Creature Discomforts

From the folks at Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit, those talking Chevron cars, Shaun the Sheep, Angry Kid... the list goes on...) teamed up with Leonard Cheshire Disability in the UK to create Creature Discomforts whose aim is to change our attitudes towards those with disabilities. For those who aren't already familiar with the original Creature Comforts (there's a UK and a US version), the characters in Creature Discomforts are voiced by those who experience these barriers every day.

Be sure you read "Behind the Characters" to get personal insight on things most everybody else take for granted.

Visit www.creaturediscomforts.org for more information.

Boxing Day

When I was growing up in Hong Kong, we had boxing day. I never understood what it was. I still don't. But now with the internet, we can look everything up (taken with a grain of salt, of course). Whatever the definition, it seems the common thread was to give to those of "lower class". I'm not one to perpetuate social classes but there's no denying they exist. In any case, I was thinking about the kids and the presents they've received. They were all great but of course, what the kids were fighting over to play with was the gingerbread head where you squeeze it and the eyes bug out:












which I believe comes out to about 33 cents a head. But still they wanted more. Of course, they're kids. My husband and I are trying to instill in them what Christmas is about but it's hard when you are bombarded with ads on TV, in the mail, etc. I thought about how we are such a consumer-oriented society and there's this need to buy, buy, buy... when in fact, we probably only need a small percentage of what we buy (I'm guilty too). That there may be an overabundance in one home and not enough in others.

What I thought we could do is to donate at least one of the presents to others. But right off the bat, I thought of a couple of things:

• Perpetuates the social classes - that those who "have" get their presents first and the "have-nots" have to wait the next day
• Getting a bunch of "unwanted" gifts - unwanted isn't the right word but gifts that the receiver did not want, like tube socks*, so maybe "too practical" would work? I don't know...
• The giver may be hurt if their present was the one that was picked.
  

Anyway, someone, somewhere could use the gift - whatever it is. Even if it is practical - someone out there could probably use some tube socks. Maybe if they're donated to a homeless shelter? I would love to hear comments or criticisms - it's just something I thought of this morning and I haven't had my coffee yet.

When you're a kid, it's hard to look past the tangible gifts. Sure, I love getting presents just like everyone else but what I treasure most is time spent with my family and friends, no matter how crazy they are. I hope everyone had a good holiday and wish everyone a Happy New Year!


*Incidentally, my mom gave me 500 tablets of 1000mg Vitamin C as part of my Christmas present this year. Being practical is great and all but it makes for some unusual presents. Okay Ma! I'll take the vitamins already! Quit nagging! And thanks Ma. :)

Dusting off the blog...

Merry Christmas from Texas - yeehaw!

So, I know it's been a while since I've written - much to update! To start off, my first semester is OVER. Yay! I'll have more to say about how the semester went but let me quickly talk about other things:

• The boys are now 4 years old and can sing "Joy to the World" forever... least it seems that way
• Mo is halfway done with 1st grade (when did she become a big girl?)
• The house is not done BUT they have installed some of the window frames and are in the process of welding the last of the frames - should be updating the house blog sometime this week; or more realistically, by the end of the year
• Sad news: I have to get my tonsils out - boo! That's not the sad part; the surgery's on new year's eve. So I'll be welcoming the new year with an enthusiastic UUGGHHHHHHHHH. Hopefully, when it's all said and done, I'll be able to talk without coughing out a lung. And it should help with this alleged snoring that I have.

So, let's see, what was my first semester of OT school like? To be honest, the material isn't hard but more abstract - at least it was for me. My background is more analytical so it took me a bit to shift my thinking. With OT, while you still need to think analytically, there's quite a bit of psychology involved.

I think I could name a thousand things that I've learned about OT and about myself this semester. Of course, since I'm on holiday mode, I'm not able to recall much. The main challenge is prioritizing and time management - at least it was for me. Yes, I was stressed but I didn't have time to panic - does that make sense? Being stressed kept me going and moving forward but I knew that if I panicked, I would just freeze and that doesn't really help anyway. I did finally feel my shoulders relax once grades were posted.

This past semester was a good dive into the world of OT. The primary focus of the Spring semester is pediatrics - exciting! It's too early for me to decide what population I want to work with when I finally finish. I originally thought that I would want to work with adults/geriatrics but then again, I haven't entirely dismissed pediatrics either so I'm looking forward to it.