That time of year has come upon us once again, Ramadan! There are many reasons it's my favorite month (apart from the religious and spiritual context). Here are a few:

• Vimto becomes the official drink of the month (Vimto gets the BIGGEST boost in sales during this month alone!).
• Less work, more sleep (never managed not napping in the evening).
• Some people are calmer, more friendly (note the word "some").
• For some reason food is much tastier.
• Related to the above, some food I only enjoy or even eat during Ramadan (like Harees ).
• Roads and some places are much calmer after breaking fast.
• You have an excuse to stay up at night (or until dawn for some people :-/).
• Tents, tents and more tents!
• You may end up being invited to someone's every day for the rest of the month to break fast (this can also be a downside).
• Eid comes right after .

Of course it's not all fun and games, there are a few downsides:

• A lot of food is wasted… Come on, you know you won't eat that whole dish! I at least get full pretty fast during Ramadan.
• If you do eat the whole dish above: some people end up in the hospital's ER soon after breaking fast. Take it easy .
• Some places do not reopen later, so if you need something you better get it in the morning.
• Some people get grumpy during the month. I blame either lack of sleep or their low glucose levels.
• Low sugar levels + driving + getting to or from work in a hurry = accidents (plus grumpy drivers).
• You feel like you haven't done anything productive in the day, especially if you end up sleeping to pass time.
• It's summer, and Bahrain has been witnessing the hottest months in history lately (May 2012 was the hottest in 100 years).

To sum everything up, I wish everyone a Ramadan Kareem