2021 Reflections

Lol I think I’m beginning a bad trend here: for the third consecutive year, I’m beginning my reflections on the year that will soon be was begins again on the final day of the year. XD

Physically-wise: thankfully, I’ve managed to not totally stack it this year … yet. There’s still like five hours and ten minutes left in this year; plenty of time for me to lose balance and fall over. XD >< I just look on the bright side: after falling, I can tell myself to just forget that experience because it’s 2022 soon and time for new beginnings! XD

Sometimes I wonder does mother understand how incredibly *frustrating* it is to live inside a body that doesn’t function like you expect it to. Sure, standing and walking comes to mother as naturally as breathing does and because of that she for some reason acts like it’s just as easy for me… I would’ve thought that everybody could tell by just glancing at us that her life is a *squillion* (can someone please teach me how many zeroes are in a squillion?)  times easier for her than my life is for me, but somehow mother has got this assumption that only she struggles, only she suffers, that she struggles the most, that she suffers the most and that my life is so piss *EASY* for me because I’ve got carers who do everything for me! lol, I’m sorry if this makes me a bad person, but sometimes I can’t help but wish that were true! Take for example the ringing phone. Me: will let the phone ring out, coz if I get up and try to answer it I might fall and not be able to get back upright. Mother: ooh, the phone’s ringing! Someone for me to yap to! She rushes *so desperately* for the phone that she even *sprains her back* in the process! XD

Work-wise: another section mother gets a mention in. earlier this year, I contacted some disability employment advisor in the hopes they could find me paid work. I was sent a Centrelink form, told to see my GP, get that filled out and return to them. Since I’m Facebook friends with my GP, I just sent him the form through Facebook Messenger and asked him would he please fill out, scan and return to me? Dr. Ku said that Messenger wasn’t a very reliable means for sharing details but he’d get his receptionist to ring me and help me organise a time to see him. Only the receptionist didn’t ring my mobile number, she rang mother’s! >< Unfortunately, mother believes I’m too disabled to hold down a job and she just shut the nurse down. Sheesh, it’s not like I’m UNWILLING to work; I’m like DESPERATE to find paid work but mother seems to get a kick outta leaving me reliant on her. *sigh* Suppose I can only keep trying next year to find paid work. I’ll do ANYTHING as long as I can do it whilst seated and with one hand I can type @ 31WPM.

Spiritually-wise: about five point one five years ago, I attended our church’s English camp and the speaker was Steve Nation. I missed most of his final morning talk because I got into a D&M with his wife KeiYing, who taught me to pray to God and ask Him to bridge the gap. Like, I’ve experienced nothing but God’s cruelty and unfaithfulness but God continuously boasts in the Bible of how loving, etc. He is. She suggested I pray to him and ask him to bridge the gap, to show me where I’m not getting how God really is. After doing that for five years with absolutely no response, I contacted KeiYing and asked her where was I going wrong?

She replied saying she’d pray for me. I’m not really sure how much practical help praying for someone can be, but I suppose having anyone interceding for you helps?

2022 will mark fifteen years since the cruel and unfaithful God so wantonly destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour … possibly the best fifteen years of my life. At this age (I’m turning three point five decades old next year) I should’ve finished my uni degree, I should be working and earning a full-time salary, I should be starting a family and I should be preparing my parents for retirement. Instead, here they are, still working their butts off (well, my dearest dad works fulltime Monday till Friday) while mother just works two half days each week and here I am, disabled, useless and abandoned by God. Yes, I hate myself for it. I hate God more, though, coz He’s the One that did this (the brain injury) to me. or if He didn’t, He let it happen. To me, there’s no difference. He’s the One to blame for this situation I’m in. 

but what can I do, other than continue to pray to God, asking Him to bridge the gap? Only I must remind myself that if you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed when nothing happens. Like, what then, when God doesn’t come through for you? >< *sigh* I remember writing last year about how much I *disliked* the cruel and unfaithful God. Like, apart from believing that He sent Jesus to dir for our sins and that we will get eternal life in heaven with Him if we believe that He exists, is there any other requirement that must be satisfied before you’re allowed into heaven? I’m hoping that acknowledging Him as the One who created everything and sent His son to die on the cross for us will be enough and that aa condition like loving God isn’t required, because if it is, could anyone please teach me how to love a God that’s not done well by me whatsoever? And yet I’m stuck with him; I can’t jolly well commit apostasy and still expect to be reunited with my most beloved maternal grandma in heaven … if only their could be some other way into heaven. If there were ANY other way to get into heaven without needing God I’d take it in a jiffy. In an instantno second chances. No looking back. Just bye God, I’m leaving You for Someone who actually can gimme a hope, a life and a future, precisely what you’ve so cruelly denied me. but nope. I’m stuck with God. *sigh*

Sporting-wise: a definite highlight for the year was watching the delayed Tokyo Olympics! I had much fun watching the opening and closing ceremonies; usually I must let mother boot m,e off to bed at the piss-early time of 9:45 if I want her to give my eyes some eye ointment and my left ankle a very brief rub, but for the Opening Ceremony I told her since this only happens once every four years I’d like to watch it all and get myself to bed afterwards, thanks.

Unfortunately, the mighty maroons fell to the smelly Blues in the Origin this year, but at least we saved face by winning the last game and thus denying them their last clean sweep since 2000! This year, most Thursdays I have a carer called Karina who comes to help me up and take me out since mother woirks a halfday every Thursday; Karina is a smelly Blue! After NSW won the first match I glared at her and said Queensland would win the second match; after they won the second match Karina came to help me up the next day. I sat up in bed and good morning; in return, Karina said mockingly, “I’m not gloating or anything …” I immediately snap back at her, “Oh, shut UP!” Then we both burst into laughter, after which I conceded that yes, alas, the series this year was theirs. However, I’m really proud of our boys who saved face and won the third game! Besides, I had a good laugh at all the Blues supporters: when it came time for them to lift the Origin shield, the stadium was practically *empty*; only the really diehard Blues fans had stayed to watch their teams’ win. XD

Unfortunately, this also hasn’t been a good year for the Broncos. While they escaped from securing their second wooden spoon, they only managed to achieve one spot high, fifteenth. I asked Uncle Colbert if the Broncos only managed to climb up one spot on the ladder every year, when would we finally win the premiership again? Uncle Colbert did the maths calculations and replied sometimes in the 2030s; cripes, I’ll be in my FIFTIES them! Hopefully they can pull their socks up and return to playing finals football and lifting that premiership trophy much sooner, like, next year! XD

Everything else wise: for some reason, I’ve remembered heaps less dreams than I did last year? That’s alright, because I’ve REACHED THE FOOD AGAIN!! :D Think the oddest dream I remembered having this year was that somehow I’d become a normal-type Pokemon … the most amusing dream I had was that my male UQ physio teacher (the guy five years younger than me who featured in my Xmas Greetings this year since he shouted me a hot chocolate!) had become a PIMP! Unsure if he would’ve been offended had I told him about this dream, I asked the more senior teacher (she’s in her mid-fifties) for permission before telling him; Sonia said sure go ahead he’ll love it and sure enough, Mr. Jig-Air (how his name’s pronounced but not how it’s spelt coz he’s got French ancestors somewhere) had doubled over and roared with laughter! XD

The parents and I have both been double-vaccinated; once 2022 arrives mother says she’ll ring the GP and book us in for our booster shots. The drama of me getting my first vaccine dose almost made it into my Xmas Greetings this year! Mother got the jab first since she’s actually a registered nurse and has been giving those jabs herself; I got mine fairly early on also because I had a brain injury back in 2007 and am considered in the ‘vulnerable’ category. The morning before mother had taken me to get my first jab, she’d rung the hospital beforehand and confirmed that she was right to bring me in. At the entrance to the hospital was a nurse standing behind some lectern; when we approach the nurse looks up and snaps did we have an appointment? Mother calmly replies that no, we don’t have an appointment but that she rang the hospital earlier this morning to ask could she bring her disabled daughter (me) into get the vaccine jab and was told yes, but the unfriendly nurse like HISSES no, you can’t proceed without an appointment! From the side wall, a door opens and some old bloke walks out; I originally thought he was a wardie but mother later tells me that he was just a volunteer. Upon seeing us, he walks over to where mother and I are standing and asks me, “You here for the jab?” When I nod wordlessly, he just says “Follow me,” turns around and starts walking further into the hospital. I glance at mother then start following the old guy; mother likewise follows me. the screechy nurse squawks in protest, racing after us, flapping her arms in protest and screeching, “Stop! You musn’t proceed without an appointment!” From elsewhere a second nurse joins in the heckling; with both women screeching at my mother waving their arms around, I’m like, ah, should we just turn around and go back the way we came? These two nurses don’t look like they’re gonna stop until we accede to their demands… Suddenly, the old guy stops and turns around. Expression foreboding, he spits one word out at the two nurses. “Disability.” And just like that, they silently melt away! Lol, would that be called playing the disability card? Coz if so, I didn’t play it, the old guy played it for me!

