Hello!
This is Sock Mui, a newbie.. I was arrowed by someone (whom I don’t know) to blog about my experience at the X’mas celebration today.
Heex. Overall, it was fun playing and talking to the elderlies there.. Haha, although some of the times we are one chicken and one duck communicating!
The day started as we gathered in the Activity Centre. Being a first-dayer and a CSC-dayer crasher I do not know anything. Well, so I just followed orders and went to fetch the elderlies down. However, it turns out that the elderly was not in. So we went down again to the centre. Haha, back at the centre it then seems that most people that went up to fetch had came down ‘empty-handed’ just like us.
Anyway, in the end, we newbies decide to sit in the room to wait instead. After some times, elderlies started to emerge and the celebration started as we sit in a circle for some games.
The first game was bingo, followed by wrapping present, then passing newspaper and lastly the dressing up. Since I was blur blur on what I should do, I decide to just ‘play along’. Haha, and it seems that the elderlies mostly know about the game. It was my first time doing volunteery work with the elderlies and it was rather meaningful . The elderlies were all (most of them) very cheerful and were smiling most of the time as we played the game. As I had never played the games before, I personally feel that the games were good as they were fun and pretty interactive between the volunteers and the elderlies.
The elderly that I sit closest to was Kam Por. She was very cheerful and was always smiling. It is really a contrast of the stereotypic image of what we would usually thought of elderlies living alone.. Anyway, it was really funny now that I recalled how I communicated with her – she is a Cantonese and I’m a Hokkien – we don’t understand each other! Haha, luckily, Wen Hao, ironically, a Hokkien that only speak (broken) Cantonese was between us. Most of the games’ rules were explained by him.
By the end of the games, we cut up the log cake to share among the elderlies. While eating I talked to an auntie (the one that always bicker with Kam Por). The party ended after that.
Overall, I felt that I had spent a great day talking to elderlies. Ha.. I hope the elderlies enjoyed themselves as I enjoyed the day! =)
P.S. It would be better if there are briefing for the newbie volunteers beforehand.. Still, many thumbs-up for the planning.. ^^
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
26/12/2009 X'mas Celebration
On saturday we attended an x’mas celebration at THE Seniors. It was my first time there so I didn’t really know what to expect. However, when you see party hats and a very handsome Santa Claus, you know its going to be simply awesome.
Not long after we reached, the elderly started to arrive. I sat with Kam Por, a spritely lady who was more than three times my age and yet much livelier than me. After a round of introductions, the games began, the first of which was Bingo. I started to explain to Kam Por how the game worked, but she assured me that she was very familiar with it, having played it a lot of times and even won a sack of rice previously. Of course, she added, nothing beats winning 4D. Both rounds went by and twice Kam Por was only short of one letter to win. However, she was still having fun and cheering loudly for the winners.
Next was a wrapping game where Mr Tan and Zur represented our group. Kam Por was not involved so we just sat and watched as she gave a running commentary on the finer details of gift wrapping, having also done it before at the CC.
The next game was a pass the parcel game which also didn’t require much explanation. I guess as you get older and gain more experience, nothing is new to you anymore. However, old games can still be fun, especially with gifts and forfeits. Kam Por took centre stage when Jian Hao did a dance with her as a forfeit. There was a strange sudden silence as jealously radiated from all the girls in the room, both young and old. I had to run outside on pretext of going to the toilet to escape the repressing aura. Personally, if I ever lived to be 88 and got to dance with a 20 year old girl, I would probably die happy.
Still on the same game, there was more joy in store for Kam Por as she later also won a gift. It was shaped cylindrically like a can. Its abalone, she declared. Her nearby friend chided her for being silly, but she replied that of course you have to say that your gift is great, even if it is possibly not. Her reply kind of stunned me, and my impression of her leveled up even more.
The final game was a dress up game. Kam Por gamely volunteered, and we dressed her up as one of Santa’s helpers. Because she radiates awesomeness plus our team of volunteers were really pro, our group won hands down even though the other teams had better materials.
In all, I could see that the elderly had tremendous fun and thank the organizers and everyone involved for making it happen.
Contributed by Chua Wenhao
Not long after we reached, the elderly started to arrive. I sat with Kam Por, a spritely lady who was more than three times my age and yet much livelier than me. After a round of introductions, the games began, the first of which was Bingo. I started to explain to Kam Por how the game worked, but she assured me that she was very familiar with it, having played it a lot of times and even won a sack of rice previously. Of course, she added, nothing beats winning 4D. Both rounds went by and twice Kam Por was only short of one letter to win. However, she was still having fun and cheering loudly for the winners.
Next was a wrapping game where Mr Tan and Zur represented our group. Kam Por was not involved so we just sat and watched as she gave a running commentary on the finer details of gift wrapping, having also done it before at the CC.
