The New Year’s Resolution of the Ordinary People: the Ending of MERS-CoV, War, & Inflation

The lights in the darkness, as we’re, still, not yet, out of, the darkness, but there’s that dawn that’s, coming on, in the, distance, if only we can all, look closely, and treat those whom we encounter with, kindness, as this world, slowly, heals back up…off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

Going to the super convenience shops, the cashier whom I knew well told me, that the elderly woman’s son is dead.  The elderly woman is a frequent customer, she’d often shopped there, and sat for an entire afternoon, and she had only her son with him, her life is, lonely.  The younger generations of cashiers and workers all loved the kind elderly woman, and when they’re not working, they would carry in conversation with the elderly woman.

The elderly woman had often come to pay for her own son’s traffic fines, and she’d started, ranting, “Told him to drive slow, he didn’t listen, always sped, and gets caught, and disregarded the fine notices, I can’t stand it, so I’d, paid for the fines for him…”, the clerk told her to get hard on her son, to NOT pay for his fines again.  And yet, the next time, the elderly woman still came, to pay, and still kept, telling how bad her son is.

Not long ago, the elderly woman came into the shop to print something, she’d looked sad, and, I’d asked her what happened?  She’d told me sorrowfully, that her son is, gone, he’d contracted MERS-CoV, and was, getting better too, but, with a progressive conditions, he’d still, died.  And so, all of us, tried our best, to offer her console best as we can, as the New Year’s arriving soon, her being alone, it’d, impacted us so very, much.

An elder told me, that she’d seen the news of the pandemic growing worse again in China, and the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict that’s, caused the people to be without their homes, and all those footages she saw on T.V., made her heart break, and so, she’d, stopped, watching the news.  But she’d still, carried on in the means of giving to the community on her own just the same, she’d told, that she hoped that 2022 can soon be over, that the pandemic had taken many lives now, plus the impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict, causing the hikes in everything we need, a lot of families are, torn apart, so many became, unemployed; there’s no way to make ends meet, in her own means, within her own capabilities, she’d, often donated to the charitable foundations that helped out the lesser in the communities. 

In the unsettlement of the times, there are still, many who are, kind and warm in the world, in the waves of the cold fronts coming on, these individuals offered hope, and warmth to the world.  A single mother posted on the Group of our local community, that her son in elementary school is saving up the pints of the super convenience stores, he’d wanted the items from the cartoon, but she’s a low-income household, and she also has cancer, she couldn’t, afford to spend so much money, to buy enough to get the stickers for the points she’d begged the neighbors, to donate some points.  As soon as the posting came up, everybody started responding, and fulfilled the young child’s wish, and, it’d, helped shown the mother the compassions.

China is currently being HIT by the waves of the pandemic, there’s the cold meds shortages, my older sister who lives in China couldn’t get the meds, and asked if I could mail a couple of packs of cold meds, or the Chinese herbal cure remedies for MERS-CoV.  I bought a few boxes of Theraflu, and, there was only, a box of the Chinese herbal cure remedy left, I’d bought it, and thought, I should probably, mail one more does, and as I passed through the traditional Chinese medicinal shop, I’d gone in to inquire if there are the ingredients, and as the owner heard I was mailing them to across the strait, he’d pulled out two bottles from the back, told me that there are only, two bottles remaining, that he won’t sell them, only give them to those who are in need; and told me, this was made from the same ingredients of the Chinese herbal remedies to treat MERS-CoV, that from before when the pandemic was hitting us hard, he’d given away so many bottles, not asking for money for them.  I am so appreciative for the shop owner’s compassion, and grateful that he’d held no discrimination toward China, and was willing to help me help my own sister.

In the past year, although, the nine-in-one election had shaken up the communities here, I’m still more than grateful for all the loves, all the wonderful things I’d encountered, I hope, that the new dawn of the new year will light the path of our future, I hope, that the pandemic, wars, and inflations, will all be over, soon.

And so, despite how the world is really bad, overall, there are still, those tiny moments of hope that sparked, that lights people’s heart up, like this woman’s encounter, and that just showed, how kindness still starts small, from individuals, and then, it will hopefully, spread out, and, if we interact, relate to one another in this mean, I’m sure that this will speed the healing process of the planet up too.

