If you happen to be in the Greenbelt area, do drop by and visit the book launch of “Fallen Cradle”. I’m one of the 22… Read More »Today, May 3 is the book launch of “Fallen Cradle”
My friend Emma showed me the article of her beloved son, Ariel Llanto who passed away last December, 9 2005. Ariel had hepatosplenic gamma delta T-cell lymphoma, a rare and particularly aggressive disease and lived barely one month after the diagnosis. His April 27 article on the Inquirer’s Young Blood was about Leaving Manila. As a Cebuana who studied college in Manila during the mid seventies, Ariel ‘s observations was evident during my time.
I started to uncover social nuances at school. I have vivid memories of roaming around the campus, trawling for evidence of the disparities, in particular, between the way Cebuanos and Manileños spoke. I winced at the sound of the Tagalog accent and words finding their way to English statements. Many girls — and, to my horror, guys — spoke like Kris Aquino.
An amusing breed, known as ““coños,” acted as if they didn’t know how to speak straight Tagalog, opting to communicate in a mangled mish-mash of Tagalog and English (““Taglish”).
Creatively-challenged me had a great time at our monthly Compassionate Friends meeting. Instead of our usual sharing sessions, we turned it into a family activity involving [tag]art therapy[/tag]. Cathy arranged a special session with Color Me Mine Philippines just for our group.
For this meeting, I also invited my daughter, Lauren. My other daughter had a singing performance so she begged off. Lauren brought her boyfriend along to the meeting with us (We allow a bereaved family member to bring a friend to the first meeting ).
She giggled as she sat down:
“Wouldn’t it be funny if someone will approach us and ask how we lost a loved one?“.
“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me… Read More »Happy Resurrection Day
Even just the expectation of a mirthful laughter involved in watching your favorite funny movie has some very surprising and significant neuroendocrine/hormone effects. That’s what… Read More »Laughter is the best medicine
“Fallen Cradle” is the title of the book which I am a part of. (View the book cover) Friends like Cathy Babao-Guballa, Alma Miclat, Agnes Prieto, Pia Cayetano are among the 22 parents who contributed to the literary anthology on their experiences of the loss of a child. Like Cathy said : “it promises to be a literary exploration of the many faces (and phases) of losing a child. ” The book is edited by award winning authors Agnes Prieto and Ricardo de Ungria.
Do drop by and take a look at our book and meet the authors as well.
When: May 3, 2005 at 5:30 PM
Where: Powerbooks at Greenbelt 4 , Makati Avenue
Thanks Annalyn for the Blog-O-Rama interview of this blog. I received a few emails from readers who have lost a loved one and got directed… Read More »Featured in Blog-O-Rama and other site news
When I first saw the accidental drowning photos from Sidney’s My Sari Sari Store, it looked surreal to me. For some reason, the photo of the dead boy didn’t shock me. Yes, I felt a twinge of sadness. Not that I’m a cold hearted person. That’s because I’ve seen the death of my own child. What is the worst photo or image one could possibly imagine? The image of my son’s limp body haunted my mind for at least 3 years after his death. Sometimes I prayed to God to give me amnesia to stop these images from playing over and over again.
Today I can look back at that exact moment when my son was given CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) without the raw pain wrenching my heart. How did it feel like?
Remember that 9 year old who died after allegedly being made to swallow pencil shavings by her teacher? Autopsy showed she died from acute tonsilitis… Read More »Corporal Punishment Part 2
MyDeathSpace.com memorializes deceased MySpace.com users and picks up where
a regular obituary leaves off. I don’t know how their deaths can be verified. When you click their myspace profiles, one can see that someone logged in recently. Maybe their ghost updated their profile? Or perhaps, family members were able to get their password. My friend’s 20 year old son died recently and she was able to acquire his [tag]myspace[/tag] login information through the help of friends. She plans to create a memorial website for him.
Looking at the cause of death of these young kids, all of it are Sudden, Accidental or Traumatic Deaths. How sad ! Automobile Accident ranks as the number one cause of death. Others like Auto-Pedestrian Accident, being shot, suicide, drug overdose, alcohol poisoning or alcohol-related, drunk driving are just a few common ones then followed by unusual causes like:
