Monthly Archives: Oct 2021

This Labour Weekend was shocking, disheartening, and frustrating for everyone in Eureka, partially Newstead and Tauwhare. Everyone, including dairy farmers who collect data numbers from cow tags during milking hours, was unable to use WIFI, broadband internet and landline – copper lines over 48 hours today. This incident happened on a Saturday at 2.25 pm without warning and cut everyone off from contacting or using the internet by watching Netflix, playing internet games and social media. I could not work from home during Level 3 to keep in touch with D/deaf people, disabled people and email reports out. Using my work mobile was no help because of the Gb size and data Gb to check on social media, work, and personal email accounts. I was able to text the people I am supporting from my work mobile because I have a job to do for Sunday afternoon.

Spark NZ and Chorus NZ were not helping because Spark NZ gave everyone a 20Gb data promise, and the lack of communication from Chorus was not very helpful. First, the Chorus staff said there was a malfunction at the local where there is a cable line station last Saturday evening. They promised us to hope to hopefully restore within 24 hours, which is due yesterday afternoon. Time past Sunday afternoon, I got home from working as a deaf essential specialised worker for a Deaf CP elderly man for his grocery. Nothing happened as the Chorus team promised. They failed to deliver the restoration to everyone here. I used my work mobile to check email accounts, Chorus outages and Facebook. I came across several comments in our local community that one person was missing Netflix, and she does not know how to use the standard television programme. I told my partner about this comment, and we found it hard to believe this person does not use ordinary television other than Netflix channels. Many of my neighbours were finding frustrated and posted comments on the Facebook local page.

Then my work mobile was unable to use overnight because it would not shut down or reboot without warning. I was planning to clear cache from internet history and delete photos and videos. I could not send out or receive texts from my work mobile, and I was annoyed with this.

I used my partner’s mobile to check our email account, the Chorus outage, and a quick look at the NZ Herald. Nothing is exciting apart from too much news about COVID-19 and cases increasing in Greater Auckland, two new cases in Waikato.

Today is Monday; my partner rang Chorus staff and told me that Chorus staff found the problem with the copper lines. The copper lines will restore today… Mm, I’m afraid I have to disagree with them. My work mobile is not working at all. The next step is we are waiting for the Spark NZ hour and ring them if the shops are opening during Level 3 in Chartwell or in other areas where it is Level 2 is open or not. Why? My work mobile needs to be sorted out or need replacing for me to continue to work through Level 3 with the disabled people and D/deaf people through every level as a deaf essential specialised worker. The weather was not great as we have been partially unable to do the gardening and outdoor works during the wet miserable weather for the last three days. The hours I worked for one and a half only during Level 3, I went out to Hamilton city for the Deaf CP elderly man, and the weather was cloudy yesterday (Sunday). This morning came at 945am, and my partner rang Spark NZ to check any shops open on public holidays. Not one in Chartwell Westfield Mall, only in Cambridge, but it requires booking and going in to sort out my work mobile today or tomorrow. It is not helping because there is an appointment for one Deaf Somalian lady to visit her new GP and the interpreter. I need to test out a reminder text from my mobile if I found the interpreter’s contact detail from the invoice I put in the file. The main problem is to have a video chat – Viber with this Deaf Somalian lady. I cannot use my mobile because it is prepaid, and it had not been top up the cost to use data over WIFI/Mobile Data.

Did we have a great weekend? The answer was a big NO, and we are finding it frustrating along with our neighbours. We pay for the landline as we have got a fax machine to communicate with D/deaf elderly people who do not have their internet and mobiles and ADSL broadband line nearly $190.00 a month. Yes, that is a lot of money for the broadband – 120Gb, out of our incomes. Nothing will be cheaper, and having a fibre line will cost too much money to spend on. But almost every household have got fibre line, and it weakens and reduces the capability of speeds in the rural area. It is not helping us at all.

Good news, at last, copper landline and wifi internet are back on more than 48 hours of waiting through a whole public holiday weekend! The time is 3 pm Monday 25th October 2021.

Life harmonises through the pace of our daily lives here. We, Waikato people, are going through Level 3 from Level 2 by joining the Greater Auckland since Monday 4th October. Dated: 8th October – informing you that an update about the Northland area is moving up to Level 3 from Level 2 because two women from Auckland are carrying the virus and refusing to work with MOH (Ministry of Health) and Police. These women had not been cooperating with contact tracers. 

Why that? Recently a small number of the family went down to Waikato, including Raglan from Auckland. It appeared one of the family members did not have a vaccination jab nearly two weeks ago. Now there has been a talk about the gang of Hamilton visited someone in Auckland, and one of the gang members used the letter permit through the border. I am not interested in these topics because many people lead their lives in different activities, works, frustrated to escape from Greater Auckland and boredom in their household. I stick with the Lord above, and I have true faith in Him through my life as I am a deaf Christian person. 

“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways–either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

There are many global warmings around the countries, increasing crimes, violence bringing more wars, increasing protest marches against vaccination, bush fires, droughts, and the beautiful sights of the La Pama volcano eruption in Canary Island. Technology changes a lot faster for everyone; even most people fall victim to hackers, scams, money laundering, and many other barriers for disabled people and D/deaf people while more sophisticated and flexible use of technology. We genuinely don’t know what is around the corner. I see more worry, more depression, but some positive changes in our daily lives when I am working out there as a deaf essential specialised worker.

We also can suffer the calamities of past eras, like the economic meltdown of the Great Depression. Now, the 1918 flu pandemic is a sudden spectre in our lives. From 1918 to 1920, it was a most extended flu pandemic, and it was called the Spanish Flu, which knows as The Greatest Influenza epidemic. In the timeline, there were four different waves of virus sweep through people’s lives between 1918 and 1920. The virus strain was A (H1N1) pandemic similar to the 2009 influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) is a subtype – swine flu. In New Zealand, the flu killed an estimated 6,400 Pakeha (or “New Zealanders primarily of European descent”) and 2,500 indigenous Maori in six weeks, with Māori dying at eight times the rate of Pakeha.[203][204] during the second wave of a new strain in October 1918. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/influenza-pandemic-reaches-peak-mortality

There are many disabled people facing hardship, barriers getting through services, technology, the lack of home helps carers, and many other issues in the community today. Many D/deaf people are finding it challenging to communicate in their daily lives out in the community. 

The history of the new virus strain is repeating today.  

Looking at the current of the water flowing down the river remind me of the river of life. The channel of the flowing water runs smoothly in one direction. While the other track of the flowing water runs wildly or roaring down. What about the calm of the day into a violent storm? These kinds of weather and the river of life make sense in our daily lives. Every morning, we wake up to find another day to keep moving through the day to night – no matter nothing will stop us from doing things except if there is a Level Four, and we will find something to catch up around the home and our property to make up for the lost time. 

I don’t know how long the virus of the pandemic will last or going to end. Everyone keeps asking me daily – how much longer? When it will end? I don’t have the answer, but I keep saying, “stay positive, stay strong, keep moving forward and safe.”

Times are challenging for a lot of people at the moment – including our members. But we know that our members also do unique and beautiful things with the time given to them. And that’s always worth celebrating.

Kia kaha, e nga hoa. ❤️

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”
― The Dalai Lama