Monthly Archives: Jan 2020

Unable to hear the sound for I can not hear anyone walking down the lane in Milan, Italy.

Walking down the corridor at the Milano Centrale Railway Station, seeing people rushing, chatting, yelling, dropping bags,  children even babies crying – unable to hear them.

Persons waving their arms and hands in the air caught my sight BUT did not give me any clue for it is body gestures on what they were asking.

Coming out of the Train Station, taxi drivers bombed at my face as they were talking, for I can not pick up any Italian conversation. One thing for I noticed their fingers rubbing against thumbs – sign for money, pointing themselves to take you and in the car, pointing out there where to go.

Try hard to lip read the Italian language such as i tassì, lo albergo, la tariffa, and try to think of the word ‘deaf’ in Italian – sorda (feminine). End up signing/pointing and facial expression as no via shaking head sideways in front of the taxi drivers. Only one good Samaritan driver forward as he understands for sono sorda (I am deaf). 

Seeing the traffic – drivers waving their hands in the air, beeping their car horns and facial expressions such as angry, mutter, frown even annoy on the way to the lo albergo (hotel). So alien to me – their Italian culture. So strange to me!

Arriving right up to the front of the ingresso dell’hotel (hotel entrance), tassista (taxi driver) pointing himself and pointing to my luggage for he carries my baggage to the reception dell’hotel (hotel reception). Try to lip read tassita to the persona di accoglienza (hotel reception) – nothing works for me, but I see him using his hand flat and patting to his ear if it means to block or nothing to hear. The tassita turned and gave me a number sign for the la tariffa in return I gave him the money.

Travelling around Italy by tour bus – oh what fun to meet new people and to learn a new language. The tour manager/guide was great, for she knew that I am deaf among the hearing visitors.

Torre pendente di Pisa – Tower of Pisa

The impressive sight of Torre pendente di Pisa, surrounding many people who were chatting, clicking their cameras, talking and seeing their facial expressions of awes, walking even shouting each other. Nothing helps me to hear except to look at the wonder of Torre pendente di Pisa and walked up to the top. Wow, seeing a beautiful view on a sunny and warm day. Oh, what a peaceful calm for me!

Mind you! Watch out for the beggers, crafty people walking around with a double folded newspaper, children hanging around you even behind your back. Beware if you were carrying the bag over the shoulder, backpack for they are intelligent enough to pitch your expensive camera, purse, passport, and many other presents/items. Watching the crafty men who carrying a double folded newspaper – oh boy how quick they were, and they were sneaking as a snake. Oh boy! How Amazing their thief artwork in pitching money, purse by bumping you, or tippytoe passing you. Do not hear the sob story from the fake beggars and dirty clothes children wear in the street. Saw a couple children running down the alley street after pitching the visitor’s money out of their bag while the visitor taking photos. How so quiet the children pitched the money out of the purse. I looked up at the visitor’s face in terror and shouting for help when everyone looked at the visitor by hearing the cried of support. I was quick to read the body language, the surrounding of the places, in the street and stay alert, even to stand behind the person from your tour group.

Sitting down in ristorante pizzeria (pizza Resturant) and enjoying the delicious sizeable thin crust pizza – twice as the dinner plate for I eat the whole lot. My new-found friends from California were learning my sign language and gestures over pizza, the il cameriere (waiter) watching me signing in the air for he was interested in my sign language and walk around by collecting dirty plates, washing the tables surrounding us.  A time to pay la fattura (the bill), noticed il cameriere talking to il gestore della pizza (the pizza manager) about me. Hard to lip-read what they were saying, for I saw they put the hands up to their ears. Il gestore della pizza granted us free for the meal we ate, OH what a delightful surprise for il gestore della pizza signed back to me in Italian sign language. I understand a few Italian sign language in my early days. 

In Firenze (Florence), a person handed me the phone as thinking I will talk over the phone. I signed in no – each hand moved oppositely and pointed to my ear – nothing to hear. How stupid or lack of understanding che cosa è sordo per te? (What is deaf mean to you?)  Oh, bother! Do I need to explain or walk away? Lovely chap for he is hard of hearing muttering to his daughter. Impossible to lipread this chap for I understand he was telling her by his stern facial expression- what a stupid girl! I can not hear the phone even can not speak over the phone. The daughter was so embarrassing for I saw her face went shocked and showing a few rosy cheeks.

