Less than 20 min left

20 minutes to break the fast... According to the newspaper, Iftar* is at 6.05 today

Overall it wasnt such a difficult day. Yes I am hungry but not starving.. The worst as some have mentioned is the lack of water... But I survived day 1!! :) (well, stil some minutes to go, but..)

Funny also how all this fasting and religious talks in the past days had me thinking about religion.. about what I really believe in, if I believe in something at all.

But this is not supposed to be a long posting so I will just postpone writing about those thoughts for some other day.

Anyway, I just discovered that there are other trainees fasting too so I just suggested that we celebrated Iftar everyday together and we would cook alternately! Sounds good, hein?

More about my Fasting challenge soon.. Keep tuned.

*A little bit more of "What is Ramadan" for all of you who are interested. (Copied directly from Thea's site):

For those who don't know, Ramadan is the 9th month of the Muslim Calendar. The month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran (equivalent to our bible) "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation." Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is apparently a time of worship and contemplation
During this month strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during the fasting. The fast start from sunrise to sunset, where finally at the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the 'iftar', which literally translated means breakfast. In the evening following the iftar, it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends, eating as much as possible is if, like the camels, storing as much food as possible for the next day, where the fast is resumed. I am infact teasing the girls at my place of work, telling them that the food they eat will all be stored in their hips and thighs!! ;P
Apparently, the good that a person acquires through the fast can be destroyed by five things:
1. The telling of a lie
2. Slander - (a false or malicious report about someone)
3. Denouncing someone behind his back
4. A false oath
5. Greed or covetousness
In addition to the five daily prayers, during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweeh prayer. This is usually 2-3 times longer than the daily prayers, and some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer. Finally on the evening on the 27th day Muslims celebrate the Laylat al Qadr which literally means the 'night of power', where it is believed that on this night, the Prophet Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according tot he Quran, this is when God or Allah determines the course of the world for the following year - Weird ha!!!!
Finally when Ramadan ends there is the Shawwal which is celebrated for 3 days where the Muslims eat and eat and eat, as if to get back what they have lost during the fast. Gifts are also exchanged (the tradition is that the gifts are usually new clothes, and people have to wear new clothes during this feast). Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals.
All the streets are fully decorated with silver tinsel. Even the Center i work in has been decorated with ' RAMADAN KARIM' written all over the wall, KARIM thus meaning 'think about others and don't be selfless'