My Raw Ramadan

"Wait, how long do you do this?"  "You can't even drink water?!"  "You must be chowing down after sunset."  All common statements that Muslims hear during the month of Ramadan.  But this year is a little different (for the sake of full disclosure, as of the time of this blog posting, there are still a couple more days left in the month of Ramadan).

Traditionally during Ramadan, Muslims fast, consuming no drink or food, from morning twilight to sunset for the period of one moon cycle.  Before you jump to any conclusions, yes, it is tough.  In this country, where it is so easy for us to walk into a supermarket to buy a steak or simply shove our glasses into the refrigerator for water, it is easy to be desensitized to what it means to truly feel hungry (not the woo girl telling her friends that she is 'starving').  It is meant to be a time of reflection, controlling our desires so that we can feel them rather than absentmindedly satisfying them.  One is required to consume something before the fast begins each day and then to break the fast at the exact time of sunset.

Time to grind! Well, at least, that's what the restaurants in Malaysia seem to understand.  They are closed all day and open exactly at sunset, making sure their buffets are stocked and churning all night until the fast begins the next day.  And trust me, they are packed the whole time. According to a Sunnah (look it up), however, when one breaks their fast, they are supposed to only fill their stomachs with one-third food, one-third water, and one-third air.  Unfortunately, practice does not always emulate theory.  Oh well.

Thus, many people actually gain weight during this month since their bodies aren't used to digesting massive amounts of food in the late evening.  Even worse, once the fasting month is done, people tend to keep eating with the same intensity all day long although their metabolisms are completely out of wack at this point.

In prior years, I haven't always fasted every single day of Ramadan for a number of reasons: client lunches, after work drinks, dates, Chuck E. Cheese Pizza, etc.  But this year, I was approached by a friend (a non-Muslim) to not just do the fast every day for Ramadan, but to do it with a twist.  Since the fast, theoretically, limits the number of calories and nutrition we will intake, why don't we consume only the foods that have the highest levels of nutrition by weight.  And since heating or cooking immediately reduces the nutritional value of our food, we should eat food that has not gone through those thermodynamic processes.  Thus, we agreed to only eat raw.  Trust me, it made plenty of sense at the time.

This isn't all crazy.  Ramadan is a holy month so why not eat holy?  If one were to read the Essene Gospels of Peace, Jesus states that all food is already provided in its perfect form (referring to raw food).  Heck, these Essene Gospels even go as far as to mention that if someone were to eat like this for 7 years they would become known as one of the 'Select' and be able to command Nature to their will. 7 years seemed kind of long so I figured I could shoot for a month.

Fast forward 28 days.  I haven't lost any weight on the scale, but my clothes are definitely looser fitting.  I'm down one belt loop and the pockets on my dress pants don't flare out like bat ears anymore.  People are also telling me that I look really young.  When I asked how young, they said I look younger than my high school graduation pictures.  I sleep a tremendous amount but that may be due to the dehydration associated with Ramadan more than anything else.  And I've gotten more female attention in the last month than I have in a long time (two women actually asked me to ask them out).

Am I sold on the raw food diet?  Yes.  Is it my go to diet?  Depends.

Eating raw has not produced the same aesthetic results that I've experienced on other diets (I'll post my paleo diet experiment 'before' and 'after' pictures here in another post).  However, I generally feel lighter, physically and emotionally.  Also, again, I haven't had this much attention from the opposite sex in a long time. So there might be something to be said about this diet in that realm.

Do I recommend it for others?  Probably not during Ramadan. 

My reasoning was sound.  I'm an experimenter and I justified the diet as adding to the holiness of this month.  But I've also sacrificed by not being able to participate in the community events that are so prevalent during this time.  I purposely didn't go to some parties or get-togethers simply because I knew I would not be able to eat or drink anything there.

There are also a couple other 'metaphysical' benefits that I have noticed but I am going to see how these occurrences play out before I post them here.  Overall, I am glad I did it.  This has been a great experience and something that I am willing to share.  It is a slightly extreme method but the challenge is welcomed when not much else is going on.  Ultimately, it becomes a great story for me to share.  If you got questions, you know me so go ahead and ask.  Otherwise, I am going to keep myself 'holy' for a few more days, or until I get my hands on some pizza. 

Ciao.

Redefinition

Whoa.  It's been a long time since my last post.  Almost five years.  I guess it is true what they say: once it's on the internet, it's there FOREVER.  I still managed to remember my username and password so crisis averted.

The last five years have been quite a ride.  I'm still in Hawaii.  I am probably writing this post from the exact same location that I wrote my last entry.  I haven't done the crazy travels since my venture in Asia.  Few trips sprinkled in but nothing of the type that I spoke before.  No Greece.  No Europe.  No South America.  Just Hawaii.  I have been in some tremendous situations, though.  So my life hasn't been boring.  Some people say that what I've been through is pretty crazy.  Eh. Maybe it was at the time.  I'll leave it for another day.

