Fire drill… in darkness

Fire drill… in darkness

Photo by Sandy Torchon on Pexels.com

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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

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.
cute dog in glasses yawning on bed
Blogging: I run my race (Photo by Samson Katt on Pexels.com)

Shh… why is everybody tip-toeing around here!

Shh… why is everybody tip-toeing around here!

Cos a baby is in the house!

*******

It was after-work

young papa opened the main door

and slowly closed it… clicking softly. 

Mama glanced up at him

with a tiny, tired, and weary smile. 

Cos, a baby is now in the house!

*******

Mama recalled a baby sleeping

in a basket next to a hawker’s stall

amidst the hustle and bustle

of the busy street

and market vendors

shouting their wares and goods.

*********

Each baby is being sensitive

or dulled by  acclimatising

to each own environment.

So, who needs to be tip-toeing now?

Do you?

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My first night duty as a nurse

My first night duty as a nurse

One of the questions asked by an interviewer, a FMM nun was, ” … nurses have to do night duty. Do you think you can do it?”

Before my first night duty,

my sister gave me a ‘talisman‘.

“put inside your pocket,

but don’t go under

any clothes lines!

****

My seniors told me

timely ghost stories, including

a patient on hip-spica

who crawled all the way

to the nurses counter;

never forget to this day.

***

We even went to mortuary.

” … remember feet first.

Otherwise the head

will remember and

follow you back!”

***

There are three lights;

one on each shoulder,

and one on the forehead.

“Don’t look left or

right over your shoulder!”

They will be wiped off,…wisp!”

Comb your bangs up!

Keep your forehead clear (and shining brightly)!

****

The ward was so busy.

We had no time to

think about the hip-spica man,

or those lights!

I had been fortunate

to be able to sleep well

during the day- time.

****

Happy night duties!

****

This is the best compliment ( from Susan’comment below) I have ever had in blogging… see below.

I’m a little envious at the poetic way you shared this experience. Keep posting, you have incredible writing talent!   Susan

Pottery – container with cover

Pottery – container with cover

One of my earlier pieces of pottery – Om

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“The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create it.” – P. Drucker & A. Lincoln

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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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Words heal or wound

Words heal or wound

Words heal or wound

*********

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!

********

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!

Prepare the interviewer instead of the differently abled interviewees!

Prepare the interviewer instead of the differently abled interviewees!

An interview session

*********

Two mothers and a father

approached Ms Chensp ( a trained and voluntary job coach)

a job for their differently abled child.

******

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

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