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| courtesy of https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/ |
I wrote this piece on the 7th of June, not thinking I will ever post it here. In fact, I was on the brink of deleting this blog altogether. I was desperate looking for ways to save my writings as pdf. Even though I want nothing more with this blog, I do want to save what I wrote for the past 8 years (just in case one day I want to laugh at my self-pitying self).
I found blogbooker, a website that creates a book out your blog. It's absolutely genius. Sadly, they set a limit for the free of charge service. So not all the posts are saved. If I deleted this blog, I would be losing some of the writings. Not that they are worthy in any measures, they are just the footprints of my growth as a learner. When I look at them, I know that I have progressed even if the quantification is very low.
So I tried to look for another blogbooker alternative, which I didn't manage to find.
This morning I randomly opened my blog. I didn't know what possess me, but somehow I tried to find a new template and like a miracle it is fully completed.
What this tells me is that: maybe, I should rethink about deleting this blog. Yes, they are flawed, but that's exactly what it aims to do. It aims to document my growth as a person, as a learner.
Anyway! As a trial, I thought I could post one of my writings that I have kept on onenote. And see what I feel about it.
Happy reading!
***
It's the
first week of winter here in the southern hemisphere with the average
temperature of -2 to 11 degree. So far, I am still coping. Although, I think
this is probably the coldest winter I have ever experienced. I wasn't referring
to the temperature, as I certainly had experienced a temperature below -2
before. But I used to live in a place with the heater kept on for 24 hours. So
I didn't have any problem. Now it's different. When I say this is the coldest
winter, I was specifically referring to the fact that I now have to be mindful
about the way I use the heater. I now live in a shared house, where the
electricity bill is paid every three months. Since the electricity in Australia
is supposed to be very expensive, I try to not use the heater as long as I can
cope.
But the
coldness of winter is the least horrible thing I (and probably all the
inhabitants of this planet earth) have to cope with. I am not going to be the
only one to say this, but 2020 has been very hard on me (us). First, I came to
Australia in February 2020, when Australia was going through its most difficult
summer yet with the bushfire rummaging almost half of the country. Because of
it, the school was canceled for a few times. As if that was not enough,
Canberra was hit with a bad storm damaging some of the university buildings,
houses and cars. But we survived it all. Thank god.
School
went back to normal for some of us. For the rests, because of the COVID-19
pandemic and entry restriction, they were not allowed to enter Australia and
they have to join school via the internet. I thought this won't last for long.
But everything got worst and the classes
were completely moved online. Fast-forward to three months later, the school
has not come back to normal yet. And this is already the final week of the
semester. Hopefully everything will get better and we can start afresh for
semester two which will start in July.
As I am
writing this, however, new cases continue to peak in other parts of the world.
Thankfully, Australia has been very successful to flatten the curve. From my
own observation, this is for a large part is due to the government's quick
response and to the Australia people's compliance with the instruction from the
authority. In the ACT, there has been no cases for at least a month until today
in which a new case has been identified. But according to the ACT Health
Department website, the patient recently came back from overseas. So the virus
was not contracted in the country. I pray to God that he will get treated soon
and no more new case. Amen!
Let's
recap again: the bushfire, the storm, the COVID-19. As if these were not
enough, the world had to witness a man being murdered by police officers in
Minneapolis, USA. What makes the whole thing even more horrifying is the fact
that the murder was (still is) viral on the internet. The American people are
outraged and have been taking a strike on the street for almost two weeks
demanding justice for George Floyd. Four police officers have been convicted,
but American people demand more. They want a systematic change. They
believe that the police system has always been racist towards colored people. How
did American president respond to the murder and the strike? Instead of acting
as a president who calmed the whole country, he acted like an authoritarian
sending more military troops to the street. At one point he even had the street
cleared violently just so he could take a photo-op in front of a church holding a
bible.
You might want to say "but it happens it the state". Yes, it does. But I believe
that humanity transcends border. You don’t have to be African American or even
American to empathise with the situation. Plus, as the strike was going on, the
COVID-19 case in America is still increasing. Thanks to the incompetent
president's approach to the COVID-19. He denied the severity of the pandemic,
and focus mostly on maintaining the economy. Now with the humanity issue unfolding before
his very eyes, he continues to show that he is incapable of being a
leader. Hopefully, things will take a
turn. Hopefully the protesters will not get contracted by the COVID-19.
This is
only half-way through 2020. What will happen next? Only God knows. Hopefully
things will get better from now on.
Stay safe,
everyone!
***
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