It was a meat-o-thon fest - Pepporini (halal) pizza, 10 oz NY Steaks, Ribs, Bacon (halal) , Beef patties, Sekh kabobs and Chicken tikkas. Ice-cream for desserts - Magnum, Kulfis (plain + mango) and Hagen Das almond chocolate bars. To top on that we had Dodh-patti chai twice a day.
From desi standard it was a 'hit' cottage trip as food is all we cared about lol. To be fair, we also had few activities - canoeing, hot water tub bath, play station, karaoke, Bingo (Saba won the game organised by Javaria) ...well, that was it. Missed pool table a lot.
Canoeing in Lake Kawartha was the best part. I had developed a nag for rowing later. back stroke, font stroke. Embarrassingly enough, our boat was also capsized - luckily it was only me and Owais in the boat minus our kids.
On our 2nd day, we got to know about Muhammad Ali's death. He was suffering from Parkinson's disease for more than 30 years and had frequent ins/outs from the hospital for respiratory ailment.
The Legend who was famous what he did not only inside the ring but outside as well. He spoke with remarkable conscientiousness and truth. A trait that cost him his career and money but that didn't matter at the end. He was destined to receive all the love, fame and adulations from all over the world that the politicians were not able to suppress. He was a true global sports icon. His fame and legacy transcended through borders and future generations.
I did have once-in-a-life-time opportunity to meet with the Legend in Dubai. I was around 6 years old and little I knew who was this giant humble beast. All I recall that he came across as a passionate, caring, humble person - ironic for a World Heavyweight Champion ! May his soul rest in peace. May his legacy be alive in everyone's heart for what he stood for. May his sins be forgiven ! Ameen.
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| Muhammad Ali lifting me (R) and my twin brother |
After we came back from cottage, we had to prepare for another milestone in Islamic calender: arrival of Ramadan.
The holiest month for 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. Ramadan where the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed. Monday was the first fast and expectedly it was a challenge. Woke up at 3:45 AM for sahoor before waking up again for work. And our fast does not end until 9 PM - sunset time ! With all the non-stop eating at the cottage, Ramadan would be a welcoming detoxification of body (and soul).
