Déjà vu (pages 89-124)

As Sam continues to relive the same day - again - she's starts to think that maybe she's dreaming? That's gotta be it! And she'll wake up and tell her friends all about it in the morning, but still, something isn't right. When her friends mention something about deja vu, she realizes that that must be what's happening to her, because she's experienced it before and thought it was very real. But...this seems a bit too real to be that. Sam made them late and so little things have changed throughout the day. A swimmer wasn't late for school like she had been the day before because of them stealing her parking spot and she's not gonna have to miss finals. Someone's girlfriend didn't catch her boyfriend cheating because Lindsay and Sam didn't catch them out eating and then have them caught fighting. Sam keeps feeling sick and so the party she's at -again - she decides to leave with her friends. I wonder if they'll get in the crash again? Will she die again? Or go home safe and sound? Or maybe relive that day again?

I myself have experienced deja vu, but not like this. I've had those eerie feelings that I've been there before and in that same location, with the same people, and them saying the same things. Some say it's caused by one side of the brain going slower than the other, while others think it's just caused by memories. Whatever the case, it's kind of creepy when you feel like you've been in that same spot before.

Sam trying to figure out why she's re-living this day again!

Before I Fall

Alright bloggers, so there's been a change in plans. I had mentioned in my last blog that I was going to blog about Blonde; a book about Marilyn Monroe. But after struggling through the book (it's over 700 pages with very tiny text) I've realized that I won't be able to finish it before my deadline. So, I'm going to blog about a book called Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Here's what I've read so far... 


Samantha Kingston is one of those popular girls that gets away with everything - and she knows it and loves it. She has her three best friends - Elody, Ally, and Lindsay, and her perfect boyfriend - Rob - that all the girls at Thomas Jefferson High admire. In the prologue, Sam talks about what happened right before she dies and about how she didn't see her whole life flash before her eyes, but just a memory from back in grade school about a girl they used to make fun of. Then it goes back to that day. It was a friday (Feb. 12th), and Valentine's Day was almost there so there were "valograms" being passed out to everyone. She goes through her entire day and explains all her popularity rules and privileges that come along with it. This day ends up with her at a party and after the party, her friends are driving home and then they get into an accident. Breaking glass, screeching metal, and then the next thing she knows... her alarm is going off and she's in her bed. As she turns her alarm off and checks her phone, she notices the date - Fri, Feb 12th. Sam is so completely lost and no one seems to think it's odd that they were just in an accident last night and now it's the same day again? As she tries to figure it out, she relives that same day in the exact way she had the day before - sort of. I wonder if she changes anything if she'll still die in that accident? And if she'll repeat this day forever or not?! 


Keep following to hear more! :)

eat. pray. love. - 331 pages

Well, I've finished the book and I must say that as much as I enjoyed reading it and Liz's adventure, it got harder and harder to relate to it. This is definitely more a spiritual findings book so if you aren't into something like that, I wouldn't recommend it. It is truly an amazing experience and journey that Liz goes through, but watch out if you're expecting this book to be about some little vacation. The first part of the book is deceiving because it starts out with her miserable life and then going to Italy! The first part was my favorite part, and the rest of it was harder to relate it to my life I guess. It's a good read, and I'm sure Hollywood has made the movie good - I have yet to see the movie!


p.s.
the next book I'm blogging is Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. It's a book about Marilyn Monroe! :)

Attraversiamo

Well, as all books seem to end with a happy ending, so does this one. Kind of cheesy, right? The author (who was the one experiencing this!) thinks so too! Are you confused..? not quite following me, are you? Remember Felipe? Ahhh yes, now you remember! Liz finally takes that leap of faith to be with him and finds herself the happiest she's been in a very long time. She was afraid that by being with him, it would mess up all her balance in her life just as all her other relationships had, but this one is quite different and therefore it actually works. Except for the fact that they live in two different parts of the world.. Oh, you didn't forget that Liz is going back to America soon did you? Her trip is almost over! After a nice little vacation away with Felipe, Liz realizes that she does want to stay with him, but is afraid that he might not want to commit to that and tries to avoid the topic for awhile. But eventually, they have to talk about it. And he comes up a plan. They'll divide their time together into four places - America, Australia, Brazil and Bali. America because that's where Liz lives, Australia because Felipe's kids live there, Brazil because his family lives there, and Felipe's business is in Bali. While it may not seem practical to others, it was completely the right thing for them to do given the circumstances!


