Thursday, June 14, 2007
Twilight Children
I just love Torey Hayden. Torey Hayden is a teacher and a specialist in elective mutism. In all her other books, Torey chronicled her encounters with memorable children/students in her past classes. Most of them come from abusive homes. With Torey, they're able to open up and share their most shocking secrets. With Torey's help, they'll address the issue and hopefully move on.
In this particular book, Torey has left the teaching environment. She is now working for a hospital. While she may be a specialist, the teacher in her emerges from time to time.
This particular book centers around 3 people:
- Cassandra is a bright 9 year-old girl. 2 years before, she was abducted by her divorced father. When found and returned to her mother, she was not the same. She was abused and neglected by her father, who was already addicted to drugs.
Cassandra isn't like any other children that Torey had. While she may be abused, Cassandra is a smart little girl. However, she can never fully comprehend why things are happening to her or why she keeps getting in trouble. Torey is forced to think if something else is happening here.
- Drake is a cute little 4 year-old boy with charming smiles. The problem with Drake is that he doesn't talk, except to his mother. This is a unique case for Torey because she has never encounter something like this with elective mutism. However, Torey has something else to deal with. The grandfather expects miracles since he has money and comes from a "pedigree" family lineage.
- Gerda is something else. Gerda is an 82 year-old woman who has just suffered a stroke. As a favor from a nurse, she is asked to assess Gerda and get her to talk once again. With no experience with geriatrics, she decides to give it a try. The thing is, Gerda can talk but she kinda goes into a trance and talks about her childhood past. Torey tries to have a conversational interaction with her but Gerda just rants about her past. Is there something in her past that Gerda is trying to tell Torey?
I just love Torey because you learn when she explains theories, diagnoses, disorders, illnesses in laymen's terms. She gives examples and analogies that help you understand better.
In this book, she talks about multiple personalities. Of course, that was the vogue diagnosis of the 70's. However, it soon became overused and overrated. These days, it's called a dissociative disorder.
However, what really jumped at me was that she explained that this is tricky. The reason being is that everyone dissociate...everyday. In fact, it is normal to dissociate. Children dissociates when they role-play, like when playing "house", "doctor" or whatever. When called on by their parents or whomever, they drop the role-playing and return/respond as children. Adults dissociate as well. Most of us do so when we're driving. We're driving but not really paying attention. We're deep in thoughts. It's usually a sudden stop or a car honking that quickly brings us back to "reality" and take appropriate actions.
So, it is normal to dissociate. It's when dissociation becomes maladaptive or destructive that causes concerns.
Anyways, great book! Torey is one of those authors whose books I just cannot put down. I have to read through the book in one sitting.
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Pride, last week, was alright. It's the same thing from last year with freebies. Of course, who doesn't love freebies.
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Saggy Pants Ban
Mayor Carol Broussard, of Decambre, Louisiana, said that she'll sign the ordinance banning saggy pants. The ordinance will penalize anyone, with saggy pants, up to 6 months in jail and a $500 dollar fine.
Broussard said she has nothing against saggy pants but that discretion is needed when worn. "Undergarments or certain parts of the body" should not be shown.
What do you think of this?
Labels: gay life, reviews, society
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Thursday, May 10, 2007
Vegan Baby Dies
As a meat-eater, I could care less if you want to be a vegetarian or a vegan. Just don't preach it to me. I'll eat the meat and you can eat the vegetables.
I have friends who are vegetarians. They're vegetarians for a variety of reasons. Some are vegetarians for philosophical or religious reasons (usually Wiccanism). Some are for health reasons. Some are for whatever reasons.
I remember having a serious discussion with a vegetarian friend of mine when we were undergraduates at Gallaudet. I asked her if she'd raise her children as vegetarians. She confidentally replied that she would. And, I don't know, at that time, it bothered me. I don't know why.
Nowadays, how you raise your children is your own business. Of course, we all have our own personal opinions that we may or may not share with others.