Last year, the parents randomly demanded ib start getting my own cutlery before meals. I didn’t protest coz it seemed a reasonable request, considering that the cruel and unfaithful God has left me too freaking disabled to help in with the food prep. Oh! More about that later. I’ve continued recording down which meals I’ve had to get cutlery for, with the hope that for *one* measely day each month I’d be exempt from getting myself cutlery for *all three meals* that day? Only I’ve decided I’ll not continue that next year, since for the past THREE MONTHS, I’ve been TOTALLY EXEMPT from having to get myself cutlery for ALL THREE MEALS! Mother’s new instruction: I pour myself one full mug of water for breakfast, she’ll get me a spoon. Same with lunch, coz I usually wash lunch down with one mug of peppermint tea/Chinese/herbal/green tea. Deal!

Bacj to food prep: this year, I’ve begun cooking wqith the OT! She taught mother to purchase a one-handed chopping board for me. it’s designed for people likje me that only have one functioning hand with which to holds things with. Then how do you hold round objects like onions and tomatoes still? The one-handed chopopping board’s so cool, it even comes with SPIKES with which to impale the poor ingredient on! I’ve had much fun wailing for the poor ingredient, going ouch, and sometimes just grunting to pretend I’m being brave; for ingredients like tomatoes that bleed reed I can wail dramatically that oww they’re bleeding to death! My former OT Alyssa was silly and of absolutely help to thew poor ingredients I was voicing for; she’d just double over with laughter and be of absolutely zero help to the poor ingredient. My current OT, Tiff, is made of sterner stuff: when I wail very dramatically for the poor ingredients that are getting hacked up, she just smirks and says sorry but you’re dying for a very good cause. XD

Ooh, less than thirty minutes left; betta plan out some new years’ resolutions.

As always, I must continue to try and improve my mobility. Next year will mark fifteen years since the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour, I can only mourn a life wasted. >< Still doesn’t change the fact that everyday I’ve gotta try my best to improve my mobility, walking longer, faster, more steadily, etc. etc. etc. keep on keeping on, you know? Apparently it’s no pain no gain; for me, it’s more like lotsa pain very little gain but I’ve still gotta keep at it. Spending another year without totally stacking it also sounds right! I’ve had several close shaves this year, but have managed to escape landing flat on my butt! The closest shave I’ve had was when I went for my fortnightly shopping trip to Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown with Tina, I was pushing the trolley when suddenly I tripped, fell, slammed my back and went down! Instinctively, I threw out my ‘good’ leg and landed like in a half crouch with my butt like 2cm from the floor; in the next second, the woman buying her groceries beside me and spun around and caught my waist in a bear hug! She exclaimed are you alright?! I exclaimed thanks!

I promise to keep working hard on all my therapies; to myself I promise I’ll keep trying to find properly paid work! I know mother totally believes I’m too fricking disabled to hold down paid work but I’m determined not to have to keep relying on her for everything so will keep trying to secure employment despite her hindrance!

Hmm, this years reflections are significantly shorter but I’d better end them now coz the parents have stayed online to watch 2022 enter with me! no time to proofread and edit; apoologies for all the mistakes contained therein!

Cheers,

Em. ^^

P.S. Next post here … umm, what I spent New Years’ Day doing? Plan to be up before midday!

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2021

 Well, that’s the silly season over and done with for another year. Here’s how I spent my Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day:

Christmas Eve: the 24^th being a Thursday, mother had work for half a day and so Karina was the carer who helped me up. After munching breakfast and visiting the bathroom, she tootled me off to Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown for my fortnightly (well, weekly now that GCCW has ended for the year) shopping trip.

After using the loo once, I grab Lian Hearn’s Orphan Warriors, happily flop into a squashy red/pink/magenta-coloured single sofa seat and happily read for one hour, while Karina goes to find the day’s groceries mother wants us to buy. When she came back, I posted an update onto Facebook, visited the loo once more and than began my Christmas shopping! Have I said before? One benefit to being an only kid’s that I only have the parents to buy presents for and no siblings. XD I had to buy a Christmas present for dearest dad and both a Christmas and birthday present for mother. Since mother’s birthday falls on Boxing Day, she often only gets one present for both occasions, but aren’t I a good daughter? Ever year, I go out and I make sure to buy her *two, separate* presents. XD

Firstly, we caught the elevator onto the top (so 4^th) floor, grabbed a trolley and started buying groceries at Coles.

Next, we went sideways to Kmart and I bought mother a birthday present! Seeing that she’s born in the CNY of the pig, ever since I was little dad developed the habit of buying mother piggy items for her birthday and I’ve adopted this habit. XD

I’d actually contacted Kmart via their Facebook page after browsing their online catalogue and checked that the item I was after was actually available before going with Karina to find it. Mother had asked dearest dad for me, before informing me that dad wanted a t-shirt for Christmas; after finding mother her birthday present I checked out the menswear but the shirts there weren’t cool; instead, I hiked across to Best & Less and found him a more suitable shirt there.

Also, I had to find mother a Christmas present! I hadn’t a clue what to get for her, but Karina suggested why not an eye mask? I was like, uh, what’s an eye mask? Karina taught me that it’s like a blindfold you tie around your head before sleeping at night; I thought that’d be a suitable present for her because apparently mother needs total darkness before she can fall asleep? So, either she sleeps with her eyes open/she’s got super-thin eyelids. XD

Our last stop was Woolies to buy groceries. I’ll forever feel slightly wistful when visiting there; that particular Woolies was my very first workplace for like two months before the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour … >< But there’s no use crying over spilt milk and anyways, Caitlin had messaged me earlier asking was I coming shopping today coz she had a Christmas present ready for me!

… even though that present turned out to be a box of Ferrero Rocher. XD I swear, *every* year someone tries to gimme a box; I HAVE A NUT ALLERGY AND WILL EXPLODE IF I COME INTO CONTACT WITH A NUT! >< Well, the explosion part’s thankfully an exaggeration, but unfortunately the allergy part’s real. ><

for lunch, Karina tootled us off to C Café. I’d contacted them over Facebook Messenger earlier, asking them please to reserve a back table for me with the comfy leather seats and to send me the lunch specials menu; I keep choosing the BBQ duck plus fried egg for one dollar with rice coz they serve HUGE portions and you get like HALF a duck! XD

After Karina tootles me home, I turn the alarm off and take my quickest possible shower, because Christmas shopping took extra time today and Karina’s shift ended @ 3:30pm!

When mother arrived home from her half day’s work, I let her nab half my yummy sausage bun and in return, she feeds me one plain mug of green tea. After that, I read Grass For His Pillow (by Lian Hearn; that’s the awesome fantasy cross historical fiction novel we’re doing for this month’s book club) until dearest dad got home and sent me to the bathroom, saying he’d drive me to BCAC for the Christmas Eve service now.

Upon arrival, who do we see parked beside us but Kwany and Daniel! After I swing myself outta the car, Kwany prompts his son, “What did you want to give Aunty Em?” Daniel takes several steps forward and silently hands me a wrapped Christmas present! I say thanks enthusiastically, them raise my hand and try asking, “High five Aunty Em?” Daniel immediately does so; his palm’s smack bang on target against mine! Which led me to wonder was Daniel older than Callum, coz last time I asked Callum for a high five, he raised his hand and considered for awhile before slapping mine – and half missed it! XD

Once inside A1, I grab a seat most to the left near the back; after dad leaves Lam approaches and hands me one of those little electronic candles. A1 quickly fills, and while nobody sits besides me, Wilfreddy’s two seats away from me.

Janice leads several Christmas carols (Christian ones, obviously) and Pastor Grace delivers a short message, after which everyone’s invited to head outside and grab a Drumstick ice cream! I’d hoped someone would walk with me to get my ice cream but when the hall had totally emptied and I was the only one still sitting inside, I realised nobody would so tentatively stepped outside myself.

Josh Meggs was standing outside by himself; when he saw me, he asked, “You alright, Em?”

I replied, “I heard ice cream’s being offered somewhere? Can I get one too?

Josh gestures with his hand that they’re around the back, when I next ask him will he please walk behind me so I can get my ice cream too he gestures ‘off you go’ with his hand follows me over to the back window.

Only as I approach the ledge where the kitchen is, I see Charlie shaking an empty box of Drumsticks … when I reach him, I say, “Please tell me there’s still another box, Charlie; I’ve walked all the way here for my ice cream!”

But no luck. >< Charlie shakes the empty box and says, “Sorry, Em, we’re all out.”

Were I dramatic, I’d loudly wail that my CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN RUINED! >< XD I believe I just looked aghast at Charlie, who shrugs apologetically and instead offers me a Zooper Dooper. Well, I think that’s what they’re called: those coloured, flavoured icy sticks? I choose an orange one; Charlie snips off the top for me and then Joey grabs me a seat. For the rest of the night, I chat with Lisa and Binda. When things are packed up, people start leaving and the crowd thins, Lisa walks behind me upstairs into the main hall; I grab a seat and say my thanks and byes. Lisa’s really sweet, going oh, but will you be alright by yourself? What if you need something? I laugh and reassure her I’ll be fine; while I may not know many CM folk, I’m pretty sure my dad’s pretty well-known at church and should anything arise where I need help, I’m sure I can ask some CM aunty/uncle. Reassured, Lisa leaves and I Whatsapp dad, saying I’m in the main hall; when will he come pick me up and take me home? Within two/three minutes, dad replies: soon. Well, how soon’s soon? XD To wile away the time I start playing Candy Crush, while the hall fills steadily and the choir practises singing songs for the CM Christmas Eve service.

Dad finally arrives to drive me back home as the chairperson calls the service to order.