by the way, I bet you're wondering the the title of this means... attraversiamo. It's Italian for "let's cross over". I'll let you think that one over on what it means in this book. :)

balance, peace, and new beginnings

Liz has finally come to find some balance and peace in her life; she spends her mornings with Wayan, with afternoon with Ketut, and her evenings with Yudhi or relaxing or reading by herself. One morning while visiting with Wayan, Liz meets Armenia, a gorgeous Brazilian that runs a multinational marketing business, and she invites Liz to a party that night. And this party, changes Liz's life. There she meets many men, but one she keeps in touch with - Felipe. They don't instantly connect, although she does flirt with all the guys, but later on things work out. At first, Liz is very hesitant to dive into a relationship with Felipe after finally discovering peace and balance in her life. She's afraid that it will throw everything off, and she'll go spiraling down back into what she had just worked on so hard for almost a year to get out of. Felipe understands completely, but also reassures her that he's hers if she wants him whenever. (Both of them have been married and now divorced, so they weren't looking to get married here or anything).
I can definitely relate to Liz's hesitance. Only being 16, I myself have experienced things that would make me not be the most trusting of guys right away. Granted, this stuff is very minor compared to what Liz is going through, but it's to the same idea. I really hope that things work out in the long run for Liz because it would sad to see her go through another terrible break up after everything she's been through!

 

new friends

Well, you know Liz - always making new friends. Her newest friend is Yudhi (pronounced You-Day) who is working for the Englishwoman that owns the house that Liz is renting right now. Yudhi has a truly sad story. After dreaming all his childhood of going to America, he finally did after working on a cruise ship for many months to get some money that has stopped in New York. He ended up living in New Jersey and joined a band where he met his future wife. They got married and everything was good until 9/11. Now, since the people in the middle east were all under suspicion because of this, Yudhi was afraid to go to the immigration office to become a citizen, but knew that he could get in even more trouble if he didn't and was caught. He was arrested even after they explained their story and sent back to Bali where he and his wife have been separated for awhile. 

Ketut teaches Liz about the Four Brothers that are always with us (even in the womb before we are born). They each stand for something : intelligence, friendship, strength and poetry. 

Liz gets hit by a bus the next day, which isn't a huge deal like you would think because she only gets a scrape on her knee but it gets infected. Instead of Ketut taking care of it, he tells her to go see a real doctor. This is where Liz meets Wayan, which changes basically everything from Liz's life from then on.... Liz learns that Wayan is also divorced, which is very looked down upon in this society here. The Balinese live in a caste system, and they live in compounds - meaning they live with extended family. So when Wayan divorced her husband, she was essentially without anyone besides her daughter Tutti.

Wayan (left) is Liz's new friend that's a medicinal healer

Medicine Man

When Liz gets to Bali, she immediately finds a place to stay and then right away goes on her search for the medicine man that she met over a year ago that told her she would return to that place to stay with him for several months. Mario (the guy that works at the hotel, who has become a friend) knows of this man and takes her to him. The man's name is Ketut Liyer. At first he doesn't remember her, but when she mentions that she's the book writer from New York he suddenly seems to remember. Ketut asks her to come visit him each day to help him practice English and she can sit in on all his sessions. Now, you might be curious as to what I even mean by a "medicine man". A medicine man is a healer, both spiritual and physical. If you are sick with a fever, you would go to the medicine man to fix it because you might be possessed by some demon. He'll give you perhaps a mixture of something or something to recite to help rid of the evil. (It's hard to explain it, but if you read the book you would understand what this guy is all about).
Since this book is the true story if Elizabeth Gilbert and her search to find herself, there are actual pictures of Ketut Liyer (who really exists!).

Ketut Liyer

pages 170-211

Alright, I'm gonna try to summarize all this reading as best I can (I know this is quite a bit of pages to put in just one blog)
After Liz's few successful meditation experiences, she decides that she's going to stay at the Ashram for a longer time than planned. She thinks it would be ridiculous to just get up and leave after all the progress she's made with herself. Liz finds herself thinking about the future - such as where she's gonna live when she goes back to the States and maybe she'll have a meditation room (this is while she's medidating!) and then realizes that she needs to start focusing much more on her meditation and not worry about what's to come next. Liz is really into her search to connect with God now. She's focusing more on what she asks in her prayers. Her newest of friends Richard from Texas informs her that while she can't choose everything in her "fate", she can choose her words, and mostly her thoughts. It's hard for her to grasp this concept - monkey mind Liz, choosing her thoughts?! So, she starts up a little saying that she repeats in her head when negative thoughts arive - "I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore". By doing this, she's giving her negative thoughts a place to go.
Liz admits to her friends that she's still struggling with letting go of her ex husband. A poet/plumber (weird combination, right?) from New Zealand takes her to a roof top that is over looking the whole Ashram, gives her a paper with instructions written on there and tells her to stay up there still she's finished. At first she's confused, but then looks at the instructions written and begins to understand. He has given her "Instructions for Freedom". And of course, she follows them and can finally release all her resentment and built up negative energy against her ex husband.
Liz decides that she talks too much, so she wants to become silent. She'll work during the day scrubbing the floors silently and then go into meditation. And the following day after she decides to go into silence, she learns that she has been re-assigned to a new job - Key Hostess. Ironic right? She's a hostess for people that go into a week long silence meditation retreats.
Liz is finally leaving for Indonesia and decides to spend her last hours (since she's leaving at 4 in the morning) meditating in a meditation cave (still not exactly sure what that is..).