This this morning, I read an article in the newspapers about a vegan couple being sentenced to life in prison because their 6-weeks-old baby died. The baby died, weighing only 3 1/2 pounds. The baby was on a vegan diet, drinking only soy milk and apple juice.
This article states that the vegan lifestyle is ok for children. However, this particular baby, Crown, died because he wasn't fed enough. Plus, the couple failed to take Crown to the hospital, fearing that it was infested with germs.
Apparently, one can raise a child as a vegetarian or vegan starting at birth. However, the baby must be fed regularly...with breast milk. (Like, duh!)
Whadda think?
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I have friends who are vegetarians. They're vegetarians for a variety of reasons. Some are vegetarians for philosophical or religious reasons (usually Wiccanism). Some are for health reasons. Some are for whatever reasons.
I remember having a serious discussion with a vegetarian friend of mine when we were undergraduates at Gallaudet. I asked her if she'd raise her children as vegetarians. She confidentally replied that she would. And, I don't know, at that time, it bothered me. I don't know why.
Nowadays, how you raise your children is your own business. Of course, we all have our own personal opinions that we may or may not share with others.
This this morning, I read an article in the newspapers about a vegan couple being sentenced to life in prison because their 6-weeks-old baby died. The baby died, weighing only 3 1/2 pounds. The baby was on a vegan diet, drinking only soy milk and apple juice.
This article states that the vegan lifestyle is ok for children. However, this particular baby, Crown, died because he wasn't fed enough. Plus, the couple failed to take Crown to the hospital, fearing that it was infested with germs.
Apparently, one can raise a child as a vegetarian or vegan starting at birth. However, the baby must be fed regularly...with breast milk. (Like, duh!)
Whadda think?
Labels: society
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Friday, May 04, 2007
Case Solved?
A couple of years ago, Patricia Cornwell wrote a book believing she discovered the identity of Jack the Ripper.
Now, a South African historian believes that Jack the Ripper was Joseph Silver.
There's been countless of people who believe to have solved this whole Jack the Ripper mystery. Will we ever, one day, solve this mystery?
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Speaking of Patricia Cornwell (one of my favorite authors), her book, Cause of Death has been made into a movie. Check out the trailer. Yay!
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Now, a South African historian believes that Jack the Ripper was Joseph Silver.
There's been countless of people who believe to have solved this whole Jack the Ripper mystery. Will we ever, one day, solve this mystery?
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Speaking of Patricia Cornwell (one of my favorite authors), her book, Cause of Death has been made into a movie. Check out the trailer. Yay!
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
B-day & GWTW
Gotta say "Happy Birthday!" to Kekua! Have a blast! *mwah*
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Last night, I finally finished watching Gone With the Wind. I know, I know...what kind of fag am I for not watching it earlier. Well, shut up, y'all! Better late then never, right?
Anyways, I loved it! I love Scarlett and her sassy remarks. She keeps on going and going with her bitchy attitude until Rhett tells to just stop it.
Boy, talk about a long movie! However, it was the kind that I didn't mind watching. I just loved the sceneries and the dialogues. Of course, KT and I were commenting to each other about some of the acting. Nonetheless, I understood why it was a classic. It was just done beautifully!
So, appreciate what you have now, not what you wish for.
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If you love watermelon, you can say you've been eating your veggies. Oklahoma wants to declare the watermelon as the state vegetable. The reason is that watermelon is a member of the cucumber family.
So, instead of green beans or broccoli on the side, serve watermelons!
ta ta...
Labels: friends, movies, society
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tidbits - 4/11/07
After my class at Gallaudet, I walked to the Gallaudet Metro to get to my other job at the law firm. I bumped into Toby at the metro. It was good to see him. I hadn't seen him in quite a while. He looked pretty good, especially with his new salt-and-pepper hair.
He was telling me about Twitter.com after I was saying that I haven't blogged much these days. These days I've just been busy with 3 jobs, 3 organizations with different roles and a handful of committees. Of course, I know that this isn't "exciting" news for my readers. So, it's hard to come up with something else when I've been doing nothing but work. So, Toby told me about Twitter.com. It's sort of a mini-blog. Each entry allows up to 140 characters. You can post as many as you want. So, it's ideal for one or two liners. Just a "twitter" of info for your friends. So, I'm gonna try that out but still keep my blogs. I'll let you know how it goes for me. At the same time, check it out!
