"Temporary Home"

Little boy, six years old
A little too used to being alone
Another new mom and dad
Another school, another house that will never be home
When people ask him how he likes this place
He looks up and says with a smile upon his face

This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know
This is my temporary home

Young mom, on her own
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go
She's looking for a job, looking for a way out
'Cause a halfway house will never be a home
At night she whispers to her baby girl
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world"

This is our temporary home, it's not where we belong
Windows and rooms that we're passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where we're going
I'm not afraid because I know
This is our temporary home

Old man, hospital bed
The room is filled with people he loves
And he whispers
"Don't cry for me, I'll see you all someday"
He looks up and says
"I can see God's face"

This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This was just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know
This was my temporary home

This is our temporary home

A tale of a cook

Before, it was a tale of a singer. Today, it is going to be a tale of a cook.

Named Mary Mallon. A story of decades ago, 1910 ++..

Mary was an immigrant from Ireland, who worked as a servant- a cook for wealthy high class people in New York. Being an immigrant, they were given preoccupied ideas of social classes difference. Who is rich get it all & who is poor lose it all. More or less like the Darwin theory.

The story begins when Mary start working as a cook for a rich family during summer vacation (a temporary job). During her period of working, the rich family's daughters caught typhoid fever, which in a short time, is passed to her mother, the gardeners, and maids. They did not suspect anything at first, but as time passed, rumors started..

Mary was known to 'be there' when outbreaks of typhoid fever happens. Wherever she works, people around her would get sick. So the investigations started. Public health investigator did his job in finding the source of the infection by taking blood, stool and urine sample forcibly from Mary. (who appeared well, healthy..)

She refuses samples taken as she thought it was the government who were trying to kick her out of the country or framing her in a crime she did not commit. Involvements of doctors, public health investigators and even polices took place.

She was eventually diagnosed as a 'healthy carrier' of the disease ad was brought into quarantine hospital somewhere in an isolated island for 3 years! Without her consent and without her believing she actually is a carrier. She caused many deaths so government actions to quarantine her was the best action possible. She was stressed out, psychologically and physically during her 'lock-up' in the hospital. Interns calling her names, not looked out by the nurses.. she felt very much frustrated, upset and depressed that she wrote letters expressing her feelings.

She was given antibiotic treatment, but because she is a chronic carrier, which means the bacteria has lodge in her gall bladder, the antibiotic wasn't effective, bcoz it cannot oenetrate gall bladder to do its action.

her six paged letters during her stay in the hospital

She was released after 3 years with a promise never to work as a cook again. But it did not took her a long time to miss her old profession. She then changed her last name and resumed her work as a cook. And the cycle of typhoid started again. She was then being the 'most wanted and dangerous women in america'.

Recaptured, she then was quarantined for the rest of her life until her death.

THYPHOID FEVER

Typhoid fever is an infectious disease caused by bacteria salmonella. It is transmitted through food contaminated by the organism which exits the body through feces and urine.

salmonella

So imagine, those who were infected ACTUALLY ate the urine and feces transmitted by Mary when she prepared and cooked food for them! Euww.. Also, cockroaches and flies may carry the organism on their feet and contaminate the food you are eating.

Symptoms are such: fever, headache, weakness, constipation/ diarrhea, spleen enlargement. Unfortunate patients might develop gut perforation or gut bleeding.

It is cured by specific antibiotics.

Moral of the story: keep cleanliness of your food. Avoid eating outside food. Cook by yourself to ensure the safety of your families' health!

click to read

Pentingkah pujian?

Assalamualaikum.

Rasanya macam sudah lama tidak menulis dalam bahasa melayu secara formal. Kali ini, izinkan kalam hamba ditulis dalam bahasa ibunda dengan keformalan yang maksimum.hehe

Bercerita tentang target dan pencapaian. Pentingkah pujian daripada orang sekeliling untuk kita mencapai target yang kita impikan? Jawapan saya: YA. Sangat penting.

Jawapan ini bukan berdasarkan kajian tetapi melalui pengalaman. Usia hanya 25 tetapi telah banyak peringkat yang seusia ini lalui, terutamanya dalam lingkungan study.

Bermula dengan sekolah rendah. Waktu itu, saya antara pelajar yang dikenali guru-guru. Entah kenapa. Mungkin kerana menjawat jawatan pengawas dan sentiasa menjalankan tugas dengan teliti dan tegas, mungkin juga kerana keputusan peperiksaan yang baik, mungkin juga selalu membantu cikgu membahagi-bahagikan susu sekolah? hehe

Menjadi timbalan ketua pengawas yang dijawat rakan baik saya ketika itu, saya antara mereka yang bertuah kerana dimasukkan kedalam kelas pertama dalam darjah 6. Bertuah kerana kami mendapat tumpuan penuh dalam usaha mencapai target 5A dalam UPSR.

