated drivers (The Hero Campaign), Fatty Oxidation Disorders

BLUE AND GREEN = Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumor Cerebri)

PURPLE RIBBON WITH A RED ROSE = Cystic Fibrosis

PURPLE AND GREEN = Hospice And Pallative Care

PURPLE AND BLUE = Rheumatoid arthritis, childhood or pediatric stroke

PURPLE AND YELLOW = Chemical Injury (all diseases, disorders, pain, discomfort, or hurt etc. arising from exposure to a chemical substance)

PURPLE AND BLACK = Paranormal Awareness

JIGSAW PUZZLE RIBBON = Autism, Asperger Syndrome

PRISM= Multiple Schlerosis (MS)

ORCHID AND ORANGE= psoriasis

ORANGE AND MAROON = Virginia Tech Tragedy

ORANGE AND GREEN = Ritual abuse, Dual Diagnosis

ORANGE AND BLUE = Pediatric Bipolar Awareness (top orange, bottom blue).

LIME GREEN AND AQUA= adult stem cell donor

TEAL AND PINK = Hereditary Breast Cancer or a combo ribbon for gynecological and breast cancers.

PINK AND GOLD = Phyllodes Tumors

BLACK AND PINK = Bone Marrow Donor, loss of a daughter

BLACK AND LIGHT BLUE= Loss of a son (you can also use Black and Navy to indicate an older son)

BLACK AND WHITE= Carcinoid Syndrome Cancer (has zebra stripes), Anti-racism, Anti-corruption

BLACK, WHITE AND BLACK (three stripes) = Vaccine danger

GOLD AND BLACK = Platelett donor

GOLD AND SILVER = All hearing or ear related disorders and diseases

BLUE AND SILVER= Living or coping with cancer

IVORY, BURGUNDY AND IVORY (three stripes) = Oral head and neck cancers, oral squamous cell carcinoma

IVORY LACE = Osteoporosis

NAVY BLUE AND WHITE PINSTRIPES = ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Lou Gehrig’s Disease

YELLOW, LIME GREEN, ORANGE, AQUA, HOT PINK = Myelodysplastic Syndrome

ORANGE, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE AND YELLOW = STD awareness

RED, WHITE AND RED (3 stripes) = Leukemia and Lymphoma

BLUE AND WHITE = In memory of Columbine, Teen cancer

RAINBOW= Gay pride or rights movement, same sex marriages

RED AND BLACK= Murder victims (both adults and children), Self Harm or Self Injury (ASHIC designation)

ORANGE AND RED = Myeloproliferative Disorders

BLUE, WHITE AND PINK (3 stripes) = Parental Alienation Syndrome

TEAL, BLUE AND PINK = Thyroid Cancer (Thyca designation)

–There are probably other ribbon causes that we don’t know about. Hopefully will update you guys if anything else comes up.

It’s a bit amusing and hella annoying that we’re all made to wait for almost twenty-four hours for the Friendster Team to finish their maintenance check on the site. When I checked mine about an hour ago I thought, ok, it looks pretty much the same, except for the profile views counter which reset itself back to 1. Then I saw. How could I have added 500+ friends when I haven’t even gotten the chance to log in the whole day yesterday? All my real pending friend requests are still there, waiting. Wow. Please don’t tell me 500+ strangers are now able to view my private profile?

So much for privacy.

Some work there, FS. NOT!

Now do I have to manually delete those strangers or you’re gonna fix the problem?

It has already been two (or three) days since the recently ended US Presidential Elections, and I am still feeling the buzz of President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama’s victory over Sen. John McCain. For months we have been fed with update after update from their nominations to their respective parties as candidates, their campaigns, debates, controversies, personal lives, the campaign for the seat, the actual election, and then Obama’s victory and McCain’s concession. I quietly celebrated his win as I am not an American, nor do I live in the land of opportunity, but to me, President-Elect Obama’s victory does signify a want for a better world. And while I respect Senator McCain with his vast experience and tenure in the political arena, I felt a bit anxious that if he had won, he would be like President Bush who has made blunder after blunder with his corrupt ways and narrow-mindedness, and continue to wage war and whatever else it is that his would have been predecessor had done. I do commend him though, for having conceded in the most gentlemanly fashion and respecting the outcome of the election. Kudos to you, Mister Senator.

With the economic crises USA has been experiencing lately and quite short tenure in in politics (just in comparison to McCain’s, okay) , I think Senator Obama has quite a lot on his shoulders when transition takes place on January 20 next year (2009). President Bush has certainly left him with a big mess. Sorry, I’m really not a fan of that redneck, same goes to his father when he was president back in the nineties. I guess America has grown tired of their old ways, and they knew what options they had there. I say they chose wisely. And with Democrats taking majority of the seats in the Senate and the House, Pres. Obama will probably be getting a lot of help too.

President-Elect Obama’s win against Senator McCain is an historic event for America and the rest of the world that our generation is able to witness. It was a David and Goliath battle of sorts, and David came on top. An African American winning the top political seat of the country, of the world probably, is not just some small feat–it is an achievement, an event not to be missed considering their history. When I think of that, I feel overwhelmed, jubilant and privileged to have been part of this age that doing the impossible is possible. Perhaps the people felt that change has come. This turn of event has given me hope that good things could still happen in spite of difficulties and turmoil. May this experience cause a chain of positive reactions, not only for America, but for the rest of the world.

Congratulations, President Barack Hussein Obama!

Whew!

For awhile there I thought I’d lost this virtual journal of mine forever!

A couple of days back I had tried updating my blog by tinkering with the widgets and changing the theme because I was pretty much getting bored by its look. I was previewing potential templates when boom! I got a blank page instead of a preview of my supposed new layout. I left it at that, knowing that my old blog will come back since I didn’t save the new template. So I went back to my FS page to update, blah blah blah. The next day I was itching to blog, and I couldn’t get to my blog homepage. What the ****! Ano na namang kalokohan ito! I know FS sometimes gets all crazy but what’s up with my page?! I was getting pissed off with every second that ticked by. It’s like this… when I have something on my mind, and my fingers are itching to type, I want to do it, like, NOW. Right away when thoughts are spilling from my brain and ears and my emotions are eating me up. And I couldn’t do anything about it. My blog has betrayed me that day. I had to soothe myself with other means. I turned to the fridge. LOL

Like I’ve always said, writing is my form of release. I have about a t least half a dozen to a dozen journals hidden somewhere in our house; my first journal I started was in the sixth grade, then I had a couple throughout high school, my days in college and out of it, up to the present. In the virtual world, it’s equivalent to blogging. I can name about twenty different sites that caters to bloggers, writing subjects ranging from ants to gardening, from fashion to motors, from births, crushes, near-death experiences, from technology to zulu… anything that one can ever think of to talk about. Usually one blog would focus on a certain subject, but mine is more random… I write about whatever strikes my fancy, I don’t and can’t stick to one subject. I kind of like it that way, too.

Guess this is all for now. basically I’m just relieved my blog’s back. I have another one but I’m loyal to this for some sentimental reasons. See you guys.