Life in Eureka

I recall through many photos while cleaning up any identical images from the Cloud Drive storage. April is here, and May will come within a few weeks, and I saw this photo. This photo reminded me of where it was taken during the Lockdown Level 4 rolled to Level 3 in 2020.

A few days, I was helping the Deaf man (Stephen – not real name) to install the new free wifi modem, but there was a problem with the connection to his mobile. I was not allowed to enter his flat as a deaf essential worker. There were guidelines from the MOH (Ministry of Health) and the approved details when working or helping other invalid people, people with disabilities, during the Lockdown. I signed to Stephen outside his flat within 2 metres, and I tried to figure out the problem with his connection. NOTE: a free modems were under the Government Funding through COVID via Social Service where I worked. Thank you, Skinny Jump, for provided modem to any low-income families, including people with disabilities, so they can pay $5 per data of the Gb each month.

I decided to contact someone I know through Hamilton West School, and he is an IT person. His name is Duoiane, and he did the network connection job here when Peter and I moved from Hamilton to Eureka in 2014. Duoiane was happy to assist with the modem connection to the mobile. The day before this photo was taken, it was a bad day because my dead tooth cracked, and it was so bloody painful even the night before. I made the booking through the Facebook message to my Dentist the day before the photo was taken. Note: my dead tooth had been around, so a long time, over 20 years and this tooth refused to pull out even I do not have any pain until 2020.

The next day, I headed out to the Dentist first thing in the morning. I waited outside until the staff checked my temperature reading and filled out the particular form under the Lockdown. We went inside the building and started the process of removing the cracked tooth. The Dentist staff tried to remove by using three different sizes of piler/clamps. Finally, the broken tooth out then, followed by a numb check and a jaw. I found it hard when I tried to talk; never mind, there is always sign language.

Off to pick up the modem and a couple mobiles from Stephen and speak in sign language outside his flat. He worried how long it will take to reset or re-fix, and I told him that the IT person lives on the other side of the lake. Maybe a couple hours or so! I headed over to the other side of the lake and texted Duoiane to say I am at their driveway gate. I walked up to his front door, and his wife greeted me at the porch within 2 metres of social distances. I placed a modem, a couple mobiles and details of the server and password on the table in the patio area.

I walked back to my car as it was a sunny day while nursing my left side of my face. That goodness, I took a couple pain relief!

Admiring the side of the lake, colourful leaves falling down, while the cold airbrushing along with the trees. And everyone who walked along the footpath. I felt the cold and sharp wind against my body while the sun shining on me. The colourful leaves were yellow, reddish, and brownish, lay on the footpath reminded me that Autumn was here. Yes, it was Autumn time, for I recalled during the Lockdown 4 and 3 in 2020.

A poem – To Autumn by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, 
   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; 
Conspiring with him how to load and bless 
   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; 
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, 
   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; 
      To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells 
   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, 
And still more, later flowers for the bees, 
Until they think warm days will never cease, 
      For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells. 

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? 
   Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find 
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, 
   Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; 
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep, 
   Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook 
      Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers: 
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep 
   Steady thy laden head across a brook; 
   Or by a cyder-press, with patient look, 
      Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours. 

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they? 
   Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— 
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, 
   And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; 
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn 
   Among the river sallows, borne aloft 
      Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; 
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; 
   Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft 
   The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft; 
      And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

There is much different cosmology around the world, for example, Religious Cosmology or Biblical Cosmology.

Several weeks ago, one Deaf Christian woman posted the comment and the photo. She mentions that her hobby is astronomy – stars, spaces and Egyptian people like Cleopatra, Thutmose or Nefetria. It is not very clear because her English is not so good and she signed in the video for what she means to talk about her favourite hobby. The deaf blogger presume is that she was signing about Egyptian Idols rather astronomy.

Surely there has been confusing the difference between Cosmology and astronomy. It is difficult to explain to someone when a D/deaf person may be reading this than anyone else.

Let take a look at Religious Cosmology:

• an explanation of the origin 
• development of the universe as a whole
• the religious conception of the world and particular phenomena in the world.

