I smiled as I heard that the founding father of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, loved an uncluttered desk to work on. I understand where that came from.
I have a neurological make-up that is unlike others too, and an empty table, at least within an angular scope of 150 degrees with my nose as the vertex, on which to put the material I need, works best for me.
Mr Lee has no doubt made the best use of what others call, out of ignorance, a disorder. The brain that caused him to see floating, reversed lettering also enabled him to connect the dots differently.
Like all other areas of weaknesses, Mr Lee had learnt to harness the best of Dyslexia and manage the excess neurological activities to execute the best in everything he did.
Although there is little correlation between Dyslexia and intelligence, the fact that Mr. Lee had overcome his difficulties showed that he had the intelligence to cope with his so-called setback.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Who on Earth is Torey Hayden?
You may never find the Torey Hayden that you think I am referring to even if you could find someone by that name.
The truth is that Torey Hayden is the pen name of a special lady who has been working with children with special needs.
I stumbled upon books by Torey Hayden the first time I threw in the towel to spend more time with my son who was struggling in the academics.
I had gone to the public library to read up books on Autism and the likes, and spotted one of the books that Torey had written. I could not put that book down. The hours flew by and soon it was time to pick up my son from school.
Although Torey gave her characters fictitious names, like her, each name represented a real person who had lived on the face of the Earth. Each of her characters had lived, and fought to overcome their special needs.
Torey inspired me in another way. She had the power of the pen. As a beginning writer, her books honed me in two directions - my writing style as well as my skills in ministering to children with special needs.
As a prolific reader and thinker, I read between the lines and picked up principles in helping folks with special needs.
Torey is a remarkable writer. Her characters seem to leap out of her books. Sometimes I would be able to envisage myself as a silent observer in the very classroom that she shares with a character. I want to be like her in both areas - a great writer as well as an effective teacher of children with special needs.
It has been eleven years since I embarked on this special journey. I do not regret a single moment of it. I relish every moment that God has given me to write and to meet and minister to His special kids. Torey has inspired and enhanced my life in tgis journey. I suppose I will never meet her in person. I would like to thank her with this tribute. Thank you, Torey Hayden. You have made every special life count.
Torey is a remarkable writer. Her characters seem to leap out of her books. Sometimes I would be able to envisage myself as a silent observer in the very classroom that she shares with a character. I want to be like her in both areas - a great writer as well as an effective teacher of children with special needs.
It has been eleven years since I embarked on this special journey. I do not regret a single moment of it. I relish every moment that God has given me to write and to meet and minister to His special kids. Torey has inspired and enhanced my life in tgis journey. I suppose I will never meet her in person. I would like to thank her with this tribute. Thank you, Torey Hayden. You have made every special life count.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Special Me
We are all unique beings. God created us to be so. Fortunately, so that we do not have the exact likes of infamous people roaming the Earth.
And unfortunately so, because we would never have another great leader like the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away on 23 March 2015 some 5 months before Singapore's 50th year of independence.
Nobody but my maternal grandmother and I have a mole on our chin, mine being on the right, just below the corner of my lips. And it just dawned on me that my grandfather probably remembered her every Chinese New Year he touched mine.
The year he didn't touch my mole was the year he passed on. I had lived over a decade in guilt that I had deprived him of seeing his lucky mole for the last time. He died a few days later.
My guilt was finally liberated a week ago during a discussion about babes and the superbug with an uncle. Had I known that another ill uncle had visited him, I would not have stayed away due to the common cold. Gran had pneumonia anyway, and it was probably a matter of time.
Since then, I have fallen back on the age-old remedy of freshly squeezed lemon juice whenever the slightest hint of the Influenza bug hits my nose or throat. With many of my mother's siblings being in their 70s and 80s, I would never want to shy away from a visit due to the superbug.
What makes me unique too, is that I have a love-hate relationship with ADHD. However, I have resolved to NEVER use it as an excuse or explanation for things that did not go right.
Being intimately associated with ADHD also helped me understand how Jesus can make good that seeming disorder. Because of my unique neurological connections, I am able to devise successful strategies to help others with learning needs be the best that they can be.
Mr. Lee could overcome the negative traits of Dyslexia to become world best at thinking. I may not have reached, or ever could reach, the IQ that he has, but nothing can prevent me from being the special me that God has created me to be.
And unfortunately so, because we would never have another great leader like the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away on 23 March 2015 some 5 months before Singapore's 50th year of independence.
Nobody but my maternal grandmother and I have a mole on our chin, mine being on the right, just below the corner of my lips. And it just dawned on me that my grandfather probably remembered her every Chinese New Year he touched mine.
The year he didn't touch my mole was the year he passed on. I had lived over a decade in guilt that I had deprived him of seeing his lucky mole for the last time. He died a few days later.
My guilt was finally liberated a week ago during a discussion about babes and the superbug with an uncle. Had I known that another ill uncle had visited him, I would not have stayed away due to the common cold. Gran had pneumonia anyway, and it was probably a matter of time.
Since then, I have fallen back on the age-old remedy of freshly squeezed lemon juice whenever the slightest hint of the Influenza bug hits my nose or throat. With many of my mother's siblings being in their 70s and 80s, I would never want to shy away from a visit due to the superbug.
What makes me unique too, is that I have a love-hate relationship with ADHD. However, I have resolved to NEVER use it as an excuse or explanation for things that did not go right.
Being intimately associated with ADHD also helped me understand how Jesus can make good that seeming disorder. Because of my unique neurological connections, I am able to devise successful strategies to help others with learning needs be the best that they can be.
Mr. Lee could overcome the negative traits of Dyslexia to become world best at thinking. I may not have reached, or ever could reach, the IQ that he has, but nothing can prevent me from being the special me that God has created me to be.
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