Gemma Deane

Humans, in general, have come to that point when everything they do can be analyzed and viewed from many perspectives until they become satisfied with the whole outcome. Only then can they say a thing is worth doing over and over again, with a slight variation, perhaps, but always with the basic elements or conditions present. We all want control in our lives. That is the price to pay for being masters of our own lives and builders of our own dreams, whatever they may be.

For instance, dining nowadays has become not just a mere necessity that a family must go through but an occasion for bonding and experiencing new things. And even the way food is eaten has diversified. The lowly boodle-fight, once only done by Filipino military cadets and soldiers, where they spread out banana leaves on a table and pour the rice and viands on top and people dig in using their bare fingers, has become a popular method of serving meals. It’s a free-for-all, eat-as-you-can kind of dining which is fun and so filling.

How’s that for spicing up the ordinary meal and using the experience as a conversational topic? Life is too short to be spent without making an art out of it. No, living is an art in itself. And people do seek ways to make life and all its minor or major concerns shine through as gems of human accomplishments – great or small.

So it is with the need for recreation. There is an art of relaxation that not so many may have discovered yet or have had no time to even think about. Sure, entertainment and travelling have been around for thousands of years; but in the course of human progress and development, most people forget about the need to truly abandon tiring work inside the closet and putting on our vacation clothes in style – like it should be: a fine art worthy of da Vinci’s appreciation.

How is that?

Well, da Vinci, Rafael and Michelangelo may have never been to the tropics to really know what having fun is like. In fact, for Michelangelo, it was nothing but work, work and work. Those men were, in general slaves to work and may have often intentionally missed out on vacations.

So, what makes the art of relaxation what it is; that is, worth having at all?

First, the place does matter. Whether we take a stacation (a short vacation stay) in a resort or in a hotel, the place must afford us the peace and comfort we seek. For that matter, we can get the same benefit from the hospital during an executive check-up. Or in your own room at home. Certainly, a resort has far greater advantages.

Second, the surrounding area must provide a breathtaking view of nature or the city. Looking up to the sky used to be a simple joy many people enjoyed right from their window or front yard. But people have no time to do it, with Internet and TV giving them high-definition, interactive glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy. As we said, the place matters as well.

Third, staying relaxed involves having to eat meals, special meals preferably, without preparing them in your kitchen and washing dishes after. For most mothers, that is indeed a relaxing thought.

Fourth, having a wide choice of drinks or delicacies on the side. Visiting the local market for exotic fruits or take-home food products (pasalubongs) can add to the growing enjoyment of a vacation. One must savor the moment as the red wine passes through and warms the throat or as the sweet, yellow mango flesh melts in the mouth.  No need to pig out on much food; a few lanzones fruits can be the highlight of the vacation if you imagine yourself being painted by Rubens like a Grecian god or goddess feasting on grapes on Mt. Olympus.

Fifth, the music must not be the run-of-the-mill tunes you hear at home; unless your idea of relaxing is to listen to your music, which as we said, you could easily do at home. We mean live music as interpreted by the local musicians. And such music must enhance the other things mentioned here in a way that it completes the whole package of the art form we are describing.

Finally, relaxing would be incomplete without having experience the sense of flight. No, not the often dull idea of flying in a plane. That is quite too impassive for the real artist or adventurer. We talk of the exhilaration of surf-sailing, jet-skiing or simply floating in the pool or the sea and letting your body stay totally relaxed amid the ambient sounds of waves, frolicking kids and birds chirping. Try it and see what you might have missed from real relaxation. It is being completely detached while being totally engaged with the environment.

All these, The Palm Resort in Subic offers and has prepared for everyone’s enjoyment for a day or two, for a weekend or for a whole week, if you wish. The artist in each one of us requires constant expression. Immerse yourself in the creative process of renewing your mind and body with the assistance of the Master of the Art of Relaxation – The Palm Resort.