BOOK LAUNCH, 9 Nov 2025, Art Space Winnipeg
Introduction
Canada produced an author today
A thankful immigrant who lives by the day
Working as an EMS gave him a front-row seat
to know there's indeed hell on earth.
Thailand gave him adventures to write home about-
corals and shipwrecks, and the Triple Fs.
The Philippines gave him two wonderful souls,
and they taught him to remove his blinkers.
Although written during the roughest of conditions,
this book has more humor than sad drama.
It'll not only lift the spirits high,
but speak to the reader in many ways.
According to the philosopher Nietzsche, to be truly happy, we have to be a child again, and in these moments of play, is where
these stories lay.
These adventures, written in beautiful prose, are to be found in the colourful pages of '55 Things Learned at 55: My Journey Through Work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).'
Reading portion: Chucky's Bride, page 306
PROGRAMME
1400-1600
I. Arrival of guests
II. Opening remarks - Jessica Smithies
III. Author's opening message (3 min)
IV. Book reading - page 306
Chuckie's Bride
V. Short talk- Dr Michele Matter,
EMS Medical Director
VI. Open Forum
VII. Official book launch
VIII. Group Photo
IX. Closing Remarks
X. Raffle draw
XI. Finito!
Dum vivimus vivamus
(While we live,let us live!)
Outro
The second book, 'First Responders and PTSD: How I Coped With Mine, and How You Can Too', will be out in the summer of 2026.
It will depict how the monster PTSD was slain, but unfortunately, at what cost?
The pages will also include true stories in the Philippines, and one of those, 'Racing of Hearses', is about two competing body snatchers racing on the roads of San Pedro, where I grew up, to retrieve a cadaver who, I found out, was still breathing.
There'll also be the story of 'Flavio', my diving colleague in Thailand, who went to jail for smoking cannabis in public. That was 2005. Canadians should be glad that in 2018, then Prime Minister Trudeau legalized cannabis use with Bill C-45, making Canada the second nation to do so.
Thank you Lizette, my beloved wife, for this book won't be in bookstores and worldwide distribution if not for your care and attention. Let's all raise our drinks to my sweetheart Lizette.
To Hans, my dear son, who's in Calgary today for work and cannot be here. He lives in Vancouver with his beautiful fiance, Mica.
To Krinkle and Kenzo, my two wonderful dogs, who taught me what unconditional love is all about, and that aside from our books, dogs are also our best friends.
News Update:
The book '55 Things Learned at 55'
is now available at Chapters-Polo Festival, Indigo-Kenaston Common,
and at the Winnipeg public libraries.
It is
T
HAPPY AS A HIPPO
Happy as a hippo, for now I know-
grass do frost.
People get old, hydrangea flops,
and the engine stops.
When blizzards rule, and we stay whole,
we become a diamond.
For a manuscript to see spring,
Pa and Ma will be pleased.
Watching tulips bloom, and the Blue Jays warble,
are God's true creation.
All Videos
All Videos
Lesson 22 Memento Mori
Mark Salangsang's Review, 22 October 2025
Foreword by Dr Michele Matter, Physician Emeritus Awardee, 2025
Dr Jeneth Jao-Habacon, OB-GYN
About the Book
55 Things Learned
at 55
By the time you’ve turned fifty-five, you’ve lived a lot of life, had made a lot of mistakes, and learned a lot of lessons. Philip Habacon knows that perhaps better than anyone: he’s been a young hellraiser growing up in the Philippines, a diving instructor in Thailand, a paramedic after immigrating to Canada, and a hunter in the cold Manitoba wilderness. From these rich experiences, he offers fifty-five stories ranging from hilarious to heartbreaking, each with an essential life lesson.
An unflinching voice with an extensive range, Habacon delights with narratives of his exciting adventures and enlightens with his portrayal of the harrowing reality of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) facing Canadian first responders, and his uphill journey of mending his mental health and relationships. Honest and unforgettable, 55 Things Learned at 55 is an essential read for all students of life.
About the Author
Philip Habacon
Philip Habacon (he/him) is a Filipino-Canadian author, an intermediate care paramedic (ground and ex-flight), and a member of the College of Paramedics of Manitoba (CPMB) and the Paramedic Association of Manitoba (PAM). He developed PTSD as a result of his experiences as a paramedic—a condition for which he is presently undergoing treatment. Before immigrating to Canada, he worked as a PADI-qualified Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) for six years instructing in Pattaya, Thailand. 55 Things Learned at 55 is his first book with a second one, First Responders and PTSD: How I Coped With Mine, and How You Can Too, nearing publication. These thrilling and stimulating books are a compilation of monthly journals dating back from 2013.
Philip lives in West St. Paul, Manitoba, with his spouse, Lizette, and Krinkle and Kenzo, their two wonderful Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise crosses. In addition to writing, he enjoys hobbies like hunting and travelling with his wife and adult son, Hans, who is now living in Vancouver, BC.
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