This decision to invite players outside of the top 100 has precedents which is an interesting initiative to watch
sports3 hours ago
Everyone has those special memories of their grandparents they always remember, and for Hamad Ismail those moments were built during his first Ramadan when he fasted.
Ismail, an Emirati national, has a distant memory of his family gathering at his grandmother's house when he was six-years-old.
There used to be massive pots and trays of traditional Emirati cuisine for Iftar, including harees aseeda, rice, sagaw, igeimat and fatayer.
"We all used to dive into the food. There was so much fun and laughter. That's what I can remember from when I was six. Those are the kind of memories that are engrained into my brain from when I was a child and for my first Ramadan," he said.
"My first fast was hard. But when it was time to eat, I vividly remember us all sitting on the floor and eating together, watching a cartoon called Block 13."
Ismail preferred lots of cartoons over the large quantity of food, but today, at the age of 23, his first choice would be a mouthwatering cuisine, followed by a bit of cartoons. "Why not?" he said. "You're never too old for cartoons."
For suhoor, Ismail and his family would watch the reruns of the cartoons.
"I remember my mom waking us up for suhoor and we would all sit together and eat, watching reruns of the shows we missed," he said.
Ismail said he holds on tightly to these memories as he and his family members are "too busy" to recreate those moments.
"I miss those days. But it's different now. I guess we all grew out of that. Everyone is busy. It's a different time and era, with work and studies being a factor as well," he said.
Ismail urged all parents, grandparents and children to spend as much time together as they can for Ramadan, especially when the young ones are fasting.
He feels it's important for children to have those "special memories" of their grandparents.
"Each time we go back to my grandmother's house for a visit, I just love it. It takes me back to those days of my first Ramadan. I mean, it's your grandmother's house - you love that smell that's always there, the food, the comfort. It's one thing that never changes, even though your life outside is constantly changing," he said.
Today, as a working man, Ismail often ends up opening his fast at work.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
This decision to invite players outside of the top 100 has precedents which is an interesting initiative to watch
sports3 hours ago
Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Al-Qahtani meets Morocco's Taha Bendaoud in the main event
sports3 hours ago
The airport will have a passenger capacity of 260 million per annum and fully absorb Dubai airport operations
business3 hours ago
The investment has become attractive as the rupee has weakened against the US dollar
business3 hours ago
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games will feature 17-time champions Boston Celtics and defending champions Denver Nuggets in October
sports3 hours ago
The last time there was a substantial taxi fare increase was back in July 2022, following a series fuel price hikes
transport4 hours ago
Middle-East grown interiors brand opens two new store locations
business4 hours ago
The country repeatedly urges residents to refrain from owning wild or exotic animals, and imposing hefty fines of up to Dh500,000 for violators
uae4 hours ago