My master and I – Boredom

by Paulo Coelho on March 3, 2012

(these notes were written in August 1986)

We are sitting in a garden in a French town.

– Deep down, people complain, but they love routines – I said.

– Of course, and the reason is very simple: routines give them the false sensation of being safe. Thus, today will be exactly like yesterday, and tomorrow will bring no surprises. When night falls, part of the soul complains that nothing different was experienced, but another part is content – paradoxically, it is for the same reason.

“Evidently this safety is completely false; no one can control anything, and a change always appears at the moment one least expects it, taking us by surprise and with no chance to react or fight.

– If we are free to decide that we want a uniform life, why does God force us to change it?

– What is reality? It is that which we imagine it to be. If many people “think” that the world is like this or like that, everything around us crystallizes, and nothing changes for some time. However, life is a constant evolution – social, political, spiritual, on whatever level it may be. In order for things to evolve, it is necessary for people to change. As we are all interlinked, sometimes destiny gives those hindering evolution a push.

– Generally in a tragic way…

– Tragedy depends on the way you see it. If you chose to be a victim of the world, anything which happens to you will feed that dark side of your soul, where you consider yourself wronged, suffering, guilty and deserving punishment. If you choose to be an adventurer, the changes – even the inevitable losses, since everything in this world changes – can cause some pain, but will soon thrust you forward, forcing you to react.

“In many oral traditions, wisdom is represented by a temple, with two columns at its entrance: these two columns always have names of opposite things, but in order to illustrate what I mean, we will call one Fear and the other Desire. When a man stands at this entrance, he looks at the column of Fear and thinks: “my God, what will I find further ahead?” Then he looks at the column of Desire and thinks: “my God, I’m so accustomed to that which I have, I wish to continue living as I have always lived.” And he remains still; this is what we call tedium.

– Tedium is…

– Movement which ceases. Instinctively, we know we are wrong, and we revolt. We complain to our husbands, wives, children, neighbors. But, on the other hand, we know that tedium and routine are safe havens.

– Can a person remain his whole life in this situation?

– He can be pushed by life, but resist and remain there, always complaining – and his suffering will be useless, will teach him nothing.

“Yes, a person can stand for the rest of his days facing one of the many doors he should go through, but he must understand that he has only truly lived up to that point. He may continue to breathe, walk, sleep and eat – but with less and less pleasure, because he is already spiritually dead and does not know it.

“Until one day when, as well as his spiritual death, physical death appears; at that moment God will ask: “what did you do with your life?” We must all answer this question, and woe betide those who answer: “I remained standing at the door.”

If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track, which has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.

--- Joseph Campbell

Banana Song

Laugh trip!

Trying my damn best not to visit my blogsite daily but it's like passing by my home and not entering the door. Sheesh! I have A LOT of important stuff to do. So help me God. Today, a very special book was delivered to me. I've been searching for it for ages and ages. It's always out-of-stock. I just wanna say a BIG THANK YOU to the person who looked all over the world for it. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Will update you if it works. I'm sure it will. :-)

Have a Laugh

Haha! Sometimes this happens ...

Source: Have a Laugh

The Road Ahead

3 months ... 3 options ... Which to choose? Let Thy will be done. The road ahead ...

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."

- Thomas Merton

Things to Do Today

HAHAHA!



Source: Have a Laugh

I Have a Dream

Last August 28, 1963, Mr. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader in the African-American civil rights,  delivered a very powerful speech entitled "I Have A Dream" at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Decades after this speech, people are still clamoring for freedom from racial discrimination and social oppression.

ONE WORLD. ONE VOICE. ONE DREAM.


Let's stop the fighting and start the loving ...


"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.


Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again may God hold you in the Palm of His Hand.

An Old Irish Verse

Siesta Time

(singsong voice)
Mishka: How about we play now?
Me: How about we sleep now?
Lola Carmen: Time to sleep!
Mishka: Time to play!

Remember when we were kids and our parents had to force us to go to bed and sleep? Now I want to go to Spain and experience the real siesta. Hehehe.

Don't Stop Believing !!!

