the ranting blogger
Eid is here peeps! May it be a day filled with joy as we celebrate a new beginning with our loved ones and community at large.
Just because Ramadan has come to a close, we don’t return just to our old ways. What have you learned this past month and carry it forward with you. Know that you didn’t just detox physically, but spiritually too.
May God accept your fasts, prayers and zakat… May God bless you and yours with a joyous and delightful Eid… ameen.
From our family to yours, Eid Mubarak!!
We’re now starting week two of Ramadan and so far, I’m doing well… despite my major caffeine withdrawals. #TheStruggleIsReal! But in all honesty, fasting is such a beautiful way to reflect and detox both mentally, physically and spiritually. It is said that the first ten days are for mercy, the second ten days are for forgiveness, and the last ten are for protection.
God willing, this month inspires you all to give back to your community, come out with some self-improvement, and appreciate the little snacks in life. So… what’s for iftar?
RAMADAN HAPPENINGS
With Ramadan in full swing, there are lots to do and enjoy. You don’t have to be Muslim to try fasting and join others for good food and conversation at iftar gatherings. If you’re a student preparing for midterms, find your campus’ Muslim Student Association who usually host a one day “fastathon” before coming together for iftar. Those are always fun and a great way to learn about and meet your fellow Muslim classmates. If you’re not a student but eager to learn, head to your local masjid where more likely than not, like the the South Bay Islamic Association (SBIA), hosts a weekly or nightly iftar gathering.
Here are a few cool happenings around the Bay this Ramadan season:
May 15 – Muppies and Islamic Relief are partnering together for their 2nd Annual Delicious and Community-Building Iftar at Mela Tandoori Kitchen, in San Francisco. Trust me, this is not to be missed and it’s for a great cause!
May 18 – The Arab Cultural and Community Center (ACCC) is hosting their annual Ramadan Iftar. Meet community members and learn about the latest ACCC activities in one of the organizations popular annual events. Tickets are limited so get yours now!
May 19 – As it’s the season of giving, head to the Ramadan Feed 2019 by San Francisco’s very own, Project Feed. On their 11th year, people chip in, gather together to pack lunches and distribute it to the city’s less fortunate. They do this monthly but it’s always more special during Ramadan. And after doing so much good, head to the 4th Annual Cupertino Eid Bazaar and give yourself a head start on that Eid shopping! Find amazing clothes, jewelry, and accessories from local Bay Area vendors.
May 25 – The Algerian American Association hosts their 2nd Annual Ramadan Iftar in San Francisco’s ACCC. This event is free, all they ask is you bring something sweet to share and toys to be donated to children in need as holiday gifts.
May 26 – Before you break your fast, head to Mehran Restaurant in Newark for their 4th Annual Eid Bazaar. For a great iftar and cause, the Bay Area chapter of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is hosting their 6th Annual Benefit Iftar in Menlo Park. PCRF does amazing work with the children of Palestine, Yemen and Syria in dire need of medical treatment, be it here in the US or their home countries.
HAPPENING AROUND TOWN
You also don’t have to miss out on some cool happenings around town just because you’re fasting. Especially after breaking fast and getting a good boost of energy, you’ve got good reasons to head out on the town.
Starting this week, Cobb’s Comedy Club is hosting a three-part film series, Cooking with Carpenter. This series, hosted by comedian Chap Opitz, explores director John Carpenter’s best movies with a themed three-course meal and of course a screening of one of Carpenter’s classics.
This is now officially Oakland Art Month! In this inaugural celebration, there’s much to see, do and enjoy by Oakland’s diverse local artists of art’s many forms. And while you’re in Oakland, check out the Old Oakland Artist Showcase. This public art project by Civic Design Studio highlights the spirit and vitality of The Town through its artists.
A few more fun things coming up this summer for you to plan ahead for:
GIVEAWAY WINNERS!
What better way to thank my readers of this rant series than to do a shameless plug of my humble boutique with my first blog giveaway? Congratulations to JD Evans, you’re the giveaway winner! I hope you’ll enjoy the beautiful Game of Thrones inspired jewelry in time for the epic series finale happening May 19!
If you missed the giveaway and want to get your hands on these beautiful necklaces, be sure to use the discount code RAMADAN2019 at checkout! Ramadan sale is happening now through June 4th.
Disclaimer: This rant was not sponsored or paid for by the events or restaurants listed. If you’d like me to check out a happening around town or a yummy eatery to rant about, please email ha@mshala.co.
For iftar last night, my brother made his famous Thai curry dish, followed by his delicious banana pudding! Layers and layers of goodness in a cup…
So much for losing weight this Ramadan season 🤣
Travel bloggers come together monthly for the Travel Link Up, a fantastic way for bloggers to come together to write and share posts of a particular theme. Even though I’ve been behind, I try to join whenever I can. This month’s theme is “favorite staycations” and I just had to take the opportunity to brag a bit about my hometown region and a far away favorite.
Staycations are like adding a fun boost to the weekend that’s usually set aside for family, laundry, errands and TV binge. When you are in need of a vacation but can’t go so far or for so long, it’s good to hop in a car, a train, or even a short flight to enjoy a quick break from the mundane.
Here, I’m going to focus on two of my favorite staycation spots since I’ve lived in two different parts of the world. One being in my hometown of the Bay Area and the other being from my expat life in Qatar.
Let’s go far then bring it back home.
