CHICAGO!!

The bean is pretty fantastic :)

~Lor

Jon's funeral

It was sad. I cried a lot. I spoke the 2nd reading during mass and I was one who carried his casket from the hearse into the church and vice versa. I cried with his older bro as we closed the hearse door and as the vehicle drove away..

~Lor

At the funeral home..

It took me a while to finally walk next to Jon-Jon's casket. I just broke down crying as soon as I saw him. I miss him so much. It feels like he can wake up any minute and just start talkin' to me like before.

~Lor

Jon-Jon's life thru pictures

I was asked to make a collage of photos for John. The left one is photos of him and his family throughout his life. The right side is him and his friends. It feels weird how his stuff is still around the house. It was only just 4 days ago of his death.

~Lor

When babies attack your face..

Owwwww.

~Lor

Kalea!

She's my niece & I'm her godfather :)

~Lor

Reunited with Sarah!

We got a chance to see each other briefly for an hour. I'm visiting here for my deceased cousin and my mom was telling me this so I wouldn't look inconsiderate. It really was great to see Sarah again. The last time we saw each other was spring 2006.

~Lor

All purpose sauce

To be honest, its really good on anything.

~Lor

Orange Juice..

So.. I'm at my aunt's house. Woke up and ate a croissant, I opened the fridge and saw all of this. LOL. So, where's the orange juice? :P

~Lor

Chi-town!!

Woohoo! Put ur hands up for.. Chicago! I love this city! Dun dun dun dun... Dah dun dun dun dun dun..

~Lor

Back in San Francisco..

Lol. I was just here on sunday! Now I'm back.. I just arrived from my flight from Arcata. It went by quick. Just about an hour. Now, I'm waiting to board my flight to O'Hare. Chicago here I come!

This trip is bittersweet. I'm excited to see my family & friends, but I'm going to my cousin's funeral. So yeah.. Let's see how this goes..

~Lor

R.I.P. Jon-Jon

I got a call this morning. It was my little brother telling me that our cousin in Chicago died from a car accident.

He was young. I think 26 years old. I forgot. But he was driving home early in the morning from a party that night. He was on the highway and crashed into a tree. He must've died on the spot as what the police said. It was around 6AM when it happened and during that time is when the highway is deserted, it was Sunday morning afterall. My little brother told me after my dad received word about what happened from Jon-Jon's older brother. The police said he fell asleep on the wheel and over-corrected himself once he woke up, thus he swerved the car and running into a tree. The car flipped and he was ejected through the windshield, he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I've noticed from the past that his family usually doesn't wear them when riding or driving. Since the highway was deserted, help didn't arrive immediately. He had head trauma, broken hip, etc after he was taken to the hospital as what the doctors said.

I cried. It's sad to hear what happened. I grew up with him. My family traveled to visit him and his family often. Mostly every year back when we were still living in New Jersey and sometimes in North Carolina. They were my favorite relatives. Jon-Jon leaves behind his mom (my dad's only sister), his oldest and only sister, and his older brother. And of course, me, his friends, and relatives. I'm really sad about him because he was the only one I could relate to. He was the youngest. I don't know what to do now and how things will be in future trips to see them in Chicago. He was a troubled kid. He moved to Los Angeles for various reasons, but the city ate and spat him out. He had a car accident there and I think that was one of the reasons he moved back to Chicago. A month ago, my mom visited them in Chicago and I had a chance to talk to Jon-Jon's mom. She was asking me to talk to him and to get his mind together. She even gave me his cellphone number. I did say I planned to call him but I never did, and I regret it.

Goodbye Jon-Jon.. I'll miss you.

~Lor

Now & Zen Fest

I'm here in Golden Gate Park in SF for a concert.

Peter, Bjorn & John
Gin Blossoms
Joss Stone
James Blunt

Ooohh.. How exciting :D ..more pics later!

~Lor