The Ruins - Taj Mahal of Negros

I've always been fascinated with the Taj Mahal of India. Great to know that we have our very own Taj Mahal in the Philippines. It's said to be one of the 12 most beautiful ruins in the world. WOW. It's located in the borders of Talisay and Bacolod City. The mansion was built in the early 1900s. It was an ancestral home given by Don Mariano Lacson to his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from Macau. This Italian-inspired structure survived the Japanese occupation.  

Pic by Kevin Bok (@123potatochips)

Andy Capp

Sometimes I feel that my daughter is a woman trapped in a girl's body ... And I'm the exact opposite. :-)

To Where You Are

April 19, 2012

A year ago, our family lost a great man with a beautiful soul. I know he's watching over us. He's in a better place now. Missing him and praying for him everyday.  See you on the other side someday.



Mishka Bakes At 3

Mishka participated in the Bake-A-Bon Event sponsored by Cinnabon, Abu Dhabi Mall last night. She wore a chef's uniform and baked a batch of mini chocobons. Ain't she a darlin'? :-) :-) :-)

We Are Young - FUN

Remember the times when we were young and reckless and free? When we did not have to please anyone but ourselves? When we could be selfish and downright self-centered? When we could just focus on the moment and forget about tomorrow? Those were the days, my friend ... :-)

From – Twenty Poems of Love

The voice of Pablo Neruda's poems is a voice that haunts your soul ... It's the voice that persists days after the last line was read ... A voice so powerful that you cannot help but go through the same torment, the same love affair ... You fall in love ... You fall out of love ... You get lost in a trance ... Such is the voice of this great Chilean poet ...  

 

From – Twenty Poems of Love

　

I can write the saddest lines tonight.

Write for example: ‘The night is fractured

and they shiver, blue, those stars, in the distance’

　

The night wind turns in the sky and sings.

I can write the saddest lines tonight.

I loved her, sometimes she loved me too.

　

On nights like these I held her in my arms.

I kissed her greatly under the infinite sky.

　

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.

How could I not have loved her huge, still eyes.

　

I can write the saddest lines tonight.

To think I don’t have her, to feel I have lost her.

　

Hear the vast night, vaster without her.

Lines fall on the soul like dew on the grass.

　

What does it matter that I couldn’t keep her.

The night is fractured and she is not with me.

　

That is all. Someone sings far off. Far off,

my soul is not content to have lost her.

　

As though to reach her, my sight looks for her.

My heart looks for her: she is not with me

　

The same night whitens, in the same branches.

We, from that time, we are not the same.

　

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.

My voice tried to find the breeze to reach her.

　

Another’s kisses on her, like my kisses.

Her voice, her bright body, infinite eyes.

　

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but perhaps I love her.

Love is brief: forgetting lasts so long.

　

Since, on these nights, I held her in my arms,

my soul is not content to have lost her.

　

Though this is the last pain she will make me suffer,

and these are the last lines I will write for her.

　

Pablo Neruda

Post-birthday Thoughts

Life does throw in a a couple of surprises along your way when you least expect it. I thought my birthday would be an ordinary day but it was far from that. I got my birthday wish plus lots more. Thank you to everyone who made this happen. Hugs and kisses !

Passing Time

Your skin like dawn
Mine like musk

One paints the beginning
of a certain end.

The other, the end of a
sure beginning.

--- Maya Angelou

Calvin and Hobbes

I can never predict which way my world will turn. How I view each turn is all that matters ...

Wizard of Id

Haha! Thank God for my henwriting.

Titanic Lives On

When Titanic was shown in movie theaters sometime in 1997, I watched it 7 times! Then I bought a copy of the film so that I can also watch it at home. Can you believe that?! I fell maddeningly in love with this epic romantic disaster film and its lead star Leo DiCaprio. Naturally, I was ecstatic when I found out that the movie would be shown on the big screen in its 3D form. When I saw the tweaked version a couple of days ago, it felt like I time-travelled back to my young hopeless romantic self. I laughed, got teary-eyed, mouthed "awww" and felt shivers down my backbone over the same scenes. This classic will always have the same effect on me. Certainly, Titanic lives on ... 

 

 

The movie focuses on the love story between Jack and Rose. They are from different social classes but this does not hinder them from falling in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage. The first time I watched this film, I was 18 and I was dating my first boyfriend. As succeeding relationships went by, I learned that with every heartache, the heart does go on ... and on. 

