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my “sky” and perhaps yours, blue again.
By Edeltraut L. Scheffler Plath
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As some of you may be aware, I have an illness called Neurofibromatosis Type 2 — a garble of a word, I know. The hallmark of this disease is the presence of bilateral acoustic neuromas, or benign tumors growing on or near the hearing nerves. Most people with this disease end up becoming totally deaf as a result of these tumors being excised during surgery. Sometimes though, hearing preservation is possible…albeit extremely rare. In most cases, the next best possible solution would be the Auditory Brainstem Implant, an implant which is placed on the brainstem…this device transmits sounds through the brainstem as opposed to the conventional route… since… well…the auditory nerve(s) were compromised during surgery. On one hand, this may seem like a blessing, however, recipients of such implants cannot decipher human speech effectively…sounds transmitted through this device are almost unnatural. The good thing about this implant, however, is that it enables the patient to live with a certain degree of independence. For example, one can safely walk across a street without having to fear incoming traffic..because one can hear the sound of cars honking and etc.
Moving on, am I afraid of becoming deaf? Absolutely. I often wonder what it would be like to live in a silent world but then again, come to think of it, I already am. You see, for the past year or so, my hearing had taken a turn for the worse. No doubt I can hear, but I find it extremely difficult to decipher human speech against background noise. I also find it difficult to understand people when they talk too fast or too soft. It gets so frustrating sometimes that I become short-tempered with people who don’t seem to get it… I regret that frustration though, because I now know they simply do not understand.
As a result of this recent decline, many areas of my life have been affected including my college experience. My communication with my college mates is very limited, not because they are unfriendly, but because my hearing disability impedes my ability to communicate with them. As such, I sub-consciously hide myself in my own little silent world, often accompanying my loneliness with a good novel to read.
Dr. Steven Baptist (the head of the ADP department at my college), informed my stepfather at the beginning of the year that SEGi College not only prioritizes itself on educating our youth but also being socially responsible for people like myself….My lecturers in SEGi so far have been accommodating but despite Dr. Steven’s statement and my lecturers’ noblest intentions, they are simply not equipped to deal with special students such as myself. For example, we often have to view video clips and then answer a bunch of questions…how can I do that when I can’t decipher human speech effectively? Who could blame them anyway, they are just not trained to meet the needs of deaf or hard of hearing students.
Which brings me to wonder whether it would be best that I pursue Gallaudet University…it is a University located in Washington which specifically caters to students who are deaf and hard of hearing. If I choose to pursue this route, I would need to find a scholarship to study there as the financial cost of studying in the States is exorbitant..*sigh*
The hardest thing in this whole dilemma is being left stranded in the middle…. On one hand, there is the hearing world….and the other…the deaf world…and I am in the middle…which world do I belong to? That is the toughest part.
– end
*Pondering* Thinking of ways to cope. This is the part where I seriously wish I was living in the States where they have hearing rehabilitation programs to help a hard-of-hearing person cope…Over there, your disability is not seen as an impedement but a source of potential…to drive you to succeed…which is probably why they can produce individuals such as Stephen Hawkings and Brooke Ellison and even Helen Keller.
I wish I had that support here in Malaysia.
Mark my words though, I will keep on chasing the Dream. I am after all, in the truest sense, a Dreamer. 
in one sentence,
Profundity and Simplicity in such Brevity are Keys to Uniformity in Poetry.
I just love the simplicity of this poem written by Maya Angelou. I often try to draw inspiration from simplistic yet profound writers as I feel that the message of the poem stands as the key element in well-written poetry. And one knows that when poetry is embellished with superfluities, the mind often wanders and loses sight of the underlying message.
So here it is, The Human Family by Maya Angelou.
Human Family
Poem by Dr. Maya Angelou
I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.
Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.
The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.
I’ve sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land.
I’ve seen the wonders of the world,
not yet one common man.
I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I’ve not seen any two
who really were the same.
Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.
We love and lose in China,
we weep on England’s moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.
We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we’re the same.
I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
A lesson concerning Faith:
It is a misconception that to believe, one needs to SEE. Rather, that to see, one needs to BELIEVE.
Henry David Thoreau – “Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one.”
