City Girl

I’ve found myself having too much free time these days. So lately, I’ve turned to books. I’ve read about three books in the last week alone. I’m thinking of buying more but the thought of where to put it has stopped me. My room is already filled with books, in addition to the other things (I mean my bags and shoes). I’ve thought of joining an art class that’s offered in this sleepy town. But I found out that the classes are given during office hours. What I really want to do is learn photography. Unfortunately, I only have my 5-megapixel sony digicam which I can’t even figure out that much. Everytime I try to shoot up close, the image just gets blurred. Hmp, what do I do?!

It is common knowledge that there are only two seasons in this country: summer (from March to May) and rainy season (which starts on June and ends when summer begins.)

For some unknown reason or another, the weather in this side of the country is freakishly insane. Of course it’s still the same two seasons, i.e., rain and summer. But I’ve learned, since moving here that, there is no exact point in time when you could specifically point out which season it will be. Furthermore, the seasons seem to have mutated here. Either its pourin’ like crazy, as in, the sky seems to be falling down, or it’s scorching hot so much so that one can get a sunburn just by walking around for five minutes.

And you can never tell what the weather will be. Forget listening to “Kuya Kim” early in the morning for an inkling of what the day ahead would be like. In this place, it can go from scorching hot to pouring like crazy in the span of five minutes and back again.

Earlier today, the sun was shining more than I would have liked. Just when I thought I ought to have brought with me a sunblock lotion, the clouds thundered and rain fell out of nowhere. It was not the “pitter-patter” kind but the “kaboom” one where you’d think the roof might be going down any minute. And then, after about three minutes, the rain stopped and the heat was back on.

Life here in the country side sure is some kind of weird.

Back when I had a life, I actually think I wrote some pretty interesting things. Take note: I said that “I think.” I didn’t say that “I in fact wrote interesting things.” In short, thus, this is just my observation. But enough of that.

Since getting married and moving to the country, I perhaps have lost some of my imagination. Thus, when I looked back at my prior blog, I couldn’t help but smile at my words back when my life had other colors. If only to bring back some of those colors, I now decide to re-post these stories here.

I had just finished (finally!) reading “The Name of the Rose,” the novel by Umberto Eco. I had previously read his “Focault’s Pendulum,” something a bit sci-fi, but a great mystery novel nonetheless.

As I’d like to believe it, “The Name of the Rose” is the forerunner of “The Da Vinci Code.” In fact, I’m not even sure I want to line the latter novel with the former. “Da Vinci,” surely, was great at the suspense part but sucked when it came to factual basis. The paintings mentioned therein were nowhere close to the truth. At least, in “The Name of the Rose,” it made no allusion to things which did not truly exist. To a certain extent, however, it reflected what is happening today with the Church.

The plot of the story is set at the time when the Church is no longer about spreading the word of God but of grabbing, gaining and staying in power. Adso, the narrator, relates of a mysterious event in the Abbey, which, together with Brother William, they solve to determine who is behind the murders that occured in the Abbey.

The novel, however, is so much more than a mere “who-done-it.” It tells of how even monks during the very early times of christianity, was already beset by infidelity to the vows of celibacy. In fact, even Adso himself relates how he has been seduced by (and eventually copulated with) a woman, who would give sexual favors in exchange of food. I found it amazing how prostitution was already existent during such a time. What I also found remarkable in the book was its horrific description of the burnings and tortures committed against suspected heresiarchs. Indeed, the most gruesome crimes have been committed in the name of religion. At bottom of the murders, the investigators also uncover homosexual relationships that seem to have been common in that abbey and which was the motivating cause for the killings.

I was perplexed by its ending, however. I don’t know whether to be annoyed or to be astounded that the mastermind of the murders there committed was moved by the desire to keep secret a certain book/manuscript. But I suppose it’s just me. Sometimes, a book has to be read at the right time, when the mind is open. Perhaps, some other day I might read it again and then fully comprehend the ending. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful novel and I do not regret having spent money on such a book.