Once home, I use the bathroom and wail to mother how I missed out on getting a Drumstick but she’s unsympathetic, blaming me for not getting up and going for an ice cream earlier. Well, I’d honestly thought someone would walk behind me; the minute the room emptied I got up and exited myself! *sigh*

Christmas Eve dinner was the usual bland, boiled and tasteless affair; afterwards I read for another thirty minutes since I like reading for one hour everyday whenever possible.

That done, I return online, before visiting the loo once more at 9pm. Since mother demands I shut the computer and begin the ‘drink milk, brush teeth’ process at 9:45pm, I comply and am prolly asleep by 10:30pm max. zizz¬

Christmas Day: one thing I love about the warmer month’s how the Sun rises really early each day; come Winter, the Sun won’t peek out until at least 6:30am! I was particularly pleased upon waking on Christmas morning to see the Sun peeking out because that meant, for the third consecutive year, I’d achieved TWENTY-FIVE INSTANCES where I’d achieved ONE STRAIGHT WEEK of AWESOME SLEEPS!! :D ‘Twas only 4:55am when I swung myself over to use the commode chair (since I can’t walk unless wearing the orthotic on my left foot but mother demands I sleep barefoot every night since my feet need to breathe – I’ve tried protesting to her that my nose and mouth breathe, not my feet but to no avail – I use a commode chair for any bathroom trips I need to take over the night and during the morning) to relieve myself. I also yelled upstairs good morning and Merry Christmas to the parents but when neither replied correctly presumed that mother had forgotten to turn on the baby monitor for me last night. Well fair enough, I’m not exactly a baby anymore. XD

After brushing teeth and using the loo, I get a special Saturday breakfast! Weekdays and Sundays I usually just have toast with jam and cereal, but every Saturday my dearest dad cooks ham and eggs; as my Christmas present, mother also makes me a cup of delicious vanilla chai!

A strange thing about Christmas this year: I didn’t attend church! See, mother DEMANDS we attend church EVERY Christmas; I’m pretty sure I even attended church the year before I popped out, when I was still inside her tummy! The reason why we didn’t attend this year was because the parents feared community transmission; may I say without getting lambasted that it was refreshing for once not having to attend? Like, sing songs I don’t mean a word of, hearing a message I’ll most likely have forgotten by that night … I thought that mother would at the very least I watch some online Christmas service, but nup!

Breakfast finished, I visit the loo again for a number two and then pop online until summoned for lunch, which is rather disappointing: soupy pasta with lotsa vegies and some tasteless soup meat. You’d reckon it being Christmas Day I’d get sth more special, wouldn’t you? XD

Returning online after lunch, after I’d used up the most important hours of the day I got offline and headed over to the gobbling :P table, calling upstairs to mother could she please feed me some arvo tea? She didn’t answer; presumably she was zonked out upstairs enjoying her very long afternoon, which often stretches well until after the Sun has set, even though it’s nearing the middle of Summer! ‘Twas dearest dad who handed me a banana – and he even peeled it for me! Mother’s NEVER that helpful; either she passes me the banana to peel myself/she gleefully forces my demented left hand to hold the fruit before ordering my right hand to unpeel it. XD

Afternoon tea munched, I took a nice warm shower after which ‘twas time to leave for the Choi residence; we’d been invited over for a Christmas BBQ!

On arrival I happily flopped onto a comfy couch; when Uncle Ching wandered over and bid me greetings, I asked after Ginger and wondered wasn’t he a very old cat now? I remembered meeting him before the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour, and next year will mark fifteen years since that. Uncle Ching told me that Ginger was SEVENTEEN now, and even brought Ginger outside for me to pat and say hello to, before grousing at me that silly Ginger had widdled all over the carpet this morning, meaning he’d had to spend ages cleaning it all up. I laughed and groused backat him, “Cut poor Ginger some slack; I’ve zero idea how old seventeen cat years is in human years but he’s prolly a centenarian now so show him some respect!” XD

The Slams and Ronnie jie jie arrive too; the females all sit and chat and drink (Uncle Ching had kindly ladled me out a cup of fruit punch) while the guys fired up the barbie.

When dinner’s ready, I use the loo once before going outside and taking a seat at the table. I felt loved because somehow Uncle Ching remembered that I’m a rice bucket (say ‘farn tong’) in Canto and cooked a bowl of rice for me! Apart from the usual BBQ fare, I also find the Asian salad that someone made really yummy~

Best of all, there’s cake! Mother really outdid herself making this one; ‘twas that yummy both Anna and I got seconds!

Before we left, I asked Uncle Ching could I please bid Ginger goodnight? He led me into Ginger’s bedroom (this room with a bathtub and washbasin), picked him up, carried him outside and set him on the kitchen benchtop (which I reckon looks fine being one word, even though the squiggly red line beneath it tells me it’s actually bench top XD! I braced against the benchtop and mother kindly took photos for us~ That was the night; we returned home and I plopped online until mother ordered me off to bed. Zzz~

Boxing Day: wasn’t I good? After enjoying my 8^th consecutive awesome sleep that night (bid my teddy sweet dreams, fell asleep and didn’t wake again until 5:05am, by which time the Sun was already brightly peeping through the windows) I managed to refrain myself from bellowing HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to mother upstairs. XD

Kim was the carer who helped me up at 8am and dropped me off at church for ESS at 11am; she even brought me a Christmas present!

After attending ESS, dad tootled me off for a quick lunch from the Rochedale Maccas. Usually it’s the Warrigal Square Maccas because that’s closer to where we live but again dad had heard there was some COVID close contact there recently and opted to have lunch at a more isolated Maccas. Uncle Yuk Tai and Aunty Denise also had lunch there, sitting one table apart from us.

Back home, I visited the bathroom once and then sat down in front of the computer for my most important two hours of the day online. That up, I leave the computer and head towards the gobbling :P table, asking mother will she please gimme some arvo tea? Sweet, she passed me another banana and made me another mug of vanilla chai with milk! During and after munching the banana I happily read our book club novel, Grass For His Pillow, for one hour. That done, I visited the toilet once and and sat back down in front of the computer. Shortly afterwards, mother tumbles downstairs from her long afternoon nap and orders that I shower. After that’s done, I again return online until told to use the bathroom then get into the car, coz dad was taking us out for our usual once-weekly family dinner out together!

Originally, dad drove us to Capalaba somewhere for fish and chips, because apparently I’d heard from the radio that the best fish and chips found in Brisbane was located in Capalaba! Only problem? Since Boxing Day’s a public holiday, the fish and chip shop wasn’t open. Perhaps some places close early every Sunday, coupled with the fact that ‘twas a public holiday, even though like NOTHING was open we still needed dinner! Eventually dad found a takeaway Pizza Hut open and pulled up. The parents got out and ordered us two pizzas for dinner, although mother was grumpy since Pizza Hut added a public holiday surcharge. I thought takeaways didn’t enforce public holiday surcharges, but maybe Pizza Hut considers itself a restaurant? She pays it, though; think she was hungry after her long afternoon nap and couldn’t be bothered travelling further in search of dinner. XD

We actually ate inside the car; dad just pulled over by some blockade and passed mother and me slices of pizza. I wasn’t very impressed: in my Xmas Greetings this year I shared my delight of eating ONE WHOLE PIZZA ALL TO MYSELF; since in our family dad gets half of everything while mother and I split half each, from the two pizzas we ordered I got two slices. Only the employee cutting the pizzas hadn’t done a very good job and the slices were not all the same size; mine were so tiny that with one bite alone I’d already reached the crust!

Back home, ‘twas time to open Christmas presents! I must’ve been a very good girl this year, since not only did Santa bring me more MINIONS (love the Minions! :D) I even got not one, not two but THREE POM POM pens!!! :D

Well, I’ll haveta wait almost another year before December the 25^th arrives again …

Next post here: must be my reflections for 2021, it’s already NYE tomorrow! I’ve been slack this year; should’ve immediately started composing this post come the 27^th but waited a couple more days. XD Well, please excuse me if you find errors in this post while reading it; since mother demands I get myself off to bed every night at the piss-early time of 9:45pm, I prolly won’t have enough time to thoroughly edit this before publishing. XD

Until then!

Cheers,

Em. ^^ 

XMas Greetings 2021

Greetings, one and all! Have you settled into this new decade yet? Coz suddenly it’s almost the end of 2021 … hope you’ve had an eventful and enjoyable year!

 

If you’ve followed these silly Xmas Greetings of mine, you may recall that several years ago, I very excitedly shared that I’d begun dreaming again. Not the awful, terrifying nightmares that the cruel and unfaithful God plagued me incessantly with when I was still imprisoned in the insane asylum (more commonly known to everyone else as the Brain Injuries Rehab Unit of the Princess Alexandra hospital XD) but nice normal dreams. I don’t dream very often, and lately I’ve developed this annoying habit (which I got from mother) of forgetting what the dream was the moment I wake, but I started keeping a dream journal to note down the dream I had and it turns out I dream most frequently about mother, followed by myself, followed by other randoms. One thing that massively annoyed me was that in my dreams, I could NEVER REACH THE FOOD!! XD Now, if you know me, you know I love my food. These dreams distressed me greatly (but fortunately not seriously XD) and I’d wail to my Toastmasters friend how I’d missed the food *again*. One such example was when I was walking (oh, don’t I love those dreams when I’m not horrifically disabled anymore but walking like everyone does in normal society ><) with an empty plate towards this SEAFOOD BUFFET;  suddenly I wake! My fat tummy was very cross with me. XD Soon after that, I have another dream when I’m at a girlfriend’s place for lunch/dinner; she flips a toastie the SIZE OF A SAUCEPAN onto my plate and I’m reaching eagerly for it with both hands when again, I jerk awake! This time, my fat tummy was furious with me; she even threatened to throw up, but I was like, ah, I’ve not eaten since dinner last night meaning you should be empty right now. What can you possibly chuck up? XD I shared these dreams with my Toastmasters friend, wailing that I’d NEVER reach the food, but she just encouraged me, “Dare to keep dreaming, Em. I’m POSITIVE you’ll reach the food one day.”

