English: when everybody is a ‘he’!

English: when everybody is a ‘he’!

When a child addresses everybody as a ‘he’, I wonder if there is a problem with high-frequency hearing loss. The tiny hair-like sensory hearing cells in your cochlea (inner ear) are damaged. There is a problem differentiating certain higher pitch consonants like s, h or f).

pensive ethnic man listening to answer in paper cup phone
hearing (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com)

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When I hear not

I heard
but I haven’t heard.
Was it a ‘she’ or a ‘he’?

When I hear not

The ‘cat’ is beautiful,
or the ‘hat’ is beautiful?
And can one comb the [h]air?

When I hear not

The teacher’s explanation was simple.
Yet, I couldn’t understand.
Am I ‘stupid’ or ‘slow‘?

When I hear not

I love music
But I can’t get the lyrics.
It’s ‘distorted’ music!

When I hear not

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Hearing screening for babies and school children would have helped eliminate these falsely ‘lost and stupid’ kids in the world of sound.

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Gratitude is a basketful of vegetables!

Gratitude is a basketful of vegetables!
(a poem)

Here’s my basketful
with blessings and gratitude
for healing my wounds!

carrots and corn on brown woven basket
Gratitude is a basketful of vegetables (Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com)

A former student, Ms Paat S.L. narrated how she put stoma and wound care into practice when she went back to Sarawak. It was very satisfying to see her patients recovering and healing. Some patients’ relatives came from the far interior (in Borneo Island). They would bring a basketful of vegetables or fruits as a token of appreciation upon discharge!

Stoma and wound-care can be very challenging, yet rewarding, indeed!

I am glad she found the ‘ikigai’ in this new field as the first stomaltherapist in Sarawak!

She went on to train many other nurses in the Borneo Island.

Words heal or wound

Words heal or wound

Words heal or wound

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it is OK

you did great

we are so proud of you!

we will help in your next exercise!

So comforting

so soothing, so reassuring!

Words heal! 

she shut herself into her room

drowning in her musical world

cos music speaks, too!

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on the contrary

why are you so stupid?

Why aren’t you like your clever siblings?

We should never have had you

in the first place!

So scathing, so harsh

so cruel, so insensitive!

The boy left that night

roaming aimlessly,

and never came back since. 

Regretingly

checking with police station every day

where has he gone to?

Words wound

his heart deeply

Where words fail, music speaks: “Where words fail, music speaks” is a quote by Hans Christian Andersen.

Listen to my duet Words with Kevin Yip.

Two emergencies of bleeding

Two emergencies of bleeding

person in white pants and brown leather shoes standing on gray concrete floor with pink petals
Injured her foot. (Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com)

Little Tom fell from his bicycle.

Everybody at home panicked.

“He is bleeding a lot … a lot! Can you come home, mum?” the older brother cried.

“Listen, boy. Go get a clean towel from the cupboard. Cover the wound. Press to stop the bleeding. Just press. Daddy will be back in a few minutes. I will meet you all at the emergency department.”

*******

Nurse Chen went back to attend to her two patients. The doctors and nurses were hanging blood, pack after pack, only to see more blood being vomited and passed out. The resuscitation went on for these two regular patients who had cirrhosis liver and bleeding oesophageal varices.

Nurse Chen informed the ER staff to expect her son. He had five stitches on his foot.

*****

Both are emergencies. The amount blood loss varies. But the perception of ‘a lot of blood loss’ is very real in both contexts!

Ironically, In This Vastness Of Land

Ironically, In This Vastness Of Land

This is a poem, titled after a hand-painted bowl which was created by the author, a few years ago. Whereas, the poem is inspired by the many tragic news of perished immigrants on rough seas. They were trying to reach a better-land in this, ironically, vastness of land on mother earth.

In this vastness of land
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
― Leonardo da Vinci
In this vastness of land
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”
― Leonardo da Vinci
****

In this vastness of land 
stretching and circling this bowl
 round and round, but, to no end! 

From the bowl’s interior 
radiates that phosphorescent glow
 a beckoning promise, almost superior! 

Across the wide seas and oceans
 breaking families, risking lives 
to find that elusive ‘greener grass’ notions! 

On rough waters,  
human lives are inhumanly packed 
in overcrowded sea vessels 
clutching desperately to partners and wives.

 “I see the land, I see the land!” 
But it was, many a time,  
an illusion to touch beaches, 
to kiss the sand. 

Can you see the land, a better land? 
Will freedom be your stand 
in this vastness of land?
 
                               ****

Quotes:-

  1. “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. “What has happened to us in this country? If we study our own history, we find that we have always been ready to receive the unfortunate from other countries, and though this may seem a generous gesture on our part, we have profited a thousandfold by what they have brought us.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Prepare the interviewer instead of the differently abled interviewees!

Prepare the interviewer instead of the differently abled interviewees!

An interview session

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Two mothers and a father

approached Ms Chensp ( a trained and voluntary job coach)

a job for their differently abled child.

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Ms. Chen asked a few managers…

‘Well, we look for someone

who is a good fit for a job!’

hmmm…

‘An interviewee should explain

why they are the best candidate!’

Ohhh…

******

Well, I  will be bringing

three differently-abled persons.

And what questions would you ask them?

‘Of course…

if they would like to work for us!’

