i am currently reading this book below, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. i started reading it about a month ago, during our trip to Bandung, one of my best friend recommends it to me, knowing how im always in the search of good books of this sort. i didn't actually get around to buying it until about a couple of weeks ago, and im really taking my time with it.
the book is basically about Ms Gilbert's journey through self discovery.
cliche, yes? no, not really.
it is somewhat slightly different that those self discovery books that ive come across so far, which actually most of it written by men, so that explains a lot really (no offense, men :p) with the exception of the second book below, most are too, how can i put this, boring. true the journey of self discovery is not a long and exciting roller coaster ride, it takes time and patience and etc etc, but if you are going to write about it, the least you could do is make it more than just all about you. am i making sense here?
i breezed through the 'Eat' section of the book and found myself in exact sentiments of the writer, when she spoke about her love of Italian cafes and food and the general atmosphere of being in a foreign country. what strike me the most about the book, is how open and honest she is, pouring her heart's out to us, the readers, about how she feels and what she thinks. all of which, in a Malaysian culture, something of a huge no-no. Miss Pugs (whom i discovered are reading the same book as well could probably explained it better than i can :p her being more eloquent than yours truly).
In this book, her views about having baby, and how she is not ready and her kneeling down on cold bathroom floor chanting how she just doesnt want to be married anymore, was so consuming both my mind and heart, because, that is exactly how i feel. i know that in this country, and being a typical Malay woman, it seems like there is a straight path that we have to follow, a certain society expectations that we have to live up to. marriage , babies, they all want you to fit into this neat little package that they have designed for us, for easy labelling of course, and should you dare to refuse to be in this little package, all hell will break loose, well at least it will be in my family. the fear of not being able to label us is the one fear that seems to rule almost everyone i meet. and they seemed to cannot accept the honest brutal fact is that i do not want any of those. i refuse to get into these ramblings today, its going to make me more depressed huhu.
anyway, im currently stuck at the "Pray" section of the book, and im taking my time here, trying to understand the meditation process and trying to relate it to something im more familiar with.
so far, it has been a great read. achingly funny and mentally and spritually stimulating. its not fiction, which is perfect. but so far, it could not rival my all time favourite book, Tales of a Female Nomad, by Rita Gelman.
she too went through divorce and separation and heart aches, and decided that there really is more to life than the usual and normal society expectations of what a 40 year old woman should do. she refused to be bogged down by that and decided to do somehing that she is happy doing. travelling.
i love love this book. i found it while i was backpacking in Sieam Reap few years back, tucked and hidden away in a tiny back packers hostel, where they have a small library section where you can borrow the books to read while you were there. i started reading it and couldnt stop, and bartered with the hostel owner with my current copy of Stephen King to replace it :p
both books are about women going out their normal expectations and decided to do something more with their lives.
their experiences and emotions and knowledge are mind opener for young women, like myself, and to me, it serves as a reminder that you dont have to be married to be happy, you dont have to have baby to leave a mark in this world, and you certainly do not need the world's approval in doing what you want to do.
a concept, that is still fairly new here, but, hey, dont take my word for it, read the books, and tell me what you think. i would love to discuss it with anyone over a cup of coffee :)
(^_^)
the book is basically about Ms Gilbert's journey through self discovery.
cliche, yes? no, not really.
it is somewhat slightly different that those self discovery books that ive come across so far, which actually most of it written by men, so that explains a lot really (no offense, men :p) with the exception of the second book below, most are too, how can i put this, boring. true the journey of self discovery is not a long and exciting roller coaster ride, it takes time and patience and etc etc, but if you are going to write about it, the least you could do is make it more than just all about you. am i making sense here?
i breezed through the 'Eat' section of the book and found myself in exact sentiments of the writer, when she spoke about her love of Italian cafes and food and the general atmosphere of being in a foreign country. what strike me the most about the book, is how open and honest she is, pouring her heart's out to us, the readers, about how she feels and what she thinks. all of which, in a Malaysian culture, something of a huge no-no. Miss Pugs (whom i discovered are reading the same book as well could probably explained it better than i can :p her being more eloquent than yours truly).
In this book, her views about having baby, and how she is not ready and her kneeling down on cold bathroom floor chanting how she just doesnt want to be married anymore, was so consuming both my mind and heart, because, that is exactly how i feel. i know that in this country, and being a typical Malay woman, it seems like there is a straight path that we have to follow, a certain society expectations that we have to live up to. marriage , babies, they all want you to fit into this neat little package that they have designed for us, for easy labelling of course, and should you dare to refuse to be in this little package, all hell will break loose, well at least it will be in my family. the fear of not being able to label us is the one fear that seems to rule almost everyone i meet. and they seemed to cannot accept the honest brutal fact is that i do not want any of those. i refuse to get into these ramblings today, its going to make me more depressed huhu.
anyway, im currently stuck at the "Pray" section of the book, and im taking my time here, trying to understand the meditation process and trying to relate it to something im more familiar with.
so far, it has been a great read. achingly funny and mentally and spritually stimulating. its not fiction, which is perfect. but so far, it could not rival my all time favourite book, Tales of a Female Nomad, by Rita Gelman.
she too went through divorce and separation and heart aches, and decided that there really is more to life than the usual and normal society expectations of what a 40 year old woman should do. she refused to be bogged down by that and decided to do somehing that she is happy doing. travelling.
i love love this book. i found it while i was backpacking in Sieam Reap few years back, tucked and hidden away in a tiny back packers hostel, where they have a small library section where you can borrow the books to read while you were there. i started reading it and couldnt stop, and bartered with the hostel owner with my current copy of Stephen King to replace it :p
both books are about women going out their normal expectations and decided to do something more with their lives.
their experiences and emotions and knowledge are mind opener for young women, like myself, and to me, it serves as a reminder that you dont have to be married to be happy, you dont have to have baby to leave a mark in this world, and you certainly do not need the world's approval in doing what you want to do.
a concept, that is still fairly new here, but, hey, dont take my word for it, read the books, and tell me what you think. i would love to discuss it with anyone over a cup of coffee :)
(^_^)
2 comments:
Oh God, I absolutely LOVE this book - & I'm only halfway through it! Nothing like your typical new-age crap. I've just begun reading the 'Pray' part, & like you, I'm trying to savour each sentence as I go along; it's so beautifully written that I find myself going back to certain passages - hence why I'm taking longer than usual to finish a good book.
& yes, I'll be reviewing the book in pretty ugly as soon as I'm done with it. A discussion over coffee doesn't sound too bad, either ;-)
miss pugs! ive just finished! this morning after sahur, couldnt sleep hehe :p its perfect to the end :)
okay, once you have finished, then we can discuss some more aite (^_^)
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