Chen Song Ping

Big man, ‘small heart’!

Big man, ‘small heart’!

So much hype about vaccination in recent days. This reminds me of an incident many years ago.

There was this big-sized policeman in an emergency department. He was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident. When the nurse was about to give him an injection on his arm, he jumped out of his bed.

“No, no, no! Not on my arm… maybe my buttock. But wait, wait first!” It took some time before he exposed his back.

person holding injection — Are you afraid of injection? (Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com)

“No, no, no! Wait first!” He pulled back his pants.

“OK, let me wipe the skin first. I won’t give you the injection until you are ready. I will wait for you to count up to ten… slowly. Alright, start counting. Open your mouth wide and count!”

“…nine, ten!” And the nurse was already clearing her tray.

He asked, “are you not going to give me the injection?”

“Given already!” The nurse smiled at him as she walked away.

His wife apologized, “sigh! Such a big man, but such a small heart!”

Hand in hand they walk

Hand in hand they walk (poem-a senyru)

old couple walking while holding hands — Walking hand in hand (Photo by Noelle Otto on Pexels.com)

“Careful, here’s a drain,”

his shaky hands reaching out

to guide her across.

+++++++++

The well-dressed couple must be in their eighties. She wore a hat with a flower. A few Asian Chinese women would do that. They both walked in tiny steps, hand in hand. I watched from my balcony near the main road.
They came across a little drain, about six inches wide. It seemed a big hurdle. It took them five minutes to cross.
The tiny, fragile-looking lady waited passively. The gentleman was fidgeting and thinking of a way to get his lady across. He finally made a ‘big’ jump across the little drain.
It was a feat for his movements and gait looked like one with Parkinson’s disease. And his lady seemed mentally-subdued.
The caretaker of the hostel said their children studied and settled overseas. The old couple prefers twilight years in the warm weather here.

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Quote:-

“I want to hold your hand when we are 80 and say “We made it”
“A perfect marriage is two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other!”

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A Morning Sonnet of “Hope”

A Morning Sonnet of “Hope”

by Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh ( a former classmate of mine).

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* Why ridicule when we can show respect?
* Why fill our hearts with hate and not with love?
* Why belittle when support is more direct?
* Why seek revenge; forgiveness rises above.
* Why not extend a hand that offers aid?
* Why not be supportive and give advice?
* Why should constructive words go unsaid?
* Why not strive for growth and heed what’s wise?
* Why must we hide and shy from light’s embrace?
* Our choices shape the path that we pursue.
* All of us have the power to trace
* A life where kindness reigns and hearts stay true.
* I choose to live with happiness and grace,
* With humility and humbleness in place.

– khairulmaini –

A husband’ s definite yes is what she needed to hear

A husband’ s definite yes is what she needed to hear

The role of a husband in breast cancer treatment

Nurses the Silent Hands

Nurses the Silent Hands

by Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh ( a former classmate of mine. His mother was an Assistant Nurse- Special Grade)

* In halls of healing, nurses grace their trade,
* Modern Nightingales with hearts so pure,
* With gentle hands, my mother’s care conveyed,
* In soothing words and firm resolve, secure.
* A friend from distant shores, her calling found,
* In Port Dickson’s embrace, she learned to heal,
* Her presence, solace in the pain unbound,
* A testament to her unyielding zeal.
* As age advances and frailty draws near,
* Their steadfast care becomes our guiding light,
* A world without them, fraught with doubt and fear,
* Their steadfast spirits keep the dark from sight.
* Let us extol their tireless, noble art,
* For nurses hold a special place in every heart.

******

The older Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh

Parkinson’s disease: Three steps forwards and two steps back

Parkinson’s disease: Three steps forwards and two steps back

Old man walking (Photo by Safa Baku0131rcu0131 on Pexels.com)

When I was a student, I met a male nurse walking a patient with Parkinson’s disease to the toilet.

“He is taking ages at the rate he is walking! It’s like taking three steps forward and two steps backward! I told him it would be faster for him to use a urinal on his bed!” Mr. Lee kept quiet at that remark. His mask-like face showed no expression. With a flexed body, he shuffled in a frustratingly slow, yet festinating gait. His thumb and forefinger rubbed in a pin-rolling tremor.

He never wet because he would request to go to the toilet earlier to avoid losing control of his bladder.

A senior walking pass, “Mr. Lee, I see you are walking and exercising. Very good, keep it up!”

Later the senior called a few of us aside, “be careful what you say! For a headmaster, to lose control over his movements can be a depressing condition. He may keep quiet, but he is sharp. He understood what you said! We need to treat patients with dignity and respect!”

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Not long ago, I met a male retired banker in a pottery class with me.

“I have Parkinson’s disease. That’s why I am here!” He was trying to slow down the progression of motor disability. And he was very creative and tidy in his pottery work!

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Research and management of people with Parkinson’s disease have improved a lot since.

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woman making clay pot — pottery work (Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com)

Fire drill… in darkness

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It was a fire on a second floor ward. Most of the patients were either comatose or bedridden.

As figures emerged from the smoky darkness in the stairs, I watched the frightened, tearful, and dishevelled soot-in-hair and uniformed nurses and staff carrying each patient on a stretcher or tied to the arms of a chair.

It struck me that fire drills had never, never ever been done in total darkness! The drills were always carried out in brightly lit departments.

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“… According to the travel expert, it is essential to “always count the number of doors to the exit stairwell”, Cici said on a recent TikTok video.

This is in case there is a fire and “it is too dark or smoky” for hotel guests to see where the exits are.”…

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Have you ever participated in a fire drill with all the lights out?…in total darkness?

… something to think about!

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Blogging: I run my race

strong senior sportsman preparing for competition in racing

Blogging: I run my race

Blogging is like running 
but running a race? 
I paused, I sweated,
feet apart, panting, 
and watching others 
... forging ahead.

Jane Trombley wonders
about the paucity of 
baby-boomer bloggers
and her generation's 'voice'.

A counselor opines
that blogging feeds wellness!
Is blogging a new way of coping
for some?

Of course, 
many baby-boomer bloggers
have joined the run.
but, are they running
the same race,
the same pace,
for the same goals?

Quotes:
1. Baby Boomer Bloggers: Are you out there? - Jane Trombley
2. Blogging feeds wellness!- Beth Moore
3. "Coping through blogging..." - Petko D. et al.