5th Dec Visit - Mr. O and (impromptuly) Mdm. C!

Hi guys, thanks for reading this! It's been quite a while since I blogged as well haha. Anyway, on 5th Dec, after the end of my exams for the semester, I popped by to visit our seniors as per usual.

Lynn and I were assigned to visit Mr. O, and after heading up to his home - we realized he was not at home. It was an interesting moment, as it was instinctively apparent that he was - since his doors were closed and no slippers were outside his door. Sometimes, after extended periods of interaction with someone, you'll be rather in-tune with his/her living habits. Instead, we headed downstairs to find him. After that effort turned out to be futile, we went to the Seniors Activity Centre at the void deck. It was an impressive sight, as many volunteers were present to provide servicing to wheelchairs for the elderlies living in the vicinity. There were rows of wheelchairs lined up along the corridor in front of the centre, with the volunteers spread out across the corridor - hard-at-work oiling and doing repairing work. Lynn and I headed in to accompany mdm. C as she waited for her wheelchair to be done.

It has indeed been a while since I saw mdm. C, and for a short moment, it seemed to me that she has lost a fair bit of weight. Nonetheless, she remained chatty and we kept up with efforts of other volunteers in polishing her English vocabulary - teaching her basic words such as "table" and "chair". It was quite a privilege to sit and interact with mdm. C, whilst chatting up the other elderlies who were waiting as well. Subsequently, it was good that Charmaine, Vigilia and Jonathan came by, as mr. O was back home by then. After bidding farewell, Lynn and I headed up to visit mr. O.

Turns-out, it was a rather heartening opportunity for me personally. Previously, mr. O used to frequent his old haunt of Toa Payoh in his free-time. However, after an operation months ago, he has stopped venturing beyond the Geylang Bahru due to some latent fears/concerns of falling. It was great to know that he had begun finding the confidence and security to head back  to Toa Payoh, enjoying his favorite dishes and 'surveying' the grounds.

In conclusion, it was a glad and meaningful experience (as usual!), and it is great to see the small little triumphs and breakthroughs attained by both mdm. C and mr. O. Changes do not always have to be exceptionally grandiose to be impressive and noteworthy. Thankful that both of them have allowed the other volunteers and I to witness these small steps of growth in their lives!

5th Dec 2015, Visit to Mr and Mrs L

Hey guys, this is my very first time writing on this blog. Hopefully, there will be more entries to come in the future hahaha.

During last Saturday’s visit, Wee Chong, Hui Jia and I visited Mr and Mrs L. This was my first time visiting them and I was very excited as it had been quite some time since my last visit. Mrs L was very welcoming as we stepped into the house. Mr L was lying down on the bed watching tv. In my mind, I was wondering whether we would be a “hindrance” as our presence will definitely divert Mr L’s attention away from the show he was watching.

However, my fears were soon allayed as Mr L sat up on his bed and started chatting with us. He was very passionate in sharing with us his getai stories, the stars he used to manage when he was still working in the getai industry. Mrs L will occasionally rebuke his comments in a very gentle manner, by telling us that Mr L knows the stars but the stars do not know him. This went on back and forth for quite some time.

Upon seeing the beautiful wedding photo on the cupboard, Hui Jia began to ask them about their love life. Mrs L was rather shy to share such stories. On the contrary, Mr L was very cheeky and rather open about it. He would constantly tease Mrs L by singing a few lines, which are directed towards her. Mrs L being bashful in nature, kept on “um chio.” It was amusing and endearing to watch this love affair unfolding right in front of us hahaha.

Mrs L’s love for Mr L is unconditional. From our interaction with both of them, we can tell that Mrs L is a silent worker and a fighter. She takes very good care of Mr L and is willing to go the extra mile for him, without any complaint. Whenever Mrs L goes to work on the weekdays, she will bring Mr L to a nursing home. After her work, she will fetch Mr L home from the nursing home.

Due to the health conditions of Mr L, he has very strict diet restrictions. For the past weeks, Mrs L has been going around Singapore looking for briyani rice so that she can cook for Mr L, as it is healthier and has lower sugar content. She told us that she had been chased away countless of times as she does not know how to converse in English or Malay with the stallholders. Touched by her love for Mr L, the three of us requested for a small sample of the briyani rice so that we can help her find it.

It is very heartwarming to see the unwavering love between Mr and Mrs L. I really admire Mrs L’s resilience in taking great care of Mr L. It is definitely not an easy task, given her age. As cliché as it may sound, real love, at all times, is indeed truly selfless.

-Defa  :)