Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts

Book Sale Treasure: "The Score Takes Care of Itself" by Bill Walsh

Digging in book sales can turn up the most unexpected treasures.  Under those stacked up books are reading materials that can be life changers.  I used to buy brand new books---bestselling novels mostly---but with a big family to support, the purchase of brand new books is a luxury that I needed to sacrifice.  It did not however dampen my craving for a new book to read.  So where else does a book lover go if you don't have the dough to buy a new one---BOOK SALES!

Life is a continuous learning process; however, you need not experience everything for you to learn.  Other people's stories can provide you life lessons that you can learn from.  Living life can be difficult sometimes and you need a boost of hope whenever things don't go as you want it to go or if it doesn't move at all.  Reading gives me that boost. 

Successful athletes provide a rich source of positive vibes.  Hard work, persistence, perseverance, and hope.  These are the common denominator in the lives of sports greats like Joe Montana, Larry Bird, Joe Namath, Earvin "Magic" Johnston, Wilt Chamberlain, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Steve Young, and Kurt Warner.  (Well, obviously, I'm a basketball and football fan.)  In terms of leadership insights, sports coaches provide a cornucopia of values particular to people management, planning, and strategizing.  Bill Parcells, Pat Riley, Mike Ditka, Vince Lombardi, Phil Jackson, and John Madden.  (I suggest you read John Madden's books if you want to learn and be entertained at the same time.) 

My recent trip to the book sale shop turned up yet another treasure for me---Bill Walsh's "The Score Takes Care of Itself".  Bill Walsh was the father of the Westcoast Offense and the legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers.  His Standard of Excellence in running the San Francisco 49ers' is a leadership rich manuscript that is by no means limited to sports but to business as well.  In a nutshell, what this book would like to say is, "When you prepare for everything, you are ready for anything."

This book did almost did not get printed.  Bill Walsh was in collaboration with Steve Jamison for a book after Walsh retired the head coach of the 49ers in 1988 but the publication of the book was shelved when Walsh was re-hired by the 49ers in 1999 serving as Vice President, General Manageras, and consultant until 2004.  Steve Jamison's manuscript for Bill Walsh's book on leadership was put in a box and accumulated dust for 10 years.   In 2007, Bill contacted Steve to see the book through, but before they could start, Bill died of leukemia.  Bill's son Craig gave Steve the go signal to publish the book in 2009.

Twilight: The Book

After countless trips to the crapper (and much to the dismay of my other housemates--due to my extra long stay), I have finally finished reading "Twilight"! Now I understand what my daughter and the other millions of "Twilight" fans are swooning over!

Stephenie Meyer did a great job in re-inventing the "vampire" romance! The proposition of the book is that an Adonis can fall in love with plain, fragile, and clumsy girl! Just imagine how many teenage girls out there who are imagining themselves as Bella! But more than the plot of the story, the play of words in the dialogues between Edward and Bella were unequivocably heartwarming! You could really feel the the emotion being relayed as if you're the one in the midst of the conversation: Edward's internal turmoil to disattach himself from the woman he truly loved yet could not have without putting her at risk and Bella's perceptiveness and bravado in the face of a predator. Let me enumerate a couple of lines to prove this point:

"I wasn’t interesting. And he was. Interesting… and brilliant… and mysterious… and perfect… and beautiful… and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand."---Bella

"It would be more… prudent for you not to be my friend. But I’m tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella."---Edward

"I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior. There were so many questions that I couldn’t bombard him with till we were by ourselves."---Bella

"He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth."---Bella

"It was very… hard — you can’t imagine how hard — for me to simply take you away, and leave them… alive."---Edward

"It’s too easy to be myself with you."---Edward

"I was wishing that I could believe that you were real. And I was wishing that I wasn’t afraid."---Bella

"I’m the world’s best predator, aren’t I? Everything about me invites you in — my voice, my face, even my smell. As if I need any of that!"---Edward

"I was afraid… because, for, well, obvious reasons, I can’t stay with you. And I’m afraid that I’d like to stay with you, much more than I should."---Bella

"In that one hour, I thought of a hundred different ways to lure you from the room with me, to get you alone. And I fought them each back, thinking of my family, what I could do to them. I had to run out, to get away before I could speak the words that would make you follow…"---Edward

"Common sense told me I should be terrified. Instead, I was relieved to finally understand. And I was filled with compassion for his suffering, even now, as he confessed his craving to take my life."---Bella

"Bella, I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don’t know how it’s tortured me. The thought of you, still, white, cold… to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses… it would be unendurable. You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."---Edward

Well, I guess you got the point! I'm sure many of you who read the book had your favorite quotes highlighted with a marker! Anyway, I found this site which contains quotable quotes from the Twilight series http://www.twilight-quotes.com/

I truly enjoyed reading this book and is raring to start with the second installment "New Moon" as soon as I get a hand on a paperback copy! I have e-books of the four books but I'm not sure it's wise to bring my laptop with me to the potty room!

Innocence

The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Harper Lee) really got me riled up that i got to write two poems. If you haven't read it yet I suggest you do. It's a really nice book to ponder on.

Innocence by Carlos Macarayan(1996)

Is a young child's heart
That sees through the barrier
of color and race,
Unblemished by the vexation
of prejudice and bias
Innocence...
Is a child's subtlety of reason
That defy the interpolation
of avarice and greed,
His unending search for the light
amidst the darkness
Innocence...
Is a child's wanton naivete
That inhibits him
from fear and cowardice
The elixir that strenghtens him
to persevere and to stand fast
Innocence...
Is every child
Within us
That battles all our evils
And defies the logic
of the mature mind...