Thursday, December 31, 2020

2020 Reflections

 

Whoops again this year I’ve been unorganised; 2021 arrives in just a little over seven hours time and I’m only starting to pen (well, type XD) my reflections for 2020 now! So, how has this year been for me?

Physically wise: unfortunately, after not suffering a proper ‘fall’ for the past two years (although I did slip down on the wet tiled floor once and trip forward and right kneeplant – thankfully not faceplant XD - near the kitchen bench another time) this year has been third time UNlucky for me, because I was idiotic enough to totally stack it not once but TWICE. >< At least both times I remembered to lean forward as I was going down and didn’t SMASH my head against the wall behind me… but I totally agree with the headline I saw on Sunrise today while I was eating breakfast: “2020: A YEAR WE’D RATHER FORGET …” One good thing for me physically wise this year was that I started walking laps around the Great Court at UQ! When my physio student first proposed that to me, I was like, “Uh, but since I walk so slowly nowadays, by the time I walk up to the Great Court it’ll be time to walk back down to the NAB and say bye.” Only then my current physio student (they have five week rotational blocks) said, “No, see this manual wheelchair here? You sit in it, I’ll wheel you up to the Great Court, you get out and walk one lap around the Great Court before you sit back down in the wheelchair and I’ll push you back to the NAB.” The first time I did this, after I arrived back to the NAB, I’d excitedly burbled to the teacher, “Where I walked around today was where I used to take uni classes coz I studied law before suffering the brain injury! My last year here was in 2006; it’s 2020 now but the place still looks exactly the same!” Sonia laughed and told me, “Em, it’s been exactly the same ever since I graduated from there back in 1988. Tell me, where you even born then?” I’d smirked back at her and shot back, “Of course I was! In 1988, I was the ripe old age of … ONE.” XD Hopefully when I have physio next year at the NAB I’ll get to hike around the Great Court again!

Work wise: last year, the disability employment service I was with started me on some cert two/four in office admin that I paid like forty bucks for but then ditched me; I tried to continue the study myself but was slow. The student support person I was liasing with said he’d keep giving me extensions provided I submitted one subject per month; near the end of the month I logged in with the intention of completing another unit only to find I’d already been locked out! I contacted student support explaining my situation and asking could my account please be reactivated so I could keep continuing study; someone said someone from student services would contact me but nobody ever did … hmm, early next year I must try contacting them again and chase what happened to my enrolment … remember, I’m willing to do ANYTHING as long as I can do it seated and it gets me paid properly … if you need further information, the last time I checked I typed at 31 WPM with one hand at 100% accuracy.

Spiritually wise: this year, I followed a Bible reading plan where I read the entire Bible in one year. I tried that once with Fiona So two years ago but gave myself a break from it last year because I already signup for three different daily devotions. This year I decided to try again to read the entire Bible in one year. I’m not sure why … perhaps I was subconsciously hoping to find out why the cruel and unfaithful God hated me and what I’d haveta do for Him to love me and restore my life back to me again? I guess the only thing I can say to that’s if you don’t expect anything, you can’t be disappointed … time and time again, God’s not come through for me. As I read through all the books this year, I was just struck again and again with how much I dislike G od. You know how Paul (I think it’s him) says somewhere in the Bible that if God’s for us, then who can be against us? My immediate thought reaction to that sentence was but if God’s against you then you are just totally SCREWED. People like Pharaoh when Moses was with the Egyptians. Sure the Bible says that sometimes Pharaoh hardened his own heart and wouldn’t let God’s people go, but other times, it was God Himself who hardened Pharaoh’s heart! Meaning poor Pharaoh was condemned right from the very beginning coz the cruel and unfaithful God denied him the chance to let the Israelites go … Or people like Job’s children, who all perished because God allowed Satan to wreak havoc on Job’s life, so long as Satan didn’t touch Job himself. Can you imagine Job’s kids arriving before the throne of judgement and asking God in confusion, “What happened? Life was going great … and then suddenly my life ended?” I can just see the cruel and unfaithful God offhandedly replying, “Oh, I just wanted to test your dad out. Your life didn’t matter whatsoever, so I offed you to see how he would react.” *sigh* I seriously hope accepting that God sent His Son Jesus down to Earth to die for your sins is enough to get you into heaven. Hopefully you aren’t required to love God because if that’s a requirement before you’re allowed into heaven for all eternity I hope someone will please teach me how to love the God who’s so wantonly and totally destroyed my life back in 2007 with the disabling brain injury because the correct response to Someone who’s totally destroyed your life surely isn’t adoration but hatred! Somewhere in the Bible it says that we love because God first loved us. Well, I hate God only because I found out how much He hated me. I never hated anyone until I discovered God’s hatred; I only know how to hate because of God’s hatred. I’m only good at hating because God showed me exactly how much He hated me. I can only laugh inside when anybody tries telling me that God loves me because if He truly loves me, He’s got a damn awful way of showing it … suppose all I can do’s keep on keeping on; like I’m sure I’ve said before I can’t jolly well commit apostasy, convert to say Islam and still hope to spend eternity in heaven with my most beloved maternal grandma. By next September, it’ll have been five years since EM had a church camp where the speaker was Steve Nation; I missed the majority of his final talk on Sunday morning because I was having a D&M with his wife Kei Ying. When I got a bit tearful and explained to her that I couldn’t reconcile the God who ‘claims’ He’s faithful, loving and whatnot with the God I’ve experienced, she suggested I try praying to God to ‘bridge the gap’, you know, God this is what You seem like to me but this is how You portray Yourself in the Bible; can You please show me how you really are? I’ve taken her advice; every night before I hit the sack I beg God to please ‘bridge the gap’, to please show me apparently what you really are. Could you please just hit me with a revelation? Let me just suddenly understand that you are faithful, you are loving, you are kind, you are compassionate, you are healing, you are everything You claim to be but I don’t see you being; please just let me get it like that! But if you won’t do it that way, then do it slowly, do it incrementally, but please don’t not do it, because this is my life You are wasting here! I’ve already said if you don’t expect anything you can’t be disappointed only I keep hoping beyond all hope that one day in the very near future everything will fall back into place and God will restore my life back to me. Sure, it’s alright to hope but it’s just delusional to hope too fancifully, don’t you think? Again, I guess I can only keep on keeping on…