The Cover-Up of the Middle School Principal of Hsinbei City Beating the Students

PHYSICAL “discipline”, aka, CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS of students are already, “banned”, since, early 2000s already, and yet, there are still the unfitting educators who’d, resorted to this sort of a, physical, abuse!  Off of the Newspapers, translated…

Until the Parents Made the Disclosures, Did the Principal Get Demoted Down to the Position of a School Instructor, the Department of Education Only Gave Him a Written Reprimand, Sparking Up the Debates

Last year in January, a male student from a certain middle school in Hsinbei City, because he’d brought the cigarettes to school, was called into the principal’s office, the principal and the male student engaged each other physically, in the end, it’d turned into a case of physical assault of the student by the principal, the school covered up the incident, and not notified the authorities, until last year in November, the parents called the Department of Education to report this incident, that was when the school principal went back to the position of the school instructor.  The Department of Education only gave the principal a warning, the Humanistic Foundation believed it was way too lenient, that the principal should get fired.

Last year in January, a male student from a middle school in Hsinbei City brought the cigarettes to school, and got called into the principal’s office, but the principal and students got into a heated argument and started engaging each other physically, and the school principal was said to have beaten the student on the head, the face, pulling on his collar, causing the student to sustain an injury on his neck, even the zippers on the student’s school jacket got pulled off by the principal.

But afterwards, the school didn’t report this incident with the Department of Education as a concern of safety matter of the school, the parents got upset, and last year in November, the parents went to the Department of Education to report this, the principal in April of this year, excused himself from the position of the school principal, and got demoted to a school instructor, and by August, he’d been, officially, reassigned as a school instructor.

The Department of Education, after they were notified by the student and parents, went into full investigation on the matter, and hosted the evaluation of the principal committee, and the principal ended up with a written warming, and the school is asked to evaluated itself, and to reinforce the trainings of the school officials, to report these incidents as they occur.

The parent, Jiang believed, that the principal, as the head of the school, the role model for all the school instructors, should NOT have gotten angered, and engaged with the student.  The C.E.O. of the Humanitarian Education Foundation, Feng believed, that the principal clearly isn’t fitting to work as a school instructor, the Department of Education should stop the contract for hire on his, set up the standards, so the other school principal can use this man’s example of what not to do.

The Department of Education stated, that the decision was made from reviewing the reports of investigation of the case, and they’d found the principal’s improper means of discipline to be valid, and there’s the zero tolerance policy on improper discipline methods, and, they’d asked the school to start up the counseling measures for the student.

And, another Tae-Kwon Do coach from Hsinbei took the teams to compete nationally, and the accusations of his sexually harassing the trainees, the Tae-Kwon Do Association of R.O.C. investigated the matter, and pulled the coach off of his coaching post temporarily, and the school had rehired him back, causing the panic in the parents.  The Department of Education explained, that as the schools hire the personnel, they should check with the database with the reported improper behaviors of instructors are listed, and this particular coach didn’t have any records, and the school is asked to verify the status of behaviors of this particular coach, to stop this sort of violence from recurring in school, to protect the rights of the school’s instructors, and, students.

And so, you can see, there’s, this, LACKING in the systems of reporting these things, and, besides, if it were up to the schools independent to report these incidents, then, chances are, the schools are not going to, because, the schools don’t want to be labeled as hiring improper instructors, because that would then, affect the enrollment rate, which will, cause the school to shut down, especially with the decline in birth rate by the year, and this is the way the schools keep themselves in operation, by covering up the bad behaviors of those, ill-fitted, educators, and this is truly, B-A-D!

The Powers Come from the Truths, and the Government Actually Believes, that Lengthening the Service Terms Can Help the Country Defend Itself Against China?

How this DDP government, and the president, Tsai, JUSTIFIED the means of elongating the armed service terms, and, we (especially those in the younger generations!) aren’t, BUYING it!  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

Awhile back, the president started her speech, with the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict, stated that the authoritarianism of China is, expanding, to justify the means of lengthening the armed service terms.  The fights between the two greats: the U.S. and China, it’d made Taiwan even more, reliant on or with the need of listening to the “advice” of the U.S.; the president doesn’t feel that the U.S. is pressuring Taiwan, instead, used how the Ukrainian government’s tightening up the guards to fight for their country’s territories, stated, “Taiwan is strong enough, this place will become the primary field of the world’s playing field ofe what freedom looks like, the country won’t turn into a warzone.”

