Hampton Court Palace

A family day-trip to Hastings ended up becoming a day at Hampton Court Palace instead, due to the rather bad GPS signal on our sat nav.  Although I was very keen on seeing the history of the location of The Battle of Hastings 1066, I must admit that I am quite glad that we went to Hampton Court instead.  Apart from the extremely long queue in the traffic which we later realised was the result of the last day of a Flower Show event at Hampton Court Palace, the day went by really well.

We were lucky enough to visit the palace on the day that the auspicious wedding of Henry VIII and Catherine Parr took place.  The actors at the palace re-enacted the event of the wedding day as if it was July 12, 1543.  It was a rather funny and interesting activity, especially for the children.  As Lady Catherine Parr (pre-wedding title), her sister, her true love, Thomas Seymour and Henry VIII himself talked us through their stories and what had happened, I felt like I was in year three in junior school all over again.  The historic facts that I hadn't thought or talked about for so many years, were now coming back to me.  

I couldn't help but think about all of the amazing events that must have taken place in the beautiful palace.  The gigantic tapestries were totally admirable.  Knowing that each tapestry was individually and hand-made was just extraordinary.  The details in the artwork of the paintings and tapestries is definitely something that would be unattainable today even if one attempted to create such perfection.

Each room had its very own individual smell, a smell that I've never smelt before.  I felt like I was in a different land, a different time completely and If I'm completely honest, I actually wished I was in the 1540s.  There was a lack of many things that we have today in those times, and you were either rich or poor but one thing that there was in those days was simplicity, an essence and way of being, or living that we no longer have.

We had a really funny and exciting experience in the famous maze in the gorgeous gardens of the palace.  Myself and the kids all tried to lose one another thinking that it was impossible and that the maze was nothing like the one that Cederick Diggory was killed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  How wrong we were.  It was quite easy in fact to get lost (duh) and just as difficult to find each other (duh again), all the same, it was really funny while we all ran past the same people again and again but in different directions, confusing them as well as ourselves.  We did eventually find our way out.

While we sat in the beautiful sunshine on the lawn and had our picnic I looked around imagining the gardens completely empty.  I could picture a moment from Pride and Prejudice where Miss Elizabeth and Mr Darcy would 'take a turn' about the garden.  I believe if it wasn't for all of the other visitors at the palace I would have felt as if I was in a period drama, especially considering the fact that a lot of the palace workers were dressed up in royal attire from the 16th century.

What an amazing day it was.  A day packed with history, nature, pure skill and architecture.  It was definitely one to remember.  I must say one of the highlights of the day was when I had the opportunity to wear a red gown and be part of the court.  We were told that it was the correct manner to dress in court.  

Anyway, to conclude we all enjoyed ourselves and are now looking to plan our next trip.  I would still love to visit Hastings but I guess the two and a half hour drive is really off-putting.  Research into a train ride would definitely be necessary.

Burka Bandits

French president Sarkozy who believes that the burqa or niqab is not a religious sign but rather a sign of subservience wishes to ban it from being worn in his country. Since his strong views were raised in parliament many Britons have been discussing and debating the idea of banning the burka in Britain and an incident which took place in Dunstable just a few days ago could have raised another but weird reason for the ban.

On Tuesday July 7, a man disguised in a burka robbed a Dunstable, Going Places travel agent and police are now in search of a black man around 5'10. This is not the first time that such an incident has taken place in the UK. The robbery which took place has stirred up a new way of not only mocking the burka but also a reason for it becoming a threat to the community.

The reality of the state of Britain and its democracy is unlike France or any other country. Britain has and will remain to be a very lenient and tolerant home for the British and for immigrants. It is one thing to deny someone a right and another to take-away a right that you have already given. But the real question is why the burka should be banned at all.

Three weeks ago on BBC's 'The Big Questions' show I witnessed what was considerably quite a disappointing display of defence by a Muslim woman wearing a burka. When asked by Nicky Campbell why she is obliged to wear the burka and a man is not, after a long pause of silence she gave a response which I found to be a complete letdown. The woman replied, 'Urm, you've got a point there.' What she said after that I cannot remember but for myself that comment was enough to determine a ridiculous portrayal of many Muslims and Islam.

There are too many Muslims who are practicing beliefs that they believe to be from the Quran and a lot of the time they are but at times they are extremist views or even cultural values. A lot of people do not question the reasons for the rulings that have been placed upon them by God. The reasons have been given to us. Islam has explanations for everything but far too many Muslims only speak of what they hear and less of what they have read themselves in the Quran.

I myself do not believe that the burka is fard (obligatory) on Muslim women but I would never devalue a woman who chooses to wear one. What got me about the woman on 'The Big Questions' show was that she had no idea herself why she was wearing the burka or why any woman should wear it. She was unable to defend herself and in not doing so she let down herself and other Muslims.