True to her word, suddenly, last year I DID reach the food!! :D I was so excited, the next day I opened up Facebook Messenger and SHRIEKED to Steph that I’d finally REACHED THE FOOD!! :D Then I came to my senses, greeted Steph properly, apologised for my exuberance and explained why I was SCREAMING at her. XD Steph was awesome, congratulating me, saying she’d known all along that I’d eventually reach the food. Then she suggested I share this achievement at the Toastmasters club we both attend, Young Achievers @ QUT Toastmasters but I decline, coz that’s a rather silly achievement, don’t you think? XD I’d already intended to share this story in last year’s edition of my Xmas Greetings to everyone but ran outta room because I had such an eventful year last year! Instead, I promised Steph that this story would be the first one in my Xmas Greetings this year. Originally, I was frightened that my food dreams would cease with the arrival of 2021 but when I awoke one morning early this year with another food dream I again couldn’t contain my excitement and once more SHRIEKED to Steph over Facebook Messenger that I’d REACHED THE FOOD AGAIN!! Seriously, Steph, I can’t thank you enough: because of your belief in me, food dreams have now become a reality! :D

 

For those of you who have studied at UQ (like I did, before the cruel and unfaithful God totally wiped me out with the disabling brain injury in 2007 ><) you’ll know about the Great Court that sits at the front of the St. Lucia campus. When I was doing physio at UQ last year, my student suddenly asked me, “Hey Em, feel like going up to The Great Court and taking a hike around it?” I reply definitely, but surely you know how slowly I walk nowadays; by the time I’ve walked up to the Great Court it’ll be time to make a u-turn and come back down here because my session doing physio with you only goes for one hour … The student had laughed, before pointing to some manual wheelchair I hadn’t noticed was sitting in the gym and replying, “Nah, you see this chair here? You sit down, I’ll push you up into the Great Court, you get outta the chair and hike a lap around it, then you sit back down and I’ll roll you down to the gym here. How’s that sound? Sounded awesome to me! So that’s how things worked. For my next session of physio, after the student had wheeled me up to The Great Court, I got up from the manual wheelchair and plodded a lap around it. Sadly, I didn’t see anything that triggered a memory for me that I’d once studied there but since I’d studied my first two years of an arts/law degree there before the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour, I must’ve studied inside that huge place somewhere!

When I’d started plodding laps of the Great Court last year, it’d been nearing Christmas; I remembered joking to Denis (a clinical educator), “Hey, it’s nearly Summer and you having me hike around this place’s leaving me rather hot and sweaty; how about next time I come up here you shout me an iced chocolate? Denis had begged out, saying he was broke but I’d sniped at him rubbish. You currently get a full time wage from UQ whereas I subsist on the disability pension; of course you can shout me an iced chocolate. You’re just being a miser and tight-fisted. Denis had roared with laughter meaning he agreed with my accusation but made no offer to shout me a drink. I let the matter drop also, because not only was he the teacher but five years – half a DECADE my junior – so it wasn’t prolly very appropriate to nag him to buy me an iced chocolate, yeah? XD

But fast forward six months. It’s the middle of Winter now, and I’m presuming most are aware of what a complete cold frog I am? I’m still doing these Great Court hikes but rugged up wearing tee, jumper, jacket, fleecy vest, long pants, long socks and beanie when suddenly I have a bright idea! “Hey,” I remark to Denis. “Six months later, I’m still hiking these Great Court laps for you. How about you shout me a hot chocolate instead? Pretty sure you can get them takeaway, unlike iced chocolates where you’d need to drink them inside the café.”

Denis just says he’ll think about it. I hint that he should think about it *very favourably* and again let the matter drop, although I also remind my current physio student that some prompting from him about the hot chocolate might help also. *HINT, HINT* XD

Fast forward again to the final (so 5^th) week of the current student’s rotations. I’m partway through my weekly Great Court Hike when Denis suddenly strides ahead, turns around and asks me, “What’s your order? I’ll order while you guys keep walking and then I’ll catch-up with you two, alright?” I hesitate. “Um, mother didn’t leave me any cash. Before COVID she’d give the cash to the carer to pay for me while I’m doing physio but since COVID arrived reception says they’d prefer cashless payment, hence why mother just rings UQ after I’ve finished physio for the day and pays via telling her bank details. Unless you’re really shouting?” When Denis nods yes, I whoop with joy, exclaiming, “Oh, Mr. Jig-Air (not how his surname’s really spelt coz he’s got French ancestors further back up the family tree somewhere but that’s how it’s pronounced), you’re the BEST! If you don’t mind, you’ll feature in my Xmas Greetings this year coz I’ve had a fairly boring year thus far.” I leave my order for a hot chocolate with marshmallows please; Denis instructs the student and me to keep walking around the Great Court and he’ll catch-up once he’s bought the drink. While the student and I continue to hike around The Great Court, Denis turns around and heads for the coffee shop. Suddenly, my students stops and exclaims, “Oh no, we’ve gotta go back! I forgot to leave my order with Denis!” I scowl at him. “Tough. I’m not turning around. Besides, Denis’ a nice young man; bet he’ll get one for you too.” But my Asian physio student clasps his hands together and beseeches, “Please?? For me??” Grumbling, I obediently make an about face and head back in the direction I’d come from. As the coffee shop appears and Dennis’ back comes into view, my student just calls out loudly and cheekily, “Hey, Dennis! I’ll just have what Em’s getting, thanks!” Then he grabs me by the shoulders, spins me around 180 degrees, shoves me in the back and hisses, “Go!” I stagger off, laughing; when we’re safely outta earshot I tell my student that he was very cheeky and should Denis not bring two hot chocolates back, I’m not sharing mine with you, got it?

Well, Denis returned with two hot chocolates, one of which was for me. I’m unsure did he let the student drink the other one; maybe he did but then cornered him and threatened to not pass him this rotation until the student had paid him back! Guess I’ll never know … XD

 

In the edition of my Xmas greetings last year, the COVID-19 pandemic did get a brief mention. I’ve already had both my vaccinations (the drama of getting the first one missed the cut into making it into this year’s Xmas Greetings XD) but I also have endured the unpleasantness of going through a COVID test. See, after enjoying lunch out one day with a church sister, my voice went hoarse. Mother promptly bit my head off (not literally, of course XD) for talking too loudly/too much. I didn’t think I had done either, but just to be on the safe side, apologised to my friend in case I had. She was very sweet, immediately replying I’d done neither, so hah, mother. XD It just so happened that the night after my lunch out I also had our monthly book club dinner! Mother had already forbidden me from speaking that night, but surely I had to be polite and say hello back when greeted? I’d hoped by drinking copious amounts of water and saying mostly silent would restore my voice back to me but unfortunately that didn’t happen; more worryingly, I started developing a little phlegm on the Sunday morning …

After attending Bible study, English service and grabbing a quick lunch with dearest dad at Maccas, mother drives us home. While we’re waiting for the garage door to go up, I ask her hoarsely may I shower now/did she need to take her long afternoon nap first, in which case I’d use the bathroom once first and then pop online for awhile? Instead, mother turns around to look at me, frowns and then decides, “No. I’m taking you to get a COVID test now. Your voice sounds dreadful and besides, I can hear the phlegm in your voice while you talk.”

I was like WTF you think I’ve somehow contracted COVID?! Of course, I didn’t dare say that aloud; pretty sure mother disapproves of swearing. XD

At the drive-through testing clinic near where I leave, when a male nurse approaches my window, I roll it down and bid him good afternoon before apologising for my raspy voice, explaining that mother has been feeding me on nothing but a steady diet of frogs for the past three days. The male nurse roars with laughter, before asking do I know what he’s gonna help me with today? I gesture at the long nasal swab he’s holding and ask innocently, “Aren’t you gonna stick that thing up my nostrils and try poke all my brains out?” The male nurse roars with laughter once more and replies basically, yes! I lean forward and stick my head out the window; he murmurs, “Sorry, slight discomfort here,” and inserts the long swab up my nose, probing around. There’s discomfort alright, but I manage to refrain from gagging even after the swab is removed. When he asks am I alright, I cup my hand under my face, mock-glare at him and grouse good-naturedly, “Why didn’t you gimme a bowl to catch all the brains you just poked out into? Now you’ve made my jeans all dirty.” The male nurse roars with with laughter before requesting permission to swab the other nostril? I gesture ‘go ahead’ and again lean towards the window; the same uncomfortable position is repeated but again I manage to hold in the gag reflex. After the nurse removes the swab he asks, “You still alright?”