Sporting wise: when COVID-19 first started getting serious, I vaguely remember Japan insisting that the 2020 Olympics would still go ahead; in the end, I think it’s now being postponed to 2021? Unsure how they’re going to organise all the two week self isolation period and contact tracing stuff … I vaguely remember hearing that all the athletes who’d already qualified for the 2020 Olympics would automatically requalify for the 2021 event; I suppose that’s fair but will any athletes that didn’t qualify originally miss out if they’ll suddenly reach their peak in time for the 2021 Olympics?

Unfortunately, this year was the first year when the poor Broncos collected the wooden spoon. *cringe* We’d started the year so well, too, with consecutive wins … Well next year we’ve got a new coach; hopefully we’ll lift the premiership trophy come 2021! The last time we won was back in 2006 … we had a real shot several years ago but then idiot Ben Hunt dropped the ball from the kickoff and gifted the Cowboys with a perfect field goal shot attempt and trust JT to nail it perfectly … XD On a brighter note, I’m very relieved that the Maroons have regained the Origin shield! After Queensland won EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS, the smelly Blues managed to scrape *two* consecutive years and they were already so cocky! Please note that for our eight year winning streak we were ALWAYS HUMBLE, giving the Blues credit for the competition they had provided but when NSW managed to win one year after already winning the previous year they were immediately so UP THEMSELVES, going on about themselves like they’re the next best thing since sliced bread! Public enemy number one Paul Gallen even had the audacity to claim that the Maroons team for 2020 were the ‘worst he’d ever seen’; I really laughed my head off when the Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans (my cheeky/nasty mother likes to call him Daly Cherry-Blossom XD) lifted the Origin shield on behalf of the ‘worst team ever’! Please note that our ‘worst team ever’ still managed to regain the Origin shield; fingers crossed that we can deny the smelly Blues the trophy for another eight years at least! XD

Everything else wise: last year, I was exploding with excitement that Minions2 was coming to the cinemas come June/July 2020; firstly because everyone who only knows me very slightly should be totally aware that I’m simply besotted with the yellow, jellybean-shaped minions of Despicable Me and secondly because the friend who’d taken me to see the first Minions movie in GOLD CLASS had promised to do so again when the second movie. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, the release date was pushed back one year but that’s alright because that means I can be infatuated with those stupid little creatures for one more year! (I call them stupid because even though they try so hard to be evil they’re just so bloody incompetent they screw up everything they’re trying to muck up XD) I suppose after Minions2 comes out that’ll be the end of the franchise; it’s been one whole DECADE since the first Despicable Me movie came out and I suppose it’s time for me to find something new to be obsessed about. XD Even the little kids at church know that Aunty Em loves the minions! XD

 

