A Day to ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Every year, it becomes more of a challenge to celebrate one’s birthday. Aside from the fact that there’s no stopping the candles from adding up, there comes a point in your life when blowing another birthday cake, popping balloons or throwing another cocktail party just doesn’t do the trick anymore. So what then?

Recently, a dear friend surprised me with a birthday gift-- Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling book “Eat, Pray, Love”. As many of us must have known by now (thanks to the massive pre-pub of the upcoming movie version with no less than Julia Roberts as the lead), it’s the non-fiction story of a middle-aged writer who packs up her entire life and takes it on the road to find pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and balance in Indonesia. I was so moved by it all that it felt like an answer from heaven. Wouldn’t it just be grand to experience that kind of journey and self-reinvention on one’s birthday?

I do realize that not everyone is lucky enough to be able to travel around the world at any given time – like Elizabeth Gilbert – to find meaning, lick one’s wounds or simply celebrate. Especially not when you have a day job that can only give you a 24-hour reprieve. Still, I was inspired enough to believe that if one has a mind to, it shouldn’t matter where we are, we can pursue anything we want right here, right now. So for this year, I decided to junk the parties and permit myself to try something new for a day– to eat, pray, love right here in my beloved city. And this time – not unlike Elizabeth Gilbert, in solitude.

EAT

On my birthday, I wake up with a smile, dreaming of food. In Cebu, the good choices are endless. Among my personal favorites are Café Marco’s hands-down unbelievable international buffet, Sunburst Chicken, Tsim Sha Tsui’s shrimp balls with Malacca fried rice, and Nonki’s crispy fried Ebi tempura.
While my current brand of poison is Bistro Ecila’s plain margarita and the occasional Don Barosso’s semi-sweet red wine at the Wine Shop, for comfort I usually turn to Potato Corner’s sour n’ cream-flavored french fries or a pint of Nestle’s extra creamy ube ice cream. And then to tie it up with a Red Ribbon—who can resist its rich chocolate mousse?

I am drooling by the time I get to the door. But just as I’m about ready to go and gluttonize, I get sidetracked by the sweet smell of Julie’s hot mongo ensaymada and cheese bread in my neighborhood. It’s been a long time since I breathed in this sweet aroma from my childhood days, back when my cousin Liz and I would sneak out of the house, buy bread with our meager coins and take turns cooking Lucky Me pancit canton.

On impulse, I buy some. I find bananas, another childhood favorite, in a nearby fruit stand and buy again. Then I go back home to recreate my favorite meal – freshly-cooked pancit canton with hot bread, sweet banana coated in peanut butter and cheese spread, along with a glass of apple juice.

Thinking of comfort food, I suddenly miss my mother’s homemade chicken adobo. Ahh, now that, I believe, is something I wouldn’t exchange for anything. Not even for a transcendent slice of Italy’s famous pizza. The moment I realize this, I am instantly filled with gratitude. For my childhood-- the remembrance that some of the best things in life could be as simple as hot bread and pancit canton. And then for my mother-- the comfort of knowing that the best food is just a phone call away.


PRAY

In the city, my house is centered enough to be surrounded by churches. From the terrace, I can see the twin towers of Redemptorist Church and hear the clanging bells of Asilo. For a quick ride, there’s Sacred Heart chapel towards south and the newly-erected Mormon temple in the opposite direction. And then there’s a Christian fellowship in Ayala just a short walk away.

It should have been easy enough, but I guess, I’m just not what you might call a religious person. Allow me to say at this point that I do not mean to offend anyone with my choices. I have a long way to go yet in my spiritual journey. But if I were to remain true to myself and my God, I ought to acknowledge my truths at present: I pray best not on my knees, but rather cross-legged in a garden or barefoot on a deserted beach, looking out to sea- my personal reminder of God’s deep, unfathomable love. I don’t go to Confession but I wrestle with God when I swim on a river, run in the sports Oval, or cry in one of the city’s parks. And on special days, like my birthday, I find more meaning in lighting a candle than hearing mass. More than entering a temple or an ashram in India perhaps, I would rather just go out and plant a tree or find a quiet corner and meditate on God’s love in its many forms – the dimpled laughter of my seven-year-old nephew, my mother’s adobo, or even the awakening of a budding rose. That’s just me, not perfect yet, but believing in faith I will be in God’s time.

LOVE

After a full meal and a quiet time of prayer, I change into a cuter outfit and take myself out on a date in the city. As a special treat, I surrender to a good Thai massage near my place. I figure I need more color in my world, so I go to David’s Salon for a long overdue mani-pedi then book an appointment with Alex of Bridges Avant-Garde for a hair makeover. Oh, I look good. I feel good. As I strut along Ayala Mall, I can’t stop humming, “I love you more today than yesterdaaaay, but not as much as tomorrow…”

Then, when you’re feeling this happy, a funny thing happens-- you want the world to be happy too. Like an open pipeline, your joy simply overflows that now you’re thinking of ways to give back on both ends. Such as maybe give an hour’s worth of salary to Children’s Hour, pick up your trash, or help someone build a home. That’s the great thing about love. Once you feel it, it just spreads and grows. You can’t contain it. At the end of the day, maybe that’s all we really need to feel and stay blessed—to eat, pray, love on our birthday and the days to come.


-- SunStar Weekend, 14 August 2010