Adious 2013, Hola 2014!

Are you guys excited? 2014 is approaching in a few hours time! And I'm so looking forward to it!

2013 has been a really interesting year for me as I have faced many ups and downs moments of my life. One of the main highlights was leaving my second home, Australia (Brissy, to be specific!). Up to this day, I still very much miss the life in Brissy. I love its laid-back style; everything seems to be very relaxed and easy-going, which really suits my personality, unlike Malaysia. I really dislike the lifestyle here in Malaysia, as it's fast-paced; people seem to be rushing all the time! Most importantly, I miss all the good people I met over there, you know who you are :) They are like family to me; always there for me and supporting me during my happiest and also darkest moments. I love you guys very much! It was really difficult for me to move back to Malaysia, I cried the whole journey back to Malaysia like literally (from the time I stepped into the airport shuttle bus in Brissy and to the time I landed and reached Malaysia safely). I had to go back as I was unemployed for nearly 5- 6 months since I graduated, I can't just waste precious time and money just by not doing anything! But Brissy, just letting you know that I'LL BE BACK, it's just a matter of time, wait for my return ;)!

Another highlight of the year was I got my very first job. It was really scary at first because I didn't know what to expect! I always hear some of my friends complaining about their work, colleagues, and always going back home very late at night, whereas there are some friends that very much love their job and enjoy working! Thank goodness, for me, it turned out to be great! I love my job, my colleagues are amazing and I have very supporting supervisors, who are always there for us whenever we needed help! And I really learned a lot from working. Besides, having a job made me feel more independent than before! It was really exciting when I got my first pay, I was able to support myself by buying things with my own money, giving my parents money so that they could pay the bills, very satisfying! 

I hope 2014 will be a good year. Yiks, that reminds me, I will need to start setting some goals! I want to improve myself in terms of my attitude, and learning new skills, AND to make life more interesting! :) Anyway, *hold wine glass up high*, here's to the new year! I wish everyone happiness, good wealth and also good health! 

Happy new year!

Flo

Little D's surprise

In my previous post, I mentioned that one of the best parts of working with children with Autism is that we get to witness the little changes that they've made through our guidance and teachings. Well, I took "little D" today and he did something that made my jaw dropped like literally.

I was carrying out my session by doing some reinforcer development; the target was to promote a Domino video. And that particular video consists of a cartoon character that is widely known to all, the minion from Despicable Me. I was writing the log book(daily report to the parents), while "little D" was watching that video and all of a sudden he looked at me, point towards the computer screen and say the word "minion". I was really shocked at that moment as this boy is non-verbal(but makes random sounds) and he usually would not initiate and maintain eye contact.

My shocked expression turned into happiness as it came to my realization that this boy was gaining my attention to share something that he knows / he likes! This could mean that he trusts me and accepts me as his friend! Ah, What a joy! :)  I hope I get to experienced more of these shocking but wonderful moments!

Thanks for making my day "little D"! *winks*

Love,
Flo

What's up with life?

So far, Life has been pretty interesting.

In the past 5 months or so, I have been working as a behavioural therapist, helping children with Autism make a difference in their lives. What is Autism? It is a very common question among my relatives and friends, and sometimes I find it hard explaining to them. I usually would translate the term "Autism" into Mandarin first (as most of my relatives are Chinese ed), 自闭症, in hopes of them knowing what it is. Most of them would replied saying, "oh, are they the type that do not like to socialise with others?"; I guess they must have direct translated the Chinese term, but that's just a small tiny part of the definition, there's more to it than that!

I would explain to them that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experienced a range of difficulties, however, the degree to which they are affected by these difficulties may be different from one another. E.g. some of them may be able to live normal lives, whereas, some of them would need the tons of support in order to live their lives. I would then explained to them the three core deficits of Autism, they are (i) social interaction; (ii) communication; and (iii) restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests, and activities. I really should take my colleague's advice the next time someone ask me about it, "dude, GOOGLE IT!" (NOTE: please let me know if I explained it wrongly, wouldn't want to explain the wrong thing to others!)    

It is very rewarding to see the little changes that these children have made, as you know that the hard work that you put in every single week actually pays off! There's this little girl that I am working with together with my colleague, she's non-verbal and was also diagnosed with Epilepsy. When I was first assigned to her, she could only request for tangibles by providing delayed eye contact and making random sounds. After a few months of our hard work, she could finally use the power of "pointing" to communicate what she need/ want! It was something that my colleague and I were really proud of; it's not really easy to teach her how to point as most of the time she is not really aware of her surroundings. 

At the moment, I am helping three children! I sayang them so so much! Hoping in the upcoming months, I would be able to see significant changes in these children! Note to self: keep realistic expectations! 

That's how life has been for me, will update more interesting events in my next post!

Hugs and Kisses,

Flo  

Hi, I'm back ;)

Yeap, that's right! I'm back into the whole blogging thing again. Hopefully I would actually write something this time, at least one post every week, not like the last time when I told myself to blog about my experience being a fourth year psychology student but FAILED. Well, we'll see about that.

Anyway, something funny happened! My sister and I were shopping at Paradigm mall today. We were at Nichii shopping for some casual dresses. We walked up to the counter to pay for the dress my sister has chosen, the cashier gave us a curious look and asked us "Kamu dua kembar ke?" Translation: "Are you two twins?". Hahaha, seriously? That's like the most hilarious comment I've ever received! If you've seen my sister before, we don't look a like at all! Every feature of our faces (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and face shape) don't look the same! My sister look more like my dad and I look more like my mom! My sister smiled at the cashier and told him that I was her elder sister! Haha! Well, at least no one has commented that we look like mother and daughter, I would be so furious about it then! 

Oh my, it's already 2+ in the morning, time for bed!

Till then,

Flo