This time I deadpan at the male nurse, “Right, now my entire brain has been poked out and you’ve ruined my pair of jeans. May I go now?”

Another roar of laughter from the cheery nurse, before he goes, “Wait! Before you go, do you know what you’ve gotta do now?”

Me, “Ahh, go home, self-isolate and don’t mingle in the community until I get my negative COVID result?”

 The nurse replies good girl, off you go now; the result should be texted to you within one-three days.

As mother pulls away from the drive-thru testing clinic, I cheekily remark that the nurse wasn’t very strict on the ‘stay home and avoid society until you get your COVID negative test result’ rule at all; what’s to stop us going to Maccas now and having second lunch (getting in touch with my inner hobbit, see… XD)? Mother intones that the nurse trusts we’re good citizens. Well, I’m glad that I at least ‘sound’ trustworthy’… XD

My church pastor’s wife had shared how, after her COVID test, she’d self-isolated in their upstairs ensuite bedroom; Reverend Chris had just left her meals outside the bedroom door and she’d returned him the used utensils for washing up. Originally I wondered was mother gonna like ground me and have me sit in my room until I got my result; luckily, life remained the same with the only difference being we didn’t hold hands while my dearest dad prayed before having dinner together and when he came to kiss me goodbye before leaving for his hard day’s work in the morning instead of kissing me awake he’d use the teddy that kept me company in bed at night to nuzzle me awake and after I’d woken, we’d blow each other kisses goodbye.

I’d gotten mother to promise me that the moment she received the test clearing me of having COVID; she’d lemme know immediately; lol, that text arrived when I was inside the bathroom having a shower! Pastor Grace said that once after receiving her negative COVID result, the first thing she’d done was find her daughter and give her a great big hug; obviously I couldn’t do that since I was holding the shower hose and I’m pretty sure mother would not have appreciated me drenching her. XD I refrained after the showering process was finished and I was all dry and dressed before giving mother a big hug of relief; that night, when my dearest dad arrives home from his hard day’s work and bids me hello, I immediately wave him over, give him a great big hug also and tell him the good, relieving news.

Armed with my negative COVID result, I’m now allowed to see my GP (the medical centre had said everyone who came must have a negative COVID test result before going). After Dr. Ku calls my name, mother and I both head into his room and take a seat. Dr. Ku takes his own seat and asks how may I help you ladies today?

I rasp hoarsely back at him, “Well, you can hear that mother has been feeding me on absolutely nothing but a steady diet of frogs for the past several days.

Dr. Ku gives a smirk of amusement but doesn’t speak; I quickly explain how, after having both lunch and dinner out with friends on Thursday and then losing my voice as well as developing a little phlegm on Sunday I’m actually all fine, bar pre-existing brain injury, of course. Energy levels are normal.

Dr. Ku unhooks his stethoscope from around his neck and listens to both my chest and back, before delivering his diagnosis. “You’ve just got a mild case of laryngitis. Nothing to worry about, because your chest is clear.”

I croak at him, “Then you aren’t going to prescribe me any medicine? Or are you just gonna say drink lotsa water and take bed rest?

Another half-smirk from Dr. Ku. “Yes, that’ll do. You may also take Vitamin D tablets(/some over the counter tablet that doesn’t require prescription).”

“And will my voice come back?” I rasp hoarsely at him. “I sound like I’ve been eating lotsa frogs when I talk, but should I try to sing a note, absolutely *nothing* comes out.”

Dr. Ku reassures me that my voice will return in due time; I say my thanks and byes before leaving. Just like he said, my voice did gradually return; I realised that I had fully recovered from my mild bout of laryngitis when I tried singing in the shower and actually heard notes coming out. XD

 

Nearly every night, I must let mother boot me off to bed at the piss-early time of 9:45pm if I want her to give my demented left ankle a very brief rub and squirt some eye ointment into my eye for me. On the opening night of the delayed Tokyo Olympics game ceremony, I’d been happily watching the Opening Ceremony. At 9:45pm, mother appears and snaps, “Get to bed.” I politely refuse, explaining that since the Olympics only happens once every four years, I’d like to watch the entire opening ceremony and will get myself off to bed once it’s over, thanks. Mother huffs and puffs for a bit but thankfully leaves me be; the Opening Ceremony was awesome! After it’s all done, I get myself to bed; only while I’m brushing my teeth do I suddenly realise how BUSTING I am! The opening ceremony started at 9:00pm and went to well past midnight! Never mind, lesson learnt: for the closing ceremony (again, mother tried to gleefully boot me off to bed @ 9:45pm but I once again refused; saying that this only happens once every four years and I’d get myself to bed once it’s over) after it had ended I visited the toilet once before starting the ‘drink milk, brush teeth and then hit the sack process’. XD Even more excitingly, Brisbane will host the 2032 Olympics; cripes, I’ll be FORTY-FIVE by then!

 

Back around 2012, my former DSQ (disability services co-ordinator) introduced me to Toastmasters. No, it’s not about eating bread; it’s actually a worldwide organisation focusing on leadership skills and public speaking! The club I attend is located at QUT Gardens Point. Recently, Young Achievers @ QUT has seen a fall in attendance numbers; one night the meeting was cancelled when the only scheduled speech for the night (usually there are three speeches every meeting) suddenly pulled out and even the president himself suddenly couldn’t come! I texted my carer to please come pick me up; we decided we’d just sit at Maccas and wile the night away but after visiting the bathroom once, as we were heading back out to her parked car, we bump into the other members of my Toastmasters club who say, “Hey Em, we’re gonna spend the night @ the pub; wanna come with us?” I look to my carer for permission; Kim nods and says I’ll come with you guys to where you’re sitting then I’ll go do my own stuff and pick you up at around 9pm. Since we’d gotten the free parking tonight, I’d already rung mother and asked her permission to get something from the pub for dinner and in return I’d not get the Happy Meal, my usual dinner fare after Toastmasters ends. At the bar, I ask someone please to bring me the food menu; when my Toastmasters friend returns and says umm, they’re only selling drinks I’m like, but I still need dinner! Another member suggests why not get a pizza delivered and then a third member even helps me download the app and goes to get the pizza for me because it turns out there’s actually a Dominoes on campus! I scanned the menu, choosing some PEKING DUCK pizza for Christmas; obviously, there were like only two thin strips of duck and the rest of the pizza was meatballs but that was the FIRST TIME EVER I’d ever wolfed down ONE WHOLE PIZZA all by myself and my inner pig was delighted with me! XD Our club president, Lino, actually tried asking me for a slice, but I fended him off, saying I’ve *never* had a pizza *all to myself* before and please don’t nab a slice? Lino was such a gentleman and didn’t insist; Mr. President, I promise if there’s ever a next time I’ll trade slices with you! XD

 

Anyways, there’s exactly two weeks until Christmas arrives; hopefully you’ve all been good boys and girls this year and Santa will bring you lotsa presents? For some reason, Santa has practically ignored me these past couple of years; horrid mother sneers that I’m too old for presents but I reckon she’s just being a grumpybum! XD Please allow me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year filled with lotsa joy, presents and laughter! Hopefully 2021 has been a good one for you and I hope that 2022 will be even better! Thankfully with technology nowadays it’s much easier to stay in contact with people, so I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone over 2022, whether by e-mail/face-to-face contact. All the best for an exciting, eventful and happy 2022~

Cheers,

Em. ^^
P.S. Next post here … unsure will I ever find the time to write my movie review of Daniel Craig’s last Bond movie? If not, you’ll prolly here next from me sharing about how I spent Christmas and Boxing Day this year~
P.P.S. Sorry if you discover any mistakes in this; lemme know and I'll edit it! Mother has been trying to boot me off to bed for like the past two hours but I insisted on finishing this first ... XD

XMas Wishlist 2021

 Oh, Santa. Usually I’d greet you exuberantly, ask have you had a good year and then tell you all the presents I’m hoping you’ll bring me for Christmas this year because I’ve honestly tried my hardest to be well-behaved but I’m gonna haveta try for third time lucky this year because for the past two years you’ve like totally ignored me and brought me hardly any presents! >< XD

 

Is it because I’ve never really believed in you? Sure, I know the parents and I moved to Brisbane when I was only 3.5 years old, but even at that tender age I remember thinking, sure. Santa climbs in through the chimney. But how does he get from the top floor to the floor under that and deliver presents? Then to the floor under that, to deliver more presents, all the way to the ground floor? Nah, guess Santa doesn’t really exist. XD Still, I’ve faithfully typed out Christmas wishlists (the red squiggly line beneath that word tells me it’s actually two words but I reckon it looks just fine being one XD) to you I’m pretty sure every single year since the year before the cruel and unfaithful God totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour …

So. Here’s what I’m hoping you’ll bring me this year:

(1)               Books – ever since I learnt how to read, I’ve been a total bookworm. It matters not that the cruel and unfaithful God has left me so freaking slow at reading it takes me nearly one whole month to plough through just one book; the fact remains that I’ve always loved reading and am determined never to let Him take away my love of reading too because hasn’t He, in His infinite cruelty, taken away enough already?? My favourite genres are fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction but I’m willing to give anything a try bar Mills and Boon. Oh, and nothing from the horror genre either; yeah, I’m a wuss. XD