The next game was a pass the parcel game which also didn’t require much explanation. I guess as you get older and gain more experience, nothing is new to you anymore. However, old games can still be fun, especially with gifts and forfeits. Kam Por took centre stage when Jian Hao did a dance with her as a forfeit. There was a strange sudden silence as jealously radiated from all the girls in the room, both young and old. I had to run outside on pretext of going to the toilet to escape the repressing aura. Personally, if I ever lived to be 88 and got to dance with a 20 year old girl, I would probably die happy.
Still on the same game, there was more joy in store for Kam Por as she later also won a gift. It was shaped cylindrically like a can. Its abalone, she declared. Her nearby friend chided her for being silly, but she replied that of course you have to say that your gift is great, even if it is possibly not. Her reply kind of stunned me, and my impression of her leveled up even more.
The final game was a dress up game. Kam Por gamely volunteered, and we dressed her up as one of Santa’s helpers. Because she radiates awesomeness plus our team of volunteers were really pro, our group won hands down even though the other teams had better materials.
In all, I could see that the elderly had tremendous fun and thank the organizers and everyone involved for making it happen.
Contributed by Chua Wenhao
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Snippets!
Here are some of the photos from the xmas celebration! - the rest are already uploaded onto the facebook group and picassa..Just click on the links at the side! - And do help to tag the photos in the facebook group! Thanks! -
Haha..Looks like the gentlemen here dont know that they have the smallest cards on their forehead! LOL!
Game of Indian poker at Mdm Ho's house!
Wrap the present!
Haha..Looks like the gentlemen here dont know that they have the smallest cards on their forehead! LOL!
Game of Indian poker at Mdm Ho's house!
Wrap the present!
Look at the feast!
Our beautiful programmers!
Our beautiful programmers!
The best smiles of the day!!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
a saturday well spent- 5th Dec
Hi all!
We had an unofficial visit yesterday. Shall post what happened. Although there were only 6 of us, i still think it was fun! =D
1. Chen Hua, Pei jie and Shi tien were in a group, Rong Sheng, Ken and I in another. Then we each took 2-3 houses each. So for my group, we visited Mr Tan 61, followed by Mr Tan 62 and then Mdm Tan. =D all the tans. =D Then for the other group, they visited Mdm Lim Chuay and Mdm Ho, and Mr Chiu, which our group joined later.
2. Before we split up, we met Mdm Tan outside TSAC, and she went down to 'kiang kiang'.
Okay, so we went different ways and my group visited Mr Tan, his place looks pretty much okay, not much cleaning is needed, so it was manageable for the three of us.
I noticed that his feet seems to be not too good, not sure because of the weather which causes his skin to tear easily or what though. We did suggest to him to apply more moisturising cream, but i seriously dont think that it wil help much. maybe it takes more than external medication for the skin to heal.
3. Next we head to Mdm Tan place but no one was around. So we went to visit Mr Tan. Mr Tan was alone at home watching the repeated telecast of Jin Ma Qiang, his wife went to work. So we sat down and chat with him. First we talk about the Jin Ma Qiang awards show etc, then we move on to Mr Tan's health condition. He showed us the letter from NUH. TTSH told him that his heart seems to have expanded (before he can take an op, he has to ensure everything was okay and that includes his heart), but NUH said nth was wrong with his heart (as confirmed by the letter too) Mr Tan will be going for another medical check up this monday to check if everything is okay.
4. Then we went back to Mdm Tan's place. Yuan lai she went to have lunch with her daughter. We helped to wipe the doors and windows. Before doing that , we took down her laundry from the bamboo holder. Then following which, we sat down and help her with her HDB letters and others. GOOD NEWS! Mdm Tan is able to continue staying at her flat for another two more years! yays! she received the letter of renewal of rent lease and now the ownership is transferred to her name now! yipppy! we were very blur.
a. First we saw $65 on the receipt, but we do not know why. Debates occured that it may be application or renewal fee plus 1 month's rent (stated on another letter that it is $26 per month). then we guess maybe it was rent paid off for the past few months before the renewal starts on 31st jan 2010. lol. then..........
yuan lai...... there were prints : 012010-032010 (omg faint, the 3 of us 'eyes paste stamps', we missed that out. =D
b. The second funny incident. She gave us the tv license bill and we read it. We find it funny why do she have to pay since she doesnt have tv at home. And it was stated, if overdue payment, the fee is almost double/more than double. Then i noted! that the name of addressee and address was diff! went to d.check the unit no. Yah, wrong unit no, wrong blk, wrong person! then we quickly clarify that it was the wrong letter, not meant for her. and that how she gotten hold of the letter. Another yuan lai again... ISH HER SON!! OMG! YUAN LAI mdm tan got 2 sons staying the next blk. Then she asked us to check if the payment is made, cause she entrusted someone to pay for her and she wants to d.check. So we told her that it aint possible to check since it is only a bill asking for payment. omg! once again we are wrong. She said by right there should be indication, then I thought of my usual phone bills, where they will tear away the bottom and the com will print the ref code and details. So yah! once again! yuan lai there is blue wordings printed. hahas! eyes paste stamp part 2.
