The big little dream

MANILA, Philippines - It is a gift indeed to be able to articulate your life’s dream in 163 words, and put it in a book of 29 pages (plus about a dozen more for other necessities of publication like a title page, copyright page, etc.). It helps, of course, if you’ve had that dream practically all your life, since you were a child.

Such is the dream of a young lady, Jeryl Tan Yu, who is about to realize her dream as she applies for medical school.

The story is about a little girl – who bears an uncanny resemblance to the author – trying to find her niche in the world. She did many of the things that little girls do – or, at least, things that mothers make their little girls do – like ballet and piano and singing, none of which suited her. She found her place in the swimming pool, a pursuit she continued during her school days, and now coaches the UCLA swim club in Los Angeles, where she resides. She also played basketball, but all that still wasn’t really enough.

Then the little girl had what a famous television talk show host calls the “Aha!” moment – she remembered what her father once told her: “Dreaming is for free!” And she dreamed way beyond childhood pursuits, to embrace a simple yet lofty goal: “The little girl wanted to help the world.” And she would do that by becoming a doctor.

The book is about as good an autobiography as one can have at the very young age of 25. And it certainly helps to have a sister who is into drawing and animation, aside from studying to be a lawyer (she graduates from Loyola Marymount next year with a Juris Doctor degree and will take the California Bar exam). Richelle gives life to the little girl in the story with delightful equally child-like drawings that are the perfect companion to the story – both simple, uncluttered and ultimately expressive in their straightforwardness.

Most of us probably don’t realize what our life’s dream is at such a young age; hey, many don’t even know what it is in middle or even old age! Having seized on her dream early in life, Jeryl has pursued her dream with focused energy and dedication. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in preparation for medical school. She has decided for the meantime to continue to do research on potential therapeutic agents for atherosclerosis as well as another underwater research project, both with her professors at UCLA. She also participates in volunteer medical missions in Los Angeles and the Philippines.

This sister act and their little book about a little dream is a delightful and inspiring story, and it will be more so as proceeds from the sale of the book will go to various cancer foundations in the country. Now it has taken me more than three times the number of words to tell the story of the book.

“The Little Dream” will be launched on Thursday at Bizu in Greenbelt 2 in Makati, and subsequent to the launch will be available at all Bizu branches and other outlets. Visit www.thelittledreambook.multiply.com or email [email protected] for details.