The government used its, simplistic, and brash mottos, to turn the discussions of lengthening the service terms into a more advanced version of “defying China to protect Taiwan”, the lengthening of the service term, is only a means to an end, a façade, while it’d turned us, into an artillery for the U.S., in the fight between the U.S. and China, and Taiwan now has, nowhere to go, with the leader of this country, unwilling, to discuss the possibilities of, peace, to avoid war at all costs.

As the policies of defense manipulated patriotism, and not rationally considered what’s practical, and the voluntary armed service terms are the mainstream, not resolving the problems at hand, placing the voluntary servicepersons onto that frontline, and it’d shown, how the party in power didn’t give up on the “defying China”  hand that’s not won it its local elections, and, this sort of an imbalance of military power, and the government’s claims being impractical, how can we the people not be disappointed in the government, and feel cheated?

Being ready for war, it’s the basis of keeping the country safe from invasions, but, can war be, avoided, it relies entirely on the diplomatic means of our, government.  Should the president, and the party in power, NOT explain the difficulties, the hardships of communicating with China to the people, or do they want us to, just, following their leadership, blindly?  I hope, that next year, the government, and the people will both have the courage, to know, that “knowledge IS power, and the TRUTH of what’s happened right now, being, the most important we need to take a note of”.

And so, this is how the DDP still, hypnotizes we the people, that we will have aid, which is entirely bullshit, as the U.S. only wanted to turn this country into a weapon storage unit, and what do you think will happen, if war does, break out?  The U.S. won’t be sending any extra military personnel to help us out, we’d be, on our own, and then, this island will be taken over by Communist China, with Tsai and the DDP, the first in line, to get, EXECUTED, and what then, huh???

What We Need, in Order to, Age Gracefully

How this elderly man, INSISTED on staying independent, troubling his younger generations, as little as possible, and that, is how he chooses, to live out the rest of his old age!  Translated…

“I’d never seen an elderly, who’s so strong, and independent”, the caretaker said, in a heartfelt manner.  The elderly person she spoke of is ninety-three years old, originally physically healthy, but as he contracted MERS-CoV in June, he’d started, deteriorating; his wife died a long time ago, all of his children are in Taipei, but his son died a little over a decade ago.  Back then, his two grandchildren were still very young, his daughter-in-law, diagnosed with cancer, no time to grieve, he’d left the property in Taipei to his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, went home to Chiayi to live alone, and found work in a local temple, rode up north every month, to bring the $5,000N.T. he’d saved as he worked, and saved up on what he needed to give to his grandchildren, and he’d done that, for decades.

And yet, the elderly man’s daughter felt that he shouldn’t just give to his daughter-in-law and grandsons, thought he’d played, favorites, and only visited back home on the New Year’s and the holidays.  And, even as he didn’t have anybody to look after him, he’d not blamed anybody for it.  Several months back, he’d accidentally tripped and fallen, his daughter filed for the long-term care help, and the caretaker visited him twice a week to help with cleaning the home, and bathing him, but, as he was able, he’d, not wanted to impose, and, sometimes, when the caretaker came, she’d found that he was already, cleaned off, and took care of himself.

Not long ago, he’d contracted acute pneumonia, collected his own overnight pack, checked himself into the hospital, not told his daughter, or daughter-in-law, it wasn’t until the hospital notified the family, did his daughter learn, that he’d been, hospitalized.  And yet, because of work, and school, nobody went home to visit him, and he’d still, smiled on about it, he’d stayed for half a month that time, and was able to, go home.

