Desert Fasting

 

How does a non-Muslim deal with the Ramadan Fast?

https://www.asocenter.org/node/526

 

 

A while back the doctors informed me that my blood sugars were heading the wrong way and unless I made some drastic lifestyle changes, old age would probably involve amputations and a heart attack would come without the need to pop little blue pills.

I went from slug to weird exercise freak. Started out with walking and then I started watching YouTube videos, which got me into weird things like sprinting and Tyson-push-ups. The more people told me to do gentler things, the more I decided that I needed to push harder.

Whilst the exercise part is fun, it does require discipline and you have to fight hard to remember to do things, especially when modern lifestyles offer “temptations,” particularly in the food and booze department. My job title of “Business Development Director,” implies that I do have to spend time entertaining, which inevitably means I do have days when drinking alcohol is necessary (I admittedly like good wine) and good food (I am a partner in a foodie site). So, it is a challenge to do things your actually doesn’t want you to do.

Then, there’s the sad truth that body actually doesn’t really burn much. If my walking pedometer is to be believed, a 10km walk, which takes about an hour burns about 500 calories. A single Mars bar blows that away. Calories run on the converse of money where its inevitably easier to pile on calories than it is to burn them (as opposed to it being easier to spend than earn money).

I try to be more controlled about food, which is a challenge since I live in Asia, where rice, specifically the white variety is a staple in just about every cuisine (white rice being high on the glycemic index) and I also love having a beer or sweets (though in this case, the most lethal place for me being the UK, where toffees made of condensed milk are heavenly). I try to load on up fibers like okra and protein (eggs, chicken and pork), when I do eat out.

Then, I met a few people who told me to try intermittent fasting. Wasn’t sure if I had the discipline to do it. Just about everyone on YouTube said it would be good for anyone with blood sugar issues and so, finally when Ramadan 2024 arrived, I thought I would give it a shot.

https://www.kelsey-seybold.com/your-health-resources/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-intermittent-fasting

 

Since I’m not Muslim, I don’t have a religious obligation to fast and at that stage, I avoided food but for the most part stuck to water. It was surprisingly easy. Once in a while I had food in the morning and then didn’t eat until I got back. Would at exercise and then eat.

I actually felt pretty good. Days went by without too much of a problem. I focused on the hours I went without food as every expert on the topic points out, its about the hours. So, doing a 24-hour fast wasn’t an issue. I simply avoided food but drank plenty of fluid.

This year, I’ve tried something different. I’ve been less intense on the exercise part since October of last year and, unfortunately, the tummy seemed to shrink a little is starting to make a reappearance.

So, when I started trying to follow the fast, which I started on Monday (3 March 2025 or the third day of Ramadan), I tried to challenge myself to do it without water. Apparently, Ramadan’s Dry Fast is like a turbo-charged version of intermittent fasting:

 https://www.ikca.org.uk/news/physical-health-benefits-fasting/

 

As a caveat, I don’t have a religious obligation to fast. So, I don’t follow the supposed timing strictly. In the last few days, I’ve broken the non-drinking water part before the non-eating part. Refraining from food is relatively easy when you’ve got water in the system.

No water for a prolonged period is a challenge. In the first two days, I’d sneak out to the toilet to rinse my mouth just to get the slimy feeling out of the mouth. It was especially challenging on day two since I was active physically and it was a relatively hot day. Once I got home (about 18:40), I grabbed the water because the need to drink had reached a stage where rinsing wouldn’t help. Went for a sprint session and I had to interrupt dinner to focus on drinking. That night the salvation was coconut water:

 

It also helped that the boss, who is Muslim, decided to pass me some porridge prepared by the mosque. So, it was like a reward for the end of the day.

https://www.tiktok.com/@tang.li0/video/7478119384846781704?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7274292816955999746

 

 

Days three and four have been relatively easy. Helped that I haven’t done much intensive work. A colleague asked if I felt any pangs watching him eat and drink during lunch. I felt fine.

