Aphasia-Dysphasia

Anyway, I have a question...


When you hear the phrase 'individual with exceptionalities', what comes to your mind?

Someone with special needs? Someone who is gifted? Who is talented? Someone with retardation or disabilities? Someone with a chronic medical condition needing special care/adaptation?




To me, the term has always encompassed all the above and more, but I've come across many people who only associate 'individuals with exceptionalities' as those who are gifted.


What do you think?

*Note: I don't want to know what the textbook says about exceptionalities encompasses because I know what it says. I want to know what you personally feel.

This is the kind of rat I work with! Cute, aren't they? (Picture stolen from the web)

Phew...So once again, I have been horrible in updating this blog. I have been extremely busy because classes are running back-to-back, I've got two labs to run back and forth from, assignments are pilling sky high and exams are running one after another.

The perils of studying during the summer!

So, anyway, somebody asked me about the rats I worked with, and they're the Long Evans Hooded rats (see above). They're cute la...I'm not bluffing you wan!

I've been getting a nice tan, and everytime I talk to my parents over Skype, they remark how tanned I've become. Actually, it's not so much that I've become very tanned, it's more that I've become so fair, that now the slightest bit of sun makes me look very dark!



Well anyway, turns out, alot of people here think I'm a kid. I like it when people think I'm younger than my actual age, but when people think you're a KID, it's a bit too much...



In McD, while getting a Coffee, 2 weeks ago:

Cashier to Colleague: "Whose order is this, the coffee?"

Colleague: "Oh, the little girl in the ponytail"

Me: "Owww. I'm not a little girl"

Lady: "Oh, sorry baby"

In the hospital, volunteering, just two days ago:

Lady: "Honey, shouldn't you be in school?"

Me: "Oh, I don't have class today"

Lady: "Oh, but everybody has class on weekdays".

Me: "Huh? But I don't. Not on Thursdays, that's why I took this shift".

Lady: "Oh I get it, you're trying to finish your ^48-hour requirement"

Me: "Huh?"

*Blur*

Me: "Ohhhh" (Finally getting it) "Ma'am, I'm older than I look. I'm no longer in high-school"

Lady: "How old are you, hon?"

Me: "I'll be 24 next year!"

Lady: "Get out of here! You don't look a day over 17!"


*Smack head. She thought I was juvenile!*

^High-school students here need to do 48?? hours of community service (or was it 40?) to graduate. I can't remember the actual number she said^

Today, while doing assignment in the Peterborough Square with another Malaysian friend, this old lady decided to join us! She chatted with and decided to asked us about our homework. And then she asked us which high school we go to, and when we told her we didn't go to high school and that we were in university, she gawked at us.


Old Lady: "You two are in university?!?"

My friend, Irene: "Yes!"

Me: "We're in third year!"

Old Lady: "How old are you?"

Irene: "We're 23".

Old Lady: "Oh my God, you look like you're in high school".

Oh well! It's funny how people get our ages so wrong. But some people are aware that Asians do look younger than they actually are.

Cos one guy I bumped into in the hospital actually said to me: "You look tiny, but I'm betting money you're old enough to drink and do alot of not-so-legal stuff!"

I am back!

This is what life is all about. Just lazing about, watching hours of idiotic Everybody Loves Raymond, eating good food, and doing nothing stressful...

So, what exactly was Daphne up to over the break (besides being a pig)?

On the truck in the African Savannah section!

But I have always liked places where you can find animals--pet stores, zoos, parks, you name them!


The Toronto Zoo is very large. I enjoyed the nice weather and the walk (They even have an Indo-Malaya section, and a section dedicated to Malaysia). My only complaint is that we didn't get any interaction with the animals like you get in Zoo Negara...




My Korean friend, Sae-Hae, and me...

I also learnt some basic baking over the break! One of my aunts, who loves to cook and bake ran me through the ahem, art, of baking currypuffs and cookies. Unlike so many of my friends who tell everyone they bake and then buy ready-made pastries to be used as dough, this aunt of mine actually does everything from scratch...Pretty cool!

This picture is priceless! Pssst, mum, are you reading? ;)

I also met up with one of my professors who took time to meet me for coffee in downtown Toronto to discuss future study-paths and work. She is based in the satellite campus in another town (same uni, of course) and because of that, we don't get to meet for appointments.

I met some students from a much bigger university a couple months back, and they were surprised we actually talk to our professors! They were telling us how all interaction for them is with TAs...And here we have professors who come over for dinner, and who meet us for coffee...

I am very glad I chose a small university to do my undergraduate work because everything is just so much more personal!

