Money does indeed make the world go round. What a sad reality it is. What happened to love?

Tutorial today caused a huge realization. You can love someone with all your heart, have all the compassion in the world but if you don't have money/funding, things fall apart really quickly.

Today had a seminar regarding resources and disability services. It's one of the best tutorials i've ever had in my life. We were shown a video of 5 real life families who have a child with an intellectual disability. There was a guy who was 57 years old with a moderate level of downs syndrome and he lives with his mother who is almost 80 and she still takes care of him. She expressed that she's worried that no one will take care of her son when she passes. People don't realize what a problem this becomes. I mean i KNEW that it is an issue but i never realised the extent of the problem.

See, the thing is, each state or each country is granted a certain amount of money to "take care" of disability needs. More often or not, you need to have a CRITICAL crisis to be given funding to either be put in respite care or for accommodation and such. But what defines critical? DO you wait for the parent to die before thinking of giving the handicapped child funding for a place to live? What happens in between? If the situation isn't "critical" enough, what happens to the child? Where do they go? How do they fend for themselves?

Sure, if you're lucky and ric enough to access private heathcare and therapy you can give the child social skills training, community training and family therapy, but disability is not defined by the impairment, dsiability is defined by the societal attitudes and human services. As a community, if there is no understanding and no civility toward the disabled population, it is as good as discrimination. So many times when people are asked about their "acceptance" of people with a disability, people will have very positive attitudes. "Yes, they should be integrated into the work force", "Yes, they should be able to get married and have a family", "Yes, they should be able to buy houses", but really think about it. If your sister or daughter/ son wants to marry someone with a disability, how accepting will you be?

Government policies and legislations may have been set up to enhance social inclusion of those with a disability, but it is society and the community that shapes it. If a person with a disability wants to buy a house in Singapore, think about how close to unlikely it will be. Most of our houses are high rise buildings. Even if a person in a wheel chair is able to get into the lift, are they going to maneuver in the corridor? Is the apartment door way large enough for a wheelchair? How often are people with a disability rich enough to make home modifications to suit their needs seeing as most of them are un-employed. They can (according to legislation) apply for government funding, but is their situation "critical" enough? It just a vicious cycle and a downward spiral. It makes me so sad.

The world is supposed to become a better place with each generation. It got me thinking. We do so much for ourselves, we strive for good jobs to earn money to take care of ourselves and take care of those we love, but who takes care of the community? We live in ignorance of people do don't have the luxuary of the things we take for granted. Things like dressing ourselves, and our ability to speak and communicate our needs and wants. Even things like choosing our seats in the cinema, ever wonder how a person in a wheelchair gets to watch a movie? We often think that it is not our problem and it's none of our business, but it is the business of every single person in the world. We pay our taxes and money is supposed to be channeled to those in need and when i think about how we're building tourist resorts and casinos, i wonder how we're ever going to make the world "handicapped" friendly.

I don't know if there's a point to my rant. It's just that class today made a large dent in my mind and i just can't help but think about it, especially considering the nature of my study. Just wish that more of the world will care for the people who are in need. Who deserves to decided the quality on one life over another.

There just isn't enough to go around is there, money, service, love.

If there could be one fragment time where i could see myself in the future, today would be the day. Leenie's very happening, so she was out with her friends and since today is her prom night, she's going to be back late, i have the whole house to myself. I think today is the 1st time in a long time i felt like it was just me, with my own place, doing my own thing. It's awesome.

In the event that i end up being a spinster at 35, i'll prolly have my own place with a large tv and a smashing entertainment system with Bang and Olufsen speakers and a sturdy region free dvd player and shelves full of dvds and the comfy-est couch IKEA has to offer. I loved having space to myself, not doing anything, not having anything important to do, i can see myself doing this every single day of my life. On the flip side, i might becoming a hermit and a recluse. Life. I really have to remember to pick on up when i go to the shops some day soon.

So. I've gotten my car back!!! I'm so happy. Missed it soooo much. My darling 1CHX. Felt so extremely handicapped when i didn't have it with me all this week. There's this sense of security when you have a car with you, can go anywhere, whenever you want. It's a sense of empowerment and independence i guess? Now i know why so many patients put driving high on their priority list.

Besides thinking about the impending loom of exams, i've been so excited about going home! Just feels that i've been in perth for too long this year and i'm overdue for a trip home. I miss everyone and almost everything, would really love to jump on a plane and fly straight home right now. But then, packing to go home this time is going to be tricky. Have to pack summer clothes because it's friggin hot in singapore, but i also have to bring home my winter clothes because we're (jie, leenie, colin and I) are going to Korea and it will be snowing and i'll be going to NYC and it'll be cold there too. Will not have luggage space to buy anything which is prolly a good thing because i'm too poor to buy anything. No one let me buy anything. I'm a hazard to myself.

Well... other than that, nothing much else has happened. I've had no social life what so ever, been holed up at home drowning in my case studies. Haven't got back any of my results, so i have NO idea what my academic standing this sem is like, however, i seem to be doing pretty ok in school cause i'm eligible to apply for Honours. I'm not going to apply, but MAN does it feel good. Haha. Exams are in 2 weeks, there's heaps to study, so i'll be burrowing back into the hole again soon.

Anyway, i hope everyone at home is doing well... i cannot wait to see you'll when i get home!!

Despite all the stuff i don't like about perth, one thing i love is the sky. How when it's a sunny day, the sky is this awesome shade of blue and the clouds look fluffy enough to sleep on. The best thing about it is that the sky seems so low, like you can stand on the roof and go swimming in the sky. It makes a bad day bearable and it reminds me how great is my God.

Instead of swimming in the sky, i'm swimming in my assignments. Not a very pleasant place to be. As satisfying the feeling of completing an assignmnet, the process it takes just kills me. Can't blame anyone but myself, this last minute syndrome i possess just ins't curable. I try. I do. I try to start early and get the research done but the writing doesn't come till the last minute. Then how?? Ah. Uni is so over-rated. Pffft.

I'm looking forward to going home. 6 more weeks. It's always the last few weeks that seem to take forever to pass. Looking forward to seeing my russelly, seeing nat, seeing sunita, seeing my ching chong chus,going to korea, going to NYC with jac... so much to look forward to! Sharon will be home from shanghai, jac will be home, too bad when Kelwin and Gene are in Singapore, i will be in Korea. It'd be so much fun having them around! That's ok. I will assign sunita to bring them to Masayu for calamari. That's the only real important thing they need to eat when they're there. Muahahaha. Masayu should pay me commission for advertising them all the way in perth. Hee. The only bad thing about being home at the end of the year is that it seems to permanantly be raining. I hate it when it rains!! It just ruins everything. At least when it rains in perth, it stops rather quickly, but at home, it just rains all day and all night. Wanna go out also difficult. Need a car larh. If only i can pack my 1CHX home, no matter the big dent in the door.

Alrighty. Seeing as there is nothing interesting happening in my mundane dvd watching life, i shall go about doing what i always do. See ya!!