One thing that I shared about in my Xmas Greetings to everyone this year was the scary traffic incident my carer Hannah and I were involved in back in like June. When we were T-boned (silly Hannah had forgotten to check both ways before turning) I honestly thought it was gonna be the end for me, that precisely at that moment a car was gonna zoom up Underwood Rd and hit our car; I’d die coz I was sitting in the death/passenger seat. I’ve read before that for some people, their entire life flashes before their eyes; since I’m slow (mother honestly LEMME GET DROPPED ON MY HEAD AS A BABY XD and then the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain injury ><) nothing went through my head except “Oh sh*t, the next car that comes zooming up Underwood Rd’s gonna hit me and I’m gonna die because I’m sitting in the death seat … gosh I hope it won’t hurt and I hope it’ll be over quickly … dad I love you the most, forever; will you be okay without me? Mother, you’ll be fine, knowing you, you’ll prolly chuck a party and invite everyone to attend that you’ve got your life back coz since you’re always bitching at me that since you’ve gotta drive me to appointments/whatnot you don’t have a social life anymore, but I’ve always been a complete daddy’s girl and he might just miss me some, you know? Please be nice to my dearest dad after I’m gone!

 

That’s actually the third NDE I’ve survived. The first one happened when I was still inside mother’s tummy; I’d been such a messy sleeper even before I was born I’d kicked and twisted around so much I’d actually caught my umbilical cord around my neck and was STRANGLING myself! O_o Luckily mother could sense something was wrong and saw the doctor; even when the doctor said to mother go home nothing’s wrong your baby will come out in one week or so mother INSISTED something was wrong and the doctor had better find out what! The doctor consented and hooked mother up to some monitor that listened to my heartbeat for one hour and mother’s suspicions were confirmed; after fasting for eight hours she went under the knife and I was born by emergency caesarean section. Meaning I owe my life to mother more than the usual ‘I owe my life to my parents because they copulated together and made me’.

My second NDE happened in 2007, when the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain injury. People have told me before that I’m lucky to still be alive and surely I am, but seriously, what kinda life is this? Surely, surely, LESS of a life; were I an ostrich I’d like nothing better than to stick my head into the sand and DENY that even this world exists … only that’s not gonna work, is it? I’m not THAT far removed from reality! XD I’d always been nervous (well, terrified XD) that the cruel and unfaithful God would go third time lucky and do me in; when mother once heard me say that, she laughed, jeered and scoffed at me, saying that God doesn’t need three chances because what He wants happens right away … well this year I’ve survived my third NDE, meaning that God really didn’t do me in. hopefully that means I’m gonna live a long life; I’ve always said I don’t plan to kick the bucket until I receive the letter from the monarch of England (presumably King George?) congratulating me on reaching the ripe old age of 100! I’ll go peacefully in my sleep that night, but not before then, alright?? XD

In my Xmas Greetings to everyone last year, I’d shared with everyone how delighted I was that I’d finally achieved the TWENTY-FIFTH time that year where I’d achieved one straight week of consecutive awesome sleeps (where I bid my teddy sweet dreams, fell asleep and didn’t wake again until the Sun had risen sufficiently for me to see the time on the clock mounted on the wall; I’m ridiculously short-sighted and without my glasses if you gave me a sheet of A4 paper with font size twelve writing to read I’d haveta hold the paper so close – literally touching my nose – to be able to read it). This year, I’m terribly excited to report that I’ve actually managed to exceed that; I’ve somehow managed to achieve one straight week of awesome sleeps THIRTY-ONE times!! :D I’m just so sodding relieved that I get such good quality sleep nowadays; while I don’t think I’ll ever just ‘get over’ the trauma of the hellish days, weeks and months I spent in the insane asylum (more commonly known to everyone else as the Brain Injuries Rehab Unit of the Princess Alexandra hospital XD when the cruel and unfaithful God plagued me nightly with multiple horrifying nightmares I can only hope He’s found someone He hates more than He hates me and will go destroy their life and leave me alone to pick up the shattered shards of my life …

