Did you remember to smile today?
When I first saw you,
you were always walking
with your nose up the ceiling!
Gosh! I didn’t realize that!
I read KK ‘s post on Smile Your Way. I thought I should stretch the S…mile farther!
Quote:
¨Remember to smile.¨- Nelson Mandela
¨Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.¨- Yoko Ono
Karuna and metta
I used to be very active doing voluntary works. I don’t seek them. Somehow, one gets drawn to these activities. “Can you help us with this cancer awareness project?” “Would you like to sit in our committee?”
When my son became unwell during his adolescence period, I slowed down these works. Because charity begins at home.
There was a time when I used to ask this question: “Why me”?, “Why my son?” I meditate. I read a lot trying to understand life purposes. It had been a long journey.
“I don’t understand how you can be so patient with him!”
One will, when one happens to reach this bridge…
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Quotes-
Compassion is a feeling of concern for others who are suffering and therefore makes a person want to do something to help. In Buddhism, compassion is called karuna.
Another one of the Four Sublime States is metta, or loving kindness. It is important as Buddhists want to develop this quality in order to help others to be free from suffering.
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Let me be the one in charge!
There are always complaints about those running the country. One can feel the anger and disgust in them!
Read this comment:-
.. where they forced schools to reopen–even the reluctant ones–and no more than a day later closed them. Human I can live with. Incompetent, though? They have no right to be running a country.’
Many politicians are in this pandemic for the first time too! Their decisions are usually based on experts’ advice, lol aren’t they?
Quote:-
A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.
– Winston Churchill.
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It is a privilege to be a nurse!
A welcoming speech by a chief nursing officer at a hospital in Perth concluded about the privilege of being a nurse!
I was there to learn about stoma and wound care. Being a pioneer then back home, I got many referral cases to see. Lack of appropriate wound and stoma products then, could be challenging.
It was 11.00pm at night, two hours past my working hours. I finished my shift. Another ward was calling. I went to see this frail Indian lady.
There was a heapful of absorbent cotton gamgees on the trolley. And a lined basket for the used ones to be thrown into. “… When she eats papaya, the next minute papaya comes out through her gaping abdominal (dehisced) wound! So much fluids coming out of her wound all the time… soaking through constantly!” Her distressed daughter explained.
I did a pouching system to contain the fluid to a drainage bag. Her daughter, also a nurse, watched.
I went home late that night.
At 2.oopm the next day, that lady, on a wheelchair, was waiting at the entrance of my ward. Her daughter who was with her said, ” my mother’s condition is terminal. She wants to die at home with her family and grandchildren around her. The doctor had discharged her this morning. But she wanted to say goodbye to you first…”
With that, her mother raised both her hands, palms together, to her forehead.
A few days later, her daughter called to inform that she had passed on.
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Three decades on, the country has better commercialized products and more trained nurses to deal with complex wounds, compared to those days.
Many professions like healthcare staff and teaching faculties, have opportunities to serve mankind, by performing it well.
As I always reminded my students, it is indeed, a privilege to be a nurse! To have an opportunity to serve mankind!
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Quote:-
My small acts of compassion matter to the world. – Mantras for Challenging Times
You don’t peel your potatoes twice
I like this African idiom. It means “Get it right the first time”.
Organizational and country leaders make decisions all the time. They should be well-advised by professional experts.
For example, a single Sri Petaling religious mass gathering was held from 27 February 2020 to 1 March 2020. Some international delegates went back to their home countries with Covid-19, as well.
A state election ( September 2020) was staged in Sabah. It resulted in a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases which crescendoed throughout the country. This caused many deaths, followed by many lockdowns, and economic shutdowns. Increased joblessness, mental anguish and suicides are worrying, too.
They are indeed, expensive lessons to learn.
It is not easy to be country leaders. Their decisions hold huge responsibilities which have great implications on people’s livelihoods and lives.
Their decisions need to be a ‘get it right the first time’ quality!
Because… potatoes are not meant to be peeled twice!
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Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!
I like reading comments between bloggers. Here is an interesting one!
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Conversation 1
• “… You mean ‘ decent’ and not ‘dissent’!” – sounds like a ‘Stern teacher’
• “A nicely articulated piece. Thanks” – Hmm, the crispy short and no-nonsense response of this stern teacher!
•”Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! I have…” ( The replier sensed it! He is replying with caution and respect addressing him as ‘sir’ !)
[Please note: This picture above is an exaggerated pose! ]
Ms Perfect and the ‘Rescuer’
I like reading comments between bloggers. Here’s a Ms Perfect and a ‘Rescuer’! I feel blessed having them around!
Conversation 2
Ms Perfect: … the words seem a little bunched together. Makes it hard to read. Formatting error?
Amy : Good point. Will do the correction. TQ?
Ms Perfect: TQ?
Amy: Sorry, it’s typo! (That’s the problem when I swype instead of type!)
‘Rescuer’: Short form for “thank you” – TQ is used when texting on phones. Hope this help.
Ms Perfect : TQ I got that. It was the question mark after it that had me wondering.
Amy: Anyway, thanks to both of you!
Disability: how functional can one be?
Among the parents, this question was asked. Some kept quiet. I would like to illustrate some extreme examples here.
Examples of low functionality may include catatonia and coma. Most activities of daily living (ADL) need to be attended to. This may include breathing, feeding, cleaning them up, or moving their limbs.
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And here are a few highly functional people. Being differently-abled does not stop them from excelling.
John Forbes Nash Jr. (June 13, 1928- May 23, 2015) was a devoted mathematician. He received the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. John Nash struggled with schizophrenia.
U.S. gymnast, Simone Biles, swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis star Naomi Osaka, are elite athletes. They have spoken publicly about mental health struggles.
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So, how functional can a special child be?
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The Dutch well- a remnant left behind – at Tangjung Tuan
by Toh HL , co-author and photographer, 27 May 2021
In Tangjung Tuan, there is this boulder. On top of it, is a dent that appears like the shape of a footprint. The local mythology claims this to be the footprint of Hang Tuah, an ancient Malacca warrior, during the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah. It is said he visited Tanjung Tuan, but exaggeration claims he jumped from Malacca to Tanjung Tuan. There are two wells; the Rubiah well and the Dutch well. It seems this well was dug by the Dutch. One wonders if these wells were dug for use by the lighthouse keepers. Were foreigners or locals manning the lighthouse then? *************************************
Be kind or be quiet!
The harder a ball is thrown, the stronger it will bounce back!
When a customer is angry, there must be something that makes him so. It is best to listen and talk less.
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Quote:
If You Can’t Be Kind, Be Quiet.- TheWeeklySparkle
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Chen Song Ping 