Let take a look at Biblical Cosmology:

It is biblical writers’ conception of the cosmos as an organised, structured entity, including its origin, order, meaning and destiny.  

Who invented cosmology? Both Plato and Pythagoras influenced the first logically consistent cosmological worldview, developed by the Greeks in the 4th century B.C. This early cosmology was an extrapolation of the Greek theory of matter proposed by Empedocles. http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec01.html

However, there is another website which may help you because it is difficult to get the fact correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_cosmological_theories

Cosmology, the field of study that brings together the natural sciences, particularly astronomy and physics, in a joint effort to understand the physical universe as a unified whole. https://www.britannica.com/science/cosmology-astronomy

“Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that involves the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and into the future. According to NASA, the definition of cosmology is “the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole.”Sep 26, 2017,” https://www.space.com/16042-cosmology.html

The Egyptian Gods are different from Biblical/Religions, and here is a quote here.  

Ancient Egyptian culture grew out of an understanding of these deities and the vital role they played in the immortal journey of every human being. Historian Margaret Bunson writes:

The numerous gods of Egypt were the focal points of the nation’s cultic rites and personal religious practices. They also played a part in the great mortuary rituals and in the Egyptian belief in posthumous eternal bliss (98).https://www.ancient.eu/article/885/egyptian-gods—the-complete-list/

It is not about Cleopatra, Thutmose or Nefetria as the Deaf woman mentions on Facebook. For example, Cleopatra was a living goddess (Queen of the Nile), and she was not Egyptian because her bloodline traced back to Macedonian Greece and Ptolemy I Soter. 

Several Cosmology/Astronomy groups – The Egyptian/Mesopotamia Cosmology and Māori astronomy – tātai arorangi known in English, considered astronomical knowledge. https://www.maoriastronomy.co.nz/#:~:text=WHAT%20IS%20MAORI%20ASTRONOMY%3F,noted%20and%20examined%20by%20them.

How and whom does cosmology come to anyone?

Aristotle – geocentric cosmology that his works widely accepted for many centuries

Nicolaus Copernicus – (1473–1543) formulated a heliocentric cosmology.

Albert Einstein – (1879–1955) introduced general relativity and the cosmological constant.

Isaiah Newton – 1642–1727) formulated the law of universal gravitation and supported the heliocentric model.

Did anyone know or probably not know that there were D/deaf astronomers – John Goodricke and Konstantin Tsiolkowski? 

Both men have lost their hearing at an early age by scarlet fever, and they used lip-reading during communication.

John Goodricke spent his time on his investigation of variable stars around or by 1783. The first discovery was the Algol known as the Winking Demon then the delta cephei. He died very at the age of 22 in 1786.

Konstantin Tsiolkowski was interested in space research and invented rocket powers powered by liquid fuel and oxygen for astronauts. His works known as the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation

If you want to know more about his life – check out one of the links from the website. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/rocketry/home/konstantin-tsiolkovsky.html

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

I was watching the television programme – “Following Twain with Oscar Kightley” this morning. One of the quotes from Twain encouraged me to continue improving my writing/typing blogs and stories as listed above. It gives me more confidence and expands more comprehensive vocabularies and strength in grammar, lexicons, and new words. In the past, my mother, sister, and friends helped me improve and adapted the grammars when I was studied for my BA and many formals letters, even to the government’s MPs as proofreaders. Today I am using technology as a proofreader while I am typing to ensure my grammar, lexicons and spelling check, vocabulary and thesaurus etc. I know everyone does not have the same head grammars when reading or understanding other people writing/typing. 

