15/11/07

Last day of my attachment to CCS, but I still have the passion and enthusiasm to do more volunteer work there. :D Am planning to go back for Clement's weekly lesson, and going early to help out as well. It is not boring! Conversing with the elderly is so fetch. You just feel so good. And you get to learn so much about the old folks, luvit. They want to talk to people, anyway. Was talking to this old lady suffering from stroke while taking photos, and she hugged me (!!!) when I told her that she will get better. Omggg, can cry. :') Okay, I'm sorry, don't mind me.






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13/11/07
*Note: The video is a must-watch!

I thought last Friday would be the most meaningful day of the two weeks at CCS, but no, everyday will be just as meaningful and eventful when we really put in our heart and soul. Being attached to CCS has taught me so much more than just caring for the elderly. If you have nothing to do at home over the holidays, I think you should pay CCS a visit with me someday, just let me know.

Today, I cried thrice. The first time was when I was doing massages for an old uncle suffering from stroke to help him strengthen his muscles. Since the first time I met him on last Monday, I had never seen him smile or speak to anybody. He always looked expressionless, and even solemn. While we were massaging the patients suffering from stroke or Parkinson's disease, oldies were played. There was this part when one of the volunteers wanted the old uncle whom I was massaging to sing along with a song. He sang into the microphone with a deep hoarse voice, one which sounded like he hasn't spoken for ages, while we clapped and sang or hummed along. He sang loudly and proudly, and he grinned when we applauded and cheered as the song ended. The fact that this old uncle is happy and is finally willing to speak shows that he wants to improve his situation and he is aware that he can do so, and it moved me to tears. Tears of joy! You got to be there to feel it.

The second time was when Clement was telling us about a story of the team of volunteers visiting an old folks' home. All those stories were so.. !! (am at a loss for words) that I cried.

The last one was when he told us about LiJun jie's story. After interacting with her for the past 7days, I thought she was very brave to be able to face the society despite her looks. I mean, I don't think I would want to live anymore if I have my entire face destroyed with 22 slashes and boiling water. She's a very happy, caring, fun and adorable lady now actually. Loved by all of us at CCS. :D After listening to her story, I felt so much pain and hurt for her that I started tearing. I cannot imagine how she'd managed to pull through all those obstacles and pin-pointing from everyone else. She had a very beautiful face previously. Of course, her attitude towards life and her heart for volunteerism are so much more beautiful than that. She's so strong. I salute her for her courage and willpower to live. We all should.


Her story is so much more than that actually, but it should be enough to be able to shock the hell out of people. Since it's on TV, I don't think she will mind me posting it on my blog. I shall let her know about it tomorrow anyway, haha. If anybody has ever thought of committing suicide over anything, please think again. After watching the video, you should do some serious thinking about how you should totally treasure your life, because it's so perfect as compared to so many others out there. If you are reading this, you're definitely not poor. So what if you don't have a laptop, so what if (you think) your parents are biased, so what if your crush doesn't like you back? Need to die ah? Yes, we should be grateful for our blessings. But no, you don't have to kill yourself just because of such dismissible things. A quote I came across, "Crying over a guy is not worth it, because the guy who is really worth your tears will never make you cry." Much less die.

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09/11/07


CIP at Concern and Care Society (Bukit Batok branch) has been really interesting and meaningful to date. Morning exercises (Musical Therapy) with the old folks have been great. It puts me at ease to know that the old folks, even those who have difficulties walking, are making an effort to keep themselves healthy. I think I blend in super well with the crowd, 'cause I sing along with the Chinese & Hokkien oldies which the old folks love, haha. It's like having many grandparents as we interact, I just feel so loved by everyone else. :D

We also visited some poor and lonely old folks in Singapore with the CCS volunteers to make sure that they are well. It was really heartbreaking to see them without family and friends, usually with only adopted stray dogs or cats as pets to keep them company, and barely surviving in this harsh society. There are so many of them in Singapore. It is just that we, the more fortunate ones, are too cooped up with trying to keep up with the fast-moving pace of society and the world that we have forgotten all about them. We don't seem to notice their existence at all!

Blinded by dreams and goals to become more successful - to be smarter, richer, top of the world. We cringe when something tastes too salty or too bitter, we throw away unfinished food, we point to a filling burger in distaste and say,"Ew, so much carbs!" And these people don't even have the ability to buy food to eat. We find it tiring when we shop too much in town because we're carrying so many shopping bags, we rest at Starbucks and spend $6.30 on a cup of coffee when we're tired, we complain about not having enough shirts to wear, we point at fake Little Miss shirts and say,"Oh, there, that's so obviously a fake please." And these people can't even afford to bathe or buy those 3-for-$10 clothes at pasar malams. We get lazy and don't feel like exercising, we whine when we have to walk longer distances, we don't feel like going to school sometimes. And these people are bed-ridden, handicapped, intellectually-disabled. They can't walk (not to mention exercise!), they obviously can't go to normal schools, they can't even speak coherently. Most of the time, they don't know what they're doing. Can you imagine that? Stop to think and imagine.

A real situation. An 85-year-old bed-ridden mother with her 57-year-old intellectually-disabled daughter. Both jobless, eat food donated by neighbours who are just slightly less poor than them and other kind-hearted souls, seldom bathe because they cannot possibly afford the utilities bill, live in a one-room flat which only has a bed in the entire house. The bedsheets are greying, there are cobwebs in every corner, the walls and ceiling are have already turned greyish-yellow. On the walls are photographs of the mother and her daughter many years back, smiling and posing like any one of us would have, when both were well and happy. Heartbreaking, isn't it? And here we are, pigging out on french fries then cursing ourselves for gaining weight, being anorexic (idiots), lowering the temperature of the aircon to 18ºC just because it's a bit warm, buying expensive stationery just because they're pretty, spending tens of dollars at arcade games just to get cheap thrills, contemplating if we should get the Sony Cybershot T10, wondering if we should get a darker shade of pink for a french manicure, tempted to buy a watch from DKNY, weighing the chances of wearing a pair of pink boots if we buy them.

I know of the existence of less unfortunate people, but I admit, I forget about them most of the time. I donate to people on the streets selling packets of tissue or playing musical instruments or singing partly because I think they should be helped, but mostly because I feel guilty about having neglected them. It makes me want to do something to help them. After visiting the less fortunate ones, it's difficult for me to not think about them constantly, and I will donate because I know they have to be helped. They will forever be stuck in the damned cycle of poverty if nobody helps them. Therefore, we should all stop complaining about having too little because we're already having a damn lot, and do as much charity as our abilities allow us to. More than giving them money, even. :) Of course, do be smart and say no to scammers. It is as important to protect ourselves and, more importantly, the society from evil scamming organisations, so don't just blindly donate hor!

On a lighter note, Clement says I take advantage of the fact that people have no idea that I understand Hokkien & Cantonese to eavesdrop on him and the old folks who go to CCS. It's not really my fault that they spoke so loudly that I could hear them! "我没有偷听，我在光明正大地听。" All the teen volunteers at CCS love Clement. He's fun, and pretty wise.