Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Saga Begins


Welcome to my new blog, Eat. PRAY. Sleep. This blog was borne out of my experiences during the last summer vacation (April-May 2012); the circumstances of which I cannot divulge here. Let’s just say it was as such that I seriously considered undergoing the Vulcan mental discipline of Kolinahr. Seriously.

The obvious inspiration to the name of this blog is Eat, Pray, Love, an autobiographical memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was subsequently made into a film starring Julia Roberts. It traces the story of Elizabeth in her path to discovery: food in Italy (“Eat”), spirituality in India (“Pray”) and finally, love in Bali, Indonesia (“Love”).

I resorted to three things that give me peace of mind. Here is my journey.

Eat. I ate. A lot. Food became my comfort. I am used to eating out alone, making a meal into an adventure. Here, I chronicle the interesting foods that I eat, the places I go to, and some interesting conversations shared over (or about) food.

Pray. Admittedly, I had been remiss with prayer. I dug out my old pink-edged prayer book, Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours (1975, printed by Paulines) and resumed praying the Daily Office. I used to be able to rattle off the prayers machine-gun fashion; now I stumble over words. But as I got into the old routine, my recitation resumed its usual rhythm, and I got peace. Here, I share some reflections on the Bible and theology.

Sleep. I rediscovered sleep. The first few nights were uneasy, as if I did not sleep at all. Then my sleep became deeper, more restful. Fortunately, what has been bothering me in my thoughts does not visit me in my dreams. Sleep has become my refuge. However, I cannot write about sleep. Here, I intended to file my assorted thoughts and miscellanea, things ranging from technology, to social networking, to books.

Eat. PRAY. Sleep. My only sources of peace now. Join me in my journey towards enlightenment.

(Edited on Aug. 20, 2012 for consistency in tenses.)