I watched the Great Debaters AGAIN last week…that movie never fails to strike a cord in me… they are an inspiring lot and one scene in the movie really got me thinking about Malaysia and slavery in the old America.
It was the scene where Harvard was debating Wiley College. The gist of the debate concerned the MORALITY of Civil Disobedience…Wiley, a black college, argued the affirmative and Harvard, an elitist white college, argued the negative. The debaters from Harvard argued that in a democracy no idea can be substantiated and realized without the support of the MAJORITY and therefore Civil Disobedience, according to the majority of America, was immoral and unacceptable. However, Wiley argued that it is not the MAJORITY who decides what’s right and wrong…it’s your CONSCIENCE…and therefore, one should NEVER EVER BOW DOWN to the Majority of TYRANNY. Wiley, specifically the prominent James Farmer Jr., whom I greatly admire and respect, also argued that if black people were tortured, brutalized and murdered in cold blood, it was most definitely his RIGHT if not his DUTY to resist a tyrannical government…and the MAJORITY of whites.
I was thinking about my American Civilization class and how often we examine the human side of history..especially where slavery is concerned… everytime I read about slavery..it brings sadness to my heart..how cruel the human race can be…it is no wonder rebellions took place…like the famous Nat TurnerRebellion…or the Underground Railroad…. sure it was illegal… but those poor people had the courage to stand up and fight back….it was most certainly moral and right… even though what they did eroded the rule of law.
Applying the same concept to Malaysia: Even though Ketuanan Melayu is supported by the MAJORITY…does it make it RIGHT, does it make it MORAL? Other races are losing out…Do you think it’s RIGHT that public universities in this country base their admissions on racial quota? Do you think it is MORAL that a certain MAJORITY should inherit discounts on housing estates? Do you think it is JUST that a MINORITY student who rightly deserved a scholarship lose out to the MAJORITY candidate who had lackluster results? Do you think it is FAIR that companies who wish their names to be listed on the stock market must have a certain MAJORITY sit on the Board of Directors? IT IS NEITHER MORAL NOR JUST…and yet…we Malaysians still sit on our arses and do nothing. Only a select few have the courage and conviction to fight for OUR Malaysia…what a pity indeed.
Without ranting further, Thoreau’s proverb rings the absolute truth, don’t you think?
A reminder….Turn Off your lights this Saturday at 8.30 p.m. for 1 HOUR in support of OUR PRECIOUS EARTH.
So what has made Keisha’s Hall of Fame?
1. Boston Legal (I so miss Alan Shore and his wicked closings!)
2. The Practice (Love Dylan Mcdermott a.k.a Bobby Donnell)
3. Ally Mcbeal
4. Brothers and Sisters
5. 24 ( My mother & I actually watched the entire Season 2 for 1 straight day…we’re mad right…haha)
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. Private Practice (Love Kate Walsh..she’s gorgeous!)
8. Sex and the City (I miss watching this)
9. Nip/Tuck (I liked the earlier seasons but after that, the show just went downhill…)
10. Heroes
I know I watch a lot of tv..haha..but I never bother watching it on Astro..I always get the Box sets and enjoy a weekend of being a couch potato.
My all-time must have though..is courtroom Drama… I tell you I’d love to be a lawyer practicing in the States.. to fight for the American Ideal.. hehe.
I made this dish for my darling dearest on his 24th birthday…It is a Mexican dessert ….sorta like a caramel custard…Very easy to make…however…very easy to screw up also…. !!! A note about making caramel…You must stir it constantly until it becomes dark-brown…not blackened charcoal! Otherwise…it would taste very bitter!!! …Patience People..don’t give up if you don’t get it the first time.
The actual way to present this dessert is to get it out of the ramekin by loosening the edges and turning it upside down, allowing the caramel to flow all over the custard. Unfortunately, I only took pictures of them while they were still in the ramekins..no worries though…the pictures still look good and well…. the taste is superb! *Try it. This Mexican delicacy makes you look like you slaved in the kitchen for hours!*
My beloved could not stop eating this..haha…
Mexican Flan
This is how it is presented
Baking tools you’ll need:
6-8 ramekins
A baking tray big enough to fit all the ramekins
A whisk
A big baking bowl
Baking ingredients you’ll need:
3/4 of 1 (14 ounce can) of condense milk
1 cup of brown sugar
6 whole eggs, big ones if you can find em
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 can (14 ounce) evaporated milk
Here’s what you do:
Set the oven to 180 c.