 “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”

Why? In the late 1960s and 1980s, I attended Hamilton Deaf units from Hamilton West School to Melville High School. We, D/deaf children, spent time learning English writing without sign language as it was forbidden to used sign language in the New Zealand Ministry of Education policy. Yes, the sign language was banned from the 1880s because of the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Milan, Italy. Nevertheless, in 2010, at the 21st International Congress on Education of the Deaf, they received a formal apology in accepting the dangerous ramifications of such ban as an act of discrimination and violation of human and constitutional rights. I know many D/deaf people struggle to learn to improve their reading and writing English today because their first language is sign language and are no longer at school or study at University. The same story with the Bible reading/Theology where D/deaf Christian people want to learn about God, faiths, prayers and other stories by Jesus. When reading, they go through mundane trying to explain by giving the wrong message or answer, typing by doing their best for other people and even understanding what is mean. 

 “Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts or happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one’s head.”

Let go back to Twain topic. Who is Mark Twain? Why I love to read Mark Twain. How did I came to his works and learn more about him?

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was the actual real name as his pen name was Mark Twain. My mother and sister love reading books and books anywhere, and my mother was a librarian for many years. One of the books I read was about Helen Kellar and her meeting with Mark Twain. Here is Twain’s quote “I am filled with the wonder of her knowledge, acquired because shut out from all distractions. If I could have been deaf, dumb, and blind, I also might have arrived at something.

– Mark Twain’s Speeches”. http://www.twainquotes.com/Keller_Helen.html

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

Slowly I learn to understand his quotes and his works like Huckleberry Finn – Tom Sawyer, Letters from the Earth, A Dog’s Tale, or The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain. Then I moved up to University where I took and studied my BA in History and Linguistics and Anthropology, more books to read, and understanding from the books to typing assignments. Indeed I have had supported persons like interpreters (sign language), notetakers, proofreaders-assistance person and extra times to spend studying for five and a half years. I asked for more bits of help from my mother and sister to double-check my home assignments to them by faxing or email with an attachment. Dawn of the years studying, I completed my BA degree at last, and I felt great. 

I did not realise Twain visited New Zealand until I learnt about the history and language paper at the University. I sourced the books at the library until I found several newspapers, books and Twain’s books about New Zealand. 

“With courage, you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.”

Every day as a deaf specialised community worker, advocator, tutor, historian, and blogger, I use my thinking cap and start looking out outside or observing the mother’s natures. People doing things strangely, even their behaviour are odd. I dare take the risk of pen wording down to tell a story, blog, or book. This is why I use Twain’s quote – With courage…..

Our lives here at home is an impressive experience, peaceful for my hearing partner, spaces in the property where our dogs run and walk around freely within the fence boundary. Our home is far away from city life, work in the gardens, and relax with a coffee cup in the courtyard. 

“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life.”

A couple of Deaf Christian people posted comments on Facebook, including Astronomy, and the comments struck wonder if they understand to believe the universe is part of God or not.

Let look at Stephen Hawking and the comments he made several years ago. “We are each free to believe what we want and it is my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realisation. There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that, I am extremely grateful.[369][370]“http://We are each free to believe what we want and it is my view …. https://libquotes.com/stephen-hawking/quote/lbu7w4z

This quote was listed in 2011 and here is another quote listed in 2017.

“Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn’t. I’m an atheist.[366]” http://What Stephen Hawking said about God, his atheism and his …. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/03/14/im-not-afraid-what-stephen-hawking-said-about-god-his-atheism-and-his-own-death/

Stephen was an atheist for many years since he was at the college. Stephen had firmly pointed of many views about the future of humanity, Science and philosophy, disability, Religion, atheism and Politics. Note about Stephen became disability during his final year at the university in the 1960s. Stephen has got a motor neurone disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neurodegenerative disease before his death in 2018. He was 78 years old and, remarkably, he lived longer than anyone who has had the same symptoms.

Who the people are atheists? Names a few to here:-
Sigmund Freud
Fred Hollows
Issac Asimov
Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Stephen Fry
Germaine Greer
Keri Hulme
Woody Allen
Emma Thompson

Here is a question or more if there was/were word “Astronomy” list in the Bible over many years. Let explore if there is/are any word astronomy in the Bible!
In the Bible, the first word is ‘the creator of all things’ in Genesis 1:1. Astronomy is the study of celestial bodies and the whole universe includes the study of stars, planets, galaxies and other objects beyond the earth’s atmosphere. In the Bible, there are many references related to objects such as planets and constellations, for example, the morning star.