Movie of My Life

The idea of making a "movie of my life" started on a whim. It was weeks before my birthday. I just wanted to try out something new so why not make a movie? Any movie. My cousin Nikay suggested that I try Windows Live Movie Maker. Since I'm not very patient when it comes to anything that's related to computers, gadgets and gizmos, I had to find the resources for my movie in a practical and convenient way. I suddenly came up with an idea - a movie for my birthday. I'll just copy most of the pics from my Facebook profile, add a song or two, add a countdown video from YouTube (I've always found the countdown part cute) and voila! My first movie. As days passed by and the idea started to get quite exciting, I realized that this movie has a purpose after all. I need not go into detail but I just wanted you guys to know that this is the turning point of my life. I have just emerged from a storm, an avalanche, a tornado, a tsunami or whatever disaster you want to call it and it was the biggest one I have encountered so far. My clothes are torn, my hair is disheveled, I'm heavily wounded, my limbs are fractured on both sides but guess what? I'm still breathing, I'm still sane (thank God!), I still believe in my Maker, I'm a lot stronger and wiser. My faith saved me. Time will heal me. I have a lot to thank God for. This movie is a reminder of who I was and who I am. No matter how many candles I add to my birthday cake, I'll still be that young-at-heart, bubbly, down-to-earth, caring, simple optimist that my family and friends love. I'll always be ME.

Please click on this link:

http://youtu.be/FCUz8kKLYxE

Note: Unfortunately, not everyone close to me was represented in the movie. I only had less than a day to make the movie so the pics were chosen at random. I apologize for this.  

Are we most happy on turning 33?

Perfect timing ... Read this today in Yahoo! News.  Incidentally, I'm turning 33 a few hours from now. Hehe.

Are we most happy on turning 33?

London, March 27 (IANS) While many of us may cherish remembering the school days as the happiest period of our life, a study has suggested that people are most content at the age of 33.

According to a survey conducted by a website Friends Reunited, seven out of 10 people over the age of 40 picked the year they turned 33 as their happiest period of life, the Daily Mail reported.

Over half of those surveyed -- 53 percent -- said life was more fun and 42 percent said they felt more optimistic about the future.

One in three said their happiness stemmed from having children while one in five said happiness came from success at work.

Life seemed relatively stress-free for 38 percent while 31 percent thought that was the time their family was closest together.

Only six per cent said they felt happiest being at university and just 16 percent in childhood.

Psychologist Donna Dawson said: "The age of 33 is enough time to have shaken off childhood naivety and the wild scheming of teenaged years without losing the energy and enthusiasm of youth.

"By this age innocence has been lost but our sense of reality is mixed with a strong sense of hope, a 'can do' spirit and a healthy belief in our own talents and abilities".

Ireland : The Happiest Country in the World (2005-2011)

The United Nation's first ever World Happiness Report declared Ireland as the happiest nation in the world in the last 6 years. Interesting. Based on the list, Scandivanian countries are the places with the happiest people.  

The Top 10 Happiest Nations in the World

1. Ireland
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. Sweden
5. Switzerland
6. Canada
7. Netherlands
8. Norway
9. Finland
10. Denmark

Dilbert

SMOKING KILLS!

My mom handed me a brochure she got from a clinic she recently visited. It has SMOKING KILLS mentioned on the front page in huge bold letters. Come to think of it, it does deserve this much attention especially when a lot of our loved ones are involved.

Of all the ugly facts about smoking, it always boils down to how much it reduces your life span. Every cigarette you smoke shortens your life by 14 minutes. Let's do the the math. That's over 4 hours per pack! If you make it a regular habit, it will decrease your life span by around 15 years if it doesn't actually cause your death.

MORE UGLY FACTS:

Smoking is the leading cause of blindness.  

Tobacco smoke contains at least 4000 chemical compounds and at least 40 cancer-causing agents. 

Smoking causes oral, pancreatic and lung cancer.

Smoking kills your looks. It makes you look wrinkled, pale and gray. It makes you look 20 years older than your actual age.

Smokers have a limited sense of smell.

Both active and passive smokers have a greater risk of developing chest infections.

Smoking worsens asthma.

Smoking causes serious heart and lung problems in both active and passive smokers.

Babies and children in their formative years are the most vulnerable to the effects of passive smoking.

