Victor Ong
I am participating in A Very Special Photo Challenge to support Autism Resource Centre (Singapore). Please donate through my profile to help fund ARC's programmes, empowering adults with autism to lead independent and meaningful lives. Thank you!
My Photo Challenge
Colourful Neurodivergence
Just like this one hydrangea plant that processes varied pH levels from its soil, your brain and mine process information differently. Like these multicoloured hydrangeas, we all contribute in different ways, with a variety of vibes. The roots near to acidic soil (pH below 6) created this lone blue hydrangea. The roots in alkaline soil (pH above 7) fed the rest of these pink and red hydrangeas. All through the same stem of the same plant. We are not horrified by this. We are fascinated. We think they are beautiful. It begs the question – is it that daunting for us to admire diversity and neurodiversity for its inherent variety and beauty?
Co-working Squad
I sometimes co-work with my friends and Harry. Grateful that we can still be productive remotely – individually or as a squad. It adds variety to the work week. We give and take good energy off one another. A chance to witness what goes on in our lives during the work week, too. It helps too that we discovered a cool workspace– Paper Plane Project– that comes with proper desks, comfortable chairs, great café/bar and a disco ball (DJ comes on after hours). We all need to find our tribe. A tribe that you can even sit together in silence. Just one’s presence can be fulfilling for another. That is a fundamental squad goal.
Unexpected Kindness
Harry and I happened to be away when the aftershocks of the Myanmar earthquake hit Bangkok. Unexpectedly, the staff at our condo took it upon themselves to check on the well-being of our pet cat Whisky the first moment the building was assessed to be safe to enter. We were utterly grateful for this unexpected kindness – someone thought of Whisky and sprang into action.
Distance & Space
I am grateful for simply joys – the taste of food without the interference of sauces, the intermittent chatty meows of my cat sitting next to my laptop as I work – unassuming moments that one can take for granted. I do not take for granted this view I have from my work/dining table. It is a simple joy to just train my eye far into the distance, wondering what building is which. Effortless (and beneficial) eye breaks from my on-screen work. Take it up a notch, stand up, stretch, peer out further and take in the space. Simple joys.
To Thrive, Choose Chill.
It was one of those intense day with work tasks that motivated me to take to the pool. It was less about the laps, but more about the refreshing temperature, some movement and being alone with my thoughts. I paused at one end of the pool, removed my goggles, and a boy of about 8 years old stepped up to the edge of the pool. I looked up at him. He had a full cast on his right arm; a recent fracture perhaps. Gleefully, he tossed a small leaf into the pool to watch it float on the water. He took a confident step and plunged in fully clothed, shoes and all. It took a couple of seconds for me to clock that he had no intention to swim, nor was he able to. I grabbed him, extracted him from his struggle and hoisted him back on dry land. A man, I’d assume to be his father, rushed to him uttering the boy’s name. The boy giggled and stared at his father. No words, but just a puzzled, slightly perplexed look on his father’s face. I felt the exasperation, but the boy was delighted. I recognised it. The father made a choice to not react. He thanked me and left promptly with his still giggling son. I felt safe to assume that the boy might be on the autism spectrum and probably non-verbal. He likely was convinced he could float on the water like his leaf. Not all moments are teaching moments. Maybe the man felt that his son has learnt sufficiently from the shock of sinking and gulps of pool water. His father chose to chill, so his son can thrive.
Essential Rituals
As a neurotypical, from the moment I wake up, I have a very fixed routine. Sparing you the details, I complete the same itinerary of taking the same optimised routes in the apartment for morning chores – making the bed, picking up the cat’s bowls, sequence of cupboards opened to retrieve items, every task and micro execution – I get discombobulated if these are deviated from. Even my weekday WFH salad lunch has exactly the same leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, chicken – same prep steps, complete with finishing with a mug of coffee with Hup Seng Crackers. If all these provide local coherence and sense of secured successes for me, I would love to think rigid routines can provide essential respite and self efficacy for many neurodivergent individuals. Seek first to understand. We all can be a little more analytical, instead of reacting to seemingly inconvenient stubbornness. Personal rituals are soothing self-care.
MY DONATIONS
$200.00
Elaine&Ray donated to Victor Ong
Your talent and dedication to cause is inspiring Vic ❤️
$1,000.00
Melz donated to Victor Ong
You make the world a better place because you're in it. Glad to support the cause and thank you for sharing. Hope that our society will be warm, kind, and compassionate, where everyone feels like they belong.
Loving your photos and stories, Vic. Thanks for sharing your reflections.
$100.00
Ong Teck Chye donated to Victor Ong
Jia you! Thank you for being so kind and generous with us and others !