Or maybe, in other people’s beliefs, this elderly man does NOT have a good old age, but he’d never felt any self-pity, and continued to live his days, as he is, supposed to, and, coped with whatever life, and fate throws at him.  In this aging world, with the populations of elderly living alone on the rise, illness, changes, loneliness, death…………can’t be, avoided.  I’d once read the article of the Taiwan Real Estate Company’s C.E.O. said: from settling into the elderly years, to aging happy, one needs three things: “The self, a means of make a living, and money saved”.  I think, the means to make a living including being independent, this is, the BEST state of mind, entering into our elderly years, that way we will, age healthy, happy, and, go on living, with dignity.

And so, you can see, how this elderly man, hated imposing, and that’s why, he’d done, everything by himself, and this can be hard on some, if they see that everybody her/his age is with the company of their younger generations, but this elderly man carried the attitude of staying independent, and it is his attitude, I think, that’s made him, so well-adapted to living on his own in his own, elderly, years.

When Everything “Nurturing” is Assigned a Female Sex

This is still, S-H-I-T, I mean, who the @#$% (maxed out!) says, that nurture is synonymous with the, female gender characteristics, huh?

And, what OF, those FEMALE heads of companies, the C.E.O.’s of some, Fortune 500s that make ALL the decisions, and tackles the problems of the companies’ operations, assertively, huh?

But, that’s just it, since the start of time (don’t ask how long ago that was, ‘cuz…how the @#$% would I know???), you men put us, women, IN our places, locking us up with those, chastity belts (uh, you’ve got to be shitting me!), keeping us inside them, gilded cages, and you head out of the “hearth” (the WHAT again???), and bring home the bacon, the bread, going out, hunting with them, big-ass, clubs………………

and THIS, would be, MORE like it!

found online…

Which forces the role of the nurturer, onto us, women, because IF we don’t take up that role, then, who’s gonna!  And this is just how sexism continues, even today, and yeah, we women are slowly getting on an equal basis with all of you, mother @#$%ING, sons-of-BITCHES (still not the four-legged “varieties” I’m afraid…), but we’re still, not quite there, at the same level as you losers out there.

And this is still just SHIT, I mean, why the HELL should we women, suffer the consequences, of those who are before us, who are used to living the role of the “fitting wife”, the good mother, the nurturing, type?

I mean, what if (here’s that though!), we want to focus on our job, we are, career-oriented, like you losers, huh?  Then, we’d get TRASH talked, for NOT taking CARE of the “hearth”…

Yeah, you’ve got to be, shitting me here!

Who Chooses Between Shame & War

The words coming out of this god damn BOBBLE head, still does NOT get run through her head first here, the blabbing of the president of this country, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

It’d been, 745 days, the President, Tsai finally, came in front of the press, and, she seemed a bit, ill-prepared, believed that the reporters are asking too many, questions.  She’d told the press to not rush, that this would NOT be the only opportunity they will have to ask her the questions.  As the online community see this segment of the interviews, they’d all chimed out loud, “if we don’t ask now, we won’t ever, get, another, chance again!”

Certainly, asking a question directly toward the president, it’s, next to, impossible, and, it’s even harder, for her, NOT to, beat around the bushes.  Like how on this day, she’d finally, spoken out loud, and for most of the responses to the press’s inquiries, she’d, slurred through her responses, or that she would, quote someone else.  On the matter of elongating the service terms, she’d told, “we need to be prepared to ready ourselves for war”, this does NOT work, because we the people see the government, in preparation for war, but not trying to, evade from it, and, more times, the government is, BEGGING for war, and kept pushing China.  And, on this mean, how would the lengthening of the service terms to a whole year, be enough?

the servicemen, running the drills! Photo from online

Tsai knew she’d lacked the persuasive means, and quoted Churchill to help her out, “before being shamed and going to war, if wee choose being shamed, we still have to face up to war after the shames”.  Problem being, Churchill blurted these words out EIGHTY years ago, who wants the options of picking between shame and war?  In the harder times from before, Taiwan passed through the cannons firing of the August 23^rd back in 1958; and now, finally, there’s, peace between us and China, the president, Tsai made us pick between war and shame, what sort of a god damn logic is this?

Tsai’s quote, was used before in March by Su, her head of state; back then, they were talking over the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict in the legislature, hoping, that the people on this land, will be willing, to fight to protect our own, territory.  This is BULLSHIT, living in a free country, which citizens of Taiwan doesn’t love this, country?  The younger generations, yeah, they can go to the battlefields to fight, sure, but, the leaders needed a better sense of, direction first, which country’s leader asks the people to choose between taking in the shame, and war?