Flowers growing wildly!

The weather is becoming a whole lot more beautiful now. Flowers are blooming everywhere, especially the dandelions that seem to sprout overnight. The geese have returned, and it is now possible to walk outside with just a light sweater on.

Classes (summer session) resumed today, and I actually opted to walk to campus from my summer-residence, which on foot, takes about 20-ish minutes to reach, if you walk fast. The weather was just too nice to resist, and heck, I wasn't going to pay $2.25 for a 5-minute bus ride!



And I'm all prepared for the Spring and Summer. I have brought out my flip-flops, my shorts and skirts, and my sunblock. My cousins have also very kindly donated their rollerblades and bicycle (Thank you!) and I thank my lucky stars I had them back home. Can you imagine how horrible it would be if I was given the blades and wheels and I had no idea how to use them?!?!?

Crocky on my new armchair...

8 months of sitting on a normal chair has taken a toll on my back (either that or lie on the bed and read, which of course, I end of snoozing). After all, I spend so much of my waking hours sitting--either reading, studying, doing assignments, or being on the computer.



I was really bummed out about having to study during the summer as I really wanted to go home. But I guess it won't be too bad. Classes are really hectic because they are compressing everything (like an 8-month course into 12 weeks!), but I'll survive.

My volunteer work is also looking very promising, which I am very happy about. The variety of things I can volunteer in here is just amazing--the scope is almost endless. I have even surprised myself by branching out of my comfort zone (pediatrics/children) by trying my hand out at emergency medicine care (yeap, volunteers do this too)...

Phew!

Finally, the whole (academic) year is over! Can you believe I have been in Canada for over 9 months? Who would have thought I would survive? When I was studying in Penang, I went home almost every weekend, or at the very least, twice a month. To think I survived 9 months without going home.


I guess the one thing which helped was to stay involved in the community--it's true, the more involved you are, the more it begins to feel like home and you stop being homesick. And it also helped I was so pooped every weekend that all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and catch up on sleep...




From left: Me, Vickie, Colleen, Sara and Amy.



Anyway, last weekend, my classmates and I had a small dinner together. It was a real cosy dinner, and although I didn't want to go at first (time!), I'm glad I did because I really needed the break.


And then today, we had dinner with a professor of ours. Remember my professor who worked till midnight on her birthday? Well, we thought we'd invite her over for dinner, and she loves food from around the world. We actually served her nasi lemak--the whole works! From the sambal, to the eggs, to the curry, and even baked curry puffs.




From left: Julie, Shirin, Jessica, Me, and Dr. Brenda Smith-Chant.



Pretty cool. I was very upset about having to take her class initially, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because I really enjoyed it! It was real nice because as everyone remarked after that, it didn't feel like chatting with a professor. It was just a relaxed environment where everyone was done with exams and just chilling out together.


In the meantime, I am looking forward to two weeks of lazing around and watching Everybody Loves Raymond! The humour will surely kill quite a few brain cells (Raymond isn't the brightest guy you'll find), but hey, it's worth it!

And then after that? It's back to crunch time! Yeah...Summer Class...

March 21st welcomes Spring into the Northern hemisphere and is known as the Spring Equinox. Or so I was told...

And true to timing, the end of March was the beginning of what promised to be great weather. It was lightly raining almost daily, the snow had melted, there was sight of grass everywhere, and golly, the robbins were out!


So, it was really Spring, right?


Apparently not.


Because I woke up yesterday, bright and early at 6.30am (for hospital work), and as I made my way to the washroom, I said quietly to myself: "Boy, it looks so much like snow"...

And I remember laughing and thinking "Crazy girl, you, it's Spring!". And I sure did a big double-take, when I realised, drat, it really WAS snow!


We had flurries, and snow-mixed with rain, but heck, the snow stayed on the ground, and today, we had about 5-10cm of snow...


Below are scenes from my bedroom window, taken early today...

What happened to the grass?!?!?

Heck, there are even icicles on my roof!




The trees were also snow-ish!




And so are the roofs of the building, and the far off distance!

The weather in Canada is just so unpredictable...But oh well, light snow is nice to play with. The temperature isn't that cold (about -2degrees), and it is quite pretty...

Just looks like it will be a while before we can reallllly wear shorts and slippers and skirts...

Anyway, I'm really busy right now with exams, so will be AWOL-ing from the blog world for a while...

Till the next post, take care everyone!

So, what has weird ol' Daphne been up to lately?


This is what!



Wired-up and ready to go to bed!




TeeHee...

