My Own Version of 'Eat Pray Love' Would Be 'Smile Dance Reflect'

As Vic and I left the theater after watching 'Eat Pray Love', we had a good laugh since we've actually done what Julia Roberts' character had done sans the issues that her character had to deal with - for the simple reason that we left those baggages in our lives behind a long time ago and we've decided to move forward with our lives.  We actually did what Julia's character did, just dump all those people who made us miserable and left them to wallow in their own misery - and keep them out of our lives.  So with a baggage-free life, we were able to enjoy our lives more, and our version of her 'Eat Pray Love' sojourn was 'Shop Party Have Fun' and the places would've been New York, London and Hong Kong.

Now that I've done that part of my life, if I were to create my own journey now, I'd choose Bhutan, Cuba and North Korea - and my that version would be 'Smile Dance Reflect'.  They say the Bhutanese are the happiest people on earth. Filipinos are a close second I'm sure!  I think Bhutan is one of those rare countries still untouched by the world's materialism.  I am a walking materialistic person.  My life revolves around logos in my clothes and shoes and the cars I drive.  I am like everyone else - raised to be materialistic and to be averse to a life without material things.  So Bhutan would be a mystery to me.  I would love to be on top of the world literally and experience pure happiness in a life without any hint of materialism.  That would be the Smile phase of my trip.

After that would be the Dance phase!  I've always associated Cuba with a vibrant musical scene, thanks to growing up to the music of Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz and Harry Belafonte, who are Americans with Cuban lineage - and whose music I really love and dance to!  So I would like to experience the real music scene in Cuba, the real salsa, and sway to the vibrancy of their music - unless of course the rule of Fidel Castro hasn't effectively killed it.  But I don't think so.  Even in the most oppressive regimes, the people's musicality will always shine through.  And that would be the purpose of my trip to Cuba, to find out if the musicality of the Cubans have lived on, even though the world has already left them technologically and economically, and going there would be like going back in a time machine!

Finally, the Reflect phase will come in my trip to North Korea.  I know I'd have to travel in a tour group and have no Internet access in my stay there.  I also cannot choose where to go, or talk to the people on the street, or maybe take pictures or videos they don't sanction.  But I'm still curious to see how people there could live under a regime that manipulates their thinking and their minds as soon as they are born to this world.  I want to see how they could go on living and survive in an environment that they have been conditioned to think as heaven, and to think of America and South Korea, as hell or the devil.  I don't know if I'd have to feel pity or anger towards them, maybe I'd just want to find out how the human spirit can still survive amidst all that oppression.  I am curious as to what 'having fun' actually means to them!

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