Im the first one to finish the book ..mwaaahahaha! :P

First of all I finished the book real quick and was quite engaged until I reached India, or to be more exact until she met Richard who I found to be annoying especially when he called her "groceries" *raising an eyebrow*, but to rewind a bit I loved Italy, I loved her description of the food, the history of the language, I loved it when she clarified what some "street" words meant, I felt I was truly "in" Italy, it made me want to jump into the book, go to Naples and devour the yummy Pizza - this obsession made me order Il Ferno pizza the same night!

Anyway I just want to ask you all this question: didn't you realize that the first "conversation" -you might call it - that the writer had with God had no intermediary, but then when she went to India and she met with the Guru, and she spoke to the Balinese doctor she started to have an intermediary, or more like she wasn't thinking of God as much as she was talking to the dead "Guru", the four brothers that protect her etc etc etc until she reaches the point where she thinks the conversation she had with God was instead a conversation she had with her "inner self" and that the power came from within herself....

It made me ponder on the fact on where does a person lose focus and basically go off the path of Truth, when it's so obvious that when the person is in his most dire need he focuses on One = God.

I repeat what Failafoosa says: Thank God we were born Muslims....

Who knows how crazy we would have been if we were otherwise O_O!!!!!!

P.S. I want to email the writer :D

First Impressions...

I've reached chapter 26 so far. As usual, the last time I blinked it was just the end of February and now already half of the month is over. I must admit that the first few chapters put me off continuing to read. I reached the part where she first starts to talk about her "inner voice" and of it speaking through her and I started to think "oh no, it's another one of those lunatic books about God talking to the person through a notebook".

Now don't get me wrong I respect the human experience of trying to relate directly with God. But as a Muslim I know that channel already, I didn't have to explore it through trying to talk to an Indonesian healing doctor or an Indian Guru.

Well anyway like I said, that first impression of preaching on peace, yoga, inner healing, bla bla bla, put me off at the beginning and I stopped reading altogether for about a week. I didn't even carry the book with me to Dubai where I normally have a lot of idle time.

Yesterday, however and as I started reading through the Italy journey, particularly the chapter where she starts to talk about Lonliness and Depression as if they were characters and I found myself relating to the experiences she had in one way or another and actually enjoying her story-telling style.

I'm very thankful that I've been brought up in a Muslim culture that teachs you first that this life is not meant to be heaven, and that without a proper understanding, love and devotion to religion and Allah, your life without a doubt will be miserable and unhappy.

More as I keep reading :-)

My 2ed Favorite Quote:

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."

What's yours?!!

Some thoughts!

Ever since the 1st day we got the book P.I and I been chasing each other who would finish the book first but guess what it turned out to be interesting that i dont want to finish it anytime soon i just want to be stuck in some places enjoying her vivid extended moments!!! o.O

i liked the way she sort the title and how i think fits each place;

Eat>Italy and she goes on with her descriptive food details esp. The Naples pizza :P ~aaaahhhhh wanna try it lol ~
Pray>her quest to India for a spiritually meditation purpose, honestly wanted to skip some parts but since its not a matter of choice will have to struggle through it :P
Love> haven't reached Indonesia but let me guess i think it'll imply that place ;>

I enjoyed the conflict and inner talk that Elizabeth was going through, it all felt so real and how in each obsticale she was trying to find her way out even when it felt like endless dwell!

So, over all you can say am enjoying the book and would definitely recommend it ;P
S. aren't you proud ;)