Tuesday, December 16, 2008 6:55 PM
No, I'm not dead. No.
My roomie was saying that I should make an announcement of that sort just in case.
The reason that I am not blogging here is that I don't have the time at all. This semester is so hectic, like I've never imagined or experienced before. I feel like I have no life, except school works. Which is beyond frustrating and stressful. I've tried to blog at theovelove.org, but thing is, the entries are becoming more scarce by the days and I have almost nothing worth blogging about.
So, I'm sorry if I haven't get in touch with you lately, or I haven't been reading your blogs or spamming your cbox lately. Oh, regarding the latter, the connection of Ixora is NOT helping at all. Stupid connection.
Enough ranting, and for those of you who haven't give up on me, see you over at theonelove.
On 13th November, let's write "love" on our arms...
Saturday, November 8, 2008 1:14 AM
...because it's the 2nd Annual To Write Love On Her Arms Day.
Earlier tonight when Gordon asked me for help with his project on individual and community in the context of youth depression, suicide and etc - I immediately think of To Write Love On Her Arms.
Sometimes, all it takes to make a difference is for the individual to find the community. To realize that they are not alone, and to find hope. And TWLOHA is exactly that.
It is the story of Renee which finds its audience through Jamie a little more than 2 years ago. When Jamie met her, she was 19. Cocaine is fresh in her system, and she cuts herself. After talking to Jamie, she decided that she will go for rehab. But, the treatment center refused to accept her because with a fresh open wound in the form of "FUCK UP" on her arm - they said she was too great of a risk. Jamie and his friends took her in for the next 5 days before she was accepted into rehab.
As an effort to finance her rehab fee, he decided to set up a fund for her on Myspace. He wrote the story about her and that 5 days they spent with her. Remembering the scars on her arms, he titled it - To Write Love On Her Arms. He asked her, what would she say if her story has an audience, she replied - "Tell them to look up. Tell them to remember the stars."
People going through the same thing as Renee stumbled upon the story on Myspace and started sharing their own stories. People who lost someone through suicides or have friends suffering from depression asked what can they do to help. And Jamie and his friends responded to this influx of messages and emails to which he described it as - "It felt as though we had stumbled upon a bigger story, and a conversation that needed to be had."
And then, we have the TWLOHA today. Providing hope and help through music in the form of rock concerts. In Jamie's word, "borrowing the stage of the band before the concert starts."
The impact of TWLOHA is by far the greatest of the non-profit organizations that I've seen. And impact like this is possible because despite the fact that it is a crazy world that we are living in, all of us feel and to certain extent we want to impact the world but we can't do it on our own. So, to find the balance between protecting ourselves and bringing impact to the world, we find a new solution. And I would like to think that by giving my best in charitable communities of this sort, like The One Love, would make up for my day to day omissions.
Read Renee's story by Jamie here.
P.S. You can contribute to TWLOHA through reading some of the blogs on TOL because quite a number of the bloggers chose to have the profits generated from the traffic of their pages donated to TWLOHA.
Thursday, November 6, 2008 10:46 PM
My guilty pleasure at the moment. Heheh. I didn't even know they are back again(no matter what, quote them) until I was checking out Keane's album in Bangkok and saw that instead. One moment I'll be laughing at how cheesy the lyrics is (I love you the way you love me ohhh~) and the next I'll be indulging in Ronan Keating's beautiful voice. He's the only one that is worth all the trouble of searching for(and you have no idea how hard it is) and downloading the album. I am pretty sure my essay about his music(alongside Simple Plan) in SPM got me that A1 in 1119. And he is still <3!
I can't believe I'm a teenie all over again because of Boyzone. Ronan. Whatever. This album is so cheesy and yet impossibly addictive at the same time!
And some Little Luis' homecoming pictures from the match against Atletico.
Stevie and his number 9s. Heheh.
And Danny in training before the Atletico match. A picture of him never fails to make my day! =)
So cute can melt, no?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 6:17 AM
Happy 26th Birthday Chris!
Gotta wish him proper this time because I mistakenly wished him on the 5th of October thinking it was November already. Exam stress, you see.
Like most brother, he is pain in the behind sometimes. But, most of the time, I'm just glad to have him. Hey, after all, I'm who I'm today because of him. Football and Liverpool wise. Heheh.
So, happy birthday bugger. And thank you very muchly for sending my WAG pictures to Ru. By the way, I don't think Danish footballers' wifeys and girlfriends are called WAG, guys. =P I will ask Danny what should I be called.
