Ramadhan is like an intimate relationship I once had with someone who used to be my favorite. The one who I anticipated greatly of its arrival, only to gently lose interest in the middle of the story. But before I realized how beautiful it is, it ended like it never even happened.

It has been few times that I mentioned that i am not the guy you would seek for religious advice, but I am a Muslim, and no one can stop me from talking about my own religion.

Ramadhan is the month where Muslims' book were revealed which was in the last ten days of Ramadhan, and it is also the month when Muslim army won the historical Battle of Badr, killing swarms of Quraish three times larger than them while fasting.

It was when the expansion of my religion began. They did it with courage, a little help from themselves and above all, elegance.

Ramadhan is a commemoration of Muslim's faithfulness in keeping up to religious duty, and a symbolic way of doing it is by fasting, where you have to abstain yourself from eating from dawn, until sunset.

Like praying five times a day, fasting is one of the pillars of Islam, hence an act every Muslim have to abide.

I think that is the problem, we see it as an act, rather than an opportunity to learn about something we overlooked in life. Maybe that can explain why even the pious among us, whom allegedly closer to God than anyone else, are caught doing bad things you can never imagine.

Maybe the first mistake is by calling them pious, when they are actually not.

Ramadhan is the leader of all months, as the Prophet claimed, and as a leader, it leads Muslims all over the world, and Muslims I know in becoming a better Muslim. With the benefit of hindsight, the latter might turn out to be better Muslim - but better person, I am not that sure.

Anyhow, it is celebrated in good spirits in Malaysia, for many different reasons.

Hawkers celebrate another opportunity to feed Malaysians daytime hunger and itch for foods which comes around only during Ramadhan: murtabak (meat filled fried folded bread), kurma and my favorite tauhu Anora (available only at Taman Melawati).

First-timers would battle it out to fast and taste the tastiest gulp of drink upon break-fasting time.

Mosques and Musollas will anticipate a bigger crowd, either for mass prayer, or free food.

And suddenly television will be raided by food and beverages advertisements all day, and come Eid, creative filmmakers will come up with tearjerking Eid ads, usually exploiting the issue of abandoned parents, with emotional music as the background.

Ramadhan has the same effect like the World Cup gave to male Muslims in Malaysia. We would wake up to see Zinedine Zidane or Ronaldo play for the cup even at dawn. But this time around, it would be for sahur, meal eaten before we start fasting.

You see, it is beautiful how the schedule was made up, the day starts earlier, people will be more conscious, life will look rewarding as sunset nears, and people will actually live their life with a purpose during Ramadhan.

What about after Ramadhan?

A question I have been asking myself after I wasted another Ramadhan in my life.

As for now, I will try not to waste it, because sad stories are not to be repeated, like the relationship I once had.

Salam Ramadhan.