The Holy Week That Was...

For Christians all over the world, Easter marks the culmination of the whole Lenten season. To many, it also marks the end of a 40-day long sacrifice. I can proudly say that this year may be my best ever yet, in terms of sacrifice.  For this Lenten season, I have decided to give up alcohol.  Now, this is not to say that I am an alcoholic.  I do enjoy social drinking, just that it happens almost every week, thanks to my flatmates who seem to share the passion for this type of activity.  I cannot stress how hard it is to resist on several occasions - Stranger in town for a visit, a flatmate's birthday celebration that started at home and ended in the neighboring Pinoy bar, coming home and spending 2 weekends there, visiting a happening place like Singapore and the team dinner at Media Rotana on Maundy Thursday.  There was only one day that I faltered, and perhaps God will understand and make an exception - the toast at my childhood bestfriend's wedding.  As a result, I have had to content myself with drinking water and cola while the rest drank beer and tequila.  Last Thursday, the cranberry vodka just became a cranberry cooler - cranberry juice mixed with a bit of Sprite.  The plan to do something unique, that is, visiting a gay bar in Singapore had to be scrapped because my friend was also giving up alcohol for Lent.

Last week, I decided to level up by foregoing meat for the rest of the Holy Week.  The first day also saw me giving up rice for a day and I must say that drove me nearly mad.  I joked that I would be one cranky woman by the end of the week!  Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad as I pictured it to be.  I was forced to turn to fruits and veggies for sustenance and even managed to experiment with some salmon recipes in the process.  I ate less amounts of rice and calmed down when I realized that I can still have pasta and bread for my carbs.

My last challenge was also the hardest.  I decided to try my hand at fasting - restricting myself to just one meal for the whole day.  With only mushroom soup, spanish sardines pasta, fruit juice, a bowl of grapes and lots of resolve to last the whole day, I tried my best to enjoy my Friday.  I swam, spent some time in the sauna and even managed to clean the flat's common areas by myself (my cleaning partner was a no-show).  At some point, I even thought of food blogging but decided against it.  I just ended up watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode on Singapore.  Well if I can't eat food, I might as well just watch it! :)  Towards the end, both me and my stomach were grumbling.  Good thing my friend put things in perspective:  "Just pray for the people who have to face hunger everyday."  Soon enough, midnight came.  I survived!!!  To break the fast, I ate some leftover shrimp and egg salad with some Arabic flat bread.  They tasted like heaven to one hungry woman! :)

I may not have lost weight from the experiment but there is a sense of satisfaction for having completed these challenges.  I realize that I have been lax with myself for the longest time, often choosing what is convenient over what would be good for me, both in terms of food and relationships.  I do not have to take whatever or whoever is there just because they are there.  I have become too focused with goals that may take months or even years to realize, forgetting that I can also set small ones, enjoy the little rewards and use them to fuel the bigger goals.  I am thankful for Lek and the brief stay in Singapore - both happened at a time when I thought things were falling apart.  Now it turns out that the trip was my saving grace - it filled my tummy with good food and my head with new inspiration.  It also served to cushion me from the ensuing events.  I am not too bothered anymore with what happens because a)  if things took a turn for the worse, that means I am off to my next adventure somewhere else or b) if things start falling into place then it means I will stay here for a longer period of time.  I am thankful for the opportunity to gain a better perspective of things.  It is really true that in giving up, you are also gaining something.  I am finding myself yet again.  Hooray for new beginnings!  Happy Easter! :)