Ohh!! Several years ago, in my Xmas Greetings I remember sharing with everyone about how I’d finally started dreaming again. Nice, normal dreams, not the horrifying nightmares that cruel and unfaithful God continuously and plagued me with back when I was still imprisoned in the insane asylum. What frustrated me immensely was that in my dreams, I never reached the FOOD. You know the saying ‘the way to my heart is through my stomach’? Well, my personal version is: ‘the way to my heart is through my stomach. Feed me and I will love you forever.’ XD Many dreams I *nearly* reached the food but always woke up before finally stuffing it into my mouth! My fat tummy was so mad with me that one morning, after I’d woken up whilst dreaming I was walking to a SEAFOOD BUFFET to get some food she threatened to throw up! Me: ah, I’ve not eaten since dinner last night. You’re empty; I don’t think you’ve got anything to chuck up. XD But I was fast losing hope because so many times I’d come so close and yet was still so far … My Toastmasters friend Steph encouraged me to dare to keep dreaming because she believed I would reach the food one day and this year, I finally DID!! :D I think this year I enjoyed three dreams where I was happily stuffing my gob. XD When I finally, finally reached the food in my dreams, the next day I was so excited that when I logged into Facebook I immediately opened Messenger and SCREAMED st Steph, I FINALLY REACHED THE FOOD!!! Then I came to my senses, greeted her more appropriately with good afternoon and then calmly explained why I’d been that excited. XD Steph was awesome, saying I knew you’d do it and then suggested I share this achievement at our next Toastmasters meeting! See, the club I’ve attended since like 2012 is called Young Achievers at QUT; a club tradition’s that at the beginning of every meeting, there’s a call for achievements, where members and guests are invited to share what they’ve achieved since the last meeting. It can be something huge like I’ve just finished my PhD or something tiny like I lost my keys but I finally found them. Obviously I politely declined her suggestion, that achievement just sounds silly. XD 

On the topic of dreams, this year I didn’t start dreaming until January the 20th but ended up remembering and recording seventy-four dreams! The oddest one was how I’d somehow became the PRIME MINISTER of NEW ZEALAND. XD The funniest one was how I wasn’t disabled anymore; instead I was walking along the tarmac with my small group members along some tarmac for our SKY DIVING trip! See, the lads from my small group are crazy; every now and again one will suggest let’s go skydiving for our next small group social! Me: ah, no thanks guys; I’m honestly TERRIFIED of heights; you’ll haveta push me screaming outta the plane and afterwards you’ll haveta gimme a burial coz I’ll have perished from a heart attack. XD In this dream we’re all walking the tarmac ready to board the plane for our skydiving trip and I’m feeling nervous (well alright, terrified XD) about my imminent death. Suddenly the dream fast forwards and now we’re all walking away, having finished the skydiving trip! Only I’m still alive … figured I must’ve clung to the sides of the plane hard enough and screamed with terror loud enough for my small group members to change their minds about pushing me outta the plane. XD

This year, the parents started demanding that I get my own cutlery before every meal. Fair enough; since I’m practically too disabled to participate in any meal preparation and cooking myself I suppose the least I can do is get myself cutlery, right? I decided that every month, I’d just hope for *one* little day where I’m exempt from getting myself cutlery for *any* three meals of the day! I’ve had spectacular success with that; while many days this year I’ve had to get myself cutlery for one/two meals, somehow I’ve managed to evade getting myself cutlery for ALL THREE MEALS in one day! :D Not expecting my good luck to continue; will prolly haveta begin 2021 by immediately having to get myself cutlery for all three meals. XDQ

Have I reflected enough about 2020? It’s just past 11pm now; I’m tuning into ABC’s livestream and right now Sydney’s fireworks are exploding all over the place coz they’re one hour ahead of us.

Am I supposed to make any New Years’ resolutions? Apparently, most of them get broken in the first month of the new year anyway. XD

Obviously I hope next year I’ll manage to remain upright all year and not fall over like I was idiotic enough to do twice this year! Right now though I’m still enjoying my two weeks of annual leave; should you come over and suggest I do any therapy for you I will either (1) politely ignore you or (2) politely pretend that you don’t exist. XD

Will haveta chase up Axiom College (I’m doing the online study through them) very early next year and see can I get them to lemme resume online study. Still hoping I’ll find steady, paid work next year; remember, I’m willing to do ANYTHING (even wash toilets XD) as long as I can do it whilst seated and it gets me paid properly. If you’re curious, last time I checked I typed at 31WPM with 100% accuracy using one hand.

Wonder when the COVID-19 vaccine will get rolled out? Would love for this pandemic to blow over and normal international travel to resume; if I can ever get my hands on an outdoors electric wheelchair I can finally return to Hong Kong and visit all my beloved and awesome friends!

Less than ten minutes till 2021 arrives … guess I’ll wrap up these 2021 reflections here! What a year it’s been! Hoping 2021 will be just as fun and eventful but less dangerous. XD Sorry for not proofreading this post properly first, it’s nearly midnight! Should you read these reflections and come across any mistakes please Facebook Messenger me and I’ll correct the mistake. XD

Next post here … well, if anything happens toms I suppose I can blog about New Years’ Day but if not, I suppose I’ll just cya when I cya!

Cheers,

Em. ^^

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