(2)               Teddy – the second item always found in the two wishlists created every year. All my teddies are named (although I will sheepishly confess to having a John Doe and a John Doe 2 XD) and all are loved. Doesn’t haveta be a bear, any kinda soft toy will do. Oh! Someone please get me a PEARL MILK TEA soft toy!! Ellz, you shared a photo of you buying like three large milk teas from some Garbo bubble tea place and you get a BUBBLE TEA soft toy; I want one!!! XD Oh, I’d never refuse a delivery of pearl milk tea also! Years and years ago, plastic was discovered in the pearls and everyone went off them for awhile but surely that was like one DECADE ago! Otherwise any new teddy will do; one can never have enough teddies~

(3)               Outdoors electric wheelchair – this can be the expensive thing I’m asking for, Santa. I’m actually not even sure roughly how much one would cost, but presumably anything with a working motor doesn’t come cheap? I’ve not been back to Hong Kong to visit any of my beloved family and all my awesome friends since 2012, nearly one DECADE ago. When I was last back in Hong K0ng, mother and I lived with her younger sister, who lives up the top of a steep hill. When in my manual wheelchair, I’m perfectly capable of wheeling and steering myself around on level ground since I’ve got one more/less functioning arm and one more-or less functioning leg (the right side) although I’m pretty slow. However, I’m not physically strong enough to wheel myself uphill. The last time I was in Hong Kong, that task fell to my dearest dad and as a result, he hurt his back. That’s when he decided he and mother wouldn’t take me back to Hong Kong anymore but take turns going by themselves. Several years ago, a church physio uncle recommended that the parents purchase a new electric wheelchair for me, because the old funding scheme was gonna be replaced by the NDIS/something like that.  When the new electric wheelchair arrived, I very excitedly asked mother when was she gonna book our tickets back to HK? Coz see, with this new electric wheelchair, poor dad wouldn’t haveta put out his back having to wheel me up that steep hill to where my aunty lives; I can use the joystick myself and steer myself up! You cannot believe how PISSED I was when mother very smugly told me that no, since it’s only an INDOORS electric wheelchair I’m still stuck in Brisbane while she and my dearest dad took turns going back to Hong Kong without me! Then why the eff did you get it?? It’s not like I’m ever allowed to use the electric wheelchair indoors … nope, it just sits by its lonesome self in the garage, probably uncharged … >< *sigh*

I actually have absolutely zero idea how much an electric wheelchair would cost, but if it’s very expensive, perhaps several people could chip in together and get one for me? Seriously, almost more than *anything* I wanna travel back to Hong Kong and spend time with all my beloved family and awesome friends …

(4) Pet – while I will forever be horribly guilty of the manslaughter of poor Silver and Bronze back in 2008 (I honestly had zero idea that goldfish were so wimpy they needed a heater come Winter in their fish tank lest they freeze to death, even though Brisbane like never reaches zero!) it’s been more than one decade since they went to heaven and surely I can be trusted with a pet again? If people are unwilling to trust me with a live pet again, then someone please find Luke Mac Court for me and let him know I am still waiting for my pet rock!  When he first told me about pet rocks years ago, I thought he was just trying to pull my leg but I tried Googling ‘pet rock’ and there are literally entire WEBPAGES devoted to pet rocks! Like, you can’t give them food and water like you would for normal live pets, but you can give them stuff like different textures to live on! Luke, I understand that you’re very busy being a dad and all and your dad did tell me once that you’d made a start on my pet rock and painted him yellow (so a Minion-themed pet rock), so: I WANT A PET ROCK FOR CHRISTMAS!! XD

(5) Minions – I’m unsure: do Minions count as teddy bears? Surely everyone who knows me is also aware of my total obsession with these yellow, jellybean-shaped hopelessly incompetent little creatures; I can’t get enough of them and I want more! I mean, they’re yellow, jellybean-shaped and, although they try so hopelessly to be bad they are just so totally INCOMPETENT they can’t possibly be evil! My obsession with them with the Minions will probably haveta end after the Minions2 movie hopefully gets released mid/late next year (release was originally scheduled for like June this year but got pushed back one year due to COVID; I didn’t actually mind because that meant one more year where I could be totally obsessed with these creatures! Did you know, even the youngest littlies at BCAC knows that Aunty Em loves the Minions??) because after the Minions2 movie hopefully gets released next June (it was supposed to have come out this June but release date got delayed one year because of COVID) I’m presuming that will signal the end of the Despicable Me and the Minions franchise because I’m pretty sure the very first Despicable Me movie was released around like 2010, more than one DECADE ago! Will haveta find something new to obsess over after the Minions but for now, I’m always looking for more! Did you know, I’ve collected that many Minion figurines (from Happy Meal toys, etc.) that my dearest dad has already built some shelf along the wall near the ceiling to place them all – but it’s already full! XD Please gimme more Minions; BA-NA-NA! 

(6) Nesquik Cereal – my wishlists also contain at least one food item. Could someone please get me a box of Nesquik cereal? Usually, you buy Nesquik in tins and add it into your plain milk to make it flavoured (e.g chocolate, strawberry, etc.) but I’m now pretty sure it’s come out as a box of cereal too and I’d like to try some! Barring that, any box of unhealthy cereal like Frosties or Fruit Loops will do. XD Actually, I’ve heard that now you can even get MILO cereal too! Sure wouldn’t mind trying that also; bird food (what my GP calls All-Bran XD) and Weet-Bix can get a bit boring @ times, you know what I mean? XD

(7) Wild Dreams – that’s the name of the newest album produced by Westlife, my favourite band. I’ve followed them since their inception in 1999; back in 2007 Pole and I had very excitedly bought tickets to see them perform live in Brisbane but at that very same time my idiot brain decided to randomly sprout me a fricking tumour and totally destroyed my life meaning that of course I missed the concert. >< Westlife never came back to Brisbane again to perform and then they like DISBANDED in 2012! >< Finally, they’ve regrouped and have just released a new album; I believe my Aunty Florence in Hong Kong has said she’d buy the album and send over to Australia for me; other than that, their online store sells lotsa Westlife merchandise and I sure wouldn’t mind any of them! Seriously, Westlife are even selling their own FACEMASKS although I’m not that crazy a fan. XD I just love their music, you know? Although when I’m feeling angsty I prefer Linkin Park. XD

(8) Toaster – not just any toaster, mind you. I’m after a toaster that toasts both sides of the bread simultaneously, meaning once it’s popped up you can just remove the toast and eat it. Apparently toasters that toast both sides of the bread simultaneously have been around for ages? In that case, I’m not really why we’re still using one that’s so old whenever I put a slice of the bread into the toaster I’ve gotta get up once, walk to the freezer, remove the loaf of bread, take one slice out, put that into the toaster and turn it on, before sitting down, because I’m seriously not good with just standing. When the toast pops out, mother orders that I get up, walk over to the toaster, turn the bread for the other side to get toasted and turn it on again. Once done, I take another seat, only for mother to order me a THIRD time to stand up, walk over to the toaster and collect my finally fully toasted slice of toast and take it back to the dining table for consumption. Two days ago I asked the question on Facebook and was told by one of my choir friends that toasters that cook both sides of the bread simultaneously have been around for yonks … unsure why the parents haven’t bothered to buy one, then?  But since they’re available, Santa, please get me one for Christmas!!

Hmm … I’m unsure how long Christmas wishlists are meant to be… hopefully asking for eight things doesn’t make me a greedy guts? XD? Guess I’m not too overly materialistic; like, I prefer to catch-up with people over a meal rather than receiving items. But don’t get me wrong, Santa: I’m still hoping you’ll bring me lotsa presents! I’m asking this third time lucky; should you not deliver yet AGAIN I’m considering ditching spending precious time concocting this detailed wishlist because the time I spend detailing out to you what I hope you’ll bring me for Christmas actually eats into my most important two hours of the day for me: the two precious hours I get to spend online everyday! Besides, as to catching up with people over a meal for Christmas, awful mother has already said that she’ll only allow me to eat out with ONE friend. Actually she says that this order comes from dad, but she’s the one who so gleefully enforces it, you know? I’m not really sure why she CONSTANTLY tries to keep me socially isolated; sometimes I can’t help but think it’s so she can jeer @ me that I’ve got no friends anymore. >< *sigh*

So: your duty now, Santa, is to get all your Christmas elves (i.e. all my Facebook friends XD) to read this wishlist and send them out buying Christmas presents for me! I know you can (or I hope you can XD) do it…

Cheers,

Em. ^^

P.S. Next post here: my James Bond movie review, or, if I’m unorganised (probably the latter XD) my Xmas Greetings, which are due out December the 11^th!

 

 

 

Birthday Celebrations 2021

 Cripes, I can see a bad habit forming … I’m turning another half-year older today and I’ve not started blogging about how I celebrated my birthday MONTH this year yet!