Then, Ms Chen went through with them

some potential questions

and how the interviewers

may ask a question…

so as not to frighten her clients!

*******

The human resource manager

was friendly enough

‘Hi, Dave, we have

vacancies at our restaurant.

Would you like to work for us?’

Dave answered, ‘no, I don’t think so! ‘

oh, oh… 

The manager glanced at Ms. Chen and asked again,

‘I mean, we are so busy here at our restaurant.  Would you like to come and help us here?’ 

‘Sure!’

*********

‘You can work four hours a day. 

Anytime you don’t feel well,

you go home. We will pay by the hours.’

(Many clients were on medications

and may feel sleepy.)

*******

One employer has six staff members who were trained in the job coach program, too. They understand and supervise this category of staff in the Linen department.

“We have one clerk who was diagnosed with depression. She is still on medications.  She has worked for us for about fourteen years now because she is used to the supportive working environment here.”

Oesophageal cancer: “… wanting a taste of food.”

Oesophageal cancer: “… wanting a taste of food.”

man in white polo shirt wearing black sunglasses on his head
Tasting food (Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com)

*****

I read “The Taste Of Chocolate (Flash Fiction #35)” by Haoyando. It reminds me of a person with oesophageal cancer who suffered from dysphagia and could not swallow food.

A feeding tube was inserted through the nose straight to the stomach. Liquid food was fed several times a day.

Sometimes, the carer would feed him small spoonfuls of porridge with fish or minced meat. Slowly he would chew and roll the food inside his mouth with his tongue. Then he would spit the chewed food into a bowl.

The carer would strain this mushy food through a siever. This was mixed with the remaining liquid and fed through the naso- gastric tube.

That way he got to masticate the meat with his teeth, stimulated the taste buds on his tongue, and mixed the food with his oral salivary enzymes.

We must grateful for the ability to savour the little moments of joys satiating food!

*****

Quotes:-

Food is not just eating energy. It’s an experience. – Emoovio

*****

Sip your tea

Sip your tea

Poem by Prof Lee Tzu Pheng (Singapore Cultural Medallion winner). She was formerly in the English Literature Dept in NUS.

This is a powerful poem on human friendship and  loving one another.

No one ever knows
when it’s Time to Go,
There’ll be no Time
to enjoy the Glow,
So sip your Tea
Nice and Slow.

Life is too Short but
feels pretty Long,
There’s too much to do, so much going Wrong,
And Most of the Time You Struggle to be Strong,
Before it’s too Late
and it’s time to Go,
Sip your Tea
Nice and Slow.

Some Friends stay,
others Go away,
Loved ones are Cherished but not all will Stay.
Kids will Grow up
and Fly away.
There’s really no Saying how Things will Go,
So sip your Tea
Nice and Slow.

In the end, it’s really
all about understanding Love
For this World
and in the Stars above,
Appreciate and Value who truly Cares,
Smile and Breathe
and let your Worries go,
So Just Sip your Tea
Nice and Slow.

This poem is beyond all relationships
But made for us all.

When I’m dead.
Your tears will flow
But I won’t know
Cry with me now instead.

You will send flowers,
But I won’t see
Send them now instead

You’ll say words of praise
But I won’t hear.
Praise me now instead

You’ll forget my faults,
But I won’t know…..
Forget them now instead.

You’ll miss me then,
But I won’t feel.
Miss me now, instead.

You’ll wish You could have spent more time with me,
Spend it now instead

When you hear I’m gone, you’ll find your way to my house to pay condolence but we haven’t even spoken in years.
Look for me now-

-Lee Tzu Pheng 

 

Composed by the Singaporean poet Anne Lee Tzu Pheng, this remarkable poem dwells on the nature of time and the relationship humans share. It invites the reader to be present in the moment rather than losing oneself in regret and guilt about the incontrovertible nature of time and lost opportunities. This poem is to remind us to take our time to live life and appreciate the value of life and memories that lives on beyond time and death.

Special angels: because we are the chosen ones!

Special angels: because we are the chosen ones!

a happy family sitting on the grass
Special angels (Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com)

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It was an annual dinner. The doctor held his child’s hand as they walked towards their table. The happy and excited child (with cerebral palsy) walked with jerky and clumsy limbs besides his dad. At the table, he started to hit the cutlery on the plates, enjoying his ‘music’.

“Behave, dear!”

Immediately he stopped!

*******

Quotes:

These ‘angels’ (parents) have so much patience and compassion; not many people have these qualities, and no university can teach one these attitudes, too! – Chen S.P., August, 2021

The question: Why me? Because you are the chosen one! … So do it well! – Chen S.P., August, 2021

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The patience of a ktv room owner

The patience of a ktv room owner

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There are many ktv (karaoke television) apps around including WeSing app. I won’t delve into what the app does.  You can read it here yourself.

But whenever there are competitions,  I was very impressed at how some ktv room owners sat through, praised and commented on the songs; from croaky singers to excellent singers! They certainly make it a day for some happy singers.

It is a good hobby for many housewives and retirees, of which I am neither, totally!

I usually pop in and out of these rooms and support some singers with flowers or gifts. I don’t have that much time in hand to sit through the whole session, anyway.

And I haven’t had the courage to compete openly yet!

This socialisation and competitive atmosphere is not available if one is to sing using a karaoke set at home as proposed by my family members.

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