"Growth" would be an accurate term to describe my life since the last post.  From being the guy that wanted to define his life by where he has traveled, I've grown to wanting to define the places I travel to by who I am. This is a recent phenomenon.  One that I actually learned at work, of all places.
Being a financial advisor, one is essentially in sales.  Sales of meetings, sales of strategies, sales of products, yadda, yadda.  I hate sales (or at least, I did).  For years, I would tell people what I do and I would cringe inside projecting that this person must think I'm a bloodsucking salesman.  I was letting the title define me. Not until recently, when I almost lost a big case, did I get the epiphany that I should be the one that defines the title.  In order to be a great salesperson, one must be a great person.  And to be a great person, one must have integrity and lead an amazing life.  Funny, this is starting to sound like the posts I wrote five years ago.

So what's next?  So far it probably sounds like I am planning on taking Buddha out with the amount of self improvement I'm doing.  To tell you the truth, I have no idea.  Routine is still a problem for me and I do get the itch to jump on a plane to anywhere.  Although what I have is comfortable, I am not content.  I have incredible aspirations personally and professionally and there is no slowing down.  Rather than itching with anxiety, I am open to opportunity.  Simply, if life is a collection of memories, I am actively searching for the gems.  Can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

Live It.

The First Few Weeks.

So maybe I got a little carried away on my last update. Routine isn't all bad. It is a good way of making sure you schedule the time to do something that you just need to do. Now, what someone means by "need" is different from individual to individual. Some may need to wake up in the morning, have a cup of joe, take a crap and eat cereal from the same bowl he's been using for the last 5 years. For this person, these tasks need to be done before he can start on being productive for that day. So rather than pointing the gun at "routine", let's shoot the balls off of monotony.

Since returning from my trip to Asia, I've been having a hard time coping with monotony. As I stated before, realizing that I was driving the same paths everyday and shopping at the same grocery store made me question what I had gotten into by coming back home. But rather than complaining over and over, I will point out what I don't like and I will figure out what I can do to make the best of the situation. So to combat this itch, I've started running.

I have to admit that I've cheated a little. But keep note, I couldn't run a mile without gagging and gasping for air before I left for my trip a year ago. However since returning, I have had the greatest success and enjoyment from running, ever. It was one of my goals to begin running again when I returned home, but I wouldn't think it would be like this. After picking up a pair of $130 shoes(I got it as a gift; best gift I've gotten in a long time) and taking them for a spin, I was amazed that I was running 2+ miles without gasping. Now, a few weeks later, I'm pushing 4 miles when I am able to budget the time. But how this is helping me with my stint with monotony is that I am able to just run and explore backroads, trails, hikes and routes that aren't on the same drive that I do everyday. I make it a point to see someplace new every time I go for a session with my New Balances.

Especially with my constant feeling towards being home, this is one of the few activities that make me feel better about myself. I feel like I am becoming better.

I urge everybody to do this. Find somewhere new, it probably isn't even that far. Explore what is around you. It will give you other ideas on how to improve your life. You'll be surprised.

Live it.

Updating...

I am finally back home. I get to type on my laptop without fear of losing power and have the freedom to peruse the web with unlimited wireless access. There is a car at my disposal and all the cable TV I could possibly ask for. Yet, I still get the urges to leave.

I probably just need a vacation. Greece, perhaps.

The thought occurred to me that everyday I drive through the same streets, shop at the same grocery store and wake up at the same time. Too much routine for me. I need to change up my lifestyle to something more conducive to the type of feeling of freedom I've nurtured on my trips abroad. So in addition to the goals that I started out writing this blog for, I will be doing some lifestyle experiments. Not everything has to be so routine, does it?

Let's figure it out.

Also, posting pictures onto this blog has been a problem but I will continue to try.

Live it.

My Own Accord.

Another day, another yoga lesson. I've been appreciating the lifestyle that I've adopted here in Mysore. I don't know if it will last but while it does let me enjoy it. I wake up around 5:30 in the morning. It is still dark out; not even the tint of blue pervades the sky. Of course I lay in bed because I still can't find a legit reason to get up until 5:55 when I need to brush my teeth and put on some borrowed yoga pants amidst the darkness, all the while making sure that I do not wake up Todd.



The walk up the hill is never too bad. It is just the correct length where you need to contemplate if you want to do it at such a time and at just the right incline that you feel nervous about the strain that it will put on your legs that sustain the consequence of yesterday's yoga session.