And so, the literariness of this god DAMN DICTATORSHIP stopped making sense to the people, and, Tsai may have the intentions of this particular speech to give off the effects of that of a “pep talk”, only, only WE the people don’t buy into it, and so, she’s onstage, singing her tunes, while the rest of us, ordinary people are picking up the eggs (hey, didn’t we just have a shortage of these awhile back???), the tomatoes, and, readying ourselves, to LAUNCH!

That would be how the “All for Taiwan, and Taiwan for ALL” motto, quit, working for everybody in the country, especially the younger generations of males, who are, going to be the “targets” of the lengthening of the service terms, and this is NOT going to win Tsai her popularity back, at A-L-L!

He & His Champion Daughter

The love unspoken, but expressed in all other ways, between this daughter toward her father, translated…

That day, I’d prepared my father’s supper for him, he’d blurted out, “I feel so blessed, to have you as my daughter!  My daughter really treats me, wonderfully!”  and his demeanor didn’t sound like the joking he’d used many a year on end, nor was it an exaggerated sort of encouragement, it was more like the tip of the ball-point pen, on paper, and the ink just, seeped out, naturally., then, slowly, spreading out.

I’d pretended I’d not heard him, focused on setting the table, and, turned on the fifty-fourth episode of the Ancient Chinese soap, so the old man who’s closing in on seventy can, get into, the Ching Dynasty immediately, and, that was, that.

In the deep on the nights, the words of my father, caused me to toss and turn.

Was this the very first time he’d given me words of praise?  Yes, and no.  I’d longed for his approval since I was growing up, so I’d worked my best, to be, a perfect child in his eyes, got into N.T.U., applied for my graduate studies abroad, entered into the field of, finance…….and of course, my father gave me the accolades, affirmed my hard work, but for a daughter, those words of praises, were too, superficial, his alternative motive was the core of it all: be a good daughter.

illustration from UDN.com

And yet, in this, historical moment, I’d not taken my father’s hand in mine, or like a three-year-old, rammed into his arms, not even, a smile.  Toward his thoughtfulness, his daughter, no responses, instead, I’d, tried to, escape it, I’d recalled the term, “phony syndrome”, was it that in my, subconscious, I’d still felt, not quite deserving of, his praises yet?

After my mother passed, every year I’d taken my father abroad on trips, the U.S., India , New Zealand…….I’d set up the itineraries.  I’d even bought him a business class airfare on the trip to the U.S., took him to the N.B.A. draft-pick games; he’d still chimed on to his friends, how Mitchell can really, jump high, but I couldn’t, recall a single name from the players’ group.  My father’s photography skills are, way inferior than my mom’s, loving the beautiful photos, I’d given up and, turned all of the photos with me in it on that trip, as accidental gains, and just, focused on taking shots of my father, which became a bragging right for him in his group of elders.

During the time of the outbreak, I’d cooked for my father every single day, not too greasy, clean, and sanitary, and reduced his going outside, to avoid contraction; every time mealtime rolled around, the foods would be served on the table, and I’d, tried encouraging him to wash his hands more often.  And whenever we had our differences of opinions, I’d, found that hideout in my room, to try to come up with ways, to break the ice with him, and, asked my husband how my father-in-law’s frames of mind worked to use as a model; in his capableness, I’d set up the electronic devices for him, wrote down the steps to use them, hoping that he could, be comfortable at home, and forget about the inconvenience that the pandemic had, caused in his, life.

The habits formed in fourteen days, and my father, is man too.

I’d not thought about getting any praises from him, because this, is my duty to him as his daughter, but, those behaviors, not for short-term, maybe, it’d spanned across the decades of our, lives, surpassing the few months’ of the pandemic growing. 

I’m no imposter, I’m, definitely, his offspring.

