http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExZ0i04pSeY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYwNrd9293k

Music video by Del Amitri performing Driving With The Brakes On: Stereo with Al Clay [Producer] (C) 1995 A&M Records Ltd.

Just returned from your wake George and I barely have words yet, but
just know you will be missed by many. I'm so sorry you couldn't have
hung on and made it through, 26 years old is just way too young. I know
how hard this life can be though and I pray you are at peace now and
keeping your little sister company as well.

xoxoxoxox
May you rest in peace, always

PLEASE WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY!!
http://www.iambecauseweare.com/
(playing in select theaters and will be airing again on the Sundance channel on Sat Dec 6th at 10am (EST) and on Tues Dec 9th at 10am.
http://www.sundancechannel.com/player//210329494/230329477

Madonna not only wrote and produced this but she *lived* the experience, went there and interacted with the people of Malawi. She leads us through a heartbreaking journey through Malawi Africa, exploring the lives of over one MILLION children who have been orhpaned by AIDS and have suffered more than one can sometimes imagine. Set in Malawi, Madonna leads us through many heart-wrenching stories that remind us how interconnected we are and how MUCH we take for granted!!  We are introduced to a culture that at times will feel disturbing, but ultimately it will challenge us and call us to action. Trying to find out as much as possible about the children of one of the poorest countries on the planet, our narrator goes in and out of giving her perspective of what she witnesses and also describes her own personal discoveries.

I urge EVERYONE to watch this, and perhaps you will think twice before complaining about what you consider your 'problems' are, or how 'tough' you have it. It has helped me put my own life and what I consider 'problems' into some *serious* perspective, which is what we all really need to do. I assure you, when you see these children with each and every one of their ribs exposed, lying there like human skeletons due to near starvation, your problems won't seem nearly as bad as you 'thought' they were. This film has truly impacted my life, emotionally and spiritually and I hope it will for you as well.

Well, I can hardly believe it but it's true...little Timothy is really married. I almost wouldn't believe it myself, but I was there and witnessed it so I know it really happened. Haha It's very surreal for me to look at all the wedding photos and think that this is my little cousin (7 yrs younger than me), the very same cousin that dressed up in crazy costumes with me as we danced around to New Kids On The Block or Madonna songs, the same little cousin that battled me for hours on Nintendo, games like MLB Baseball, Mike Tyson's Punchout and Super Mario Bros...
Well folks, he's all grown up now, but he and I will always have our memories, can't take that away...

Loving the right person at the wrong time, Having the wrong person when the time is right, and finding out that you love someone right after that person walks out of your life....

And sometimes, you think that you're already over a person, but when you see them smile at you, You'll suddenly realize that you're just pretending to be over them just to ease the pain of knowing that they will never be yours again.....

For some, they think that letting go is one way of expressing how much they love that person.... in my opinion, some are afraid to see the one they love being held by someone else....

Most relationships tend to fail not because the absence of love. Love is always present. It's just that one is being loved too much and the other was being loved too little...

As we know, the heart is the center of the body but it beats on the left. Maybe that's the reason why the heart isn't always right..

Most often we fall in love in love with the person we think we love but to only discover that for them we are just passing time, while the one who  truly loves us, remains either a friend or a stranger....

So here's a piece of advice; Let go when you're hurting too much, Give up when love just isn't enough, and move on when things are not like before....

It's certain... There is someone out there

Who will love you even more.......

Dear Family and Friends,

Hope everyone is well. It is a bittersweet feeling to be sending out an update for Joannie once again. Piecing these words together have been so heavy on the heart. Every stroke on this keyboard floods the mind with images of Joannie.

Much of the past few months have been a dichotomy of joy and grief. There are days when we are overcome with laughter, just thinking about her butt-pinching, playful, sometimes naughty ways. Yet there are days when the tears cease to flow, like the morning her soul decided to leave with the winter sun.