The class is geared for beginners. Our teacher is an middle aged Indian woman with just enough English to describe how to alter our bodies from position to position with us understanding. She is always wearing a salawar and rides a moped. The class begins with a deep breathing/meditation session that for some reason always brings up such random and trivial thoughts into my mind. It is not until she begins to recite a yogic prayer that ends in "Shanti" do I begin to feel myself preparing for the intensive session ahead.



Its interesting how yoga is so focused on the breath. Coming from a background in Eastern and Brazilian martial arts, yoga is difficult. Eastern martial arts tend to allow the practitioner to position themselves in relatively comfortable positions so that chi can pervade freely throughout. Yoga also believes in the cultivation of chi and the chakras but has a completely different approach to the technique. Rather than a comfortable position, yoga forces the practitioner to be in highly uncomfortable positions and one must still learn to breathe!

Notice: I am writing this portion a lot later when I am actually in Mungod.

Mysore and Hubli were very difficult for me. I really cannot explain why but I think I suffered a type of mental breakdown. Maybe it was because of my living situation and that nothing was there for me to do and that I had to reside within my own mind. I don't know. Nonetheless, my mind was plagued with irrationalities of all types that kept me in the dumps for a good two weeks. I remember going through a similar situation once before many years ago. The only difference there is that I didn't recover from that slump for over a year while this time it only took me a matter of two weeks to recover. I hope this is a sign of how much more mature I've become in the last few years. I might not feel it, per se, but I can see the progress when these types of situations arise in my mind.

I do not want to be an irrational person at all. I have always tried to be viewed as a mentally stable person (at least to people that don't really know me) and only now do I see that persistence coming true. Who knew that the most difficult portion of Pac-Rim thus far would have been something more mental than physical. How naive I was to think that this experience was too easy. Nevertheless, I have been put back into my place and thus have been exploring my opportunities for the future. I need a job and if anyone that reads this(if anyone actually reads this; I really don't think anyone does and this is why I don't write in it much) feels that I might be a decent hire, PLEASE HIRE ME.

There are less than three months left in this program. I am taking a very assertive perspective towards this trip. I am not going to try and extend this trip. Extending it means that I think that this trip is so great that I don't want to let go of it or that I might never be able to do this again. Untrue. I have plans to come back and I do not believe that this is the best time of my life. This experience has only showed and provided me with the lessons that I will employ to continue making my life better and better. With that, I will end this trip on my own accord. I refuse to let myself extend this experience until I do not have the means to extend it anymore. With what I have, I will begin making carving my path so that I can return again. I have my flights booked to get back home. Hopefully, I won't let any of what's left go to waste.

Hopefully I don't ramble too much in my constipated haste of a blog. Leave me comments on what you think. Thanks.

Serenity

So I begin my dictation of my travels in India. Just returning from my ritualized morning yoga session, I have fifteen minutes before breakfast and I have decided to use it to write to you.

I apologize for not having kept my promise of periodically writing these blog entries. Much of my efforts have been to experience the here and now, letting my environment reflect on me rather than me reflecting on my environment. Only recently, let's say within two weeks, have I been able to accomplish this. My mind would have always been processing some irrelevant, irrational topic even amongst the wonders that I have been able to see and feel. In some way, I actually was not able to see and feel what I had wanted to because of the constant grind of irrationality that persisted until recently.

There is not much of a way to explain the change. Let us just hope that there will be no regression. Finally having a glimpse into what it feels like to live without worry, to have the mindset to not only be free of my emotions but to be free of having to be free of my emotions, I've decided that this will be my life goal. To learn to live perpetually in that state. There has been no other feeling that has been more serene. I was so overcome by this swell of bliss that all I could comprehend doing was putting on my favorite headphones and listen to the Blue Scholars, a hip hop group that I am completely enamored with.

So now that there exists a state in which I can freely think without false thoughts, let me tell you about where I am and what I've been doing.

I am currently residing at the Vivekananda Institute in the outskirts of Mysore city, about three hours southwest of Bangalore. There really isn't much in the area. No bars or clubs or anything else that we usually use to meet people. All our meals are provided for us. It is funny how vegetarian food seems to elicit other sobering measures into your lifestyle. I refuse alcohol, go to sleep by midnight and wake up just before the birds fly south everyday. The mornings are the most serene in India. The gradients in the sky cause the sunlight to seem like an orange rainbow. These atmospheric terraces also hold the color of the setting sun so that the blood red fire is held in sight long after the sun has already set.

Breakfast is ready. I'll write soon.

Deuce Deuce.

Happy Birthday to me. Actually, it was over two weeks ago. So I am no longer living the honeymoon stage of my life. I'm a college graduate who doesn't really have any special birthdays to look forward to unless you consider 25 to be special for then I will be able to rent a car. I don't really feel any different but I feel a sense of freedom.

Haha. I am looking back on this effort now (I write this portion on January 22, 2009). Funny how I think.