I am one of a handful of people on campus who are participating in a sleep study. When I saw the amount of studies going on in campus, the first one I made a beeline for was this! Cos it's just so horribly cool...The criteria is pretty stringent but hey, I got in, and I will be spending part of this week sleeping in a lab...


When I saw the ridiculous amount of wires that I had to wear, I had this feeling I won't be sleeping at all throughout the night, but I slept surprisingly well. In fact, this little piggy had a very good night's sleep! Actually, I even woke up in almost the exact position I went to sleep in...

Making stupid faces after dinner...

You know how you can sometimes see something that completely freaks you out?

Well, I saw something which did do just that about a week ago...


I was out in the town when I passed this middle-aged couple with a baby-pram, and you know how people on the streets usually comment on how cute a baby is, or coo to babies? Well, it happens here too, and if the wind is not too cold, some parents will even carry their baby out for you to play with...

This couple, however, drew no such reaction. People walked pass them as if they didn't exist...


I was curious...The place where I live is very small and cosy, so most people seem to know each other, in some way or another...


And as I walked pass, I looked into the pram, and nearly freaked out...

Inside...was...a doll...A doll that was dressed just like a baby and covered in a blanket very much like you would tuck a baby...

I must have jumped, cos this middle-aged lady behind me patted me on the shoulder and lead me by the arm and whispered that this couple has been going around with the same pram and 'baby' for quite a while now...



And just a few days ago, we were discussing mental illness in the community, and the professor made brief mention of this exact couple, and I remembered this shudder going down my spine...I have met people with so many different disabilities and illnesses that not that much fazes me anymore.

*Note: Do NOT click the link to the Living Dead Dolls if you have a weak heart and have no stomach for anything creepy...

***

Whatever it is, just in case people start labelling them as 'freaks' (drawing from my story), let me point out that just because the doll freaked me out, it does not make the couple freaks. They have a story behind it. And I freaked out because I was reminded of the Living Dead Dolls collection--I don't know, it was just the idea of how something 'dead' was actually 'alive', but the 'death-like' features were still so prominent--and the retrieval cues freaked me out!

I was also strongly reminded of this movie of how a lady wanted a child so much, she actually started getting 'pregnant' and then had a baby. At the end of the movie, the camera panned-up close to show the 'baby' for the first time. It was a doll, whom she bathed, talked to, cuddled, dressed etc.

Sorry, I had to make that clear, because I think some of the comments posted have been misintepreted as labelling the couple as freaks (and I'm sure you guys just worded it ambiguously--it could be a label, or it could be an active expression of your own feeling). Remember, me 'freaked out' is a feeling I have. It's very different from labelling them as freaks, which is a stigma we apply.

You know, most people assume I am an extrovert. I am essentially an introvert, however...Personality tests have shown that, consistently!

True, I am comfortable in crowds (selected crowds, mind you) and can function in big circles, but after a day of being with hordes of children and other people, I need that time to run back to my little caccoon and just be with myself!

I sometimes find it weird why people find that so difficult to do, really...I have no problem going on long walks alone, just immersed in my own thoughts or even singing to myself...And I am very happy to be alone in my room just starring at the wall!


How this silence and solitarity affect other people, however, is sometimes made apparent! Which is something I don't think about, because it really does not bother me...


Just wanted to share what happened at the hospital yesterday, at 'work' (volunteer=work), in the little room I work in, faced with a shelf and drawers of nothing but documents, envelopes, baby-armbands, plastic bags, and all kinds of stationery.


A man in scrubs popped in with equipment, and after exhanging pleasantries, left. He then returned with another load, and mused:

Man: "Gee, it's awfully quiet in here, eh?"
Me: "Uh-huh". *Smile*
Man: "Doesn't that bother you?"
Me: "Nope!"
Man: "Whoa"...



I went on with my work, and suddenly, this nurse pops her head in and says something so quickly, I just stared at her, and went "Pardon?"...It could have been I was so engrossed in my work, I wasn't paying any attention to what she said until I actually saw her standing at the door!

She: "Would you like a radio in here or something, hon? We could look into getting you one".
Me: "A radio?!?"
She: "Yes, it's so horribly quiet here, you poor thing. If it was me, I would have died of boredom!"
Me: "Oh!...Actually, I'm good. But thank you very much!"

After she left, I wanted to kick myself for turning down the offer of them putting a radio in the room, but then I realised I actually like it nice and quiet...My thoughts are entertaining enough, thank you very much...

In fact, in one class seminar where we were asked to simulate a conversation between two people (yourself and an imaginary friend), when the professor asked us to stop, many were still writing (me included), and he mused: "Quite some people have conversations that are going very well!"

Sheesh...