Saya masih ingat, pada hari keputusan UPSR di umumkan, saya dan rakan-rakan pengawas mengadakan lawatan ke kilang. Tak ingat adakah ia kilang susu, pepsi atau biskut. Lawatan sambil belajar. Apa yang dipelajari di kilang tu saya pun taktau. Balik dari lawatan, keputusan sudah dipampang di papan kenyataan.

Ketika tekun mencari nama pada tampalan kertas yang agak tinggi untuk pelajar darjah 6, saya terpaksa melangut dan tercari-cari disebalik tangan guru-guru yang turut melihat sama. Saya akhirnya terjumpa kelibat nama Nurul Iffah Sainuri. Pada ketika yang sama, ada jari yang besar menunjuk ke nama saya. " Ini yang aku nda sangka. Macam mana dia boleh dapat straight.." Kata cikgu itu kepada kawannya, iaitu juga cikgu saya. Saya menoleh. Dia kaget terkejut. Saya buat muka tak puas hati. Dia lantas berkata " Eh, sori- sori. Cikgu nda sedar kamu ada disini.."

Cikgu itu cikgu Bahasa Melayu saya.

darjah lima Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanjung Aru 1, KK

Berikutan dengan keputusan baik saya dalam UPSR, saya melangkah ke sekolah berasrama penuh KK. Itupun setelah memohon untuk pengambilan kedua. Nampak sangat sekolah rendah tak pernah cadangkan nama saya untuk masuk ke sekolah ni. Sampai terpaka memohon sendiri.

Disini pula alkisahnya, rakan saya seorang pelajar semenanjung hendak balik ke kampung halamannya, Kelantan. Maka kami yang semuanya berada dalam tingkatan yang sama semua mula bersedih dengan pemergian rakan ini, termasuklah seorang guru ni. Beliau yang merangkap warden asrama, yang selalu mengejutkan saya selepas light off untuk memastikan semua ahli bilik berada di katil masing-masing. " Kalau kawan kamu tu pindah, dah takdalah student muslim yang pandai di sekolah ni.", katanya kepada rakan-rakan saya di kelas sebelah. Rakan saya pula menjawab. "Iffah kan ada.. Iffah tu kan pandai."

Jawab guru ini pula "Tak.. Iffah tu tak boleh". Kawan-kawan tergamam. Mereka pula memberitahu hal ini kepada saya setelah balik ke asrama.

Guru itu ustazah saya.

Dan pada tahun yang sama, saya mendapat tempat kedua keseluruhan dalam tingkatan.

tingkatan 1, SM Sains Sabah,KK

Beralih pula pada zaman universiti. Kami kelompok pelajar kedua yang menjalani program baru perubatan yang dianjurkan pihak universiti. Jadi sebelum kami, ada sekolompok pelajar lagi yang menjadi guinea pig pertama, kami guinea pig yang kedua. Belum ada pelajar yang grad, jadi program baru ini belum diketahui keberkesanannya. Oh ya, program ini program PBL. Problem-Based Learning. Masih baru di universiti kami, walaupun ianya telah banyak diaplikasi dalam bidang perubatan di negara lain termasuk Malaysia.

"What is the molecule of IgG?" Tanya doktor. Semua pelajar diam, tiada yang menjawab. Jujurnya kami tidak pernah belajar Biochemistry sehingga selesai. Biochemistry hanya diajar dalam kadar yang sedikit, bak kata doktor yang mengajar subjek ini terdahulu, "kamu hanya perlu tahu ini sahaja. Yang lain tu tak perlu tahu, ini sahaja yang masuk silibus dan ini sahaja yang akan keluar dalam peperiksaan". Kembali kepada doktor yang bertanya soalan tadi.. "This is Manchester Student. I never believe in this program from the start!". Kami semua tercengang. Marah pun ada. Apa doktor ingat silibus ni kami yang buat, suka hati nak buang itu ini. Tiba-tiba kami pulak dipersalahkan sebab tak pernah belajar benda yang dia tanya.

dan of course doktor itu doktor saya.Yang mengajar kelas saya.

cardiology, tahun 4, Universiti Mansurah, Mesir

Kepada guru-guru diluar sana, yang ikhlas ataupun tidak mendidik anak-anak murid untuk berjaya, suntiklah semangat untuk mereka. Saya jujurnya sedih mengingat saat-saat diri ini tidak diyakini para guru, sedangkan saya mampu. Saya bernasib baik kerana mempunyai family dan persekitaran yang positif. Bayangkan jika orang sekeliling juga tidak pernah memandang positif pada saya, saya rasa saya akan hanyut terumbang ambing dipukul ombak entah ke mana.

"Tanamkanlah keyakinan positif pada orang-orang yang anda cintai, maka mereka akan menciptakan yang terbaik melebihi apa yang anda yakinkan", kata Dr Aga, ESQ 165.

Tak susah beri pujian dan keyakinan pada orang lain. Tak ke comforting bila orang lain puji kita? Tak ke rasa lebih bersemangat? Jangan jadi punca masa depan orang lain musnah bila kata-kata kamu yang bunuh semangatnya.

Para pendidik, awasi kata-kata anda.

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