Archive for the ‘Reflections/Thoughts’ Category
Going on Hajj nowadays is so much different from years ago. As someone that was fortunate to be there in 1995 and last year (2009), the differences were stark. No longer did we have queue for prepaid phones, we could video chat (skype) with our family back home. No longer did people have to wait for photos to be developed. We shared them immediately on Facebook. And yes, we took photos of ourselves inside the Haram and MMS’d it home!
Opting to take our gadgets also came with its own preparation. Having learnt from the advice of well-wishers, as well as mistakes from previous trips, here are some tips we can offer.
Electricity – Get a Travel Plug Converter
Saudi Arabia uses the Type F plug, South Africa the Type M. One Hajji noted that his hotel also had the Type G plug (as used in the UK), but this is very rare.
I found a travel plug converter at Diskem, but its generally available at stores like Cape Union Mart. Also try places that sell suitcases. Type G to Type M is easier to find and available at Clicks for instance, but rather take the Type F. This also makes a handy gift to Hujaaj!
We also took with a multiplug allowing us to comfortably power the laptop as well as charge our cellphones, camera battery, electric tooth brushes, electric shavers.
Saudi Arabia also uses 220V so there’s no need to change the voltage on your equipment.
Type F Plug
Type M Plug
Type G Plug
WiFi and Internet
Even if Wifi is advertised free in your hotel, it may only be available on a certain floor. Check with your travel agent whether the hotels you are staying in offer WiFi and whether WiFi is offered on all floors or just some. I found WiFi more available in Medina than in Makka. It may be because of the construction work, but speculation on my side.
Internet on your Cellphone
Have a habit of quickly checking Facebook on your cell phone, I was shocked to see how expensive this is with airtime just running away. My guess is that it costs something in the region of Rs2 (Saudi Riyals) a megabyte which would be more expensive than South Africa.
Tip: Keep this is mind that their billing rate may be different. Also check your airtime balance regularly, and modify the settings of programs that connect to the Internet. In my case, one of them was one that downloads the daily weather.
3G Internet for Your Laptop
It is possible to take your 3G card with and purchase a one 30 day data bundle from a service provider in Saudi Arabia. There are two advantages to doing this:
- If your hotel does not offer WiFi on your floor, you can comfortably Skype and video chat with your family in the comfort of your hotel room.
- If your package involves moving to Azizia, you’ll have Internet access there! Azizia is nice, but WiFi is not standard there
Some tips on purchasing a data bundle
1) Saudi Arabia has two main operators: STC and Mobily. STC is the equivalent of Telkom, advertises everything but has nothing and unlikely to help you if they sense you are going to make them THINK or do some real work. The service from Mobily on the hand was wonderful. They knew their products, no queues.
2) Purchase the data bundle in Medina
Makka is full. Since it is also winter there, there is a shorter time between the Waqts and also to get to the Haram on time. By the time you get to the front of the queue, its time for Salaah. However, try and purchase it closer to the end of your stay in Medina, but with enough time to go back to them if any issues arise (about three days before you leave). A data bundle lasts for 30 days. The later you purchase your data bundle, the later for your stay in Makka you can use it. Otherwise you run in the dillemma of wanting to purchase a data bundle just a few days before Haj and risk losing the balance of data/airtime.
3) Requirements
I purchased the data bundle at the Mobily Store in Central Medina (opposite the Hilton hotel). They required a photocopy of my passport (which I did not have) but accepted my Al Anwar card. Best to take a photocopy of your passport with.
4) The connection settings for Mobiliy is built into Ubuntu, just setup a Mobile connection. For Windows users, they are:
Number: *99#
APN: web2
However, the pamphlet given is quite handy. The salesman will also tell you that you can bring your laptop to them and they will help you set it up!
AIR Time
Recharge Card
Airtime is sold in various denominations. However, if you buy a larger, you stand to gain extra airtime. For example, a Rs100 airtime card gives your Rs150 airtime (cant recall exactly, but it was in this region).
Best of all, the cards have two scratch areas, so even if it is a single card, the airtime can go on to two phones. As they say in Cape Town, “Klap together”.
This also offers the opportunity for the budding entrepreneurs in Makka and Medina. Check that you are not paying the extra Rs50 when you dont have to. Also, some of them will sell you half the card for Rs75. There are so many of them, just walk away and move to the next guy.
Internet Banking
The number one rule: Update your profile to receive your One Time Password (OTP) via email. By default, most people receive their OTP via SMS. Unless you have international roaming activated and WORKING, you may not receive this, which may stop you from performing any transactions via the Internet.
Standard Bank users can only opt to receive their OTP via SMS or email. FNB users have the option of receiving the OTP via email in addition to SMS.
However, for both of them, you need to setup the OTP via email before leaving your hometown. Usually someone from the branch has to phone you, ask you to verify your details, etc. before they set this.