“The planet Venus is the brightest object (next to the sun and moon) we can see in the night sky. Its ability to reflect light is due to its proximity to the sun and the highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid that shroud it. It can often see before sunrise, hence its astronomy reference as the “morning star.” It can even be viewed during the day, leading to it also being called the “day star.” http://Astronomy in the Bible. https://www.biblestudy.org/bible-study-by-topic/astronomy-in-the-bible.html

What about Genesis 1:16 – “And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.” http://GENESIS 1:16 KJV “And God made two great lights: the …. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Genesis-1-16/

So what astronomy mean? It means ‘star formation’ under Greek, and this word allows the branch of science dedicated to studying bodies in outer space. The word “astrolatry” (worship of heavenly objects) basically on the suns, moons and stars as gods. The etymology for astronomy is from the Greek ἀστρονομία from ἄστρον astron, “star” and -νομία -nomia from νόμος nomos, “law” or “culture”) means “law of the stars” (or “culture of the stars” depending on the translation). Astronomy should not be confused with astrology, the belief system that claims that human affairs are correlated with celestial objects’ positions. The two fields share a common origin, they are now entirely distinct. We know that every celestial object and the movements to phenomena with gods and spirits such as rain, drought, seasons and tides. Who are the first people identified or as astronomists? Well, the priests in the early history between 10,000 and 33,000 years ago. The only clue found a 32,500-year-old carved ivory Mammouth tusk could contain the oldest known star chart (resembling the constellation Orion.) Another clue a drawing on the Lascaux caves wall in France dating from 33,000 to 10,000 years ago could be a graphical representation of the Pleiades, the Summer Triangle and the Northern Crown. It is more like the Ancient structures with possibly astronomical alignments like the Stonehenge for astronomical, religious, and social functions.  http://Astronomy – Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. https://infogalactic.com/info/Astronomy

What a minute! Where does the word ‘astronomy’ come from the past? It was not listed in the Bible for we know that. Who wrote the Bible?
There are 40, and more authors wrote the chapters, over 1,500 years, and a dispute on who wrote Hebrews. Many Christian people know Moses was the first person he wrote, and John – the disciple of Jesus, was the last person. The language is not English, Greek, Latin or another language from far away like Australia and Italy. However, the three languages were known as Hebrew, koine/common Greek and Aramaic.

How easy or hard to grow pumpkins in your garden?

Late Spring 2020, I grew several pumpkin seedlings in the pots and stored in the greenhouse for germinate through warm and heat.

Late Spring 2020, I grew several pumpkin seedlings in the pots and stored in the greenhouse for germinating through warm and heat. Early Summer came along, and the pumpkin seedlings were ready for planting outside. The seedlings were only a finger length size before planting in the soil of the field.

Mm, I decided to look at the fields where there is more sunlight and protect from winds and cold. Simple I found a few places and planted several pumpkin seedlings in the ground.

Came the rains over a couple days which count our blessing to have water for the gardens. Sunshine and heat came after the rainy days and oh boy, what a scorching and humidity week!

Came the rains over a couple days which count our blessing to have water for the gardens. Sunshine and heat came after the rainy days and oh boy, what a scorching and humidity week!

Rusty came over as he finished mowing the lawn and look, mum! The pumpkin section has shot out and spread over the yard. We went walking over to inspected the pumpkin patch and our dogs for they love to walk with me. There were three watermelon seedlings there right at the gate as well. These seedlings were not big enough but the more they will receive sunlight and water and they will grow quickly. We do have another lot of watermelon plots in the vegetables garden at the back near the barn.

Oh boy! How faring, seedlings grown from finger size to a large patch after all in such short timing in several weeks?

What a delight to see the pumpkin seedlings are in the right spot with plenty of sunshine, warmth, shelter and rain!

In the previous planting were the sunflowers and they grew well except for windy spot. The only way to stop sunflowers falling over or bending over was to tie them up. I will find another site for planting and growing sunflowers away from the windy area—this project added to my gardening project plan.