Through our mourning, we start to contemplate the purpose of our existence on earth, both as an individual and as a collective mass. We review the choices we make in life and the effects it has on those we love and those whose paths we will never cross. Somewhere in this self-reflection the terms for the Joannie M. Chen Scholarship for Education at the International Center for Photography were finalized. The idea for the scholarship fund arose when Joannie voiced her desire to use the remaining donations from her December 2004 fundraiser towards a project for humanity. It was through her charity to others that Joannie was able to find solace in her sufferning.

Our partnership with the International Center for Photography in establishing this fund is a tribute to honor Joannie and her love for humanity. It is especially fitting to make this announcement today, as it would have been Joannie's 38th birthday. Her life should serve as a reminder to all, that we can move through our struggles with grace and courage as Joannie had done so throughout her battle with leukemia.

Please join us in celebrating Joannie's spirit through donations to the Joannie M. ChenScholarhsip for Education at the ICP. For more information, please click on the link to view the webpage:
http://www.icp.org/support/joannie_chen_fund

For questions regarding the scholarship, please contact any of the following:
Chuck Ferrero: cferrero@icp.org
Lisa Feldman: lfeldman@bestweb.net
Julie Chen Livingood: jtchen@umaryland.edu

Thank you for all your support,

Love,
The Chen Family

I wanted to share some very important links to help keep all of my fellow animal lovers as up to date on the current pet food recall as possible.
WHAT THE FDA ISN'T TELLING US ABOUT MELAMINE 03/30/07 Today the FDA issued a statement that melamine, a plastics chemical, is the apparent cause of toxicity found in Menu Foods recalled pet foods. The FDA stated that, because melamine is used in parts of Asia as a fertilizer, the melamine likely got into the pet food via imported wheat gluten from China. There is no risk to human food, Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, told reporters. However, a quick google for "melamine toxicity" produced this document on trichloromelamine, released by the EPA in September 2005. Here are a few interesting, and very disturbing, excerpts from the report.
Click on this link for the full article as well as dozens of breaking news items regarding the latest food added to the recall list http://www.howl911.com/#foods

http://www.caninecare.org/

http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html
(Deconstructing the Regulatory Façade of Commercial Pet Food)

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat_Food_Safe_To_Feed_After_The_Cat_Food_Recall

http://barknblog.aspenbloompetcare.com/2007/03/22/editorial-on-the-pet-food-recall-by-veterinarian
(Read this to find out what really goes into pet food-trust me, after this you will be reconsidering continuing to feed your pet commercial brand foods)
I knew some of the information already but there are definitely things I hadn't realized. I'm going to do everything I can to get my cats off any cat food that has any form of Wheat and fillers. I have known for a long time that the commercial pet food uses a lot of *junk* in the food, more so than we even want to think about. But after reading this article my eyes are fully open and I'm going to try to get my finicky cats on a natural brand, I'm up for the challenge, it will be worth it in the long run.

Joannie M. Chen- July 23,1969- December 5, 2006

On Tuesday, December 5th 2006, my sweet friend Joannie lost her two year battle against acute lymphocytic leukemia. Joannie had continually fought the battle against cancer with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and chinese medicine but unfortunately it had spread and could not be stopped. There was nothing else medicine could do for her and she wanted to wanted to live with the quality of life that remained, without medication. I didn't get to visit with her during her last few weeks despite my efforts, Joannie was too ill and was unable to have company but I attended her memorial service on Saturday December 9th. Her family did an absolutely beautiful job at celebrating Joannie's "life", they had numerous photographs that Joannie had taken over the years (she was an incredible freelance photographer), as well as a video slideshow memorial that captured dozens of wonderful images of Joannie, who, in every single photo was smiling. I can honestly say, in the ten years I knew Joannie she always wore a smile and did everything in her power to bring a smile to your face as well. I will always hold our friendship and memories very close to my heart...for Joannie was one of the few people that truly understood and connected with me..I will always miss you Joannie....it feels very unfair, that such an incredible person could be taken from this world so early..but she's an angel now...well, actually she always was...so now she is an angel in heaven rather than here on earth....
           
Photography: Joannie Chen

Photography: Joannie Chen, self-portrait


Happier Days..Me, Anthony, Steven and Joannie
(Gay Pride Parade 1998)

Night of Dancing- September of 1998