For Standard Bank, if you set up a recipient, you will not need to enter a OTP when doing a transfer to them.
ATMs, Banking in General
Please check that your card does not expire whilst you are on Haj. Banks usually have your new card a month before they expire, and you can request them to send you one earlier as well.
You are able to do cash withdrawals at Al Rajhi bank. In Makka, they are situated in front of the Hilton hotel. In Medina, there’s an ATM on the first floor of the Hilton Hotel. In most of the more modern malls, they do accept cards. Some of the smaller shops usually share one machine that services a group of them, so you may have to walk to another point to have your card swiped.
Wires
Make a checklist of all the wires and cables you need to take with. Its annoying to be on the other side of the world only to discover you dont have a cable you need.
Back Home Preparation
Apart from checking that you are hooked up, ensure that your family is likewise. Are they able to connect to the Internet, start skype, etc.? Does their webcam give a grainy or feed, etc.? Run a few checks before you leave, and also put them in contact with someone thats knowledgeable. If they are going to use someone else’s Internet connection, ensure that you have budgeted for this as well.
Lastly,
Where possible, assist your fellow Hujaaj if you can. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that the best of people are those who assist others, and how much greater is this in the Holy Cities. If you find any of these tips handy, please make Duah that the Almighty grants the author to apply these tips himself in the Holy Lands, Insha Allah
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve taken to reading Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings. One of the many touching incidents occurred in Madina.
The Prophet (PBUH) had to serve in multiple roles as the leader of the Muslims, governor of Madina, prophet, etc. At this time, he divided his day into three. 1/3 for family time, 1/3 for community affairs and a 1/3 to spent in worship and prayer.
Some of the companions felt as if they were losing touch with the Prophet, given his multiple roles, fixed time in them, and the large amount of people who were all vying for his attention.
In this regard, Allah revealed the verse:
Surely Allah and His Angels bless the Prophet. Oh you, who believe, call for blessings on him, and salute with (respectable) salutations. (Chapter 33: Verse 56)
This would be their (and our way) of staying connected with him!
The Prophet (PBUH) would also add: “Whoever invokes blessings on me once, Allah will invoke blessings upon him ten times”
Before you commit sin, ask yourself:
Do you know what day it is today?
Is it not perhaps Friday, the day of Jumuah?
Is it not perhaps Thursday, the day after Jumuah?
Is it not perhaps Saturday, the day after Jumuah?
Is it not perhaps Monday, the day the Prophet was born?
Would you like to commit sin on such a day?
Do you know what Islamic month it is?
Is it not perhaps the Holy month of Muharram, that start of the new year, where we resolve to rid ourselves of past bad ways?
Is it not perhaps the Holy month of Ramadaan, the month of fasting, where the Shaytaan is chained?
Is it not perhaps the Holy months of Hajj?
Whatever time it is, do you really have to commit that sin
This year, I have the fortune to be on the Hajj or Muslim Pilgrimage. I am sharing this experience with many people, some of them double my age. Travelling with old people is both humbling and rewarding.
Humbling to note that despite their age and the accompanying reduced health and strength, they haven’t given up on undertaking this magnificent journey. Humbling because they are the ones who prevail calm, patience and sabr at long queues and bureacratic annoyances.
Rewarding because it provides us younger people with the opportunity to assist them in the holiest cities where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial and helpful to people”.
On my journey, I’ve compiled a list of a few short tips aimed at the children of old people, and what they can do to make their parent’s journey much easier.
Cellphones:
1) Provide them with a cellphone that has a distinct on/off button.
Cellphones need to be switched off on aeroplanes. To save space, some cellphones link the switching on/off button to an existing button, but this grouping confuses some old people
2) Disable the sim-card pin
Sim-card pin are there for protection, but it also means having to remember their number. Many are not aware this even exists, as they’ve needed to switch their phones on/off before.
3) Activate international roaming – even if just for sms
Some people have this activated, and they may not have. Explaining international roaming, and that it has to be done prior to leaving South Africa for it to be activated takes some effort.
4) Convert all essential contact numbers to an international dial out.
For example, a house number in Cape Town locally would be: 021 555 1234. Rather convert this to +27 21 555 1234. +27 is South Africa’s dialling code, 21 is for 021 minus the zero, and the rest is the number.
This way, older people do not have to remember to add the +27, and drop the one zero, etc.
5) If possible, provide them with a slide-out keyboard.
It’s painful to watch someone spend five minutes typing out an SMS
Bags:
It would be easier said that done, but encourage them to travel with as few bags as possible, and rather a bigger overnight bag, than multiple small bags. South Africans are usually provided with a shoe bag which gets used as an additional stuffed travel bag. Take into account that they will have with them:
a) overnight bag
b) Haj operator bag for carrying passport/documents
c) Chair for Salaah
d) Shoe bag
Quite a lot to not only carry, but also manage.
