That’s what seems to be happening with the tragedy of Trina Etong’s death. Trina is the wife of broadcaster and former congressman Ted Failon, she took her life a few days ago by gunshot. Failon and their house helpers allegedly found Trina in the comfort room where she locked herself in, and they rushed her to a nearby hospital. She was in the critical care unit for the next day, before she died. Failon, his sister-in-law and a brother-in-law, along with their driver and house helpers were arrested by the police for allegedly obstructing justice. The police basis? They cleaned up the scene of the crime, and the car they used to take Trina to the hospital, and they did not report the crime to the police.
My take? Would any family really call the police to report a suicide attempt? Most of the time, families would like to keep this hush-hush. And they don’t know whether their family member will pull through or if they’re losing her soon.
It’s sad, the police are probably really just trying to do their job, but in the process they’ve caused another tragedy to the Etong/Failon family on top of the tragic loss of a loved one. The theory is that the police is acting this way because they have a lot against Failon, and ABS-CBN. Like it’s payback time. I sincerely hope not. The Commission on Human Rights is reviewing clips of the Failon family arrests to make sure that their rights were not violated in the process.
I’ve been staring at this white space… staring and staring and staring…
Thoughts come fleeting into my head, but they never fully form enough to move my fingers to type. Seriously, I’ve been like this all day (or all night rather). I think this is what happens whenever I have big decisions to make. As to what it’s about, I can’t say yet. No, not even on my own blog. But soon enough, if it is indeed that important, it shall be revealed.
I don’t feel like taking a photo today. Odd.
Use an AED on me to jumpstart my spirit, maybe that’s what I need to bring me back to life.
In my previous post I briefly mentioned sponsoring two of my nieces’ camp fee. Well, these are those two. Chicki and Shanti. They were born a few days apart, with Shanti coming out in August 30, and Chicki on September 2nd. But this is a scanned photo from many many moons ago. I’m pretty sure I took this photo, it was back when we lived inside the Seminary compound and I spent a lot of time with both of them.
I hope they’re having a grand time at camp, and that they’re able to vent out their pent up emotions about their families. Looking at their smiles here, don’t you just see all that they can become and all that they can achieve? They’re in highschool now, already at an age where the decisions they make can determine the course of the rest of their lives.
I hope that they remember how loved they are, and that they still feel that love, and be guided in their future decisions.
Anyway… I don’t believe I displayed my current desktop here yet. The photos in the template by Heather Ann Designs are of my nephew Esban and my Dad, taken during his birthday celebration, March 31st, which was also his sister’s grade school graduation (she’s the one at the bottom picture):
My four nieces, ages 10 to 14, went away to camp this morning. I sponsored two of them, Chiki and Shanti, although I originally only said yes to one. I attended camps throughout my teen years and I know that this is something they can really learn from. I hope it at least broadens their world view. Now, about the sponsorship, what’s in it for me? I asked the three older girls to maintain a journal of their stay and write down their learnings and maybe even feelings for the day’s activities. One entry for each, per day. Now, I doubt they will actually do this, but let’s see. They’ll be back on Friday.
So this camp that the girls are attending is more of a spiritual/religious one. I was at a different kind of camp the previous weekend. It was Asia ACTs’ Youth Camp for Children of Migrant Workers. It’s the first of it’s kind that Asia ACTs, together with ILO and Save the Children-UK, sponsored. The youth that attended camp had parents or significant adults who left home to work abroad. The aim of the camp was to see how these children are faring, what their situation is, and mostly, how they’re coping.
The camp was held at Forest Camp, located in Barangay Puypuy, Bay, Laguna.
The first thing that caught my attention (aside from the trees) as soon as I set foot in Forest Club, were these flowers:
They have a lot of these in different flower combinations, I’ll try to show more later.
It was a fun three-day weekend. I had terrible headaches every morning (was it because I had lots of sleep?), but they eventually went away and I sure wouldn’t let them rob me of that weekend. I had to take a two-day leave from work just so I could join the camp as one of three documentors, I wouldn’t let headaches take it away from me. Besides, I was there to work, not to relax (no matter how beautiful our room was).
The weekend was a bit emotional for some of the children, but it was mostly fun for them. They got to build new friendships, learned about their inherent rights, and also gained a new perspective of their situation. They also got to be a little adventurous with the canopy walk, two-rope bridge, log crossing, and the famous (and stinky) mud crawl! I took pictures of the adventure of course, but I used Frankie because it was outdoors and a good opportunity to take her out. There are some photos on my Kodak, snapped by Ate Reg, I’ll probably put those up. I actually have lots of photos from throughout the weekend but I’m wary of posting them here because, well, just because.
So how does it feel joining a workshop after almost four years in a different world? It’s all the same. Everything’s still goes the way I remember them. Not much has changed. Part of me wishes I could just go back and do it all over again. But there’s the part that doesn’t want the added baggage that sometimes comes along with it. The biggest pull factor is just being with young people and seeing them blossom.
It wasn’t too long ago when I was just like them. Discovering myself, and learning about others. What’s most important though, is seeing them realize that they can do something to change a situation that they don’t like, be it their’s or someone else’s. The best part is when you see one or two or three of them be empowered to take control of their situation. That’s what I miss being a part of.
Anyway, I’m not sure this post turned out the way I had thought it would, but what the heck.
I knew I must have had a post that mentioned the marathon, at least once. And I found it on my truffles post last year and in this post too. I’m surprised there aren’t any from previous years. Hmm…
Every year at Lent (for how long I don’t remember anymore), Studio 23 runs a 7th Heaven marathon at daytime. And we always watch. Always. I love this series, I wish they’d release a DVD set of all the seasons. I think it’s the only one I have yet to find. I’m not losing hope though, we did find the complete set of The ’70s Show didn’t we?
What year did Studio 23 start showing 7th Heaven? I don’t remember. But I know that for years, we’d always tune in no matter what night it would be shown. And even if I already saw it, I’d still see the marathon. I really just love that family. Ruthie used to be my favorite, but now that she’s so grown up, she can be bratty no? I love Matt! He’s gorgeous isn’t he? Hahaha 🙂
That’s how they looked in the beginning, and they grew up right before our eyes. Man, there’s a lot of kissing in this show haha. Now, more than ever, I want a DVD set of all the seasons! Someone find me one!
One thing I really miss about being in school or working elsewhere is having long holidays, having the week off for Lent. Mom and Dad have been home all week, and though they didn’t get to leave, they were planning to drive somewhere, like what we used to do before. And I haven’t been to church once this season though I probably shouldn’t blame that one on work.
Anyways… I was trying to find great deals on DSLRs, you guys know we’ll soon shop around for one right? I just don’t know where to look for a bargain, a camera shop that goes on a big sale maybe? Hehe. Anyways, when you start looking around for a camera, so many sites featuring other gadgets try to grab your attention too. From jumping from one site to another, I found myself looking at featured deals at Buy.com. It’s a wonderful idea to have comparison sites that help you find the best deals available. If only there’d be something that would feature products that I can actually buy around here.
….OMG. The Glenoak congregation is singing You are my sunshine for the Reverend’s miracle, and I can’t help but feel like crying. Not because i feel happy that the Rev is well. But because it still reminds me so much of my grandma…
