Kirby Araullo is a UC Davis student (of History, War & Peace Studies, and, Asian American Studies), a Harvard University extension student (pursuing a master's degree in the field of Government), a guerrilla filmmaker, the basis of the KD measurement, sometimes a turtle, sometimes a dolphin, sometimes a monkey, but, popularly known as the pink ball from Nintendo that devours almost anything and everything he wants. As a Guerrilla filmmaker his works have appeared and received critical acclaim in student and independent film festivals both in the United States and in the Philippines. As a proud Filipino of Kapampangan descent, he loves to experiment in the kitchen with whatever ingredients he can find then post the picture of the final product on his social networking accounts so look for him on twitter, instagram, lookbook, tumblr, etc.
This is Alice Mpofu-Coles, a 53-year-old activist and PhD research student at the University of Reading who also volunteers with refugees.
She told BuzzFeed News that the book is made up from extracts of a journal she wrote during her struggle with breast cancer. She’s been writing it for over 10 years.
A former Zimbabwean diplomat who came to the UK as a refugee herself in 2002, Mpofu-Coles was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
She had lost her brothers, parents and first husband in a short space of time, and her daughters – Michelle, 26, and Tadiwa, 21 – were still young.
“I started writing into a journal daily about how I feel. I didn’t have many people to talk to so I just used to write talking to God,” she told BuzzFeed News.
“It is a mini bio about the struggle with breast cancer: the resilience, the support, the doctors, the lows and ups, the reflection [on] my childhood,” she said, adding that it also looks at how she coped with the deaths of her husband and family.
The book, called ‘Dear God From Your Poached Egg Breast’, also covers her time as a female civil servant and diplomat for Zimbabwe’s government, working and studying through cancer treatment and chronic pain, and contains “an infusion of African innuendos to ‘Dear God…’” she said.
Yee speaks the truth and stands up for justice ♥️ Her strength and love for the people shines brighter than any diamond-studded tiara. Her heart is a beacon of light like sparkling stars in the universe… and as a wise Hotdog once said… “ikaw ang Miss Universe ng buhay ko….” 👑🎙️✊🏽🌟
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p.s. for my non-Filipino friends, “Hotdog” is a band that originally released the hit song “Ikaw Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko” (You Are The Miss Universe of my Life) back in 1974 😉 (at Museum of Philippine Social History) https://www.instagram.com/p/Brfx11GnOpZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=22iyecrgq682
#FunFactFriday: My first book talk happened months before my first book was even published 😉 It was also at the historic Pamintuan Mansion, the former “Presidential Palace” at the heart of the Filipino struggle against the advent of US imperialism. Dacal a salámat to the Museum of Philippine Social History for inviting me to talk about the African American & Filipino solidarity during the events surrounding the Philippine-American War 🇵🇭🇺🇲💥
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Join us tomorrow! My friend Justine Villanueva and I are launching our books (“Jack Meets Agyu” and “Black Lives & Brown Freedom: Untold Histories of War, Solidarity, & Genocide”) at the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies here at #UCDavis 😁
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🗓️🕐: Saturday, December 15th, 1-4pm
📍: 3201 Hart Hall, See you there!
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📸: @yee.speaks (at Museum of Philippine Social History) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrY-nm9HD2z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16kpvylv1ff5d