I think it's really quite amazing what Liz is doing with her life in this. For a woman so desperately struggling to find herself, now she's in the middle of nowhere practically (with no one that she knows, mind you!) and she's perfectly content. I can't imagine how inspirational such a trip would be though! I would love to someday just go travel for several months, be carefree and enjoy everything. After all, you only live once, right?

Gurugita

The Gurugita is a scripture that is 182 verses long. It is sung early in the morning (and I mean early! At about 4 am!) with everyone at the Ashram. The whole thing takes about an hour and a half. You would have to have lots of self discipline to be able to sit there for an hour an a half singing in a language you don't even know! It's written in Sanskrit. The Gurugita is a spiritual excerpt from an ancient scripture of Yoga called the Skanda Purana. It's written in the form of conversation (which most of Yogic Scripture is) between the goddess Parvati and the god Shiva. In this conversation, whatever Shiva imagines, Parvati brings to life.

Liz really struggles with the Gurugita every morning. She gets all sweaty and agitated when she does it with everyone and time seems to drag on and on for her. She even starts skipping it and just meditating somewhere else because she thinks that it might be better for her spiritual health. But she knows that this probably isn't right, and so she goes to talk to her favorite teacher - a monk with a long name in Sanskrit translating to "He Who Dwells in the Heart of the Lord Who Dwells Within His Own Heart". Cool huh? He tells her that if the Gurugita is having that big of an affect on her, it must be working at her - in a good way. Even though she doesn't seem to believe this. He tells her that it's a purifying practice that isn't meant to be fun, but very neccessary. Finally, Liz goes back determined to make it through the Gurugita. And during it, she decides to dedicate that session of it to her Nephew. At last.... success! Liz has found the key to getting through the Gurugita in one piece.



People gathered for the Gurugita



yoga and meditation (pgs 119-151)

I started the second section of the book. Liz has traveled to India now, and is staying in an Ashram somewhere near Mumbai. They start their day at 3:00 am and end it at 9 pm. They practice Yoga lots, and have a meditation hour from 4am til 5am. Liz's biggest problem is that she can't get her mind to stop going. She has a "monkey mind" as Buddhists would call it. Liz is controlled by her emotions. For example, when she has a happy thought she's in a good mood, but when she starts thinking of something that made her upset before and she's in an angry mood. Liz tries so hard to harness her mind as she's meditating, but isn't successful. She asks her friends in India what she can do. While she does believe their advice, most of it doesn't work and she ends up just wrestling with her mind during her meditation hour. Finally, her newest friend, Richard from Texas, gives her the simplest, yet successful, advice. He tells her that she needs to give her mind something else to do so she can get away from it. He tells her she needs love, and when she does this, she experiences kundalini shakti. This can be described as “a snake who lies coiled at the base of the spine until it is released by a master's touch or by a miracle, and which then ascends up through the seven chakras, or wheels (which you might also call the seven mansions of the soul), and finally through the head, exploding into union with God.

While it gets much more in depth in the book about this topic, it's quite hard to explain in a short summary. So it's best left in the book for the book to explain

Italy or "Say It Like You Eat It" or 36 Tales About the Pursuit of Pleasure

This book is divided into three parts - Italy, India, Indonesia. Each part is divided into 36 short tales. The reason for this structure is because it's like the japa mala, which is a string of 108 beads, which each bead meaning something. Here's a section from the book explaining it a little better :

"The traditional japa mala is strung with 108 beads. Amid the more esoteric circles of Eastern philosophers, the number 108 is held to be most auspicious, a perfect three-digit multiple of three, its components adding up to nine, which is three threes. And three, of course, is the number representing supreme balance...."


And so, her whole book is divided into 108 tales, three parts with 36 stories in each.

Japa Mala

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italian food and language!

 Elizabeth goes to Italy simply because she loves the language and the food! Who could blame her? I personally think that the Italian language is beautiful. In fact, she even has a whole section devoted to telling how the Italian language came about. It's quite interesting! As far as the food, I'm sure that it's simply delicious! I myself am going to Italy this summer, so I'm quite excited to go to this beautiful country and eat the food. Another thing about the Italians is that they have mastered "the beauty of doing nothing" or il bel far niente. And also good at "the art of making something out of nothing" - l'arte d'arrangiarsi. 

 Now you too can say you know a little bit of the Italian language!

                                                         

                                                                          Cannoli

Eat Pray Love (pgs 1-58)

This book is the story of a woman's journey to discover herself once again. After a rough and lengthy divorce, she needs a serious change in her life. When on a business trip to Bali, she meets a medicine man that tells her she'll be visiting him once again in several months. After becoming almost suicidal, she decides to just quit her job, take that leap of faith, and go on her trip. But not just for a few weeks, but for a whole year. She plans to visit Italy, Indonesia, and India. She begins taking Italian classes just because she simply enjoys learning the language.

It's interesting to read this book, especially reading all her descriptions of the places she's going! Can't wait to read more!