IN MY BOOK: THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM by Paulo Coelho

Many a writer has flair for weaving stories that can make his readers think then leave them as is, but only few can make his readers think deeper and bring forth a life-cultivating judgment afterwards. Brazilian author Paulo Coelho – laying claim to million-copy international best-selling titles – undeniably belongs to these few. His novel The Devil and Miss Prym is but a testament to that.

 

The Devil and Miss Prym is the third and final book in the And on the Seventh Day trilogy, which focuses on stories of ordinary people as they struggle with issues about love, death, and power. It lets us be proverbial flies on the walls of Viscos – an ostensibly remote village with good inhabitants – as it suddenly receives a visit from “the devil” who brings with him a temptation.

 

Long on eye-opening parables and thought-provoking quotes, this novel will make you reflect on your Good and Evil sides, their differences, and the situations during which the two collide. It also latches on to human beings' fear when it comes to realizing their goals and dreams, thus providing some sense of inspiration to those currently saddled with their inhibitions.  

The Devil and Miss Prym may at times bother its reader, making itself a not "unputdownable" book. But that's definitely in a good way.

                                                                     

QUOTABLE QUOTES

                “There are two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible or seeing those dreams made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it.”

                “So you see, Good and Evil have the same face; it all depends on when they cross the path of each individual human being.”

                “I’ve just taught you the most important lesson in life. Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”

                “There are two kinds of idiots: those who don’t take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat.”

                “Playing the part of a charitable soul was only for those who were afraid of taking a stand in life. It is always far easier to have faith in your own goodness than to confront others and fight for your rights. It is always far easier to hear an insult and not retaliate than have the courage to fight back against someone stronger than yourself; we can always say we’re not hurt by the stones others throw at us, and it’s only at night – when we’re alone and our wife or our husband or our school friend is asleep – that we can silently grieve over our own cowardice.”

HAIKU NO. 16

Pick it up

turn it quick

to the bookmarked

ATASHIN CHI IS BACK!

I know this is already late in that Atashin Chi’s been airing on Channel 7 for about five weeks now, but I will brazenly assume that it’s not.

It's a bit disappointing, though, that after making me – along with other fans of the animated sitcom out there – wait for more than four years, only encore episodes of Atashin Chi are being shown this time.

Nonetheless, it is so nice to see my fave Mrs. Tachibana doing her effortless antics again. But of course other members of the Tachibana family – Mr. Tachibana, Mikan, and Yuzuhiko – contribute to the fun as well.

As most of its episodes are reminiscent of our own “sitcom” at home (headlined by my mom as Mrs. Tachibana), I can say that Atashin Chi does not only make me laugh like there’s no tomorrow but pulls at my heartstrings as well.

And so, as my way of saying thanks, here’s my Atashin Chi-inspired comics featuring my family’s very own Mrs. Tachibana, my mom.


BLACK AND WHITE

(I'm not really into drawing comics, but I do hope that these are good enough for public consumption. Pagtiyagaan niyo na lang po. Still, I'd like to express my gratitude to teacher's pwet for giving me the inspiration to draw, let alone make my mother the "star" of my creative (kuno) output.)

CHASING THE KAWA-KAWA HILL WONDER

When my friends and I went to my hometown after our Caramoan weekend getaway in mid-2011, my aunts insisted that we should go visit this certain Kawa-Kawa before we head home to Manila the following morning.

But tropical storm Juaning got in our way, forcing us to stay home for the rest of the day instead of me touring my friends around the town.

A little more than a year later, I once again found myself being enticed by my aunts to see Kawa-Kawa. But this time no friends were in my tow.

Subscribing to my aunts' pitch with my dad and sis, we took the 30-minute ride to Kawa-Kawa Hill in Ligao City, bringing with us a large bottle of water and faith that we'd be able to reach the hilltop before the sun sets.

But not for this one. :D

Our trek started off by marvelling at the huge Divine Mercy Shrine being constructed on an 800-square-meter land at the foot of the hill.

It is said that former governor Fernando Gonzalez, who also opened the Kawa-Kawa Hill Natural Park in California Village, Brgy. Tuburan to the public, donated this lot to the Divine Mercy Monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Trinity about seven years ago.

A little further ahead, a life-sized image of the Last Supper captured our interest. Turned out it is the first of the 14 life-sized Stations of the Cross placed along the 500-meter walkway and around the 836-meter crater ring of Kawa-Kawa. 

The first eight stations are in the walkway, while the remaining six are located around the crater ring.

To make Kawa-Kawa’s Way of the Cross more unique, the Carmelite nuns assigned the Last Supper to be its first station, veering away from the usual pattern which starts with the Agony in the Garden.

The statues – blessed and consecrated by bishops – were oddly inviting, that even though the time of our visit was not Holy Week, we still paused for a few minutes at each station along the pathway.

Realizing that we only had an hour’s leeway before nightfall, off we climbed again, catching a glimpse of what’s below us every now and then.

Trees attached with their local and scientific names as well as flowering plants continued to line our path to the top, as unpolluted air filled our lungs.

We even dropped by a mini zoo which houses some birds like Brahminy kite (lawin), serpent eagle (agila), and grass owl (kuwago). A common palm civet (musang) was also present.

 

Along the way, my younger cousin pointed to the Boy Scouts of the Philippines Eagle Scout Advancement Camp and Facilities, where he said he joined other scouts in a jamboree held a few years back.

And though we did not have the chance to see it, he said there was also an area planted to sunflower somewhere nearby.

Without even noticing it at once, we finally reached our goal: not the hilltop but rather the hill's crater ring.
 

 

 

We stayed there awhile, savoring our awe-inspiring reward: a vista of green fields, nearby towns, unspoiled mountains and even of Mt. Mayon.

 

 

 

There stands the Mt. Mayon, the fearless! Oh, inspiring majestic grand! :)

 

Then one by one, lights started to appear, as if signalling that it was time for us to bid goodbye.

 

As we retraced our steps, I felt relieved. I finally discovered for myself why it’s called Kawa-Kawa. And I’m pretty sure that for our next hike, it is going to be a larger bottle of water and a rigid early schedule.

 

(Photo credits: wowlegazpi.com/leinar guanzon)