these are so funny! ahash! then later we gtg, so we helped her to hang her clothes back. Ken did that, and Mdm tan rejected, saying no need to hang back, and he said nevermind, i can do it etc. And Rong Sheng commented that he can one, very good at doing this etc. So Mdm Tan heard it and say, good ah, this kind of boy is what girls should fine etcetc.. lol. marketing him. Hahas, I think Mdm Tan very fun, everytime we are there, we wont be worried that there aint topics to talk about. (:
5. Then we head to Mdm Chow Moi's place and check if she is around. But we knocked the door and nth happen, then we saw those flyers (3 flyers) at her doorstep, and we wonder if she went on a trip or ... you know.. bad news kind=s. We tried knockign many times but didnt work, so we thought of going down to check if the windows are open or shut etc. So we went to meet the other group at Mr Chiu's place and we tried the cd that Rong Sheng burnt for Mr chiu. But couldnt be used for normal cd player due to wrong format used. Then we played some songs and Mr chiu sang some, and we had the usual debates about some volunteers having generational gap. like how come some volunteers listen to such old songs, but the others dont when we are almost the same age. this kind of debate always forever funny. Cause we tend to deny we are old or that the songs we listened to are very old. =D
6. Left Mr Chiu for him to have his lunch and listen to his huang jin nian hua 4. And we try our luck at Mdm Chow Moi's place. This tiem she opened the door! omg! ahhas! she was at home all along youknow.... and she was..... PEOPLE WATCHING! LOL! i didnt know seniors also like people-watching, thought it only applies to youngsters lol. And she was standing by the window. And before we left, we discussed and decided to walk the area where she can see us. And when we walked out, she waved to us frantically from above. LOL! Mdm Chow Moi is super cheerful, hearty, funny and cute! lol! her laughter is contagious! =D
7. this ended our unofficial visit. (: And we went to the usual lao di fang for lunch. Shi tien had to leave early. It was already 1.50pm when we left and took a lift down, and Shi Tien had tuition at 2.30and he havent had lunch!! omg! but thank you for staying till the end of the visit. ((:
Then we sat down for lunch, nan de can have all of us sitting in one round table. just nice. And we chatted, about Peijie's temp jobs, and Chen Hua's career path etc. So funny. and also a good time for bonding and interaction among the volunteers. =)
I really did enjoy myself yesterday's morning. And I went home with a happy mind and attitude, and was able to go home, enjoy tv and nua (finally, since usually i had to rush to tuition)! i watched a movie/film on Vasantham Central somemore! Very nice show! woots! (: some indie film/movie are really very nice!! really! their story plot and their dancing and their casts are really good. (= hee hee. okay i shall end off my long post.
A saturday well spent ! (: TAKE CARE EVERYONE! AND ENJOY YR HOLIDAYS! SEE U ALL AT T.H.E. SENIORS!!!!!
cheers,
margaret~
We had an unofficial visit yesterday. Shall post what happened. Although there were only 6 of us, i still think it was fun! =D
1. Chen Hua, Pei jie and Shi tien were in a group, Rong Sheng, Ken and I in another. Then we each took 2-3 houses each. So for my group, we visited Mr Tan 61, followed by Mr Tan 62 and then Mdm Tan. =D all the tans. =D Then for the other group, they visited Mdm Lim Chuay and Mdm Ho, and Mr Chiu, which our group joined later.
2. Before we split up, we met Mdm Tan outside TSAC, and she went down to 'kiang kiang'.
Okay, so we went different ways and my group visited Mr Tan, his place looks pretty much okay, not much cleaning is needed, so it was manageable for the three of us.
I noticed that his feet seems to be not too good, not sure because of the weather which causes his skin to tear easily or what though. We did suggest to him to apply more moisturising cream, but i seriously dont think that it wil help much. maybe it takes more than external medication for the skin to heal.
3. Next we head to Mdm Tan place but no one was around. So we went to visit Mr Tan. Mr Tan was alone at home watching the repeated telecast of Jin Ma Qiang, his wife went to work. So we sat down and chat with him. First we talk about the Jin Ma Qiang awards show etc, then we move on to Mr Tan's health condition. He showed us the letter from NUH. TTSH told him that his heart seems to have expanded (before he can take an op, he has to ensure everything was okay and that includes his heart), but NUH said nth was wrong with his heart (as confirmed by the letter too) Mr Tan will be going for another medical check up this monday to check if everything is okay.