During the five years of my expat life in Qatar, I was lucky to be able to go on weekend trips to near by countries like the UAE and Kuwait. Many of which literally meant time with family and friends or at a hotel spa getting a well deserved pampering session. I got to do a little bit of both with some adventure when friends and I headed to Muscat in 2016 for a long birthday weekend.
Barely an hour flight away (think SF to LA), once I landed, I went straight to the hotel where I indulged in a mani-pedi pampering session before chilling on the warm private beach with a good book. Yes, Muscat in December is like a sweet summer day in San Francisco. It’s seriously perfect beach weather, warm but not too humid, light breeze and clear skies for the most part.
As an IHG member, I got a sweet deal at the Crowne Plaza Muscat. It’s very much a chill out hotel that I’d go back to again. Great spots to eat, excellent services and did I mention they had a private beach?
Once my friends caught up though, we went exploring! Headed to Bimmah’s infamous sinkhole and clear beaches before driving out the city to the canyons of Wadi ElSham. This is a trek everyone should do once in their lives, absolutely beautiful and breathtaking.
Canyons are no joke and as an out of shape person, it wasn’t too hard to trek through some of the rocky narrow parts. And if you’re a swimmer, you’ll love the varying spots where you can take safe dive, come back up and trek some more. I went as far as I could before the path was too narrow for me and alas, I’m no swimmer but I still enjoyed exploring and watching the waters ripple below.
Nature truly beckons here in Muscat, where you can lose yourself in awe of your colorful surroundings.
I’ve been a tourist in my hometown since repatriating back home over a year ago. There is still so much for me to rediscover as I eat my way through town and see the changes that have happened over the course of my absence. I did get to rediscover an old favorite for a few staycations, including a birthday weekend late last year (I know, I’ve developed a pattern! =P ). On a good day, it’s a short hour and a half drive to this small historical beach town.
Once a mainstay for sardine fishing and canning, Monterey has become a hub for marine preservation and exploration. My brother got his scuba diving license there before we took my nephew to his first aquarium adventure. He got to see all the different kinds of jelly fishes up close before finally seeing his favorite, the hammer head shark, swim by.
Just a half hour away, one can head to Moss Landing for an afternoon of dolphin and whale watching. It’s an absolutely glorious experience, highly recommended!
Make it a true girls trip and head to the Monterey Plaza Hotel for a beautiful room, a day at the spa and dinner by the sea. The hotel even offers perks and packages, especially if they know you’re there for a special occasion. They were sweet enough to offer us freebies from my favorite coffee spot there, Tidal Cafe -home of the best chocolate scones, EVER!- as a birthday gift.
So tell me, where are your favorite staycation spot(s)?
Under the sun but above the clouds. Floating with the wind until your feet touches the softest patch of grass. The entire experience of it all, from beginning to end is absolutely surreal even as I write this rant.
Who hasn’t put skydiving on their bucket list? Who hasn’t thought about it a few times but never really motivated? That was me. I’ve always wanted to go but never really motivated until my brother’s birthday came up. He wanted to do something wild and skydiving was one thing my siblings and I said, “let’s do it!”
Lots of anticipation, excitement, fear, and anxiety builds up between the three of us until we got on that plane. I can’t imagine going up 13,000 feet without those two with me, let alone jumping before me. Totally not jumped in the order we planned, I’m a good big sister, I swear. But before processing my brother’s over the shoulder look or my sister’s scream, I looked down -yikes!- and willingly jumped off the plane!
A few seconds of disorientation before I’m synced, remembering the instructions told to us just a few minutes ago. Part of which is spreading your arms when you get tapped since you’ve got to hold the harness for the jump. I catch Brad, my flying camera dude, in my sights. With fists in the air, I scream, “Oh my God!”
The hardest part for me was the parachute pull, it’s a backwards jolt that caught me by surprise. Think of it as a hard break while driving 120 miles per hour. Again, it takes me a few seconds before I’m synced and I’m literally just floating. My tandem dude, Toshi, makes sure I’m good and comfortable before maneuvering the parachute to allow me a 360 degree view of my surroundings.
The Bay Area can fit in my hands. Mount Diablo, the highest mountain in California, is just a mole. The entire world below is so small, but oh so beautiful. Our planet is beautiful, peeps. In that moment, there was a sense of peace all over me. By the grace of God, I breathed in the cool air breeze, I couldn’t close my eyes, I spread my arms as if they were wings and had to be conscious enough not to kick poor Toshi. Ha!
Before I knew it, we were slowly descending towards our landing point. My short self finally got to shout, “look out below!” as we landed on a soft patch of grass. Brad came up to me to capture my thoughts. “That was fucking awesome!” was my first response. Did I just fly? Did I just land? Wasn’t I just on a plane? Oh my God, I jumped off a plane!
Before you go on your first skydiving adventure, please do your research. Note that you will be signing waivers because you are taking a risk when you go skydiving. My experience may not have been what I expected, may not have been perfect but at the end of the day, when you go with a good crew, your experience is all the more better. We went with Bay Area Skydiving in Byron, California. Per our research, they’ve been flying for over 25 years so it made sense to go with them for our first jump. While there is room for improvement, the team deserves props because they actually enjoy what they do and share in that excitement of flying with us rookies.
I’ve officially crossed “Skydiving” off my bucket list!! Have you? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below or via Twitter.
Ms. Hala 
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