I would NOT ask him, the words he’d blurted out that evening, was it intentional, or was it, long-time-coming, nor would I have the courage to apologize, and, that “good daughter”, had used her silence, and the lack of expressions on her face, to respond to the applauses she’d been hoping to get for more than thirty years on end.  Even as I penned this article down, my fingers are, tingling from the nerves.  Thankfully, I have his blood that flows through me, this is definite, believing, that so long as I have the time to be with him, if he stays healthy, this would be, a perfect love we will have, to share.

And, this is the love of a daughter for her father, and, maybe she may not blurt the word I love you out loud, but, her actions showed how much she’d cared, and loved her father, and I’m more than certain, that her father feels her love too.

The Japanese Government Can’t Intervene as Religion is Used to Abuse Children & Adolescents

How Japan now, came up with a way, to protect the children’s own right to their own religion, different from their parents’, meaning, that the parents have NO right to FORCE their own young, to practice the SAME religions as they believe in!  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

“No birthdays, no national anthems, no school fight songs.  From when I first known, I was pulled into the church group.” The man, with the false identity of Dan-Saku, at the age of eighteen, cut off contact with his own mother, who belonged to the Japanese worship group, “Jehovah’s Witness”.  He and other children who have religious fanatics as parents are pushing for the laws of “banning the abuse from religious groups” into the Japanese constitution, but the Japanese government in December, only passed the help acts to assist the victims who are scammed by the improper donations of religious groups.

The government’s welfare department will issue the formal edicts to the local governments, that if the parents use fears to brainwash the children into getting involved with the religious activities, to keep their young from obtaining a higher level of education, to find the work they wished to find, all qualifies as emotional abuse under child abuse, and the government is going to initiate the response to protect these children immediately.

But, there’s, the gray area of if the parents keep on using the religious teachings to educate their own young, pressuring them to join the religious groups, does this, constitute as, child abuse, an area, that the government, does NOT, dare to, touch.

The professor of the constitution, Minaminomori believe, that the second generation of the believers are stripped of their freedom of religion, but without the general signs of child abuse, it is difficult for public agencies to, intervene into the matter.

Practically, the children who’d been abused by religion emotionally, seeking help from the government agencies, and there’s no help given to them, because the government uses the “Freedom of Religion” clause.  The province, due to the lack of protection of the rights of children, used the more civil definitions of the forcing of the family’s religious beliefs onto the children for the family as, child abuse.

And so this, would be, an advanced law, because, we normally become whatever religions our parents would, follow, that’s, just how it is, but, due to how religions are becoming, excuses to force the children to comply to the ways of the church, the Japanese government now set this, law to protect the right of children, against their parents’, forcing them, to follow the same religion that their parents have.

This is a quite advanced law for children’s right to choose a different religion from their parents.

Giving Them a Hand, Liao Helped the Homeless Get Back on Track

The amazing work of a social worker from this foundation, helping the homeless population, and educating the members of the public, to be more tolerant, more accepting to those who aren’t, with as much resources, off of the Newspapers, translated…

The Homeless Taiwan Association’s female social worker, Liao, started working to help rehome the homeless population four years ago, she believes, that, everyone can be hit by the hard times; hoping to catch those who are in need in time, wanting to assist the homeless persons to break the vicious cycles of ending up on the streets, and also educating the public about the various faces of poverty, giving the help to the homeless, and help them find a better place in society.

Liao said, that her social work studies in the college years didn’t have a specialized department teaching her how to assist the homeless, after she’d graduated, she’d started working at the Samaritan Female Care Association of Taichung, and started getting involved in helping the female homeless population locally.  She’d worked with a moderately mentally decapacitated twenty-three-year-old woman who was homeless with her father, lived on the streets, then got placed in the shelters, and found work at a work center, it’d left a deep impression with her.

the social worker, teaching someone who’s homeless how to use a SmartPhone, photo courtesy of UDN.com

Homeless is a condition, NOT an identity, it can, happen to, anybody, from the societal level, it may be the pandemic, the financial crises, the changing in formation of the industries, which caused the middle age and older adults to become unemployed, and due to their age, their low levels of education, without a viable skill, they can easily turn to the streets; and there’s the other, personal factors, maybe due to illness, the lack of functioning in the homes, or the death of the parents, at age twenty, couldn’t find a viable way to make a living, no governmental, no external support, and in the end, ending up, on the, streets.