There is no such language to learn to speak in Italian except to signs and sights of beauty surrounding lands and places in Italy. BUT to learn to read their Italian nouns and basic sentence tan to lip-read their mouth.

Many trips to Europe – Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Monaco was one of my highlight experiences. I wish to go back to Europe again….

What hotter day in Eureka so far!

Today the temperature is climbing to a big 30oC.

Not long ago, I need to go to the toilet room and only just to found Joseph, our older dog sleeping in the laundry next to the smallest toilet room.

Blast! Joseph for he won’t shift to make way for me to get in. Rat! I climbed over him.

Our other two dogs – Jazz the young one while the newest pup waiting for me near the dining table.

I put many ice cubes in their water bowl so our newest pup can play with it. Oh, what a fun way to play with fresh ice cubes by suckling it or patting the water into splashing all over the floor.

Dogs are struggling to find the right place to keep their bodies cold while I am working in the office with a couple of windows where the lovely fresh breezes coming in. Haaa, what a refreshing cool breeze is in my office at home, for I am resuming to work today!

I would not allow dogs to go outside for the grasses are far too hot for their little paws this afternoon, and the lawns are dying for the rain to come.

We, in the rural community, are brisking for a long drought for the second year in the Waikato area. We all are careful about using the water when milking the cows, washing the clothes, watering the gardens, even vegetable gardens, and the list so on.

our property

facing our farm neighbour.

We live here for 6 years and we were lucky to have our skills in conserve of the environment.

Growing flowers, herbs, or shrubs such as Lavenders, tobacco, Thyme, or Rosemary in the garden.

If you are living in the hot and dry or almost to the drought time of the summer season. Do you want to save money on buying herbs, tobacco, any types of flowers into beauty cream such as hand/face cream or for health through eating and cooking flavour in any meals?

Lavenders and Garlic Bulbs

Tobacco leaves and Lavenders

It is not hard to make or to grow flowers, herbs, and shrubs from cutting or bought seeds/plants in the nursery centre or in the shop. I was grateful for our grandparents, and great-grandma taught me to grow anything from the garden or even to save buttons, materials for recycling clothing, and other products around the house.

You probably think that I am an old fashioned deaf person as a greenie person or frugal person. I used my skill to create something useful to recycled item for future use or make herb flavour/spices, a healthy product like lavender pillow, soap. It is basically on budget-wise on saving the cost than buying expensive or rubbish stuff from the supermarket, health shop, or online shops.

Since my travelling days over and my studies in BA degree were over back to 2009, I began to grow flowers and vegetables into food such as jams, chutneys, plum, and tomatoes sauces and reuses broken items such as bookcase into a wall shelf, or a planter box. I found that when I am doing this and it saves me the cost without spending an expensive item or buying plum/tomato sauces at the supermarket.

My partner came into our relationship, and he found the price on buying tobacco is higher due to the MPs want to put tax and price up each year. For example, this year, a packet of tobacco – Rothmans Red 30g cost $59.90. The MPs wanted every smoker to cut back or stop smoking due to high lung cancer. I told my partner that I could grow tobacco in the garden but not allow to sell to other people due to the law. Anyone in New Zealand can legally buy seeds and develop their own tobacco. Although it is legal to sell tobacco seeds, it is illegal to sell home-grown tobacco plant material or to give it as a gift. Tobacco, which is grown, must be for personal use only. He could not believe it that I learned to grow tobacco from our great-granduncle, and my partner said, why not and go ahead if I am okay to grow and know what to do. So I am growing tobacco and keep thousand of seeds over 11 years. He still buys tobacco from the shop and switches to homegrown tobacco from time to time. It gave him the benefit of cost saving for bills to pay or himself.

What did I do with the lavender? I picked the seeds and use for baking scones, perfume as pot Pourri, or to make a little pillow, wheat bag. I cut and dried lavenders by hanging upside down in the sunroom. I used the same way by growing garlic bulbs, herbs into dried leaves for baking.

