Posts Tagged ‘book review’

In the past 2.5 months, I have been making many trips to Hong Kong.

For work, I have sacrificed a lot of family time with hubby and babe. And every time I step out quietly into the dark (I usually take the 6:40am flight) to a cab to the airport, I have to muster up strength not to just lie down for a few minutes more and cuddle my babe.

One of the best things that have come out of my many trips is I have caught up on my reading. I have not done so much reading for the longest time. And this is how my ˜routine” goes. Once I have checked in, I will get my breakfast – toast, half boiled eggs and teh. After that, I will walk over to the bookstore to see what the bestsellers are.  Isn’t it amazing? At Changi Airport, even the bookstore is open at 6am! J

And the latest one that I have got my hands on is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I first heard of him when I saw him listed on Time’s 100 most influential people of the year. He’s a professor at Carnegie-Mellon University. He has given many lectures in his lifetime, but this time, he is giving his last lecture because he has terminal illness, and has only been given a couple of months to live.

And in his lecture, and also in his book, he talks about his life, and the many lessons he has learnt along the way. The title of his lecture is “Realising my Childhood Dreams”. And as you read the book, you will delight in what his dreams were. Many of us would scoff those dreams off as impossible to achieve, and then be totally amazed when he achieves them. He has lived such an amazing and inspirational life. And he ended by saying… this last lecture is actually for his kids. He has 3 kids – 5, 3 and 18 months.

Trying to impart a lifetime of knowledge and experience in a single lecture is not easy. But I am thoroughly inspired by his life, and his love for his wife and his children.

When I read about every dream that he has achieved, I suddenly come to realization that by some strange twist of fate, I am actually living my childhood dreams.

For those of you who are thinking at this point – Violet, you mean your childhood dream is to become a matchmaker? Haha! Well, that would have made a pretty story, but fact is – no, my childhood dream is not to be a matchmaker. Actually, the younger me would be totally shocked if I travel back in a time machine to tell her that, “Hey! Guess what? In 10 years time, you will be a matchmaker!”

I have many dreams.

I have always wanted to work overseas, particularly in Hong Kong because I love the food, the vibrancy, the energy.

I wanted to travel for business. (Seems like a really good idea then, haha!)

I wanted to see my name in print. I wanted to be interviewed on TV. I wanted to be a guest on a radio talk show.

And my biggest dream of all is to help people, and in my own way make a difference in their lives.

Many of these dreams, I have never verbalized to anybody, because well, they sound pretty out of reach, and I was afraid of being ridiculed.

By God’s grace, as I make matchmaking my profession, I have realized many of these dreams in the last 4 years.

As I read through Randy’s book, many of his stories make me laugh. And many more made me cry.

But the greatest gift that he has given me is to remind me to pass it forward. As I realize my own dreams, I must never stop helping people achieve their childhood dream too.

Thank you Randy!

Note: A new poll is up! Go spill the beans!