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span class="caption" style="width: 467px;">JP/Indah SetiawatiTelevision actor Baim Wong may be a popular face on local soap operas (sinetron), but his role in Dilema, an omnibus movie screened in February, has shown his interest in acting on the silver screen.

During the month of Ramadhan, Baim is appearing in a religious sinetron titled Dalam Mihrab Cinta (In the Pulpit of Love).

The 31-year-old has also invested in the culinary business. He just opened a new restaurant in Kemang, South Jakarta, which highlights steak on the menu. For him, holidays are a luxury he cannot enjoy, as he prefers to spend his time working. For this Ramadhan, Baim says he has tried to study the sunnah, or ways of the Prophet Muhammad.

“There are pluses and minuses of being single. Sometimes I feel lonely when I look at my mobile phone. It is so silent because nobody calls me. The positive thing is, I can focus on my work.

“Sometimes I miss the moments when I can perform tarawih [Ramadhan evening payers] or break of the fast with someone I love, but it’s OK. I still have my family.

“I am grateful that the shooting for my sinetron was over before it was aired during the fast-breaking month, so I can focus on my new restaurant and my prayers. My busy schedule should not interrupt my prayers.

“Sometimes we forget our obligations as Muslims during Ramadhan because we have too many things to do at work. I try to look for the next sunnah that I can perform instead of considering them as an compulsion.

“I’ve learned many things about religion from my fellow actor, Dude Harlino. He does not literally teach me, but I learn by his example. He is afraid of not performing tarawih because he is afraid of losing all the things that he has been working for. Sometimes when we are alone, I will ask him questions about religion.

“A religious activity that I have I failed to accomplish is tadarus [reading the Koran]. I have been trying to do it during Ramadhan for the past three years, but somehow I have not been successful.

“I used to have a Koran-reading teacher when I was younger, but now I have to build the discipline by myself.

“I have no ideas on holidays. I work all the time. Nowadays, my hobby is reading. I have so many books in various genres, such as religious books, novels and comics. As for comics, my favorite is Kung Fu Boy.”

— Indah Setiawati