THE BOTTOMLINE: WHEN YOU SMOKE, YOU'RE PAYING TO KILL YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES.

If you are reading this, probably you are trying or have tried to quit smoking. If you are having some difficulty with achieving this goal, it is essential to know that a lot of people who have tried to quit smoking did not succeed in their first attempt. This is because of several factors including the fact that the body must suffer withdrawal symptoms from nicotine use. Most smokers who quit "cold turkey," without any aid of nicotine in the form of gum or patches may feel moody, dizzy, tired and may have an intense craving for tobacco. 

The benefits of enduring this brief period of discomfort are amazing, however, and start within minutes of extinguishing the last cigarette. For instance, within 20 minutes of quitting, the heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop to healthier levels. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level of the blood is back to normal and safer levels. Within 2 weeks, the circulatory system has improved dramatically.

With this in mind and the fact that smoking causes around 4 million worldwide deaths each year, kicking this habit is definitely worth the effort.

SAVE YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES TODAY. 

*** Kudos to the UAE government for starting the anti-smoking campaign in 2010 during Ramadan because "if a person can avoid smoking for 14 to 15 hours during the first, second and third day of fasting, nicotine will start to reduce by default, and this can help encourage a person to quit," as mentioned by a HAAD official.  

Garfield

Your Love Should Never Be Offered by Hafez

Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.

Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.

There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”

There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness.

Source: Paulo Coelho's Blog

Let's Make This a Better World

Have a blessed Good Friday everyone! Holy Week gives us a chance to reflect on the presence of God in our lives. Sometimes, because of our busy schedule, we tend to forget that we are here in this world for a purpose. It's more than creating a healthy work-life balance. It's a lot more than that. Each one of us has a unique path to take. In each path, there are pebbles and boulders of rocks that inflict wounds and slow us down. We shouldn't view these obstacles as bad luck or forms of punishment. If we welcome them with good faith and acceptance, they will draw us closer to God. These are the tests we have to overcome in order to learn life's valuable lessons. It doesn't matter if we passed or failed. What matters is we learned. A constantly happy and worry-free life is worthless. Life's worth comes from what was experienced and learned, good or bad. Along each path, we will meet different people. They are God's teaching assistants. Some will stay with us and guide us towards the right path. Some will dress our wounds and wipe away our tears. Some will catch us when we fall. Some will carry us when we get tired. Some will lead us astray. Some will make us stronger. Others will make us wiser. All of them will help us grow. We should thank each one of them for fulfilling their tasks. However, we have the option of choosing who to follow and who to keep. Whatever happens, we should walk on and continue our journey. We should not run, but walk. Running will make us learn life's lessons in a haphazard way. It's like cramming for an important exam. The knowledge will fade in time. In order for us to remember well, we should take it one step at a time. We should see, hear, touch, smell and feel the moment. When all our senses are alive at that moment, the lessons will leave a permanent mark, like a signature that's carved on stone. We should stop and smell the flowers, water the plants, feed the animals and help the unfortunate, the lost and the wounded. We are expected to use our God-given possessions, our talents, our skills, our knowledge, the values we uphold and our beliefs for the common good. If every person, regardless of the path he takes, focuses on making this world a better and brighter place, future generations will be encouraged to do the same. Let's make a difference. This is our purpose.

Morning Shift

Morning shift for one week. Woot-woot! The great possibilities ...

Coldplay - Us Against the World

Sometimes, even if you want to stay together, you have to spend some time apart ... In God's perfect time ...

Why We Love Men (Abridged Version)

Haha! Mostly true I guess ...

We love men because they write poems, songs, and books in our honor.

Because they never understand us, but they never give up.

Because they can see beauty in women when women have long ceased to see any beauty in themselves.

Because they come from little boys.

Because they can churn out long, intricate, Machiavellian, or incredibly complex mathematics and physics equations, but they can be comparably clueless when it comes to women.

Because they are incredible lovers and never rest until we’re happy.

Because they elevate sports to religion.

Because they’re never afraid of the dark.

Because they don’t care how they look or if they age.

Because they persevere in making and repairing things beyond their abilities, with the naïve self-assurance of the teenage boy who knew everything.

Because they never wear or dream of wearing high heels.

Because they’re afraid to go bald.

Because you always know what they think and they always mean what they say.

Because they love machines, tools, and implements with the same ferocity women love jewelry.

Because they go to great lengths to hide, unsuccessfully, that they are frail and human.

Because they either speak too much or not at all to that end.

Because they always finish the food on their plate.

Because they are brave in front of insects and mice.

Because a well-spoken four-year old girl can reduce them to silence, and a beautiful 25-year old can reduce them to slobbering idiots.

Because they want to be either omnivorous or ascetic, warriors or lovers, artists or generals, but nothing in-between.

Because for them there’s no such thing as too much adrenaline.

Because when all is said and done, they can’t live without us, no matter how hard they try.

Because they’re truly as simple as they claim to be.

Because they love extremes and when they go to extremes, we’re there to catch them.

Because they are tender when they cry, and how seldom they do it.


Because what they lack in talk, they tend to make up for in action.

Because they make excellent companions when driving through rough neighborhoods or walking past dark alleys.

Because they really love their moms, and they remind us of our dads.

Because they never care what their horoscope, their mother-in-law, nor the neighbors say.

Because they don’t lie about their age, their weight, or their clothing size.

Because they have an uncanny ability to look deeply into our eyes and connect with our heart, even when we don’t want them to.

Because when we say “I love you” they ask for an explanation.

Source: Paulo Coelho's Blog

The Rivals: Innovative Theatre with an Emirati Flavor



My Ticket :-)



Last Friday night, I was in for a visual treat when I watched The Rivals, a play performed by the Resuscitation Theatre. The group is composed of a multinational cast and crew of talents. 2 of them are kabayans. The group gave a brilliant performance which immensely entertained the audience from start to finish. I found myself smiling and laughing the entire time. I especially loved the witty banter between Captain Absolute and his father, Sir Antony.

"Also known as A Comedy of Errors, The Rivals tells the story of Lydia Languish, an heiress and an avid fan of romantic fiction, who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Malaprop. Lydia wishes to marry for love and is frustrated with her aunt's attempts at matchmaking. Knowing this, the wealthy Captain Jack Absolute disguises himself as poor Ensign Beverly in order to win Ms. Languish's affections and they meet secretly with the help of their servants. Unknown to Captain Absolute, his father, Sir Antony, has approached Mrs. Malaprop with a view to a match between Lydia and Jack. Therefore, Jack as himself becomes his own rival as Ensign Beverly. Hence the title of the play.

The Resuscitation Theatre is an innovative group conceived and directed by Maggie Hannan. Its aim is to articulate classic texts through visual forms. Resuscitation theatre adaptations use the whole space to cultivate the relationships between visual art, performance art and theatre. It performs innovative works in intimate settings, drawing the audience into the world of characters through physical expressions and interaction. Resuscitation Theatre productions are fast-paced, highly visual and usually run about an hour and twenty minutes without an interval."

--- http://resuscitationtheatre.com/

Pugad Baboy

If I Had My Life to Live Over

You can live your life the way you choose to live. Always remember that. :-)

Of course, you can’t unfry an egg, but there is no law against thinking about it.

If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes.

I would relax. I know of very few things that I would take seriously.

I would go more places. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.

I would eat more ice cream and less bran.

I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary troubles.

You see, I have been one of those fellows who live prudently and sanely, hour after hour, day after day.

Oh, I have had my moments. But if I had it to do over again, I would have more of them – a lot more.

I never go anywhere without a thermometer, a gargle, a raincoat and a parachute.

If I had it to do over, I would travel lighter.

If I had my life to live over, I would pay less attention to people telling us we must learn Latin or History; otherwise we will be disgraced and ruined and flunked and failed.

I would seek out more teachers who inspire relaxation and fun.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted a little earlier in the spring and stay that way a little later in the fall.

I would shoot more paper wads at my teachers.

I would keep later hours.

I’d have more sweethearts.

I would go to more circuses.

I would be carefree as long as I could, or at least until I got some care- instead of having my cares in advance.

I doubt, however, that I’ll do much damage with my creed.

The opposition is too strong.

There are too many serious people trying to get everybody else to be too darned serious.

(There are several versions of this text circulating in Internet. The one above is attributed to Don Harold)

Source: Paulo Coelho's Blog