1. Boil enough hot water to fill HALF the baking tray.
2. Crack all the eggs in the bowl…whisk them until they’re well blended..Now GRADUALLY add the milks…condense and evaporated..add them in phases while whisking.
3. Add the vanilla and whisk until well-blended. Set aside.
4. Place all 6-8 ramekins side-by-side in the baking tray that is filled wih hot water.
5. Here comes the tricky bit. Turn on your stove to medium heat. Place a pot over the heat and put 1 cup of sugar in there… with a wooden spatula, stir the sugar constantly….add a bit of water to start the melting process… when it becomes dark-brown, turn off the heat.
6. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of caramel into each ramekin and twirl the ramekin around so the bottom bit is coated. If the sugar in your pot hardens, reheat it to melt it again.
7. Now that all your ramekins are coated with caramel, fill them with the egg mixture.
8. Place them all back in the tray filled with hot water and CAREFULLY put the tray in the oven.
9. Let your flan in the waterbath bake for 20 minutes or until the top is brown. Pierce a fork or a knife through one of the ramekins. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If it is not, lower the heat to 150 c and let it cook until you can prick a fork through it and it comes out clean.
10. Take the tray out of the oven and let cool. Once the ramekins are cool, put them in the fridge to set for about 2 hours…make sure you cover them with cling wrap to avoid loosing the moisture.
11. And finally, take them out and use a flattened-edged knife (it resembles a butter knife), or a flattened spoon and loosen the edges of the custard by going around the ramekin. Turn it upside down on a plate and tap it… Remove the ramekin and voila..perfection.!
If you came this far, I am so proud of you. Baking is easy if you just apply a little love and care …tempered with a lot of patience!
Happy Eating!
Saturday was a great day… it was sunny out and I thought a swim at Aunty Perin’s could go a long way. ..since…well.. I only went to the gym once this week… We took Roshan down to the pool with us…..and all he wanted to do was just play by the edge of the pool…with his pale and shovel…a continuous repitition of pouring water back in the pool… how boring right?
He’s such a cutie though…look:
"Can everyone please stop fussing over me?"
Roshan & me. He refuses to look into the camera!
Kiss Kiss Muah
Aunty Perin's scenic pool
Lovingly saying...Glycogen boy
After our swim, TYL and I went for lunch at this Indian restaurant called Passage Thru india… Yi Liang ordered Kashmiri Pulao (rice dish served with nuts and fruits), and I ordered Dhum Mutton Biryani…and we ordered a side dish of Paneer Makhina (cottage cheese in a buttery sauce)….food was seriously good..however…the Biryani here has yet to top the lamb biryani I had at the Park Hotel in Chennai… mmm mmm mmm!!!
Our food
After lunch, we hopped over to MV …to get my battery for my phone but like when I found out the price..170 bucks…my head went spinning…I was like, forget it, I’ll just get it from Digital Mall. We walked around for a bit..ended up in Dorothy Perkins…bought myself a top and then went over to MPH…where TYL got me another book by Jodi Picoult…Handle With Care….I can’t wait to read it…she’s just an amazing author!
After MV, it was like 5 so We decided that we might as well get the battery thing sorted so we went to Digi Mall in Section 14..the pirated battery costs…50! haha…so we got that lah…
We went to Mc’ds for dins…shortly after….then we went back to Hartamas..
So that was that la for a day in Keisha’s life..
Until we meet again..xoxo
William Lloyd Garrison in his first editorial for the Abolitionist-inspired newspaper, The Liberator..
“I am in earnest…I will not equivocate…I will not excuse…I will not retreat a single inch…AND I WILL BE HEARD!”
On the issue of slavery.
keishaks
Enter Through Keisha's Mind & Soul. My writings are my life especially when I write for Life Poetry. Visit my blog to hopefully connect and discover a part of yourself as well. Life is tough and the way to get through it is through support and encouragement. My faith is what keeps me going and I often include my spirituality in my poetry as you will see. God is Good!