Food Distribution

As planned, KA, Jolyne and myself set off to Heart to Heart Services early in the morning for the food distribution. Quite a big crowd had turned out, in fact the biggest so far according to the organisers. I'm more than glad to meet sister Teresa for the first time. You won't believe the vitality and alertness sister has for a 105-year-old. And she can actually remember the exact addresses of the families she cares for! These asides, I think what strike me most about her is her big heart. She told us this little story : It happened when she was in England. The weather was bitter cold then when she had just arrived in her hotel. She decided to go out for a walk, when she saw a homeless old man shivering along a street. She felt her pocket and realised that she had left her purse in the pocket of her coat, which she left in the room. Nevertheless, she walked up to the old man and offered to hold his freezing hands. "I have no coins for you," She said, "but I can give you some warmth." To this she said, "Many of us, whom are blessed ourselves, may have been offering help to the needy. But we often forget that they are just like you and me. They are all human beings needing the warmth and care of a fellow human being. They are not like cats and dogs begging for your food. They are all your brothers and sisters." I was moved beyond words, and at the same time, felt ashamed of myself for often dodging the beggars on the street. I really have a lot to learn from sister.

For the food distribution, there were more cars than the 17 families that sister Teresa is taking care of, so some of us paired off to the same family. As what Sister said, it doesn't matter if you go empty-handed, what's more important is to bring your heart. Chat with them, listen to what they have to say, hold their hands, cheer them up, or just be there with them, and you'll bring them a little happiness. For ourselves, we visited an old man who lived all alone in a tiny unit at York's Hill. We stayed on to chit-chat with him for a while after giving him the food.

It was indeed a wonderful experience. I learnt a little more about charity work - it is more than popping a few coins into the coinbox on flag days, more than calling the donation hotline when there is a lucky draw, more than dumping your unwanted clothes and toys at Salvation Army - it's about lending a helping hand, offering a listening ear, opening up your heart, and showing to them that you really care.


Jervis is one!

In the afternoon, we went to Jervis, my little nephew's, 1-year-old birthday party. The food was good and we had a fun time. Well you can tell from the photo below :



We left after the cake cutting, as we were too tired.


In-Laws' Anniversary

Just as I thought I could take a breather for the rest of the day, sis-in-law called to ask us out for dinner. Guess what - we'd forgotten that it was my parents-in-law 43th wedding anniversary! :p So out we go for the dinner. We didn't go to any fanciful restaurant - for a change, we chose a cze-cha stall at a coffee shop called "Old Hokkien" ("Lao Fu Jian"). The food was excellent, and price was cheap. Best of all, it's good to see the old couple enjoying food cooked in the good ol' traditional Hokkien style, the way they liked. I felt happy for them, really.


What a day!!!