Cockroach Ear

No matter how bad things seem to get, there's always someone who has it worse; being reminded puts things into perspective and makes me grateful for all my blessings.

Consider the life of this poor guy:

Chau Kan-chuen is growing increasingly paranoid about the cubicle - the size of a walk-in closet - where he cooks and sleeps every day. The unemployed chef has battled with dozens of cockroaches, rats and other insects on his bed during many sleepless nights this summer.

"I am worried that the cockroaches will not come out if they get into my ears," the 58-year-old said.

When he suspects the insects have done so as he dozes, he rushes out of bed and washes his ears with water in the public bathroom, he said. Having lost his job three years ago, Mr Chau, like many on the city's margins, rented a cubicle in an old tenement in Sham Shui Po's Tai Po Road.

But this summer's rainfall and heat have brought an unusually large number of insects and rats to his home, playing havoc with his sleep patterns. Some nights he wakes to find insects have climbed onto his bed. Because of the heat in the evening, he stays away from the room for as long as possible. It has two fans and two small windows facing traffic.

When was the last time you worried about cockroaches getting into your ears?

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