Growing fruit trees and vegetables in our extensive gardens, and I use fruits such as plum, feijoa, crabapple, loquats into sauces, chutneys, and jams. With vegetables, I use any vegetables such as tomatoes into tomatoes sauces, chutneys or salads, pies or quiches. Yes, you can freeze any vegetables up to 6 months or a year. The more you can make sauces or jams and store in the pantry, and it will give you a long run. As my partner often complaining that I made too many and he provides some chutneys, sauces or jams to his workmates.

So why not start growing simple plants such as lavender, herbs, get a fruit tree, and you will have time to wait for another 2 years or ask your family or friends if they got any fruit trees to give you some fruits. Be sure to provide jams or sauces in return to your family or friends in the way of saying thank you for the fruits or vegetables.

You will be amazed by how much you can save on any cost and enjoy making any items at home than buying in the shops.

“The Beginnings is always today.” Mary Wollstonecraft.

This morning I woke up in the early hour of this morning and sitting outside in the courtyard reflecting on our plan to do today. Rusty (my partner) was telling me about the mega bushfire in Australia over the radio news. He knew that I can not hear people talking through the microphone at the media stations. I looked out at our large silk tree standing next to the carport and there was the sun shining through many branches. Something was telling me that it is a new day for them to face the latest challenge to fight through horror times.

Horror, dismay, frustrate, pointing at someone to blame, calling for more help, and the list so on. The biggest disaster of all is the most significant bushfire in Australia from October 2019 to present the year of 2020.

Story from the NZ Herald and a Photo from AP

Here are several quotes that I found through my memory in my studying in History via Linguistics papers at the University of Waikato.

1. With the new day come new strength and new thoughts by Eleanor Roosevelt.
2. Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, Start today with positive thoughts and expectations. By Catherine Pulsifer – author.
3. Every moment is a fresh beginning. T S Eliot
4. New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings. Lao Tzu

Today the amount of burning fires covering about 10 million hectares around Australia than anywhere in the other countries in the past.  Many people found it is hard to believe the size of the burning lands. The last bush fire was in Siberian, and they lost 2.7 hectares the previous year.

There is a history of the bushfires in Australia dating back to 1851 – Black Thursday in the state of Victoria. They lost 5 million hectares over several weeks, and 12 people died. The temperature back in 1851 was 47C, according to the record held at the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Here is the picture below.

There had been 12 worst bushfires dating back to 1851, including 2019-2020 in Australia. You can check out these 2 websites here – Forest Fires Management in Victoria, Australia

– Bushfires in Australia

The hardest thing that people may or may not know that there are many people/children with disabilities out there. I learned there were two Deaf families lost their farms, business and their contents even machinery equipment from the Facebook via Deaf Community group. I recently read many comments in the social media via Facebook by other D/deaf people struggle to understand what happens, where to find help, the need for Emergency evacuation by what kind of types of equipment because they can not hear the warning sounds, radio warning or door knocking etc.

The biggest problem was the lack of interpreter on breaking news through many social media such as a news channel. Not every Media Networks, they provide an interpreter along with Chief Police, Fire Officer, Civil Defense or the Prime Minister. Of course, many Deaf people are angry for the lack of interpreter on television because it is not accessible for them as communication through visual sign language instead of voice/speaking language. To my understanding that most Social Media does not own or provide a contract interpreter for all D/deaf people even elderly people.

It is impossible for any D/deaf people to lip read them if the speaker is not facing the camera or mumbling along while talking. We, Deaf people only pick up around 25-35% of lip reading.

For God sake! Put interpreter on ALL new media programme during the disaster event and do not leave the interpreter out when downsizing the camera screen and facing the speaker only. Of course, I am getting annoyed with the Australian Media for the lacking of providing an interpreter and leaving the interpreter out when camera downsizing to focus on the main speaker during the outbreaking news in Australia. Yes, there were captioning showing but not every D/deaf people even People First (people with learning disabilities) can not read or understand the whole sentence.

Did you know about the history of the bushfire in Australia or in any other countries? Do you understand why there is a danger of having a bush fire even feeling threaten by bushfire? Do you understand why there is a long drought anywhere in the world even in here soon? Have you ever learnt any history of bushfire, natural environment disasters at school? Perhaps it is time to persuade the Ministry of Education and teachers to set up a curriculum on history at school. We can teach any children and student to learn from the past to the future so we can avoid or to adapt the life-changing out there.