4. Then we went back to Mdm Tan's place. Yuan lai she went to have lunch with her daughter. We helped to wipe the doors and windows. Before doing that , we took down her laundry from the bamboo holder. Then following which, we sat down and help her with her HDB letters and others. GOOD NEWS! Mdm Tan is able to continue staying at her flat for another two more years! yays! she received the letter of renewal of rent lease and now the ownership is transferred to her name now! yipppy! we were very blur.
a. First we saw $65 on the receipt, but we do not know why. Debates occured that it may be application or renewal fee plus 1 month's rent (stated on another letter that it is $26 per month). then we guess maybe it was rent paid off for the past few months before the renewal starts on 31st jan 2010. lol. then..........
yuan lai...... there were prints : 012010-032010 (omg faint, the 3 of us 'eyes paste stamps', we missed that out. =D
b. The second funny incident. She gave us the tv license bill and we read it. We find it funny why do she have to pay since she doesnt have tv at home. And it was stated, if overdue payment, the fee is almost double/more than double. Then i noted! that the name of addressee and address was diff! went to d.check the unit no. Yah, wrong unit no, wrong blk, wrong person! then we quickly clarify that it was the wrong letter, not meant for her. and that how she gotten hold of the letter. Another yuan lai again... ISH HER SON!! OMG! YUAN LAI mdm tan got 2 sons staying the next blk. Then she asked us to check if the payment is made, cause she entrusted someone to pay for her and she wants to d.check. So we told her that it aint possible to check since it is only a bill asking for payment. omg! once again we are wrong. She said by right there should be indication, then I thought of my usual phone bills, where they will tear away the bottom and the com will print the ref code and details. So yah! once again! yuan lai there is blue wordings printed. hahas! eyes paste stamp part 2.
these are so funny! ahash! then later we gtg, so we helped her to hang her clothes back. Ken did that, and Mdm tan rejected, saying no need to hang back, and he said nevermind, i can do it etc. And Rong Sheng commented that he can one, very good at doing this etc. So Mdm Tan heard it and say, good ah, this kind of boy is what girls should fine etcetc.. lol. marketing him. Hahas, I think Mdm Tan very fun, everytime we are there, we wont be worried that there aint topics to talk about. (:
5. Then we head to Mdm Chow Moi's place and check if she is around. But we knocked the door and nth happen, then we saw those flyers (3 flyers) at her doorstep, and we wonder if she went on a trip or ... you know.. bad news kind=s. We tried knockign many times but didnt work, so we thought of going down to check if the windows are open or shut etc. So we went to meet the other group at Mr Chiu's place and we tried the cd that Rong Sheng burnt for Mr chiu. But couldnt be used for normal cd player due to wrong format used. Then we played some songs and Mr chiu sang some, and we had the usual debates about some volunteers having generational gap. like how come some volunteers listen to such old songs, but the others dont when we are almost the same age. this kind of debate always forever funny. Cause we tend to deny we are old or that the songs we listened to are very old. =D
6. Left Mr Chiu for him to have his lunch and listen to his huang jin nian hua 4. And we try our luck at Mdm Chow Moi's place. This tiem she opened the door! omg! ahhas! she was at home all along youknow.... and she was..... PEOPLE WATCHING! LOL! i didnt know seniors also like people-watching, thought it only applies to youngsters lol. And she was standing by the window. And before we left, we discussed and decided to walk the area where she can see us. And when we walked out, she waved to us frantically from above. LOL! Mdm Chow Moi is super cheerful, hearty, funny and cute! lol! her laughter is contagious! =D
7. this ended our unofficial visit. (: And we went to the usual lao di fang for lunch. Shi tien had to leave early. It was already 1.50pm when we left and took a lift down, and Shi Tien had tuition at 2.30and he havent had lunch!! omg! but thank you for staying till the end of the visit. ((:
Then we sat down for lunch, nan de can have all of us sitting in one round table. just nice. And we chatted, about Peijie's temp jobs, and Chen Hua's career path etc. So funny. and also a good time for bonding and interaction among the volunteers. =)
I really did enjoy myself yesterday's morning. And I went home with a happy mind and attitude, and was able to go home, enjoy tv and nua (finally, since usually i had to rush to tuition)! i watched a movie/film on Vasantham Central somemore! Very nice show! woots! (: some indie film/movie are really very nice!! really! their story plot and their dancing and their casts are really good. (= hee hee. okay i shall end off my long post.
A saturday well spent ! (: TAKE CARE EVERYONE! AND ENJOY YR HOLIDAYS! SEE U ALL AT T.H.E. SENIORS!!!!!
cheers,
margaret~
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