Summary of the Week

And then we went for our weekly grocery shopping. The strawberries were on sale today, going for $1.99 from the usual $2.99. Jessica, who went home last year, was lamenting about how the same Strawberries were about RM 18 back home...

Being the strawberry-monster that I am, it's on my list every week, along with bananas (even bigger banana-monster!). I occasionally alternate to blueberries or raspberries, depending on the price...





1 pound for $ 1.99...




These are the things I will surely miss when going back home...Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, the tons of different types of cheese, milk and yoghurt...We have them back home too, but for prices a whole lot higher!

But going home means there's mum, dad, bro, doggies...And nasi lemak, mamak-food, teh-tarik, char koay teow, ikan panggang, cendol, ipoh hor fun!, white coffee, roti canai, chicken rice, duck soup, pisang emas (my beloved baby bananas)...ARGH!!!



No fight! I wanna go home, the food is too good!!! Next year, keeping fingers crossed (this summer, I have to take courses)...

But for now, it's back to putting to tying my butt to the chair. University resumes tomorrow...=(

Now, my bus was still about 20 minutes away, and so I told L2 if she hurried fast enough, I would take L1 to the car for her so she didn't need to come down again. They both thanked me profusely, and told me to look out for a black car...


And so Daphne looked out for a black car, while chatting with L1...She kept her hand on my arm the whole time...

Suddenly, L1 stood up and pointed to a car at the entrance, adamant her ride had reached. I looked in vain and found no black car, but L1 was already anxiously trying to get out.

I didn't get home any later than I would have otherwise since I had to wait for the bus, but I was a whole lot happier on the ride home, and all it took was to walk one old dear to the car...

Overheard at the Parent-Child Mother-Goose (PP-CMG) project where I volunteer:-


2+ year-old Alice*: "Mum, what that?" (pointing to her mum's breast)

Mom: "These are mummy's breast, honey"

Alice: "No mummy" (Giggles)

Mom: "What are they, then?"

Alice: "Your butt, in front!"


At the same program, a child who had just learned the world 'baby' and 'big' (adult) was going around pointing out the people in the room, and labelling them. She went around, correctly labelling everyone, and then she came to me, pointed and said:-

...

Little Olive*: "Baby!"

Mom: "No, hon, Daphne's not a baby"

Olive: "Yes, she small! No big"


Since I was about a head shorter than most people in the room and/or half their width, we all just laughed it off and let her call me baby...



Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! My professor just reminded us that kissing decreases cortisol (stress hormone) and increases oxytocin (which can increase feelings of empathy) in the blood...


Hmmm...I think she just told us to go kiss away!


Geez...What on earth do they teach in universities nowadays?!? ;)

*Note: Names have been changed...

And then we visited an arts-and-crafts store where we had a nice time looking at the hand-carvings and 'homemade' quilts and teddy bears. And then we did the 'boring' stuff, where we got groceries. Hehe...Got some fresh strawberries and other fruits, some yoghurt, muesli and milk...

Grocery shopping should be boring, but it was nice to just hang out with friends and argue over which strawberries look fresher. Basically, it was just nice to just go out, and not have books or any other nagging commitment!

And a few days ago, I had my first session volunteering at the local library in a program that encourages parents to sing and story-tell to their children. It's called the Parent-Child Mother Goose project (PP-CMG)...One of my professors who studies children does research on this (the effects of these sessions on the parent-child relationship) project, and she introduced it to me.

And I felt sooo at home there! The children (about 10 of them) were all tiny, ranging from 10 months to about 2 years old. Gosh, I miss being around the tiny ones, and today, it just felt so good!

And so it was, I spent the whole morning singing nursery rhymes...One of the mums brought 2 kids- a toddler and a baby-so I got a child of my own to sing to. I got the baby, who was such a darling. It was just so relaxing to hear her laugh and giggle in glee as we did the movements!



I can already see how much it can improve the parent-child relationship. All the rhymes and songs involve touch, actions and movements of some sort.

The parents were also taught stories which they could tell their children. The interesting thing was, the stories were told with the major parts of the story (like characters, places, actions etc) accompanied by American Sign Language.

I am really going to enjoy this program! The 12 weeks will pass like a breeze...=)

Anyway, I gotta go...Going for brunch and then it's time to hit the books again!

Calvin & Hobbes!

I'm still on my break (that includes blogging, actually) and am enjoying it thoroughly. It's great to sit at home and do nothing but sleep and watch episodes after episodes of 'Everybody Loves Raymond'!

With the rest of the family at work, it's just me and...the TV set...

Woohoo!

Happy 2009, everybody!