Online Dating: Protecting Your Love Ones

A friend of mine was murdered last July 31, 2010. He was found dead in his own room. What was so alarming was, his place was secured. I want to share this because he was also a victim of an online dating gone wrong.

Now I cannot help but be paranoid about the safety of my family. I read a lot of criminal stories at www.crimelibrary.com, and Mark’s brutal death could have made it there if he was in the US. I have watched (and still is) NCIS, CSI, & Bones episodes on cable solving crimes such as this. I’ve read so many criminal/detective stuff pocketbooks way back when I started to learn reading. It was brutal because he was shot at the back of his head and his arm was twisted, too. It’s a sign of a struggle, and it could also mean, more than 1 person was there in the room.

My sister emailed me that someone sent her a message on facebook inviting her to go to a photoshoot with a pre-registration payment. She has aspirations of becoming a model or an actress, and I told her that I would not mind that. And I would definitely not be the one to block her path if she wants to. I support her all the way. It just made me more cautious because it was just an email through Facebook and she has to pay just to be part of a photoshoot that she was INVITED to attend.

So I told her that I don’t mind you following your dreams as long as you’re careful. I reminded her to make sure that my dad’s with her when she goes there, or maybe my aunt or anyone older than her who she trusts and someone she knows who could protect her from harm. I told her to make sure that always inform us or the family or her friends where she goes, what she is doing (especially if she cannot go home early), who she’s with when going out.

I have also advised my younger sister to always text my dad or anyone in the family if she has arrived to where she has to go or if she’s home already. That way, if she went missing, or can’t go home at the usual time, we would likely worry because it would be unusual for her not to let us know where she was or what she was doing. That would definitely ring the bell, and hopefully, save her in case something does happen to her.

I am praying harder for their safety and mine, too. Anything can happen in this world, and we don’t know who’s going to be  next. I reminded her of what happened to my friend, Mark. I was really scared for her safety. I don’t want anything to happen to them.

So to all of you, always remind your love ones of their safety and what they should do. There’s nothing wrong with having fun and going out with friends as long as your family is well informed.

So don’t take it the wrong way if our parents, grandparents, older sisters/brothers, aunts, uncles are very protective of us. It’s not only a conscience issue, but the thought of losing you would definitely affect them. It only shows how much they love us.

I know I can’t protect them all the time, but at least I could put caution in their minds. And I pray and hope to God that they will always be safe and healthy, and happy. Click on the Things To Remember link to give you more tips on being safe when dating online.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I saw the ICE Bucket Challenge on the internet, and I didn't mind it. 

I heard that celebrities are doing it, I definitely didn't want to hear about it. 

I heard that they're doing it for a famous athlete, Pete Frates, but still that did not get my attention.

My first thought was, another crazy stunts from celebrities just to get famous.

My friends on Facebook are even posting about it.

I got curious, so I looked it up. I still didn't understand why such a challenge existed and became popular.

Finally, I logged out of  my AOL account and found a video in the website that interested me, the headline said something about a guy who cried over it.

And yes, the video did surprised me. I found out the reason why they're doing it. 

It looks fun doing the challenge, and challenging other famous or powerful people to do it, but it has a more serious note about it. 

Watch the whole video below to find out how serious ALS is, and why this guy actually appreciated that celebrities are raising awareness about it.

ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. In England and Australia, they call it MND or Motor Neuron Disease. It paralyzes the body little by little, until you can't use any parts of your body anymore because they aren't strong enough to move. Somebody has to do it for you, and that somebody has to be really patient. 

According to www.alsa.org, "As motor neurons degenerate, they can no  longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement." 

To learn more about it, you can visit their site at ALSA.

It seems that Lou Gehrig was the first famous person who got diagnosed with such disease. He is an American baseball baseman for the New York Yankees from 1923-1939. He was famous in his time because of "his prowess as a hitter and his durability" (according to Wikipedia). There was a decline on his physical ability to play, and everyone noticed it, but they didn't know why. Only when his wife, Eleanor, called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and Gehrig flew in there that they found out what the disease was.

Lou Gehrig

Pete Frates, was the inspiration behind the Ice Bucket Challenge. He was a former college baseball star, and lost his voice because of ALS, and it seems that this disease has no cure yet. Because of the ICE Bucket Challenge, awareness about ALS has been raised by celebrities and more funding has been provided for this disease. Pete also is supported by friends, fans, and family and you can visit his website http://petefrates.com/ for any updates about him and his disease.

Pete Frates

Anthony, was the guy who cried in the video above. He has been diagnosed of ALS, and it seems that the disease runs in the family. Her grandmother died of it, and her mother has it for 10 years now. You can visit his website at http://anthonycarbajal.com/2014/05/i-have-als/, and check out his story.

This is Anthony Carbajal, the guy on the video above.