Its early days, so I can’t tell you that I’m a fan of the fast. Can’t tell you if I’m going to be a believer. I keep telling myself that if I made it through yesterday, I can make it through to today. If the Bangladeshi workers who do back breaking work in the sun can go without food or water during the day, why can’t I? Not sure how long I’ll last with this but I’m glad I am trying to get a taste of what my many Muslim friends are focused on every month.

What’s the Plus?

 

Say what you like about Donald Trump, but he has shown that he has a strange ability to come up with quirky ideas. In last couple of days, the leader of the MAGA Church announced that the USA would be launching a “Gold Card” scheme for anyone willing to put five million dollars into the USA. In return they would get “Green Card Plus,” privileges.

You could say that anyone who voted for Mr. Trump because he would apply his business genius to running the country was getting precisely that. Mr. Trump, the so called savvy real estate man was doing to governing the superpower what he had done with his properties – keeping the “riff-raff” out and going all out to win the high rollers. More of the story ca be found at:

https://www.ft.com/content/d93a408e-b598-4e37-aad7-21f07d353c34

 

 In fairness to Mr. Trump, he’s been echoing what every country does with its immigration policy. If you look at just about every country on the planet, you’ll find that they’re all about trying to keep poor people out and getting rich people in. The only difference between Mr. Trump and the rest of the world is that he’s merely more vocal about it.

However, whilst I guess I get Mr. Trump is coming from, what is harder to get is the detail. What exactly is the “plus” when we talk about “Green Card” plus and what exactly is it that Mr. Trump is offering that would make the type of people who can chose the country rush over to America and why does America need to attract wealth?

Let’s face it, America remains the world’s leading wealth creating engine. Even the rise of China and India as strategic competitors, America’s role as the world’s wealth creator is secure. Rich Chinese and Indians keep a good portion of their fortunes in the USA as a “just in case” things go wrong.

America remains the home of the world’s largest corporations (particularly in the industries that matter) and has the world’s largest number of billionaires. According to the Forbes List of World’s Wealthiest, America has dominated the top ten since the 1990s. So, given the large number of super wealthy people in America, one has to ask, will attracting more super wealthy from elsewhere actually benefit America?

The American passport remains one of the world’s more attractive ones. Taxes are comparatively lower than in say the European Union at large (though Europeans would point out that there are more benefits that in Europe). There is a semblance of law and order in the parts of America that matter and as one American citizen pointed out, the US government will extract you out of difficult situations in various parts of the world.

Yes, America has plenty of great opportunities for professional middle class people. I think of the Indian IT industry, which developed because America was the best home for Indian IT people to do things.

However, what the “Gold Card” scheme is aimed at is not a working professional from a less developed nation hopping for a higher salary. It’s aimed that the people who don’t really need a day job.

I guess there is the element of security. As mentioned, a billionaire in a place like China would undoubtedly want to have a certain amount of money in the USA just in case the Communist Government in China turns nasty (which has happened). However, beyond that, its hard to think of what else the USA offers for potential investors from outside.

Perhaps the obvious might be tax. As mentioned, the USA has a relatively lower tax rate than most developed countries. Trump and his Republican predecessors have continuously cut taxes. Yet, despite this, America has an industry of experts telling wealthy people how to get second passports for less taxes.

If anything, the problem with getting the wealthy into America is not so much the tax bill but why you get charged tax. The USA remains one of the very few places that charges you for your citizenship rather than your residence. Under American law, US Citizens and Permanent residents are considered “US Persons,” and therefore have to file taxes even if they happen to be outside the USA. I still remember my internship in Citibank Singapore, where we simply could not sell financial products to “US Persons,” (of which I happened to be one as I was still a US Green Card holder at the time).

So, if you think about it, there is no reason for the super wealthy earning fortunes derived from elsewhere should invest to get “US Persons” tax status when they can invest in the USA through other means but gain residency in other more tax friendly places.

If Mr. Trump is serious about wanting to attract more wealthy residents to the USA, perhaps he should look at changing the tax system beyond cutting taxes.