Liao said, assisting the homeless, other than helping them return back to society, she’d also wanted people to understand their predicaments, the foundation has the rehoming services, the medical, the employment assistance, and legal counseling, etc., etc., etc., and now, there’s the, “Scented Bathhouse” program, to allow the homeless to take a shower comfortably.

It’s not always easy, offering services to the homeless, Liao also felt defeated, if there were only, two, three successful cases, but the rest all fall back into the homeless state of, being, sometimes, when the organization give out the resources in the nights, for instance, if they’d started eating the meals as they received, this may be the individuals’ first meal, and sometimes, the passersby would start cussing them out, and believed, that it’s because the homeless are not working hard enough for their lives, that’s why they ended up, homeless.

Liao said, every generation is troubled by different things, seeing the struggles of the homeless population at the bottom of society, she hoped that everybody can live on with ease, it’s just, that there are different values, and different ways people make their own lives, matter, that the homeless aren’t at all, good for nothings, if everybody can try and understand that there are others who are different than s/he is, and be accepting to one another, then, this world will be a better place for all.

And so, this is the amazing work of this social worker, she’d helped those who are homeless for whatever reasons to get back on their own two feet, and she’s now, trying to help those in the society understand, that there’s more to the homeless population, than the fact, that they’re, wandering the streets, that they all have their, stories to share.

Heading Off to Work Together

The children all, moving back in, during the times of the pandemic, to work for the family business, and, you got your loved ones, by your side, there’s nothing more wonderful than that!  Translated…

Since Mr. Chen moved into the neighborhood, at 7:30 in the morn, the rustling of noises came from his yard, the family of five started, chitter chatter, can’t make out what they’re saying, but it’d felt, very, heartwarming; a bit later, the car started, Mr. Chen is off to work with his children, leaving Mrs. Chen at home, then, the alley turned, silent, once more.  Seeing how the family go everywhere together, how they can, take care of one another, and it saves on the gas too.

Once I was hanging out the laundry, I’d bumped into Mrs. Chen who was also busying about on her own balcony, we’d started up conversations, I’d commended how her family got along well, how the children worked together with their father to make the company work, that there would be no trouble for the passing of the torch.  She’d told me, that things aren’t as they appeared on the outside, “actually, because of the pandemic for the past three years, the company received less and less order slips, and the outlooks of my children’s jobs, also, affected, that is what’s happened in my home, my children had all returned back to the nest, and we are all, making life work together.”

like this!

photo from online

Or maybe, they think, that this sudden change messed up their work and plans of life, I’d felt, that this may be, a blessing in disguise, in the unpredicted era of the pandemic, it’s the families’ wishes that they’re all, living together.

Every weekend now, Mrs. Chen always busied in and out, early in the morn, she’d ridden her scooter to the marketplace to shop.  Close to noontime, there came, the cooking ventilation, the sound of the iron spatula against the wok, with the aromatic foods being cooked, it’d made me hungry too, and, the smell of the foods next door, overpowered my steamed vegetables, and, as I’d, plated my cooking, I’d taken a whiff, it’d felt, that my foods, smelled, better, my husband thought that I’d, improved my, cooking skills.

Turns out, that their company isn’t shipping every day in a rush, their days are, easier, and Mr. Chen would take his parents over to their home to spend the weekends.  It’s a wonder, that I would, hear the noises of people coming from the cracks of the window, and, their laughter, animated our quiet alley, made it sound like the celebrations of the New Year coming early, how wonderful!

Today, I saw from my window, the eldest daughter of the family, smiling, getting into the driver’s side, the son on the passenger, and the youngest daughter, with Mr. Chen on her arms, laughing and talking, got in the, back, I’d watched them off to work, and, whispered my blessings to them.  There are the gains in the losses, don’t feel bad for the loss, and, do hooray for what you’d gained; especially in the matter of family, because that is, something, priceless, the best time you have to share with those whom you love dearly.

And so, this, is on how simple happiness can be, how easy it is, that we often, forget, what is, important in our lives, our own loved ones, and, this is especially noted, in times of the pandemic, with a lot of people still, dying each and every day, that makes us want to, hold those whom we love, close.