Hello 2017

It's the turn of a new year and thank goodness for that. I'm done with 2016.

It wasn't a bad year for me (that was 2015) but it was for a lot of other people. For me, it was a year of preparing and planning. I did a lot of things in my personal projects folder and a few things in my actual paid work folder and I feel like it was okay.

Technically, being human, nothing is good enough so I think a set baseline of 'Just Okay' is... well... Just okay-ish.

"Forget about good. Good is a known quantity.

Good is what we all agree on.

Growth is not necessarily good.

Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth."

- Bruce Mau, An Incomplete Manifesto For Growth

Life isn't just about just-okays though. It's a continued exercise in self betterment.
I also realised I'm a potato Versatilist which is a less fancy and more approachable term for a Polymath. It also means I have interest ADHD.

It's been a long time since I had stayed in for New Year's Eve so this time it'll be an exercise in making a big, yearly to-do list.

The year ended with Brunch with a group of intellectuals. We ate, we drank, we laughed, we spoke, we swore.
The year ended with Thoughts as I read through articles that resonated with what was spoken with the intellectuals.
The year ended with Plans as I siphoned through my ideas and musings, as I remember how much I have missed cranial activity.
This year ended with realising that 2016 was a year of the body, the search for numbness..
This year is salvaged by me recognising the needs of my intellect first, my needs as a human being second, and the needs of humanity being third.
Next year will start as years start
Unabashedly, with wide eyes and bushy tails.
Next year will start.

In closing, the woman I want to be like is my grand aunt. She's Bawse.
You can read about her HERE

Soooooooooo Inspirationaaaal...

Nak marah jap. Prepare your eyes for capslock swearing.

I warned you.

I hate inspiration porn when it comes to PWDs (like me) being objectified because wooopdeedooooo we're doing something that abled people can do because woooooooo we're disabled.

WE'RE DISABLED BECAUSE YOU SICK FUCKS DON'T GIVE A FAT FLYING SHIT ABOUT UNIVERSAL ACCESS!

One example is when people go "please vote for this video because blablablabla" and the video is showcasing a bunch of PWDs being afforded a few days of diving by some nice people who think they're making the world a better place because look at me, I'm helping. Wooooo~

NO YOU'RE NOT HELPING. YOU'RE JUST MAKING FUCKING INSPIRATION PORN SO YOU ABLED PEOPLE CAN JUSTIFY NOT BEING A BUNCH OF LAZY GITS.

Let me explain to you how inspiration porn works.

Average lazy human being stumbles across a post that showcases a PWD doing the thing that they're supposed to be doing but it's a bit harder (but they have to do it anyway because life). Average lazy human sees/watches this and starts going "Oh, man... If this crippled can do it, why can't I? I should be able to do this right cos I'm abled."

I want to slap you so hard with your privilege. 

(https://youtu.be/UD-y6u5YbWE)

Click the link if you must.

So I wrote a response but I don't think anyone will have a second pass at it. Here's my schtick:

If you want to oggle inspiration porn, I'd like you to put yourself in our shoes. Which of our needs are not met within your locale and how do you fix it?

Go out there and find ways to make it a better place for all of us to interact with and experience.

Seek help in making it a safer, more accessible place for all of us.

Let me tell you a little secret.

Anyone and everyone can become disabled, and often, suddenly. So, no, don't get off your little high horse but think of the day where that horse bucks and you lie in a pool of stupid with your broken legs.

Then will you start thinking about what we have to go through as a PWD... because you're one too.

Driving Miss Angry

I want to drive a car.

To have a car but not be able to drive it is hands down one of the most frustrating things in the world.
Then I found out that Hospital Rehab Cheras has a Driving Simulator.

Catch 1: Right now the driving sim is broken and we don't know when it'll be fixed.
Because the government agencies are famous for tardiness... unless we have to pay them for summons or whatever. Bastards.

Catch 2: The driving sim operates on a pull-push system for acceleration and breaks which I find a bit clunky so I did some research.

EMC AEVIT 2.0
This system is used heavily in the US to enable people with various disabilities, the ones I saw were paraplegics who wanted to function normally without the absolute help from others which I also need. Autonomy is king! SOVEREIGNITY IS KING!!!

It doesn't use a push-pull system but instead a series of monitors and joystick type things... it looks super easy to work with and also very close to how a game pad works... This is good. Why?
Because I can drive in videogames.

Catch 3: Getting into and out of the car.
I don't have the typical wheelchairs that you can drive into the car and start driving straight up because I use a Travelscoot. It's more like a tiny motorised tricycle which means I have to get off it and go towards the front of my car, maybe with the aid of crutches. How do I load up the car with the scooter?

Something like this... Hoist lifts (This one's called the Armstrong Lift but I expect there to be more types out there).



Because I have issues with sit to stand, getting into the car will not be a problem provided it's a car close to my height getting out on the other hand... maybe a little bit more difficult. What systems can I put in place to make sure I can get in and out safely? (Aside from getting a tall-ish car straight off the bat). I think my only option is to have a slighly taller car. It's also good so people don't bully you on the road which is always an issue in Malaysia.


...
I think having all these mods would definitely make it amazingly easy for me to drive. It also makes it a very attainable goal. Cheers to me! If this works out, we'll figure out how to monetise this so that other OKUs can drive too.

VIVAMUS MOBILITATEM!