Yes, we have plenty of pumpkins popping up when I go for a walk and inspect any damage by dogs or pest animals. If the vine gets too big and not feeding back to the pumpkin, I will pinch the vine’s tip so the pumpkin will produce more and bigger even fatter. No matter small or big pumpkin vines you wish for until the summer season is almost ending.

Not a great day to resume work on the 11th January 2021, (primary workplace – Methodist City Action).

Life moved a mystery way when anyone does the gardening, driving to work or to a friend’s pace even to a cafe and have a yard of chatty.

Enjoying the summer day’s chilly morning to do the cleaning up the garden and pruning the roses. Of course, must wear gloves to protect our precious skins of the hands. Approaching on to the sizeable lovely rose shrub in front of the bedroom windows, the roses’ pleasant smell floated through the window. A time prune back this rose shrub and went on to pruning and pruning until a stab into the gloves. Peeled back the glove of the left hand for inspecting a horrible stab thorn for the worst moment. The glove I wore had peeled the top thorn bit, but the bottom bit stabs into the knuckle for the worst moment. That day was on a Sunday 10th of January.

I never had been troubling of having broken thorns or thorns stabbed into my body part except my partner loathe roses around the gardens. He wishes roses should be chopping down. Why? Well, he has been riding on the ‘ride on mower’ when doing the fields needs mowing down, and he gets a few roses prickled into his body.

The hiccup of pricked broken thorn caused by the planting of broken thorn arthritis is a noninfectious inflammation of a joint due to a thorn puncturing the reciprocal and leaving residual plant matter lodged within the joint. Plant thorn arthritis typically affects only a single joint — the joint that the plant thorn pierced. 

A simple treatment was taken placed in the bathroom for I do have mild asthma and allergy.

To take care of a puncture wound:

1. Wash your hands. This helps prevent infection.
2. Stop the bleeding. Apply gentle pressure with a clean bandage or cloth.
3. Clean the wound. Rinse the wound with clear water for five to 10 minutes. … 
4. Apply an antibiotic. … 
5. Cover the wound. … 
6. Change the dressing. … 
7. Watch for signs of infection.

This detail of the treatment can be found in Mayo Clinic website if you wish to learn how to do the future treatment. I have learnt this treatment over many years. 

The next day we went on a trip to my GP as it was my GP’s appointment for I made the appointment in the previous week ago. I was given another tetanus and two other vaccinations for safety risk, just under eight years away from sixty-five years old. Of course, my GP provided a lovely antibiotic which is more powerful and ancient fashion prescription – Amoxicillin clavulanic acid (Penicillin antibiotic).

Ouch, swearing most of the times in the day yesterday and this morning. The joint knuckles are very painful when I move my third finger. Overnight, I was sleeping okay but struggling for our two dogs loves to sleep on the bed and take up space. Currently the garden jobs are on hold for the moment of the week.

“All of life is coming home. Salesmen, secretaries, coal miners, beekeepers, sword swallowers, all of us. All the restless hearts of the world, all trying to find a way home.” Robin Williams, Patch Adams

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” -Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Today we are approaching the second day of the New Year – 02/01/2021 and wondering what lives will bring everyone in the world – a better to extract the disasters, COVID 19, economy, finances and other things or prepare for the worst to come.

The year 2020 was the worst time for everyone globally, and the most significant impact was COVID19. Many people lost their jobs, their loved ones, their homes and depressed for foods and incomes to pay the bills. What about people/children with disabilities? What about D/deaf people? Have the Government agencies, Health Directors/staff, and other organisations forgotten us? Surely not all of these people have not forgotten, and they tried hard to do their best, but only small things failed within the disAbility area and elderly people’s area of the needs.

