Dialogue :
[Eve's room. House busts in.]
HOUSE: You gotta tell me what happened.
EVE: You don't really wanna hear.
HOUSE: [undoing her binds] Sure I do.
EVE: You're lying.
HOUSE: Doesn't have to destroy your life.
EVE: I know.
HOUSE: Doesn't mean anything about you. Wasn't your fault.
EVE: I know.
HOUSE: You did nothing wrong. Some jerk hurt you, that's all.
EVE: [sitting up] I know.
HOUSE: You're worried that you can never trust men again.
EVE: [shaking her head] No.
HOUSE: Statistically, there was always a chance this could happen. The fact that it did happen doesn't change anything. World doesn't suck anymore today than it did yesterday.
EVE: I know all that.
HOUSE: [no idea what to say] Then what do you want me to tell you?
EVE: Nothing. I just want to talk.
HOUSE: About nothing.
[She nods.]
HOUSE: We talk about nothing, nothing will change.
EVE: It might.
HOUSE: How?
EVE: Time. Time changes everything.
HOUSE: [trying to shrug it off] It's what people say. It's not true. Doing things changes things. Not doing things,... leaves things exactly as they were.
[She looks at him tearfully.]
I received a message from my mom that my stepfather had a stroke.
So I rushed to Gleanagles Ampang.
Turns out, he didn't ate his diabetes medication for two months or so. And during the holidays of Aidil Adha, while visiting relatives at Sentul, suddenly his speech went slurry, he was unable to find words. They rushed to Gleanagles Ampang right away.
The sugar reading was high, that the hospital stabilised him first with insulin and saline. They did MRI. it seems that a nerve around the neck is seen as "swollen". I do not know how to correctly describe it, so I just write here at best.
My mom only info-ed me some days later. And when I arrived, he was able to speak, not only that, he was eating quite "heavily" for someone who had just suffered stroke.
I was there in the room, with my stepdad and my mom, when the BBC news on the hospital's TV, aired the news about Rohingya.
Then my stepdad, spoke and spoke about his opinion on Rohingya.
It felt endless. The speech. As my mom was tired, and I myself was tired too. My wife is still in her working shift so she wasn't in the room.
At first I wanted to correct my stepdad about his thoughts on Rohingya, but, slowly, my rationale sinks deep in my head, it is quite stupid to argue with someone about Rohingya.
What's more if that person just stabilised from his stroke days ago, wasn't it?
Even if I successfully "converted" my stepdad to the good cause, it's not that he will do something good actively for the Rohingyas right away..he just suffered a stroke don't you see?
And not that he will donate or do some active thing to help. Most probably he'll sleep that night feeling tired after the talk, the speech, and worried more about his sugar reading waking up the morning after.
I felt it's a futile exercise, some more after I heard about his logic on "foreigners" in Pasar Borong Selayang. Isn't it that it was actually the locals, looking for quick bucks, that actually rented their "wet-market-lots" to these foreigners in the first place? And now the locals are made screeching noises about it without realising that they're the ones who rented out to this folks?
Then my step-dad got bored, when outside for a puff. Cigarette smoking of course.
My mom just obliged to accompany him, as I was actually going back home then.
While waiting for my wife's shift to end, I went to nearest Cybercafe, and looked at FB.
The first 10 minutes was beautiful as it was full of photos of my nieces, my friend's sons and daughters happy faces.
Then I read some people I followed. Oh, only then I realised there was this noises online about Rohingya's and about Malaysians who disliked them.
What I felt is, the people who made most critics and most noises, are just like the above character who just suffered from the stroke. It's far more different than the people, involved in the NGO's who were actively helping the Rohingya's with effort. Those who did the actual work, their words have more logic, explained by historical facts. The one's hating, just repeat the stereotype, without nothing to learn. The only logic offered is, "oh try to have Rohingya sleep in your home then"?
Did they actually let Rohingya's slept at their home then, to say like that?
I think they just repeat what others said about what others said about what others think and said about Pasar Borong Selayang.
But in the end, no matter what, nothing happens. Just noises. The Rohingya's are still like what they are, the people commenting fell asleep as usual and the world keeps turning.
Actually for me, there's a "hikmah" (lesson learned), it's not every year when Malaysia National Day, Arafah Day (the Islamic day when Muslims are taught they are equal) are celebrated quite close, that the people's beliefs are challenged patriotically, nationally and religiously in the Rohingya's issue.
Another thing I learned, is the word "stroke".
For a third party who heard the word "stroke", it is scary as hell. For a third party, there's no comprehension of mini stroke, TIA (transient ischemic attack, where a part of brain experience temporary lack of blood flow), dysphasia (unable to speak), mild stroke, severe stroke. For loved ones, a stroke is heard as scary as hell.
Even though the one who experience it can be normal days after.
http://www.healthline.com/health/stroke/signs-symptoms-tia-mini-stroke#risk-factors5
http://www.healthline.com/health/stroke/signs-symptoms-tia-mini-stroke#risk-factors5
Third world countries starved of nutrition.
Look to the west to end their starvation.
Skeleton framed figures of what was children.
Real relief for the sickly
C/:
That's right push your tea tray away from you before you spew up
It's a fact real life is much more horrible than fiction
That's right turn the switch elsewhere on your telly
Wasn't it disgusting to view such bloated bellies
Writhing tortured bodies ant like on the ground
That's right turn the volume button down
Inhumanities free westerners still know exists
Do nowt to help the underprivileged
Action not words are needed to help
But all they will say is that someone must pay
Third world countries starved of nutrition
Look to the west to end their starvation
Skeleton framed figures of what was children
Real relief for the sickly