Pocketful of Sunshine: literary

If only he could see her now...

11:40 AM

This entry was supposed to be posted on 28 August 2013.

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Sara Crewe
Photo Source: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/ramdas/sara/illust/sara/sara14.jpg

It's been 16 years since a child was awaken from the dreamland and the fairy tale universe. The little princess suddenly needs to be a grown-up kid with a burden to carry. She had discovered reality far ahead from the other kids on the block. But, she has conquered and continuously conquering it all. She had learned that experience and mistakes are indeed the best teachers in the subject called LIFE.

With her childhood fear to deal with things her young mind cannot comprehend. She get her inspiration to her favorite cartoon character Sara Crewe. Like Sara, her father was taken from her early, not enough to prepare her to stand alone and to be on her own. She told herself, if Sara made it, then she can too.

Sara Crewe with her father
Photo Source: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/ramdas/sara/illust/sara/sara25.jpg

But as she continues her journey, she realized that they were not the same. Unlike Sara, there are no promises of redemption in her case. During those times, it was only her blind faith that keeps her going. She has learned to depend not to anyone but herself. Another thing that separates her from Sara's character is the fact that Sara only needs to live for Emily, but she has live for her family.

She tried to be stronger, and still trying to be. A lot of times she feel so alone in the battle, but she always go back to the promise that she made her father. Although, her father didn't come back for her, she knows that somewhere over the changing skies, he is watching her. He is also helping her, in some ways or another, to fulfill her promises with him.

But now she just misses her Papa. It's been 16 years since that fateful day.

Sometimes the girl is hoping that she is indeed Sara Crewe and that eventually her father will come back and will tell her that from now on everything's gonna be alright. With this she responds "I may not be Sara Crewe, because I am my own person, and I know my father need not to come back because I believe he is always on our side, guiding us to the right path and helping us get through life."

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Papa, you are remembered always and I dedicate this song for you. :)

Song: If you could see me now by The Script.

best books of all time

Of Prof. Randy Pausch, "The Last Lecture" and his quotable quotes

3:08 PM

Who is Randy Pausch? For those of you who didn't know him, he was a professor in Carneige Mellon and tagged as a computer genius with his virtual reality concept. He was also one of the responsible person behind the Star Trek movie. But for me, as he gave his last lecture, he was a child who was able to fulfill his dream by living it and executing it wonderfully. He applied simple rudiments in life that are most often than not are neglected. Although his life might be short-lived, I believe it was lived to the fullest.

The book 'The last lecture' was Randy Pausch's last hoorah to life. And it's now part of my life as one of my favorite books of all time. Come to think of it, there's nothing really spectacular about the book, it only reiterates realities of life that we already know. But its simplicity was its best asset and the way it was delivered and written was far more compelling because you are living and experiencing it as well. I was moved by his story and humor despite his condition.

The Last Lecture

The last lecture made me reexamine my life. I was reminded of the virtues I once had but forgotten along the way. I also find his reference to pop culture so cool. Overall, I think what made him so successful and achieved almost all his dreams was his ability to listen and his perseverance to overcome every brickwall that he encountered. I am sharing some of inspirational lines in the book here, this is not to spoil future readers but rather to inspire other people to also read his book.

"If you can dream it, you can do it."-Walt Disney one of Prof. Randy's inspiration in life that pushed him to be an Imagineer in Disney.

Prof. Paush's dad to him "Never make a decision until you have to. "He'd also warn me that even if I was in a position of strength, whether at work or in relationships, I had to play fair"

Prof. Randy in pursuing his dream to Zero gravity... "Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome"

His stance as a professor... "You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise fancy stuff is not going to work"

Prof. Randy on bagging big stuff animals. "Tenacity is a virtue, but it's not always crucial for everyone to observe how hard you work at something"

"People are more important than things." Prof. Randy's line after pouring a can of soda to his new convertible just to make his point.

Prof. Randy to his wife when he refused to repair a scratch in the car. "But the flipside of that is my belief that you don't repair things if they still do what they're supposed to do. The cars still work. Let's just drive 'em"

"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think."

"A professor's job is to teach students how to see their minds growing in the same way they can see their muscles grow when they look in a mirror"

"Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity"

"Don't complain, just work harder. Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Anytime spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier."

"It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you get hit...and keep moving forward."

"If you want something bad enough, never give up"

"Brick walls are there for reason. And once you get over them-- even if someone has practically had to throw you over-- it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it. "

Well if you don't have time to read his book, here is the link of his "Last Lecture" speech which is basically the content of the book.