… Yes, I fully agree with my Facebook friend who said that you’re allowed to celebrate your birthday for the entire MONTH and not just the day it falls on. XD

This year was special because I officially rejoined the ‘th’ family. Like, turning thirty-one was my 31^ST birthday, turning thirty-two was my 32^ND birthday and turning thirty-three was my 33^RD birthday, but turning thirty-four meant that I’d officially returned to the TH family. XD

 

Sometimes I honestly wonder why mother tries so DESPERATELY to keep me socially isolated; I can’t help but suspect she deliberately denies me opportunities to connect with my peers (she likes jeering at me that I don’t have any friends anymore because post brain injury I’ve somehow developed all these ‘unacceptable social behaviours’ hence why I don’t try calling anyone my friends – unless you count Facebook friends coz I’m pretty sure I’ve got several hundred more than she has! XD – but I’m pretty sure she can’t refute me calling them my peers) just so she can mock me and say I don’t have any social interaction anymore. *sigh*

This year, my birthday fell on a Saturday. Yay for that, because over the weekend I’m free from enduring any blasted therapies! Monday till Friday I’m enduring multiple therapies for mother, but come Saturday it’s her turn to work for half a day and I get a sleep-in till 10am, when I have a carer to come help me up.

Like years passed, mother had already banned me from contacting anyone and asking them were they free to take me out for a meal to celebrate my upcoming birthday. I’m unsure why she’s like that; since we’re not Jehovah’s witnesses we (well, I at least XD) celebrate birthdays, but my way around that not-very-nice rule was to suggest to people how about you contact me first should you be free for a birthday celebration? That way, mother couldn’t get up me for asking people to take me out for meals since I hadn’t been the one to initiate contact! XD

One friend to take me up on that offer was Annie. She’s like five years my junior, from somewhere like Taiwan and a nurse, just like mother!

She took me for dinner at Momo’s, because seriously, what beats fried chicken?? XD

We ordered one fried chicken to share; after mother saw the photo she immediately bit my head off, saying we’d ordered ‘too much’ but I’d calmed her by telling her that instead of eating half I’d eaten one-third and Annie had eaten two-thirds because I’m a very slow eater. Which is true, but never doubt my ability to tuck it in! XD

Dessert after that was at Sweet Treats; I like that place because on their blackboard sitting against the back wall someone’s drawn a MINION there and presumably everyone’s aware of the complete obsession I’ve got with those adorable, yellow, jellybean-shaped incompetent little beings! <3

I also enjoyed lunch out with my Australian godmother Mrs. Dent (she was actually my primary school librarian teacher but we grew close and have stayed in touch ever since; I’ve got an official godmother but dad has always called Mrs. Dent my Australian godmother) and my Year Ten maths teacher Mr. Hall. Mrs. Dent we met for lunch @ the Coffee Club in Underwood (yay for eggs Benedict and a chocolate milkshake) and Mr. Hall we met for lunch at the Glen Hotel. Mother wasn’t impressed with the pizza I’d ordered: when I lifted the first slice from the round pizza the whole piece just flopped down ‘twas so limp! Tasted great, though, and that’s really all that matters, right?? XD Actually I was rather grumpy with mother, because she’d said ‘yes’ when I’d asked could I please have a chocolate thickshake with my lunch but when it arrived I took one little sip and immediately knew it was only a milkshake! I’d tried to tell the waitress right away but mother had immediately shooed her away. *sigh* She’s mean like that … >< Still, I had an awesome time catching up with my Australian godmother. In the past, she’d contact mother and I for lunch together almost once each month, butt now she’s got three grandkids to run around, is obviously way too busy to catchup as often, and that’s maybe why I’ve not seen her since my birthday half a year ago!

As for March the 20^th (my actual birthday) itself … what better way than to start the day off then with an awesome night’s sleep? I’m not sure why back in 2012 I randomly started recording down when I could achieve a night when I’d bid my teddy sweet dreams, fall asleep and not wake again to relieve myself until the Sun had risen sufficiently enough for me to read the time on the clock stuck to the wall, but my birthday this year began with one of those days and so I took it as a auspicious start to my special day! Not that I’ve ever been superstitious in the slightest. XD

Saturday mornings mother goes to work for half a day, meaning I have a carer who helps me up at 10am. You can see why Saturdays are usually my favourite days: my teddy and I get to sleep-in till 10:15, because I always need ‘fifteen more minutes’ before I get up!

Usually, when Hannah arrives, she knocks on the door, bids me good morning and says fifteen more minutes? This year, however, I feel loved, because after Hannah knocks, enters and says good morning, she adds HAPPY BIRTHDAY before offering me fifteen more minutes!

For lunch that day, I have a small birthday party with several church friends down at The Glen Hotel! I live literally just down the road from it, see.

Earlier this year, I’d met a new church sister, Ingrid. She’s slightly older than me; I first met her when I originally joined Izzy and Ric’s small group before Pastor Grace invited me to join her own one. Ingrid had asked me did I have a birthday party planned and I’d joked no but you can organise one for me if you’d like – and she really did!

Hannah had dropped me off at the front of the Glen Hotel and gone to find parking; while I was sitting on the bench waiting for her to come back, Ingrid appeared! She sat with me waiting for Hannah to come back; when she did, I said bye and cya @ 1pm coz I still need a shower before you leave @ 2pm!

Our reserved table’s outside and the weather’s lovely~ Dr. Lee’s already arrived; after I take my preferred seat on the most left he announces that he’ll shout me lunch today because he forgot to buy me a birthday present. I double check with him to make sure he’s serious and then promise I’ll not choose anything *too* expensive. XD Pole arrives too!

For lunch, I choose the fried chicken burger with chips because seriously, again, what beats fried chicken? XD

Over lunch, everyone chats happily~

We even tuck into some cake before Dr. Lee and someone else excuses themselves to leave early because there’s some meeting happening @ church.

Everyone else slowly and happily munches lunch, just chatting away.

When it’s time to leave, Pole walks with me and Ingrid back to Ingrid’s car; I know I’m safe with Pole coz she’s a physio. Actually I think she’s got her own physio business called Quality Physio but I’ve always called it Pole’s Physio Plus; the second PPP after BCAC’s own original PPP – Pilgrim’s Progress Production! XD

After Ingrid drops me back home to Hannah, I take a shower before signing her off with my thanks and byes at 2pm.

Since mother works Saturday mornings, she usually takes a long arvo nap that stretches well until after the night has fallen, sometimes even until past 8pm!

Since I was born @ 6:22pm, though, I did try asking mother could she please wake earlier and come downstairs to pass my birthday with me? Dad’s usually not home until after 6:30pm, see, coz he goes to play badminton and then have arvo tea with his mates.

Sometimes I get to enjoy a meal out for my birthday but not this year. Can’t remember why, but oh well. Rice leftovers will do me~

Also still no luck with getting a cheesecake from The Cheesecake Shop for my birthday. Apparently it’s too expensive? Aww, but I last had a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Shop for my birthday when I was turning twenty-four, one full DECADE ago! Well, mother screeches that they’re too expensive, apparently. *sigh* Actually, here’s an idea: how about you save some money from the disability pension I now subsist on and use that to buying me a cheesecake for my next birthday instead of making me attend some blasted therapy? XD Actually, apparently there’s a cheesecake shop somewhere near Rochedale … worth some research for next year, maybe?

Nope, this year mother made me a cheesecake for my birthday. ‘Twas a vast improvement on the one she made for me some previous year in that it wasn’t SALTY. Yeah, I’m prolly never gonna let her forget that one year, after refusing to buy me a cheesecake for my birthday, she made me one herself but where the recipe said use UNSALTED butter, she used SALTED butter instead. Usually, I have inferior tastebuds and can’t taste the difference between anything but that night I was like uh, mother, the cheesecake tastes great but just one question: how come it’s SALTY? Mother looks caught out for one second before doubling over and howling her laughter, saying she was tired by the time she started making my cake for me last night, misread the ingredients and used salted butter instead of unsalted butter. She’d hoped my inferior tastebuds wouldn’t spot the difference but nope, I’d caught her out … XD

The best thing about being allowed to celebrate your birthday for the entire MONTH’s that even my official birthday passed, I still got to celebrate it for another eleven days before March officially ended!

But yeah: whaddya know, I’m one whole year older now. Isn’t wisdom supposed to come with age? Then how come I’m not wise whatsoever? Ohh, that’s right, I had all my wisdom teeth taken out over three years ago. XD

You may not here from me again via this blog until December the 1^st for my Xmas Wishlist! See, around last year I started randomly blogging about different topics using an old blogging platform I used to use before I suffered my brain injury. I aimed for one post per month on that; check me out at embluekirby.livejournal.com!

Cheers~

Birthday Wishlist 2021

Let the monthlong (Microsoft Word gives me the red squiggly line underneath ‘monthlong’ indicating that it should really be two words, but if weeklong is allowed to remain just one word, why can’t monthlong?? XD) celebrations commence! :D Honestly, I love how my Facebook friend taught me that you’re allowed to celebrate your birthday not only on the day that it falls on (March 20^th, for me) but for the entire MONTH! I thought that was a grand idea and immediately adopted the practice. XD (We’ll just ignore the fact that my party pooper parents have already forbidden me from contacting anyone and asking are they free to take me out for a meal to celebrate okies? Seriously, I try to only bother people twice a year: my birthday and Christmas. I seriously have zero idea why mother’s so hell-bent on trying to deny me from any social interaction with my peers; sometimes I can’t help but very strongly suspect it’s so that she can jeer @ me that I don’t have any friends anymore. >< However, if you contact me first (through email/Facebook Messenger please; not Whatsapp coz I usually don’t get mobile access unless I’m out) mother can’t falsely accuse me of initiating contact first, now can she? XD)

So, while I start partying my birthday for the entire month, everyone else can go buy me birthday presents!! :D Here’s what I’m after this year:

(1)               Books – every year, I put out two wishlists (another word that Microsoft Word’s red squiggly line informs me should actually be two words but I’m again ignoring since I reckon it looks just fine being one XD), my Christmas one every December and my birthday one in March. Invariably, books will always be the first item I’m asking for. It matters not that the cruel and unfaithful God has left me such a pathetically slow reader that it takes me almost one whole month just to get through one book; the fact is that I’ve always loved reading and I’ll be damned before I let Him take that away from me too! Anyways, my favourite genres are fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction, but I’m willing to give anything bar Mills And Boon a shot. XD Actually, two books I’m definitely after are by Feist; I thought after I met him for his publication of Magacian’s End several years back he was hanging up his writing boots but since I subscribe to several email catalogues from various bookstores, one day I opened one and saw advertised his second book in some new series! What happened to the first one? Published like two/three years before that! I’m definitely after those two books, please!

