The Boy Who Could See Demons

 

The Boy Who Could See Demons is the title of the second novel by Northern Ireland writer Carolyn Jess-Cooke. I finished this book in one and a half day flat. Most of the time I am a slow reader. I will read a book quarter through, then I would pick another and start reading a few pages of it. Then I would go back to the first book to continue and I start from the beginning again because I thought I have forgotten some of what I have read before. When I read I like to savour the storyline, the poignant sentences, the beautiful phrases used by the writer. I would use a pen or a highlighter to mark the phrases I love or the characters of the book or the significant parts. However, with this book, even with all the highlighting and marking everywhere, I finished the book in one and a half days. I always find books written from the perspectives of children very very compelling. A very good example would be ten-year old Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the narrator and protagonist in Harper Lee's famous book To Kill A Mocking Bird.

In The Boy Who Could See Demons, Alex Broccoli is a polite, quiet, intelligent ten-year old boy who lived with his mother Cindy in a dilapidated council housing in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Alex is also a gifted artist and superb performer on the stage. There are many challenges in little Alex's life. His father is not around. At the beginning of the book Alex believed his father is dead. His mother Cindy is very unstable and has attempted suicide four times before. Alex was the one who found her and was one who went for help in each of her suicide attempt. On top of all these situations Alex is suffering from early onset schizophrenia or childhood schizophrenia.  Among the symptoms of schizophrenia in children are severe confusion between fantasy and reality, extreme moodiness, violence, mental disturbances, paranoia and unusual perceptual experience. Alex says he can see demons and he himself has a demon named Ruen. He began to see Ruen on the day his mother told him his dad had died. Because of the hallucinations, strange behaviours  like talking to no one and seeing things that aren't there and sometimes tantrums,  Alex has no friend at all in school. Those of us who faced tough challenges on growing up like poverty, neglect, violence, dysfunctional families, single parent home and mental illnesses, would easily identify themselves in Alex. I definitely do.

Dr. Anya Molokova is a child psychiatrist who had just returned to Belfast after working for quite sometime in Edinburgh, Scotland and is in-charge of Alex case when Cindy attempted suicide for the fifth time. Anya is too familiar with schizophrenia because her mother had it and later on her daughter Poppy also had it. Poppy died when she was twelve, throwing herself down from the window of their apartment in Scotland. Anya is very much traumatised by Poppy's death that she was even scared of having any relationship with any man. She becomes very concern that Alex was not properly treated and she was quite adamant about booking Alex into the MacNiece House so that he can be properly evaluated and treated. Anya was worried that Cindy's self- harming episodes had impacted on Alex and Alex might do something to himself.

Michael Jones who is Alex's social worker was rather sceptical about Anya's method of treatment as he firmly believes separating Alex and his mum is bad for both of them.

I was half through the book but I was still unsure whether Ruen is a real demon or it just some manifestation of Alex's thoughts and perceptions as a result of the early onset schizophrenia. Even Anya wasn't sure until the last moment when Alex poured powdered nuts into Anya's espresso causing her to go into anaphylactic shock because she was dangerously allergic to nuts. As written in the book, Ruen the demon is the embodiment of conflict in Alex, a personification of him processing what it means to be a murderer's son. When he was about five Alex witnessed his father, an IRA dissident faction member, shot dead two policemen. It was after that incident that he began to see Ruen.

The story has a happy ending, even though Cindy died when her sixth suicide attempt was successful. Alex was adopted by his Auntie Bev, Cindy's adopted sister who cares deeply about him. Ruen slowly disappeared from Alex's life and he begins to have friends in his life.

Bali Trip

On Saturday 22nd March 2014, I went to Bali with my brother Mi, my sister-in-law Ju, my nephews Ajun, Hakim, Hazim and Iskandar and my niece Syikin. We stayed there for five days and four nights. I have always wanted to visit Bali and was very much looking forward to this trip.
Described briefly below were the places that we have visited during our short stay in Bali.

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan at Bedugul (Day 3: Monday 24th March 2014)

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan or Pura Bratan or Lake Bratan Temple is a major Shivaite and water temple in Bali. The temple complex is located on the shores of Bratan Lake in the mountains near Bedugul. Built in 1663 the temple is used for offering ceremony to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu, due to the importance of Lake Bratan as a main source of  irrigation in central Bali. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan is featured on the Indonesian Rp50000 banknote.
Pura Bratan has a gorgeous location being located on the shore of Bratan Lake with the mountains as the backdrop. The place was very breezy and it was cool and comfortable when we visited the pura despite the blazing sun.

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
(Lake Bratan Temple)

Another part of the temple complex

My niece and nephew

Pura Luhur Uluwatu at Uluwatu (Day 1: Saturday 22 March 2014)

Perched majestically on the edge of a steep cliff that towers above the legendary surf breaks of southern Bali is Pura Luhur Uluwatu or Uluwatu Temple. Located in southern westernmost precinct of Bali. There are monkeys around the place and precautionary signs are put in place to warn off visitors of their aggressiveness. However we did not witness any aggressive monkeys that day. Most of them, left to their own devices, were preoccupied with grooming and grabbing whatever food people leave out for them. They were confident animals and not at all scared of people. We sometimes had to walk carefully along the trail so as not to step on their long tails because they were grooming and relaxing on the pathway.

At sunset Kecak Dance performance is held there and sunset viewing at Uluwatu is a must-do in Bali.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu (The Uluwatu Temple)

At the temple compound

Walls like this one at Uluwatu Temple,
can be found everywhere in Bali

Kecak Dance Performance at Uluwatu Temple (Day 1: Saturday 22 March 2014)
Kecak Dance or Tari Kecak is a form of dance drama developed in 1930's in Bali. It is performed primarily by men, about 150 of them, wearing checked cloth around their waists, chanting "cak, cak" and throwing their arms around simultaneously. The dance depicts a battle from the great Hindu epic The Ramayana where the main characters are Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman. The storyline is about the abduction of Sita by King Ravana. There is no musical instrument in Kecak Dance performance, the chanting of the men sitting in concentric circles becomes the music.
When we arrived at the location, they were already so many people. Because the steps of the sitting platforms were rather high, I chose to sit at the lowest step, thereby I missed the stunning Uluwatu sunset ha ha ha.

The lovely Sita

Rama and Sita

The chanting men

Me sitting on the lowest step

Pura Tirta Empul at Tampak Siring (Day 2: Sunday 23rd March 2014)
Pura Tirta Empul or Tirta Empul Temple or Tapak Siring Temple is a holy spring water temple located in Tampak Siring Village, Gianyar Regency and is about 39km eastwards from Denpasar town. Tirta Empul Temple was built in 962 AD during the Warmadewa dynasty (from the 10th to 14th centuries) at a site where there was a large water spring. Pura Tirta Empul is a very active temple built around the bubbling sacred spring. The water from the spring is holy to the Balinese and is believed to purify those who bathe in it.
The main attraction of the temple complex is the long rectangular pool carved out of stone, filled with koi and fed by the sacred spring via 12 fountains. Worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb down into the main pool to bathe and pray.

Beautiful carving and sculptures

The Balinese performing their prayers.
Pura Tirta Empul is an active living temple.

The sacred pool where the springs are located

Entrance to the prayer area. In
picture my nephew Ajun

My nephew Hazim at the sacred pool

Worshippers doing the purifying ritual
in the koi-filled rectangular pool

Pura Tanah  Lot at Beraban (Day 3: Monday 24th March 2014)
Tanah Lot is a rock formation in the west coast of Bali and is home to pilgrimage temple the Pura Tanah Lot or Tanah Lot Temple. It is situated in the village of Beraban in Tabanan Regency about 20km from Denpasar. Pura Tanah Lot is one of the most visited and the most photographed of Balinese temples. The temple is said to be the work of a revered 15th century Hindu priest Niartha and form an important element of Balinese spiritualism and mythology.
A comprehensive restoration programme in the 1990s when it was realised that the rock was seriously eroded and in danger of collapse. The major works resulted in the actual temple being out of bounds. This us not really a hindrance to visitors as the actual temple is key attraction.
To me, the actual attraction is the magnificent view of the temple perched on the rock with the sky and the sea as background. We did not go near the temple as the view from further away was breathtaking enough.

The magnificent Pura Tanah Lot

At the temple compound

My brother and my nephews

My brother and my sis-in-law

Even though sculptures like this
one can be found almost everywhere
in Bali, I still couldn't get enough of
photographing them, to me they
were just exquisite.

Close-up view of the Tanah Lot Temple

Pura Taman Ayun at Mengwi (Day 3: Monday 24 March 2014)
Pura Taman Ayun or Taman Ayun Temple or also known as Mengwi Royal Temple is one of the most important temples in Bali. Situated near the town of Mengwi, directly north of Kuta and about 18km from Denpasar. Built in 1634 by a King of the Mengwi Dynasty, this impressive temple complex stands on an island in a river, its inner temple surrounded by a moat. Its Balinese name Pura Taman Ayun literally means " Garden Temple in a River".
This temple is part of directional temples that supposed to protect Bali from evil spirits. Pura Taman Ayun was built as a series of garden terraces with courtyard on different levels. The entire complex was designed to symbolise the mythological home of the gods, Mount Meru, floating in the sea of eternity.
The garden that visitors had to go through before coming to the actual temple is very well maintained, with immaculate lawns and shady trees all around. I always have a thing with immaculate lawns and I think this temple is a very cool place to visit.

The main gate before the
temple entrance

In the temple complex

Immaculate lawns, my kind of thing!

The tower where calls for meetings,
announcements, etc. were made in
the old days

I  am a bad photographer. This photo I took
doesn't at all resemble the impressiveness
of the pura

The moat surrounding the inner temple

Bali Bird Park Gianyar Regency (Day 2: Sunday 23rd March 2014)
The Bali Bird Park has an area of about 4.9 acres or 20,000 sq. metres. The Bird Park houses more than 5000 birds representing more than 250 species in an enclosed aviary.
The park served more than 250 species of bird from the Indonesian archipelago, South America and South Africa. The bird that attracted most attention is the Bali Mynah, the endangered bird from Bali. The has been assigned as one of the Bali Mynah breeding sites.
Some interesting events for tourists are:
Interactive Feeding  Time
Free Flight Bird Show
Meet The Star Bird

A very beautiful resident of the park

Entrance to the park

The colourful Mandarin ducks

Rice Terraces at Tegalalang Village, Ubud (Day 2: Sunday 23rd March 2014)
Rice terraces in Tegalalang is the most frequently visited by tourists due to its location, being so close to other tourist attractions such as Ubud, Pura Tirta Empul at Tampak Siring, Gunung Kawi Sebatu and Taro Elephant Park.
Along the road the are many handicraft centres especially of wood carvings.
A lot of souvenir shops and small cafes lined the road too.
We stopped at at one of the roadside cafe, went down some steps to have a better view of the beautiful terraces. A lady selling durians passed near us and we bought some durians from her. The Balinese durians were rather small in size and tasted just like our durian kampung. We spent some time there just enjoying the view. It was cool, very pleasant and very beautiful surrounding and  we felt reluctant to leave.

The very beautiful panorama

My beloved nephews and niece

Reluctant to leave such a
heavanly place

The Pacung Restaurant near Bedugul (Day 3: Monday 24 March 2014)
The Pacung Restaurant is a favourite lunch stop for tourist on the way to Bedugul to visit Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. The has a sweeping view of the famous Jatiluwih rice terraces lying along the slope of Mount Batukaru. The restaurant is dubbed "double halal" as it serves no pork and no beef, as Bali is mostly Hindu while Indonesia in general is mostly Muslim.
I have never been to heaven, in fact I would be a very bad candidate for heaven, but to all my living breathing senses the view from this restaurant is heaven itself. The food was okay but food was not a reason to make this restaurant a memorable place.

Blue sky and green rice terraces

Imagine having this view when you wake
up in the morning. 

It was a beautiful sunny day when
we were there, words fail me to
describe this awesome place

Conclusion: To me the Balinese live among beautiful surroundings and beautiful objects. It is no wonder that they are very spiritual and very artistic. Every family, for example, has its own pura with beautiful sculptures and intricate carvings everywhere. They have many ceremonies that are colourful and unique to the island. People are friendly and much more relaxed and they seemed to be doing better economically than their brothers and sisters in other parts of Indonesia (at least the parts of Indonesia that I have visited like Medan, Jogjakarta and Surakarta).
I had a great time and enjoyed every part of the trip. It was also an opportunity to bond with my nephews and my niece. Before the trip I was a little apprehensive about how my newly-operated knee would fare for the five days. I walked slow and had to be careful where there were steps or staircases or slippery ground but otherwise I was okay. The knee even set off the scanner at Ngurah Rai Airport when we were returning home ha ha ha.

There were other things we did there like watching the Barong Dance and the various shopping places we went and the different restaurants with different ethnic foods that we experienced, and the hotel where we stayed too were worth mentioning. However I think this posting is getting too long-winded and I prefer to sign off here.