The Alchemist

I always have this nostalgic reaction whenever I see, hear or read about something that I used to go crazy about. And it could be anything from a movie to an old song or, in this instance, a book. It is that kind of occurrence that evokes all the happy memories of that past indulgence and makes me want to relive that moment again. I think it's because when people say good things about it, I see it as a form of affirmation that I'm doing or loving something right.

Recently, I came across a blog entry and a short write-up in the '8 days' magazine about the book 'The Alchemist' by the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. I finished reading it a few months back and it's easily one of my favourite reads; it's one of those few books that can make me stare at my tablet for hours and smile quite idiotically to myself as I digest each sentence with a sense of fulfillment.

So when I saw other people talking about this book, that same feeling of affirmation struck me; it reminded me of how happy I was to stumble upon such an amazing novel. And of course, it makes me feel like re-reading it.

'The Alchemist' tells about a young shepherd named Santiago whose purpose in life was to travel. His parents had wanted to him to become a priest but ever since he was a child, he wanted to travel and see the world, to see how people live. His adventure stemmed from this recurring dream that he had, a dream about finding a treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. After gaining further affirmation from a gypsy that he must go to the Pyramids, he traveled across the Sahara in search of the treasure.

There are two reasons why I love this story:

1) It's travel-related. I love reading travel novels because it makes me feel like I'm actually in that particular city, or country. I'm able to glean vicarious pleasure from the words and adjectives used to describe the place. It feels like a 'mental' vacation. Furthermore, this story talks about the Pyramids of Egypt, a place that I've visited not so long ago, so it becomes more relatable.

2) A young boy leaving his family behind just to travel the world and follow his dreams - I can't think of anything more inspiring. Every so often, we would hear people talking about following your dreams and doing what you want but how many of them actually know what they are talking about? Or how many actually mean what they say? That's why I love reading books like this because it has so much meaning and substance.

So if anyone is looking for a short and easy read (167 pages), and is in need of some inspiration, this book could be your guiding light!

I shall end this entry with some of my favourite lines from 'The Alchemist':

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"He never realised that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of"

"If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it."

"And when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises"