To Amay, a dear friend

There will always be a part of you that misses her. You'll see something that reminds you of her and want to tell her about it, only to realize she's not there anymore. Then you'll feel her loss all over again.

~ Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dark Side of the Moon

I know you are in a better place
But I miss looking at your face
You were so young to die
Every night I sit and cry
Wondering why does it have to be this way
It hurts so much because there’s nothing I can do or say
That can make you come back to me
There is one thing that’s plain to see
That one day we will be together again
And now until then you will always remain my best friend.

@Tsambika Angelidakis

RIP DOLPHY (Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr.), 83

Photo grabbed from The Entertainment Lifestyle Philippines

"Madaling tumakbo, paano kung manalo?"

Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr. popularly known in the Philippine cinema as Dolphy, passed away tonight at the age of 83. He was the greatest name in the Philippines. No one, I said not one, ever does not know him in the Philippines.

After countless rumors about his death, he succumbed due to complications of his lung ailment at the ICU of the Makati Medical Center in Manila. Dolphy has entertained and earned awards for his comic acting. He has been in the entertainment industry for more than six decades, I guess.

Bye, Philippine Idol (PIDOL). Finally, you have rested Dolphy. Thank you for all the laughters you shared with us. Go home now.


And here are some tweets from bloggers, journos, artists and famous people on Dolphy's death:

Patricia Ilagan: A comedian, yes. but realistic, simple, unassuming, w/out pretenses or affectations. A cut above the rest. Dolphy.

Fmr President Erap Estrada: Dolphy was a trailblazer in PH cinema whose brilliant legacy will shine forever.

Kevin Ray Chua: There will never be a person who can match Dolphy. He will always be the Philippines' King of Comedy.

Jove Francisco: ...we lost a National Treasure. Gift of strength for the rest of his clan.

Erin Tanada: He will be greatly missed. Nawa'y bitbitin pa rin natin ang sayang naibigay niya sa bawat Pilipino.

Cecilia Orena-Drilon: RIP Dolphy. We have lost a great artist. But now your pain and suffering are over. We will never forget you.

Regine Alcasid: Maraming salamat po mang Dolphy pahinga na po kayo.

Geneva Cruz: You're now with God. Your journey here on Earth has ended. But the things you've done will remain in our hearts.

Lea Salonga: RIP, Comedy King. You are sorely missed. Condolences to the Quizon Family, you are in our prayers.

Teddy Casino: Tonight let us mourn & shed tears for someone who always made us cry in laughter - Dolphy, perhaps the funniest Pinoy who ever lived.

Lino Cayetano: Mang Dolphy was an inspiration, a living icon when i was starting out in ABS, we all dreamed of working with him. He will be missed dearly.

Nina Corpuz: For someone known as King of Comedy, tito Dolphy was one of the most down to earth celebrities I've ever interviewed. Walang kayabang-yabang.

Eric Quizon: Heaven is now a happier place.

iSad

Photo courtesy of Dezeen

Just when I am starting to tinker Apple products, my not-so-favorite Steve Jobs, the man behind Apple, died!

Why is he not my favorite?

Steve Jobs basically lifted Apple from its quagmire state is a fact. Jobs' revolutionary mind however, came as an arrogant if not autocratic approach to the business world.  As Steve Maich wrote on MSN.com:

His tone perfectly echoed his blunt refusal a few years ago to provide shareholders with timely updates on his health problems. It was clearly a pressing material issue for the market, but he simply stonewalled, insisting it was nobody's business. In his world, the word of Jobs is the law.

Millions have benefited by following Jobs' vision of the future in recent years. He's entitled to a little arrogance. But history is littered with genius visionaries who came to see themselves as invulnerable and were dumb enough to show it. Their stories almost always end badly.

In the end, Jobs succumbed to a sickness that finally proves he was human after all.

Goodbye Steve.

Photo grabbed from The Atlantic Wire

RIP: Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse joins Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison who died of drug overdoses when they were 27. Kurt Cobain was 27 when he committed suicide, soon after his release from rehab.

Love dies

Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings. ~Anaïs Nin

Si Presidente Arroyo pala ang namatay?!

That's according to Manila Bulletin's special supplement caption of this photo-

Picture grabbed without permission from Hay!Men. And can also be seen at MisterHeuge.

Cory will always be my President

I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life. - Corazon Aquino

I remember her when, many years ago, she came home to the Philippines after that dramatic Ninoy assassination. I saw her as a small woman, timid, so calm despite the troubles the Philippines was (and is) undergoing.

I was full of idealism then when Marcos declared an election. Fresh from high school and has been attending rallies and other movements to make Marcos step down, the elections gave me an opportunity to make my voice be heard. And it was my first time. Iba talaga pag first time.

I remember my room was full of Mr&Ms and pictures of Ninoy and Cory were pasted all over. Even in my bed. I was literally sleeping with Cory at that time.

One voice of Cory and I followed. She was my first President and will always be.

Rest in peace Cory.

María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino, widely known as Cory Aquino, was the 11th President of the Philippines, serving from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female President of the Philippines and was Asia's first female President . She is a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife", Aquino is the widow of Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., a leading figure in the political opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return from exile on August 21, 1983, Aquino, who had no prior political experience, became a focal point and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.

Aquino bio from wikipedia.org

Aquino pics from senatorpiacayetano.com and boston.com

And this, from time.com

Whenever the country appeared to be in a crisis, Cory Aquino rose above the bureaucratic procrastination that had always bogged it down, reminding her people that they once astonished the world with their bravery — and that they could do it again. But Filipinos must now take stock. Whom will they march with now that their saint has gone to meet her God?

Farah Fawcett, 62

Hundreds say final farewell to Fawcett

LOS ANGELES, California, United States—Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Farrah Fawcett Tuesday as the "Charlie's Angels" star was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Los Angeles.

The 62-year-old actress and pin-up girl died last Thursday after a three-year battle with anal cancer, news that was quickly overshadowed by the death of King of Pop Michael Jackson later that day.

Fawcett's 24-year-old son Redmond, her child with longtime companion Ryan O'Neal, was granted compassionate leave from a prison cell to attend.<

Both Ryan and Redmond O'Neal served as pallbearers for the service, held at Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles.

Fawcett emerged as a pop-culture icon in the 1970s and 1980s after her role in "Charlie's Angels" and appearance in a famous poster wearing a red swimsuit that would come to be her defining image.

Michael Jackson Facts

from Reuters' Key facts about Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, 50, one of pop music's biggest stars, was rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at his home, the Los Angeles Times said, quoting fire officials. The TMZ website reported later he had died.

There was no official confirmation of the reported death, and spokesmen for Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Here are some key facts about Jackson.

EARLY LIFE:

* Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys -- Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael -- first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize.

* Their group later became The Jackson Five, and when it was signed by Motown Records in the late 1960s it underwent its final metamorphosis to become The Jackson 5. Jackson made his first solo album in 1972.

SUCCESS:

* Jackson released "Thriller" in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-ten singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

* The next year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move while performing "Billie Jean" during an NBC special.

* Jackson's lifetime record sales tally is believed to be about 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he has received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.

ACCUSATIONS:

* In 1993, Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy, and police raided his California ranch "Neverland."

* The same year, Jackson announced he had become addicted to painkillers and abruptly canceled a world tour to promote his album, "Dangerous."

* He reached a settlement in 1994, later reported to be $23 million, with the family of the boy he was accused of abusing.

MARRIAGE & FAMILY:

* In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.

* Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

MORE CONTROVERSY:

* A television documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" was aired in 2003, saying that Jackson still had sleepovers with young boys and had his third child with a surrogate mother. Jackson aired his own rebuttal.

* Jackson went on trial in 2005 on charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, as well as conspiring to abduct the boy. The singer faced nearly 20 years in prison if convicted.

* The four-month trial ended in June 2005 with his being acquitted of all charges. Jackson has spent time in Bahrain, Ireland and France since the child molestation case ended.

COMEBACK?

* After several false dawns, Jackson and music promoter AEG Live announced he would perform 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena. Jackson had been due to start the concerts on July 13. Jackson had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the London shows, which sold out within hours of within hours of going on sale in March.

Michael Jackson, 50

Kenny Rankin, 67

We know we are getting old when our favorite singers are dying or are already dead. One by one they die as we try to live each day. Kenny Rankin, for example.

He died of lung cancer on Sunday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the US.

His songs are a ballad to my ear. I remember my uncle, who also is dead by the way, during his younger days. He loved Rankin and always sing his songs like Pussywillows and Cattails, Blackbird, Hiding Inside Myself, What Matters Most, etc.

This one is my favorite.

It's not how long we held each other's hand
What matters is how well we loved each other
It's not how far we travelled on our way
Of what we found to say
It's not the spring you see, but all the shades of green

It's not how long I held you in my arms
What matters is how sweet the years together
It's not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all.

It's not how many summertimes we had to give to fall
The early morning smiles we tearfully recall
What matters most is that we loved at all.

What matters most is that we loved at all.

Photo from emiliogrossi.com

All men are the same

A man was leaving a cafe with his morning coffee when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession. A funeral coffin was followed by a second one about 50 feet behind the first. Behind the second coffin was a solitary man walking with a black dog.

Behind him was a queue of 200 men walking in single line. The man couldn't stand his curiosity.

He approached the man walking with the dog, "I am so sorry for your loss, and I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this with so many of you walking in single line. Whose funeral is it?"

The man replied, "Well, that first coffin is for my wife." 

"What happened to her? " 

The man replied, "My dog attacked and killed her." 

He inquired further, "Well, who is in the second coffin?" 

The man answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog attacked and killed her also. " 

A thoughtful moment of silence passes between the two men. Then the first one asks in excitement "Can I borrow the dog?" 
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The man replied "Join the queue."

(from an email)