Conrad's Fate

Just after the Dante Club, I finished the 2.5 inch thick Dian Wynne Jones book entitle Conrad's Fate in 2 days. Yes, Diana Wynne's new book is Conrad's Fate. Aki bought it in Japan and brought it to me. It is part of the Chrestomanci Books. This chapter happened sometime when Christopher Cahnt was fifteen.

In Series 7, a boy named Conrad Tesdinic beleived he had an Evil Karma because he failed to kill someone from his former life. He is sent to Stallery Castle to pretend to work and find out who he was supposed to kill. Up in Stellery, he encountered the sleek fifteen year old boy named Christopher. Mind you, Christopher is no longer the young, innocent boy that he was. He was a vain and poshy person which sent everyone to wonder why a well-groomed, devonaire teen was hired as an Improver.

Actually, Christopher was there because he was looking for Millie, the living goddess Asheth from Series 10. Millie ran away from Switzerland boarding school because nobody would listen how hard a time she had. Only Christopher would but fails to help her. She escaped from series 12 and went to look for a better life. Christopher went after her and proposed that when he finds her, they would live together in a small island in series 5.

Christopher helps Conrad around the castle while Conrad helps Christopher find Millie. A grim family secret is found out in the end. But all went well for Conrad. Christopher and Millie. Millie was sent to a better boarding school, Christopher is returned to the Chrestomanci castle and Conrad went with him to train too. After six years, Conrad returns home to series 7 to study some more. A year after that, he went to series 12 for a visit and to become Christopher's best man in his wedding.

That was the cute part. Millie became sweet and no longer willful but Christopher became a bit more vain. He had a new dressing gown and outfit for every day of the year. Mind you, his undergarments must be of pure silk.

There is a Dante in Each Heart

A different meaning to 'Hell on Earth'...

"Midway through the journey of our life, I found myself in a dark wood,

for the correct path had been lost."

"Some time in the middle of our lives, we all, each one of us, journey to face a hell of our own."

--Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Dante, an Italian Poet, wrote the Divine Comedies in his exile. In poverty and distress, he wrote to keep himself alive. As a man, he wrote what he felt and what he felt was hell.

Inferno was the first to be written. Beatirice, his lost love sends Virgil to guide him through hell for in hell, he will see what had become of sinners and through writting, he could warn mankind.

If we read these two lines of Dante, we find him not just imagining his hell as everybody concludes. Dante lived in his hell and as he observes, so does everybody. Midway through the journey of OUR life. He means everybody goes through a phase of feeling lost. The dark wood is the mind. We are lost in it. The second book, Purgatorio is the middle place, Limbo, as you would call it. Only in Paradiso is Dante's pilgrim saved. It is when we face our hell that we pass the journey and into the next stage, the middle stage. The passing stage is heaven, our heaven.

We each have this pilgrim Dante in us. Life is a journey, that's a given. There are ups and downs and this is what Dante shows us. We, a pilgrim in our own world, journey the ups and downs of life. Only justice and love can save us and only Justice and love will prevail.

Dante Club

The Force of Dante's Inferno

Recently, I've read the Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. It id about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendel Holmes, James T. Feilds and George Washington Greene. These 5 people are the Dante Club. Headed by the famous poet, Longfellow, they translate Dante Alighieri's Divina Comedia(Divine Comedy).

While in the middle of their translation of Inferno, the first of the Cemodias by Dante but last to be translated by Longfellow, a murder happened. A week later, another murder which Dr. Holmes, Poet and proffessor of Harvard is asked help for an autopsy. He recognize the murder as one described by Dante in his Inferno. He began to think about the first murder and realized that it too was described by Dante. When the 4 out of 5 Danteans were awre of this, they bring upon themselves to catch the Lucifer of the New England Killings.

This was not as easy as they proposed. With Harvard trying to stop the translation because it was Catholic and "Obscene" and the police were having trouble among themselves, the Dante Club are on their own.

The third murder fell upon a close friend of Dr. Holmes sending the good doctor to release himself from Dante. George Washington Greene's health was failing leaving three Danteans to solve the murders themselves.

We can learn in this novel that friendship is important in doing anything. If Lowell had not talked to Holmes and the rest recount everythign to Greene, then the murders wouldn't have been solved. They had their extra little helpers of course. Who else would be there but family. It was thanks to Mabel Lowell, daughter of James Russell Lowell, and little Annie Alegra, daughter of Henry Wadworth Longfellow, that help had turned out.

There is a breaking of borders in this story. Nicholas Rey, the only person outside the Dante Club eager to solve the murders merges with the Dante Club soon after he realizes that only these Boston Brahmins know the key to solve the Inferno Murders. Rey is the first black police man. Due to his color, restrictions slows his aid. Never giving up like the Dante Club, they six men bond in friendship and hunt for Lucifer in 1865 Boston.

Smallest Among the Big

Making me feel thin...

Eversince working in Bebe Garments, Big Closet Division, I feel, so...

"thin" perhaps is the term?

Thier sizes in Big Closet ranges from L to 3XL. It huge, mind you. L is too big for me. You can imagine me drawing fat people and thinking of a design that will flatter their bodies and give them shape. It's not easy beacuse I'm not a biggy after all. I'm an "In-betweener", too big for normal but too small for biggy.

It's been a blast. I've been making so much drawings and having them approved. One out of ten makes it to sample and out of the sample, the clients pick. One designs, having basic T-shirt style and Raglan sleeve got rejected. The clients didn't like it. I ahve to fit in to their standards which was simple and down right plain.

I guess the world is not ready for my putrageous change. The pattern maker who is also the sample maker can already cry because of my complicated instructions. The owner has to like it too.

I'm not paid for all these. I do it for experience. I did learn a lot. I learned that Robinsons is so Bureaucratic. Too much go here and go there, do this first before that. It's tough to just get a rack in the mall. Landmark seems to have no problems. We are consignment based.

Alright, so I have to simplify my designs. I have to start making and have a collection every ten days to one clients, one collection every month for Landmark and Robinsons and if Panama pushes through, also every month. This is tought work. I have to make a hundred drawings a week. Oh well, life. It's fun and challenging.

Soon, I shall be a manufacturer too. I shall be in this trade and run my own factory.

Just wait for me, world!

To my little ones...

This is a letter to my little cats. They ran away when we moved. I know they can't read this and they can't understand me either but it's good to release.

meow meow meow

My dear little Catties,

I'm missing you already. You are my anti-stress remedy. I love you guys so much even if you don't love me back. I always worry when you are not home by sundown. When it rains, I can't help but look out to check if you're not wet. My heart breaks when you cry. I give you baths and treats occasionally because it's good for you. Nobody else has the patience to bury your bombs and fill your water trays. I've spoilt you all so much only because I love you.

You may ask why I do this. I did it for love. I'm satisfied when you are lazily lounging about. I'm contented at seeing your fat faces. I melt when you run to me all the time and rub your bodies agaists my feet and beg for a headscratch. You're so cute!

I'm not going to experience that again. I may never see you guys either but I still love you. My experience with all of you is feeling the divine within us all. God loves us all and sometimes, we don't show him that we appreciate him. Perhaps I love you guys because he just does love us. Unconditionally.

Take care. I hope you have a nice new home and food to eat.Remember, I will always keep you in my heart.

Love,

Your serogate mother.