God has commanded all men and women to be modest in their dress and for both to lower their gaze but women are also obliged to 'draw their veils over their bosoms' and to save their adornment for their husbands and men that they are Islamically unable to marry. Reasons for such matters are very complex and detailed and I myself would not be able to explain with accuracy.

What I will say from my knowledge of Islam and understanding of the world, is that men and women have been created very different to one another. What is attractive in a woman, might not be attractive in a man and vice versa. Therefore at times different rulings have been placed upon men and women, but the equality lies in their rewards and punishments for their deeds in this life. What each Muslim understands is that God has created us, therefore God knows us best and it is according to what He knows, that He has placed such boundaries and given such rights to us.

Michael Jackson - Like a sunset dying with the rising of the moon.. Gone too soon

We all remember 7/7 as the date when the tragic bombings ocurred in London but after last night while a part of London gathered at Leicester Square for Harry Potter The Half-Blood Prince Premiere, the rest of the world came together with many emotions and heartache for its final farewell to the legendary entertainer, Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was more than just a pop singer. He was the iconic figure of our time who made his mark in history with his music, his moves and his bizarre sense of style. Everything about him was completely out of this world which is why the world idolised him to such an extent.

The world went fanatic when the fresh and unique video of Michael Jackson's Thriller was released. My mother was among one of Michael's crazy fans who went to an all girl's high school. She tells me to this day that the Thriller video was shown on television after watershed hours but one girl recorded the video and brought it in to school the next day. Apparently the entire school went crazy and crowded in the auditorium at lunchtime where the teachers allowed the video to be played. Whenever my mum meets someone who went to the same school as her, she always asks them if they remember the day that the Thriller video was played in the auditoriam and she has never come across an ex Challney school girl from her time who wasn't there.

Michael Jackson has influenced the lives of many generations and cultures around the globe. My grand-parents who are Pakistani know of him and were in shock when the news of his death broke. My mother grew up listening to his music and sticking his posters up on her bedroom walls. While I was growing up I fell in love with the great king of pop and everything about him and now my very young cousins know each one of his songs and imitate the dance routines from his videos.

On a visit to Pakistan during the 80s my mother's uncles watched her Michael Jackson videos so often that they eventually ruined the tapes. People loved him in Asia, Europe, Africa, USA and even down under. Michael shook up the entire world.

Sadly Michael's life was not always full of clouds with joy but the speculations over his child molestation allegations and the change of his skin colour from black to white, which he put down to vitiligo, was not enough to make the world hate him. However, it turned some people against him and the king of pop received many snide remarks. He had a lot of issues throughout his life and he did things that were totally out of the ordinary, performances of insanity at times, but what people fail to comprehend to this day, is the traumatising childhood that Michael Jackson had.

He was abused by his own father in many ways and was constantly told that he was ugly. What people forgot most of the time was that Michael was human and like all humans he was given the right to make mistakes. The world was always quick to judge him and perhaps should have taken a look at the 'Man in the Mirror' first. The lack of a normal childhood could have been the reason why Michael allowed so many children not only into his home but also his life. People say that he was like Peterpan, a child trapped in a man's body which is why he truly felt he was at home when he was at Neverland.

Unlike a lot of music artists Michael sang about anything and everything. He sang about love, hate, crime, racism, politics and the world. He sang about his life. Despite having everything a man could ever want, Michael was perhaps the most lonliest a man could have ever been. He had family but he didn't have family, he had friends but he didn't have friends. Never knowing who was really his or knowing who was true to him was an obvious negativity that was a part of his life. He was betrayed by many such as Jordon Chandler, who has apparently now admitted to lying about the allegations that he had made against Michael Jackson in conjuction with sexual harassment in 1993.

Michael admitted to having undergone cosmetic surgery twice but his image said much more. One could have questioned Michael's so-called friends and associates about their advice to the young boy who was entering the huge world of fame and entertainment. Did his family and friends tell him that he was a handsome young man? Even though he had undergone surgery before he released his Thriller album in 1983, did anyone ever tell him that he looked good and that he didn't need to change his image, at least not anymore than what he already had? If so, did they try hard enough to protect Michael? Could they have done more to have prevented his face, body, image and health from deteriorating? These questions will be left unanswered but although he succeeded and ruled the world with his music on his own, behind his degeneration were certain people, people who played individual roles in bringing Michael, his image and his career down.

There will never be another Michael Jackson ever again because what he did only he could do. Michael was not the first person to moonwalk and there have been many people like Justin Timberlake who have adopted his dance moves in their own ways, but for the world no one can move like the king, simply because no one can ever look as damn phenomenal as he did.

If it wasn't for Michael Jackson we would not have the music videos that we have today, the dance moves that we have today, the rhythm and beats that we have today, we wouldn't have the same love for music and entertainment that we have today. Michael is a true legend and will be remembered forever for his greatness. He did what no man has ever done before, Michael Jackson rocked our world. He did it with the birth of his music and he has kept it rocking ever since and while there are still people who appreciate the true meaning of music, love, equality and respect, Michael Jackson will continue to rock the world.