(2)               Teddy – for some reason, I never got into dolls, but I’ve never gotten out of teddies! All my teddies are named (although I will sheepishly admit to having a John Doe and a John Doe 2 XD) and all are loved. I’m always after a new teddy and I’m actually hoping someone will bring me a female teddy because for some reason most of my teddies are males?

(3)               Minions – I suppose my obsession with Minions may have to come to an end after the Minions2 movie gets released in June. Originally, the release date for the movie was last June, but that got pushed back one year because of COVID-19. Apparently my entire church family at BCAC knows about my obsessions with the minions; even the youngest littlies at church knows that Aunty Em loves the minions? Well, what can I say? They’re yellow, they’re jellybean-shaped, and while they try so *hard* at being bad, they’re just honestly way too *stupid*! XD What’s not to love about them? So more minions please, BA-NA-NA!! XD

(4)               Outdoors electric wheelchair – this can be the expensive item I’m asking for. When the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) first came in, a physio church uncle friend advised the parents to get me a new electric wheelchair because the funding scheme to pay for it would go once the NDIS came in. After this new electric wheelchair arrived, I very excitedly asked mother was she gonna book our flight tickets back to Hong Kong yet?? See, the reason why I’ve not been back since 2012’s because when we’re in HK, mother and I mainly stay with her younger sister, who lives up the top of a steep hill. Now, on level ground, I’m fine with wheeling and steering myself (I’m just slow because I’ve only got one more/less functioning arm and leg to wheel and steer with) but I’m just not physically strong enough to wheel myself uphill with. For the three weeks when we were back in Hong Kong visiting family and friends, that task fell to my dearest dad and as a result, he hurt his back. That’s when he and mother made the executive decision that they’d not take me back anymore but just alternate going by themselves. You cannot believe how PISSED I was when mother very smugly smirked at me that since because the electric wheelchair was only an indoors one, I’d not be going overseas anytime soon! In that case, *why the heck* did the parents even bother to get me this new electric wheelchair in the first place?? It’s not like I’m ever allowed to use it; pretty sure it just sits unused and uncharged in the garage. *sigh* I’m also unsure how much one of these things cost, but if they’re dear, maybe several people could chip in and buy me one together? Seriously, almost more than *anything* I wanna go back to Hong Kong to visit all my beloved family and awesome friends … *sigh*

(5)               Pet – I understand I’ll be forever horribly guilty of the manslaughter of poor Silver and Bronze back in 2008; I honestly wasn’t aware that goldfish were so pathetic they required a heater to keep them warm during Winter lest they perished from the cold! However, it’s been more than one DECADE since they passed; surely I can be trusted with a live pet again?? Back during high school I vaguely remember playing Dogz4 but animated pets aren’t really comparable to real ones! If not, then someone please chase Luke MacCourt for my PET ROCK. When he initially bought up this topic years ago (he and his dad Liam – BCAC’s favourite Irishman XD – ) were taking me to ICC’s 30^th birthday celebration/sth like that Luke brought up the suggestion of getting a pet rock. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg, but when I got home and Googled ‘pet rocks’ I discovered WEBPAGES full of pet rocks, describing how you don’t haveta give them food/water but you could provide things like different textures for them to sleep in! Luke, I understand you’re busy being a dad and all, but your own father once told me you’d made progress on my pet rock by even painting it yellow – just like a minion! – so any chance that I will *finally* get it this year?? XD

(6)               Cheesecake – this can be the food item I’m asking for. I last had a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Shop one DECADE ago for my 24^th birthday; I’m hoping that asking for one every TEN YEARS isn’t being too greedy? See, the whole cake saga begun in 2017, back when I turned thirty. I’d politely asked mother please could I have a birthday cake this year only for mother to snap back immediately, “No way!” I didn’t get a birthday cake for my birthday last year last year, so why should you??” Only when I wibbled at her that surely she wasn’t awful enough to deny me cake for my milestone DECADE birthday did she partially relent and lemme buy one tiny *slice* of cake. Honestly, if not for awesome friends who understood the importance of reaching a new milestone age and the need for cake, I’d have missed out entirely! For my birthday the year after that, after making sure first that mother had cake for her birthday, I tried again politely asking mother could I please buy a birthday cake. Again, she refused because she declared that she was gonna make me a birthday cake herself! I never knew mother was an avid cake maker, but sure; can you please make me a cheesecake, mother? On the night of my birthday, after dinner the parents and I are sitting around the dining table munching small slices of the cake mother has spent the night before baking. Me, after munching a bite, “Hey mum, the cake tastes interesting … umm, just curious, how come it’s SALTY?? Aren’t cheesecakes meant to be sweet?”

Mother looks caught out for a split second before just doubling over with laughter. “Oh, you caught me out!” She howled with laughter. “I thought your inferior tastebuds wouldn’t taste the difference!” I glare at her, and she continues the explanation. “By the time I started making your cake for you last night, it was already late. The recipe said use unsalted butter but I was already really tired and I accidentally used salted butter instead. I was hoping you wouldn’t notice, since you say you’ve got inferior tastebuds but you’ve caught me out this time!” I laugh awkwardly and thank her for all the effort she went into making me a cheesecake for my birthday. Apart from the fact that it was SALTY, it actually tasted great! XD Last year, I tried for third time lucky: mother, can I PUH-lease buy a birthday cake? Finally, finally, she acquiesces but won’t lemme buy a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Shop coz “they’re too expensive.” Well, fine, but could you please buy me a birthday cake from a proper bakery and not one of those cheapo things from like Kmart/Coles?

Why I’m asking could I please have a proper CHEESECAKE for my birthday cake this year: it’s been one DECADE since I last had one! Yup, pretty sure my last cheesecake from the Cheesecake Shop Dr. Dr. Tai got for me when she helped organise and chuck my 24^th birthday party back at home! Actually, apparently there’s also this cheesecake shop somewhere in like Springwood/Kuraby that does cheesecakes too? Should try find their website and browse around; pretty sure they’d have one! So yeah: would love a cheesecake for my birthday cake this year, please!! If not, how about a rainbow cake? Think when ESS farewelled Jase before he went over to some other church someone got him a cake; the outside was just all like white frosting but inside was RAINBOW! If a cheesecake’s really too expensive, I’ll settle for a rainbow cake instead!
Hmm … I’ve only asked for six things this year but have already run outta things to ask for. XD Guess I value experiences with people more than objects/things?

(7)               Buffet – ohh!! I’m writing this one directly for Ingrid; I met her when I originally joined the Wednesday night small group and somehow we got onto this topic. Apparently she doesn’t use Facebook, so whoever reads this please remind Ingrid that I’m hoping very much that she’ll take me out (and others?) too somewhere for a BUFFET meal!! See, there’s no point going to have buffet out with my parents: for mother, buffet means to ‘eat one plate and no more’. Sheesh, she totally misses the point of what buffet means!! I honestly don’t remember the last time I had buffet (unless the Pizza Hut at Browns Plains counts and I’m pretty sure I’ve not been there for at least five/six years) and I’d really love the chance where I could get TWO or even THREE plates of food!! I know I eat slowly, but never doubt my ability to tuck it in … XD

 

Should mother really only gleefully restrict me to one meal out to celebrate my birthday over, I’m definitely picking the buffet! As for everyone else, go forth and secure me birthday presents… XD Remember, I reserve the right to add to this list throughout the month, so make sure you stay updated! XD
Next post here … I suppose this year I’ve been rather meagre on the posting coz I’m also working on some online study … perhaps you’ll not hear from me again until six months down the track, when I write a post about how I celebrated my upcoming birthday. XD

But hopefully you’ll hear from me sooner! Last year, Minions2 was supposed to come out but release was delayed one year because of COVID-19. The friend who took me to see the first Minions movie in GOLD CLASS has offered to do so again!! *explodes with excitement* If I really get to see Minions2 in gold class I’ve definitely gotta write a special blog post about it!! Until then~
Cheers,
Em. ^^

P.S. (8) The Hunger Games DVDs – back when the Hunger Games series was the next biggest thing after Harry Potter, I decided I’d try reading them too and added them to the next wishlist I was putting out. Three high school friends that came to visit me back when I was hospitalised in BIRU bought me the first book and, after I read it and decided I’d like to read the other two books after it also, actually bought me a book voucher and told me to go buy it for myself, which I did! The books were so popular they were next turned into movies and since I’ve not seen them before, I’m hoping someone will get me copies! How about you buy them for me, bring popcorn, crash my place and we’ll have a movie night?? XD