At the start of the COVID, the prime minister announced through media and many missing things in the media? The barrier is to provide a live interpreter for the D/deaf people in the community because they do not know or understand what happens. The second barrier is to provide simple information and sign language to the Deaf people to watch the interpreter on their computer/laptop/mobile about the critical tools such as wear transparent mask or use tracker scan. The people with learning disabilities to read the crucial thing in plain English language such as the level of lockdown, wear the mask, tracker scan when visiting shops and offices and wash your hands. The third barrier is how to get foods and drinks from the supermarkets, small shops such as butchery or bakery. The fourth barrier is how to pay the bills where many elderly people do not have computer/laptop/mobile to access banking online. The fifth and sixth barriers are Education, such as providing homeschooling and health needs, such as prescriptions and blood tests. The list of obstacles goes on. Many young generations are lazy, choose to ignore the warning on wearing the masks, social distance/location distance/control borders or become infected with COVID19. Perhaps overall the worst is to pay the fine like in Australia. Many desperate families and individuals wanted to get back home and refused to pay the extra cost to spend two weeks in isolated hotels in New Zealand. Many people were stuck in another country for more than six weeks to a year when their visa expired and unable to afford a trip home plus to stay in an isolated hotel. We have not heard or received any stories from the people with disabilities, D/deaf people, about being stranded away from their own country.

Around globally, many essential workers (I was one of the deaf critical workers) under the social services, health welfare service, and one of the chosen family member volunteers to do many jobs for their families and the people they support. We MUST NOT FORGET the essential workers, polices, nurses, doctors volunteers and Members of the Parliaments work tirelessly throughout 2020 and the start of 2021.

The worst things are not over. There were land disasters like earthquakes, fires, drought and flooding. There were many crimes, Terrorists, even racism like ‘Black Life Matter’ many movements related to ‘Black Lives Matter’ worldwide.

Another one to think of is the Chinese Zodiac to many Chinese people who believe the omen. Last year was the Year of the Rat and bought offend to Tai Sui (God of Age – star). Note Tai Sui star does not exist a real star in the galaxy. The Chinese astrology, people who believe in Zodiac, pointed out from January 25th 2020 lasting to February 11th, the Lunar New Year Eve will lead to the fall out/lousy luck into the coming year where people (born in the Year of the Rat) do something foolish on the New Year Eve 2020. The Rat Year was supposed to bring luck in wealth on the new day of the Year 2020. From February 12th 2021, it will be the Year of the Ox. One person – Hong Kong Chinese astrology master So Man-fung Peter says people born in the year of the rat may find themselves prone to negative thoughts and more disruptions in life. To alleviate the impact, travel more in 2020. But he did not mention about the pandemic – COVID19.

I am not a fan of the Royal family where Prince Harry and his wife decided to break away from the Royal Family and live privately away from the Media. But I do not understand why his wife is still doing it while she and Prince Harry residing in California, through their own media and the website they create and it makes no sense at all.

Yes, we lost friends, family members and several Deaf elderly people last year – most of them were unexpectedly death and natural death. I have lost the count of my closed family/friends, several family members and three Deaf elderly people so far.

With pandemic, social unrest, election chaos, it’s in the running throughout 2020 and now in January 2021. Everyones are tired of hearing more cases of COVID19 in lives and deaths in other countries. There are more opening the can of worms/the personal stories where many people do not know or heard before, which lead to racism. Late last year, journalists, right-wing people and politicians slowly start to see the violent views and choose the words/language for their people in every country. There is an urgent need to open the past of history. For example, our country – Māori people and their past in Aotearoa – New Zealand and our young generation can learn about their past in school/university. Our Deaf history is a significant part for all D/deaf people and people in the community to know about our sign language, our need in technology, culture and Education. But we need more stories from the people with disabilities, elderly people and D/deaf people on how they are doing and managing their lives through COVID19.

This year 2021, we continue to move forward and focus on doing things more positively, such as looking after yourself, keeping in touch with your loved one, growing vegetables in your own home. And start learning from us – D/deaf people, People with disabilities and our need in the communities by making equal and removing the barriers to you all.

Who knows when the COVID19 will end? Will things and people’s lives looking better and improving in 2021? Are there any jobs open up and allow workers/redundant workers to work again? Are we looking up optimistic and rosy lives?

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.  T.S. Eliot