The Field Below

I realised that i’ve not been reading lately unlike the previous year maybe i guess its due to my so call hectic schedule that i’m facing right now; heavyworkload, my AGV lessons and addiction of playing my PSP… haha!!  Well, the last one explains everything clearly. Anyway i went to MPH last Friday and i got myself  this The Last Lecture  written by the late Mr Randy Pausch a professor from Carnegie Mellon Universty. He had been diagnosed with a pancreatic cancer which was indeed terminal and henceforth he decided to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last but originally the lecture he gave was entitled – ‘Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”-  which wasn’t about dying. It was more about the having to overcome obstacles and seizing every moment. His “Last Lecture” has attracted wide attention from media in the United States as well as around the world. The video of the speech became an Internet hit, and was viewed over a million times in the first month after its delivery on social networking site such as YouTube. But what intrigues me most about Randy is that the purpose of him giving the lecture, in a way letting his 3 kids having his dad memories when they’re older, going to go through this phase where they absolutely and achingly need to know – Who was their dad? And by having the audience to laugh and clap at the right time, maybe it gives that little gravitas to what he’s telling his childrens. I always feel that not knowing or not having the chance to meet your father or mother especially when your still at younger age,it must be really hard and kinda lost not having their love especially when the stage of growing up. He passed away on July 25th 2008 and survived by his wife and their three children.

 

The maps were still on the wall and we stood before them once more. Ewan glanced at me.

”What do you reckon, Charley?” ”I don’t know.”South America, India maybe?”‘I looked up at him. ‘What about riding through Africa?”

The other day,i caught a glimpse of something that capture my attention on the TV set. It involved an african military guard or policeman refusing entry and behaving lividly towards a Scottish guy who once happens to be a Jedi knight but obviously he can’t used his jedi power on him there.

On Discovery Travel, my sis was watching – ‘The Long Way Down’– an epic journey by Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman riding their big BMW motorcycle. Having read the -‘The Long Way Round’– which was their 1st  motorcyle journey chasing shadows through Europe (Ukraine,Mongolia,Russia and etc) across the Pacific to Alaska then down through America. Although i’m not a fan of motorcycles but the journey that they overcome and the border crossing having problems with the authorities, is just one of a hell adventure that money can’t buy. In the first book the journey was also used to bring attention to the humanitarian efforts of UNICEF where they discover the street children who live in the heating systems of apartment and Ukraine housing children affected by the Chernobyl disaster and likewise for the second book, Ewan and Charley visited a mine awareness projects supported by UNICEF where they get to know the Ethiopian children way of living and met with children who have lost limbs in mine accidents and have witnessed for themselves how important it is that children are aware of the dangers from mines.
 I told myself i have to get my hands on this book a follow-up to the Long Way Round.