Here's a sample of my Twitter:
What's cool is that you can go to the site and submit a small post. Or you can submit via IM. Or you can submit via text message. You can read twitters and comment the same way as well. How cool is that?
After I got off the Metro, I saw something that was just ridiculous. I'm sure many of you have taken advantage of samples given out by people. You usually see those people giving out samples in grocery stores. The purpose of samples is to give you a taste so that if you like it, you'll buy the product.
In general, I guess one or two samples are appropriate. However, some people treat samples like a free meal. People will go back to the same person and collect 5 or more for themselves. It's like...embarrassing!
Well, this morning, there was a cart left out by the sidewalk by Honey Oats Cheerios or something like that. This guy had a plastic bag and was it up to the max with those small cafeteria-sized boxes of the cereal. People were walking by and just staring at the guy.
I get it that we all like free stuff. But seriously, if you like the sample you've tasted then buy the product. Ah well, I guess each to his/her own.
ta ta for now...
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He was telling me about Twitter.com after I was saying that I haven't blogged much these days. These days I've just been busy with 3 jobs, 3 organizations with different roles and a handful of committees. Of course, I know that this isn't "exciting" news for my readers. So, it's hard to come up with something else when I've been doing nothing but work. So, Toby told me about Twitter.com. It's sort of a mini-blog. Each entry allows up to 140 characters. You can post as many as you want. So, it's ideal for one or two liners. Just a "twitter" of info for your friends. So, I'm gonna try that out but still keep my blogs. I'll let you know how it goes for me. At the same time, check it out!
Here's a sample of my Twitter:
What's cool is that you can go to the site and submit a small post. Or you can submit via IM. Or you can submit via text message. You can read twitters and comment the same way as well. How cool is that?
After I got off the Metro, I saw something that was just ridiculous. I'm sure many of you have taken advantage of samples given out by people. You usually see those people giving out samples in grocery stores. The purpose of samples is to give you a taste so that if you like it, you'll buy the product.
In general, I guess one or two samples are appropriate. However, some people treat samples like a free meal. People will go back to the same person and collect 5 or more for themselves. It's like...embarrassing!
Well, this morning, there was a cart left out by the sidewalk by Honey Oats Cheerios or something like that. This guy had a plastic bag and was it up to the max with those small cafeteria-sized boxes of the cereal. People were walking by and just staring at the guy.
I get it that we all like free stuff. But seriously, if you like the sample you've tasted then buy the product. Ah well, I guess each to his/her own.
ta ta for now...
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
1st Vlog
*originally posted in The Information Booth*
Pah! I've posted my first vlog! I know there are a few things wrong with this vlog. (Hey! It's my first! Gimme a break!) I know there are (wasted) space between the top frame and my head. I'll do better next time. My partner stated that I was not myself. I guess I was concerned with my webcam. I didn't know if it would be blurry or not. So far, it looks ok. Anyways, I'm excited to have finally posted a vlog.
In this vlog, I address the issue some Deaf people making homophobic remarks and insensitive comments against other minorities, particularly against the Latinos. I just thought I'd say something and raise an awareness about our comments.
ta ta...
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Pah! I've posted my first vlog! I know there are a few things wrong with this vlog. (Hey! It's my first! Gimme a break!) I know there are (wasted) space between the top frame and my head. I'll do better next time. My partner stated that I was not myself. I guess I was concerned with my webcam. I didn't know if it would be blurry or not. So far, it looks ok. Anyways, I'm excited to have finally posted a vlog.
In this vlog, I address the issue some Deaf people making homophobic remarks and insensitive comments against other minorities, particularly against the Latinos. I just thought I'd say something and raise an awareness about our comments.
ta ta...
Labels: Deaf community, society, vlog
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