Adolescent love- no matter how ugly the relationship turned out to be, it will always makes you

smile in recollection.

This year’s 3-week sem break is about to be over. On Monday, the 2nd sem starts. I must say

that I enjoyed this sem break a lot. I slept whenever I wanted to. I stayed up until I can. I used

the internet until I was tired. I watched different movies. I got my social life back thanks very

much to my very good friend Emil. We went to many places- the mall, restaurants, stores,

movie houses we even got to experience Halloween in Malate.

I also got to read two books this break. You see, I am not that interested in reading books

during school days because: 1.) there are so many things to do; 2.) I have read/ been reading so

many things already; 3.) I’d rather sleep during my free time. But since it’s sem break, I have

more time for myself. I got to read two books this time of the year- Jessica Zafra’s Twisted V

which was written and compiled some 5 to 6 years ago and Paolo Coelho’s Na margen do rion

Piedra en sentei e chorei. That made me sound intelligent, didn’t it? Hehehe!! Ok, sick man. It is

BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT in English.

***Jessica’s Twisted***

Alright, alright. You can take that apostrophe s up there whichever you like- as a contraction of

Jessica is twisted or the more naïve possessive Jessica’s Twisted book. Banana girl aka the girl

who has been flirting with her ex the whole sem break introduced me to this book last year

when we were asked to do a report on movie reviews. The memories of that report still elicit

some laughter. I remember how I almost did not let Hershey say anything. Of course that was

done unintentionally, or was it? Hehe!! Sorry banana girl.

Well back to the topic, I did not read the book instantly but on one night that I was left with

nothing to do, I decided to scan the pages and I enjoyed the book so much. Jessica is the funnier,

smarter, more in-your-face, more relatable, less glamorous Carrie Bradshaw. I do not really

know if I should compare the two. Heck, I do not know who will be more insulted once they get

to read this one. Carrie or Jessica? Well of course Ms. Bradshaw can’t read this because she is

fictitious. I digress so much don’t I? Well since then, I have asked Hershey to lend me some

more Twisted books. I have read 3 of which is now 7 pieces of Ms. Zafra’s mind and ass.

***by the River Piedra, I sat down and wept***



River Piedra was less than what I had expect it to be but I still like it.

Before last sem ended, I have heard than many of my classmates have already read Coelho’s

River Piedra and many of them actually liked it. That’s why I told myself that I cannot let the

break pass without me reading the much-talked about book by the famous Brazilian author.

I actually had high hopes prior to reading the book. I was expecting that I would cringe and I

would cry. I thought that it was a very sad story. I have imagined that the piece was loaded with

lines mushier than anyone could think of when they are in love or when they are heartbroken.

The book was a story of two adolescent lovers. They got separated. Pilar, the girl, decided to

stay in their small town, while the boy decided to travel, study and live his life outside the town.

They moved on with their lives but kept their communications lines open. They have not seen

each other for 11 years until one day Pilar was invited by her friend to a seminar he is

conducting.

They see each other again for the first time. The two have grown to be very different people.

Pilar is studying and is working for the government but still lives in the same small town where

she grew up while the guy is now a Charismatic leader who has traveled the world and has a

“glorious” destiny waiting for him. The guy was very vocal of his feelings about Pilar. He still

loves her. But Pilar kept her guard. She was afraid that the moment she feels the same, he

would just leave her. But of course in the end, love prevailed. No matter how hard the situation

is for the both of them, him-having to deal with his gift; and her- having to deal with her own

issues, they still ended up in each other’s arms.

The book may be less than what I had expected it to be but I still like it. There were so many

good parts- kilig parts in the book. I felt the kilig when he said that he would fight for Pilar's love

and Pilar is worth the fight. I loved it when he said that he loves Pilar upon returning to her the

medallion that she had lost, I loved it when Pilar thought that he was gone but found out that he

had been looking for her the whole time.

There are also a number of lines in the book that I liked so much. But these are the lines I can r

elate to the most:

“But love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice or a dozen times in our life,

we always face a brand new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always

takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If

we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack the courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the

fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it, even if it means

hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness.

The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us.

And save us."

Hayyy!!

The biggest mystery of the book is what is the name of the male lead character? Why was he

not given a name by Coelho? Please, if you know the reason, shed some light to this confusion.

Go find your princes while I find my prince. God bless us all!!