Reflection

What the Modern Woman Wants
By Amanda Chong Wei-Zhen

The old woman sat in the backseat of the magentaconvertible as it careened down the highway,
clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it maybe kidnapped by the wind. She was
not used to suchspeed, with trembling hands she pulled the seatbelttighter but was careful not to touch the patentleather seats with her callused fingers, her daughterhad warned her not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints showvery clearly on white, Ma.'

Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on hersleek silver mobile phone using big words the oldwoman could barely understand. 'Finance' 'Liquidation''Assets' 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp andimportant and had an unfamiliar lilt to it. Her BeeChoo sounded like one of those foreign girls ontelevision. She was speaking in an American accent.

The old lady clucked her tongue in disapproval.'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Herdaughter exclaimed agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; herperfectly manicured fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel inirritation.'

I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as sheclicked the phone shut and hurled it angrily towardthe backseat.The mobile phone hit the old woman on the forehead andnestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked itup and handed it to her daughter.

'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretenceand switching to Mandarin. 'I have a big client inAmerica. There have been a lot of problems.'The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was bigand important.Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear viewwindow, wondering what she was thinking. Her mother'swrinkled countenance always carried the same crypticlook.The phone began to ring again, an artificiallycheerful digital tune, which broke the awkwardsilence.'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.' Elaine. Theold woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. Sheremembered her daughter telling her, how an Englishname was very important for 'networking', Chinese onesbeing easily forgotten.

'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to the temple for her weirddaily prayer ritual.'

Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly itwas referring to her. Her daughter always assumed thather mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.

'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of josssticks!'The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her handsgripping her plastic bag in defence.The car curved smoothly into the temple courtyard. Itlooked almost garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof. The old woman got out of theback seat, and made her unhurried way to the mainhall.

Her daughter stepped out of the car in her businesssuit and stilettos and reapplied her lipstick as shemade her brisk way to her mother's side.

'Ma, I'll wait outside. I have an important phone callto make,' she said, not bothering to hide her disgustat the pungent fumes of incense.

The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit ajoss stick, she knelt down solemnly and whispered hernow familiar daily prayer to the Gods.

Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughterluck all these years. Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman inthis world could possibly want. She has a big housewith a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too clumsy to sew or cook.

Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to arich and handsome angmoh man. Her company is now thetop financial firm and even men listen to what shesays. She lives the perfect life. You have given hereverything except happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots while reaping the harvest of success.

What you see is not true, she is a filial daughter tome. She gives me a room in her big house and provide swell for me. She is rude to me only because I affecther happiness. A young woman does not want to behindered by her old mother. It is my fault.

The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up inher eyes. Finally, with her head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of smouldering ashes.

She bowed once more.The old woman had been praying for her daughter forthirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the temple and prayed that it was ason.

Then the time was ripe and the baby slipped out of herwomb, bawling and adorable with fat thighs and pinkcheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband had kicked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or carry the family name.

Still, the woman returned to the temple with hernew-born girl tied to her waist in a sarong and prayedthat her daughter would grow up and have everythingshe ever wanted. Her husband left her and she prayedthat her daughter would never have to depend on a man.

She prayed every day that her daughter would be agreat woman, the woman that she, meek and uneducated,could never become. A woman with nengkan; the abilityto do anything she set her mind to. A woman who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak, precious pearls would fall out and men would listen.

She will not be like me, the woman prayed as shewatched her daughter grow up and drift away from her,speaking a language she scarcely understood. Shewatched her daughter transform from a quiet girl, toone who openly defied her, calling her laotu;old-fashioned. She wanted her mother to be 'modern', aword so new there was no Chinese word for it.

Now her daughter was too clever for her and the oldwoman wondered why she had prayed like that. The gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but thewealth and success that poured forth so richly hadburied the girl's roots and now she stood, faceless,with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestorsby only a string of origami banknotes.

Her daughter had forgotten her mother's values. Her wants were so ephemeral; that of a modern woman.Power, Wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques,and yet her daughter had not found true happiness. Theold woman knew that you could find happiness with muchless. When her daughter left the earth everything shehad would count for nothing. People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman, but she would be forgotten once the wind blows over, like theashes of burnt paper convertibles and mansions.

The old woman wished she could go back and erase allher big hopes and prayers for her daughter; now shehad only one want: That her daughter be happy. She looked out of the temple gate. She saw her daughters peaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at the top is not good, the womanthought, there is only one way to go from there -down.

The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag andspread out a packet of beehoon in front of the altar.Her daughter often mocked her for worshippingporcelain Gods. How could she pray to them sofaithfully and expect pieces of ceramic to fly to her aid? But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that she was enslaved to and worshippedevery day of her life.

Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshippedcounted for nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life out of her and leave her, an empty soulless shellat the altar.The old lady watched her joss tick. The dull heat hadleft a teetering grey stem that was on the danger of collapsing. Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed inresignation, as she bowed to the east one final timeto end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so muchthat they lose their souls and wonder why they cannotfind it.

Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder.She met her daughter outside the temple, the same lookof worry and frustration was etched on her daughter'sface. An empty expression, as if she was ploughingthrough the soil of her wants looking for the onething that would sow the seeds of happiness.

They climbed into the convertible in silence and herdaughter drove along the highway, this time not asfast as she had done before.

'Ma,' Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to putthis. Mark and I have been talking about it and weplan to move out of the big house. The property market is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing topay seven million for it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead. We found a perfectone in Orchard Road. Once we move in to our apartmentwe plan to get rid of the maid, so we can have morespace to ourselves...'

The old woman nodded knowingly.Bee Choo swallowed hard.
'We'd get someone to come into do the housework and we can eat out - but once themaid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you.You will be awfully lonely at home and, besides that,the apartment is rather small. There won't be space.We thought about it for a long time, and we decidedthe best thing for you is if you moved to a Home.There's one near Hougang - it's a Christian home, a verynice one.'

The old woman did not raise an eyebrow. 'I've been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with gardens and lots of old people to keepyou company! I hardly have time for you, you'd be happier there.

''You'd be happier there, really.' Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself. This time the old woman had no plastic bag of foodofferings to cling tightly to; she bit her lip andfastened her seat belt, as if it would protect herfrom a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunkdeep into the leather seat, letting her shoulders sag,and her fingers trace the white seat.'Ma?' her daughter asked, searching the rear viewwindow for her mother. 'Is everything okay?'What had to be done, had to be done. 'Yes,' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make youhappy,' she added more quietly.

'It's for you, Ma! You'll be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I already got the maid to packyour things.' Elaine said triumphantly, mentallyticking yet another item off her agenda.

'I knew everything would be fine.'

Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated. Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier. Shehad thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of happiness. She was happy now. She hadeverything a modern woman ever wanted; Money, Status, Career, Love,Power and now, Freedom, without hermother and her old-fashioned ways to weigh her down...

Yes, she was free. Her phone buzzed urgently, shepicked it up and read the message, still beaming fromear to ear. 'Stocks 10% increase!'

Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up forher...And while searching for the meaning of life in theluminance of her hand phone screen, the old woman inthe backseat became invisible, and she did not see the tears.

REMINDER

HI GUYS,

it has been a great 2 weeks for some and perhaps not so great 2 weeks for others.

OVERALL I feel that it has been a constructive 2 weeks in clinic.

Just a few gentle reminders:

1. History taking. Remember Dr Faloppe and the amount of time spent doing History
2. Recording. Please write the date, initial when you cross out something, becareful how you record orthophoria
3. Timing. You are given 1 hr 30mins but please leave clinicians at least 20 mins to check your findings
4. Ignore pesky clinicians lurking around the corners.

Most of all, try to enjoy clinic! It is not as stressful as you think it is!

The long awaited answer!!!

Hi XUE TING! THIS IS FOR YOU!! HAHA!

REFRESH: IF PX RX IS -400DS WHAT SHOULD THE GOGGLES RX BE?

1ST ANS: IF PATIENT WANTS CLEAR VISION ABOVE THE WATER...RX SHOULD STILL BE -4.00DS.

REASON: VERTEX DISTANCE SHOULD NOT DIFFER TOO MUCH UNLESS PATIENT HAS LIKE REALLY PROTRUDING GOGGLES

2ND ANS: IF PATIENT WANTS CLEAR VISION UNDER WATER (I WONDER WHY?? *EVIL SMILE*). THEN THE RX SHOULD BE AN ESTIMATED -2.75DS. YOU WILL THEN HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO PATIENT THAT VISION WILL BE SLIGHTY BLURRED WHEN HE IS ABOVE THE WATER.
-4.00x0.67=ESTIMATE -2.75DS (THINK OF THE RI OF WATER COMPARED TO AIR)

Interesting Website

Hey guys,this is a really cool and interesting website. You should def try it out!

You get to be optometrist with the pesky clinicians(US!) lurking behind your back!


http://www.academy.org.uk/tutorials/

Bruckner Test

Hey guys,

it has been way too long. Anyways, on Xue Ting's request, I will reveal the google answer soon. But I prefer to see more answers first!!

Anyways,

When do we use Bruckner Test? How do we do it? What are some of the differential diagnosis for the results?