Camera:
Even one fitted to a cellphone will allow them to capture moments that are special to them. However, bare in mind they will probably have no place to download their photos to. My suggestion is to provide them with a large memory card or multiple memory cards so that they wouldn’t have to delete any photos they might have already taken.
Got this in an email. Neat!
Recently, I’ve noticed more and more young people talking about and joining Facebook. In one instance, I’ve come to learn that practically a large majority of learners in a secondary school (we talking about 12-16 year olds) have joined Facebook.
In light of a recent incident where a girl met someone on Mxit and ran away from home, it raises some questions:
- Are such young people putting themselves at risk with personal info and details being shared on Facebook?
- What steps/advice can be taken/rendered to assist and protect young people who are on Facebook?
Understanding Mxit vs Facebook
Mxit is a popular cellphone application in South Africa. In a region and continent with high and excessive telecommunication costs, Mxit is a cheap alternative to SMS (Short Message Service). Whereas users pay a premium rate to send SMS’es, Mxit uses a form of instant messaging, where users only pay for the data cost of sending a message.
Being a cellphone-based social instant-messaging application, the only information really being made available is the cell phone number of the user, and possibly the name of the user if they dont use a pseudo-name.
Mxit (like Facebook) operates on a friend request-and-accept approach, but also offers a chatroom service, and it is seemingly here that ‘relationships’ (for want of a better word) fosters.
Given the ability to generate online friendship, being known for having a lot of online friends, and thus possibly popular, may be one reason why people allow such friendships and relationships to happen.
Enter Facebook
These young people are entering Facebook at a time where it has already reached spectacular growth, and some are even forsaking it for alternatives like Twitter. I’m unable to account for why they are switching to Facebook. Is it perhaps the next step after Mxit? Is it because Facebook offers more features than Mxit? Is it because of the popularity of Facebook and that adults are using it?
Oddly, Internet access is not an issue since many of them are accessing Facebook via there cell phones. Perhaps the fact that Facebook has a mobile version helps.
Facebook Features which could be considered dangerous from a Mxit perspective
- Facebook allows users to upload photos of themselves, providing a picture to the name
- So unlike Mxit, there is a picture to the person you are corresponding with
- Facebook allows users to be tagged in photographs
- Even if the user does not provide a photo of him/herself, others could do it for them
- Facebook allows users to enter a detailed profile, including contact details
- Compared to Mxit, this is much more comprehensive
- Facebook provides a history of past activity
- Facebook’s add a Friend feature provides a risk where people blindly accept friendships.
- The more friends you have, the better it supposedly seems, as it makes you appear more popular. Mxit doesnt have the search feature of Facebook where users can search for friends.
If parents become concerned and paranoid about Mxit, it’s not difficult to see why they could possibly be more apprehensive of the dangers Facebook potentially provides at a greater risk than Mxit.
Facebook’s negative could also be positive
I recall an incident a few months ago where an older sister stepped in when her younger sister started receiving inappropriate comments on some of her photos. This is an advantage of an open system, and makes it easier for an adult/guardian to supervise. Needless to say, the intervention was a rebuke to the offenders who desisted from their actions.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
For the past couple of days, I’ve been experimenting with a tool called Focus Booster. It’s a simple app with an easy method to help you measure and increase your focus and concentration:
- Firstly, choose the amount of time you would like to complete a particular task. By default it is set to 25 minutes.
- Prepare to do the task, clear your PC desktop of any distractions, and start the timer.
- Continue working until you’ve completed the task or the timer runs out.
- Take a break
- Restart the process with your next task
Tiny app, simple process, but it works for me, and these are the benefits I believe are derived:
- Forces you to plan and think about a single task you would like to perform
- A quick glance at the timer helps you focus, there is something watching you!
- Helps you to persevere, (just another 8 more minutes to go, etc.)
- Provides some type of measurement of how long you can focus, and challenges you to better it. The next version will allow you to record your focus sessions.
Focus Booster is a free application and requires Adobe AIR to run. Download it at: http://www.focusboosterapp.com/ . Follow updates on twitter @focusboosterapp
When Mozilla Prism was first launched, I honestly never gave it much thought as to it’s usefulness, or why anyone would want to use it. Today, it is such an essential tool for me. Let me explain.
My current laptop is a DELL d630 which I bought through an auction site Bidorbuy.co.za. Purchasing such a pricey product weighed heavily on mind. What happens if I’m conned? What happens if it is not up to spec as advertised? Fortunately, mine was a very pleasant experience, and went through quite smoothly. Here are a few tips I’ll share…
I'm a Web Developer living in Cape Town, South Africa. Interests include: PHP, JQuery, ExtJS, Adobe AIR, Linux, Ubuntu, WordPress, Human Rights, Usability, Multimedia