Why fasting?

The month of Ramadhan is almost here. For me, all of my Muslim friends and other Muslims all around the globe, Ramadhan means no eating nor drinking from dusk til dawn.

But why? Why do you fast in Ramadhan and why is it so special?

My spanish friend, Luzia, once asked.

Couple of months ago, when that question came on to me, I could not answer at all. Seriously, I did not have the correct answer. My answer was: not only that it is a tradition in Islam - it is, scientifically proven, good for your health and anger management.

Well, that answer of mine was not wrong, but it was too.. general. For my friend Luzia who demanded a logical explanation, that answer was not enough.

Thankfully, just today, I have found the correct answer. At least for me, it has erased the big question mark that's been hanging on my head :P

For the past week I've been working on my dietary plan. Huh? Diet? Yes, since Ramadhan is coming and this year the fasting hour will be significantly longer than usual, I have planned to adjust my stomach and eating habit. Thus, I only eat once a day (lunch it is) and snack at least as possible during the daytime. I need to do that because this Ramadhan will be the first longest Ramadhan ever in my life.

As you know, I lived in Indonesia until I was 18, where we fast for 14 hrs all year round regardless which time of the year it is. (Indonesia has tropical climate which makes the daytime length pretty much the same all year round: sun rises at 4-5 am and sets at 5.30-6pm).
Then I moved to the Netherlands where I have been living for 5 years now. For the past 5 years in the Netherlands, Ramadhan always falls around winter and autumn time. During winter the sun rises at 6-7am and sets around 4-5 pm (which makes it the nicest Ramadhan since we only had to fast for 8-10 hrs :D) and during autumn the sun rises at 4-6 and sets round 5-7, which makes the fasting hour almost as long as in Indonesia.

But this year, we will have to fast during the transition weeks from Summer to Autumn, where sun rises at 4-4.30 am and sets at 9 pm!

So I went on my diet. I eat only once, did not drink much, but I was not on fast. Instead, I was just forcing myself to not eat nor drink because I felt I had to. And partially, I feared that if I did not do this, my stomach would not be well prepared by the time Ramadhan comes. Being the planning-freak person I am, I was so discipline with my plan and sticked to it as tight as possible even if I knew I didn't have to fast.

And what happened??

It felt NOTHING like fasting in Ramadhan. I was angered almost the whole day since I felt hungry. And my stomach pain (plus migrain!!!) nearly killed me! And oh, it was such a TORTURE when I had to do lots of activities at the same time. Especially knowing that I could eat, but do not allow myself to eat for such vague reason... I am hungered, but hungered for nothing. There was no self-consciousness telling me that I do this for God and only for Him. Above all, I did not reserve myself to fast because I wanted to - I fast because I felt I had to.

Thus, I come to the conclusion that there is a psychological effect during Ramadhan. I am conscious that it is indeed the special time of the year where I have to cherish the opportunity given by Him. To evaluate myself, to improve myself, to manage my anger. When I fast in Ramadhan I do it happily. No matter how, my mind is consciously telling me that I'm doing it for God and nothing else. And somehow, it brings me peace.

So... why fasting in Ramadhan? Why making it a special time? Because when we know it's special, we would feel special too.... we know we don't do it for nothing :)

Degree dan Designer

Found this in david airey's blog. actually this isn't one of his post, tapi komen dari pengunjung blognya.

I just thought this would provide a good insight about how important a formal "design degree" is, for anyone aspiring to be a designer. As the problem with anyone in the start of their career launch is, that they are still confused on the question of "how can I get there/ how can I get to my desired career as a designer?" Some may think that having a degree in design already has marked one big milestone, when in fact it doesn't. It does, however, provide us with set of curriculum to test our skill and qualifications. But..... that's all.

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It’s a common misconception but degrees aren’t “qualifications” to practice (i.e. they’re not training programmes). Foundation degrees and HNDs are more so, but a degree by definition is not intended to pronounce someone “qualified” to do anything. (I’m talking about the UK here)

Let me explain:

Qualification to practice usually occurs either on a vocational programme for non-graduate occupations (i.e. Foundation degrees) or on a postgraduate programme for graduate roles (i.e. a Masters, an MPhil or a PhD, or a specific industry-based qualification).

For example, you could do a three year degree in biology or medicine - it would not qualify you to be a doctor or a nurse. You would need to study for a postgraduate certificate to practice, same with law and architecture.
However if you wanted to be a paramedic, or a court reported (I think I have the term right) you would not need a degree, instead you would do a Foundation degree.

Another example might be better: a school teacher will do a general degree, say in maths, then a postgraduate certificate (PGCE) that qualifies them to teach. A teaching assistant, on the other hand, may do a Foundation Degree - it’s not a graduate role (although there’s nothing to stop a graduate doing it, and many do.).

A degree is a general “qualification”, an education that equips the graduate with a range of skills that can be applied in a range of graduate-level roles (often termed a “liberal” qualification. It isn’t supposed to be tied to one area. Indeed, if a graphics degree only equipped someone with the skills to be a graphic designer and nothing else, it would be failing them. Given that there are 8,000+ graphics students in the UK at the moment, the likelihood of becoming a designer is quite low, so offering courses that only qualify you to be one would be a bit silly.

So it is entirely reasonable to come to the end of a design degree and be a “crap” designer, but that person might go on to be a great teacher, a journalist, a manager, or anything. (To give an example, I met a physics graduate yesterday who trades on the Asian stockmarket - their physics degree opened up all sorts of opportunities, not just being a scientist! Design degrees should do the same)

Anyone who wants to be a designer should really be looking to FdAs, HNDs or the new “Creative Apprenticeships” (on-the-job training). Degrees are really for people who want to keep their options open, or are interested in strategic level jobs, and who are interested in academic study of the discipline - perhaps using research to identify new ways of design, or to solve tricky social problems (see designagainstcrime.com for an example of this sort of thing. It’s pushing the boundaries rather than fitting to a specification laid down by industry). They may also (and often do) become designers. ;-)

See The Design Council’s ‘Blueprint’ for more on apprenticeships and the definition of ‘higher level skills’ - e.g. understanding of global markets, business strategy, ethics and so on - which degrees are supposed to develop; and see http://www.qaa.ac.uk for definitions of different qualifications in the UK, and the national guidelines (”benchmark statements”) on what a design degree should cover.

080808

Happy 8-8-8 everyone!

And to commemorate the day, here are a quick Today In History:

- PT Pos Indonesia launched the special "Waktu Istimewa" (Special Time) commemoration stamps. (pic above)
- My dear friend Elli is getting married in Malang with her darling Ardi. Congrats you two, may the marriage be full of blessings from The Most Gracious :)
- The lady whom I help twice a week with chores, Tehmina, is celebrating her 38th birthday. Happy birthday bu dhe...
- Today will also mark the opening for Beijing 2008 Olympics. So can't wait to watch the opening ceremony relayed in TV. Zhang Yimou is one of the artistic director, for godssakes!
- And me, still getting nowhere with my Mad Artboard project conception. Well, maybe after a few more doodles.

Last but not least, the countdown. Oh yeah. Exactly 2 months to go.
Today in two months, I will start having boyfriend for life.
Hmm...