goodbye, Tads

i can admittedly say that he's the best in our MA Anthropology batch. i was pleasantly surprised when said he graduated with a degree in visual communications. he said he had always been fascinated with different cultures. he usually started his observations and comments on theories with "I find it fascinating..." we used to say, teasing, that his favorite thinker was levi-strauss. and crapanzano. and geertz. and rosaldo. he got a perfect score (plus plus) in our anthro theories exam--we were supposed to answer only eight essay questions. he answered ten, and got all of them correct. we measured the fat on his back in physical anthropology, while they measured the fat in my arm. i took him along on a trip to camp sampaguita in new bilibid prisons because he wanted to learn, to be wherever sociology-anthropology can take him. he finished his coursework ahead of us, who struggled with INC's. he was just a thesis away from his master's degree. when i asked him about it, he said he didn't have an inspiration yet. the last time i saw him was in cubao x, this april. he surprised me as i was taking photos of the jerks: "sabi ko na nga ba ikaw yung nagpi-picture-picture!" he was a great photographer, shot with a nikon f2. yes, he used film too, and was very good at it. he didn't drink beer because of health reasons. i invited him to be part of the foundation-research group we're starting. he said yes, and we were glad because we knew he'd be great. he didn't look his age. he seemed younger. in some ways we were like each other, with a similar passion for art and culture. he was like a brother. i can't really describe how i felt when i heard the news. just emptiness, maybe. a great big loss. a perpetual sigh.

from pinoymountaineer.blogspot.com

It is with great sadness that our club informs the rest of the mountaineering community that the body of our brave colleague Thaddeus Reantaso has been found, having washed ashore on the tiny island of Hermana Mayor off Santa Cruz Point, some 90 kilometres north of Pundaquit. His father is finally bringing Thads home on his son's 32nd birthday.We ask all our friends and brethren in the mountaineering community to take a moment to say a prayer for the eternal repose of his soul.

/Cecil

P.S. To his former classmates, see if this is the same Thads that you knew:

http://miraclecello.livejournal.com

June 25, 2008 2:29 PM