"A course on Life Appreciation"
whenever i read articles or watch television programmes on the plight of people who led a comfortable all this while, onlie to have their protective bubble burst by a sudden change of fate. Then all this time, when they had been earning a lot of money..more than an average worker..for holding quite a high post, onlie to start right from the bottom and doing odd jobs every now and then. like though my family rite now is facing an opposite situation where our savings are not that much to stretch for a few years..let alone for the next six months, things are starting to look up a bit now. but just like a molehill...after some time, it will be levelled...(er...quite bad at translating malay idioms, lah). aniwae, my point is....u often heard the sad plight of a substantial number of singaporeans....who are barely surviving on a mere salary from doing some odd jobs or receiving token money from the govt or charities, which are neither that much too because they have to be fair to other families or individuals who need the public fund.
just as i thought that I couldnt imagine myself downgrading from a four room right down to a rented one room flat as that would be rather far fetched..hey anything is possible if one day, that could happen. But for now *touch wood*...bless my good parents for working so hard over the years even before I was born to be able to pay the housepayments on time. then bless my current job rite now which allows me to contribute monthly to my central provident fund even though the job sucks. sometimes....if you dont look at things with rose-tinted lenses...u'll see that what you have rite now is sufficient enough for u to continue surviving in this harsh reality of life. who cares if i am not fortunate enough to live in a condominium rite now...who cares about living in a bungalow in a 10 district area....who cares about all of these if you don't spare a thought for those whose lives have dramatically changed because of one or more life turning events. Even such people who suddenly encountered instant hardship, would appreciate what they have all this time..something they have neglected for a long long time before their hardship. everyone wants to be a somebody..that even I cannot deny....further ur studies..get a better paying job...upgrade ur houses...but before we reach our goals..let us take a backseat and appreciate what we currently have. taking a good look around you can make u re-think that hey, you can take the bus the next day as you have enough transport money. Or you can afford that packet of food from the canteen with the pocket money your dad gives u. Or you are right there sitting in ur office cubicle, which u have dubbed 'hell hole' by the way, because you have a job that lets u earn money to pay the utilities bill. Or myself..I am typing this blog at home using my pc with internet because my job allows me to earn enough to afford myself my own internet. not everyone have such pridviledges....they'll do anything to have a taste of the kind of life u are currently leading.
the other time i watched this malay docu drama on real life stories on our very own singaporeans..like of the breadwinner of this family who used to earn up to 5k every month from his job as a restaurant manager. not many people are fortunate enough to earn 1k...let alone 5k?!! just as u thought this restaurant manager..will not have to think about not having enough money for his family of four children..with the youngest being onlie a two week old baby...and a loving wife. they were leading a life so comfortably in their lush house until one day, their son got into a coma. he had to eventually quit his job to look after his son who is unconscious and is in the ICU and his wife is still weak after giving birth to his fourth child even though, u cant beat a mother's love for her son..she still goes to the ICU to talk and sing to her child hoping that one day, he'll regain consciousness.
even though throughout his job as a restaurant manager, he did save up for the family but onlie to have the savings to slowly dwindle away as they are heavily used to pay for the very expensive medical treatment. His once healthy son...has to depend on an artificial respiratory and had to be fed through a tube...then complications do arise even when he is in coma and that requires money too. but because of his very supportive frens and family, even though they are not that rich themselves, they help where they can. Like his two elder daughters who are still school-goers, they need pocket money for school. And there were times when they did not even have enough money to go to school. Then, when one of them ask for a 2 dolar pocket money...he asked them to go get from his shirt pocket. But onlie to be told by her that 'pa...u onlie have coins in ur pocket.' He panicked coz the daughter not have enough pocket money. So he called one of his friends and begged him...to please help him. Bless his good friends...they help me where they can...Also for the first time, he got help from a local malay society who helps those who are in financial crisis just like this man's family...even though he used to earn a lot...but unfortunately, some good things are not meant to last. Even though it may never equate to what his family was used to live in comfort with...whatever means of help they receive, they receive them with open arms. All..they want...is for their son to one day, regain consciousness. He said that nevermind...if his savings mostly go to his treatment and also finding a cure for his mysterious illness...whether through modern or traditional medicine. And it is very heartening for them to see him twitch his fingers..bat his eyelids...because to them..these are signs that he's gonna be alrite one day.
Like now...if we break a nail..we nag and nag over how long we try to grow that nail. Or if we simply cannot find that perfect pair of shoes that lead us to a constant 'search' for that pair..(ahem..yes, i'm guilty..but i stopped alreadi..hopefullie)...Touch wood....what if one day, we lose senses of our fingers..do we still worry about that broken nail? Or if we're paralysed..do we worry over which pair of shoes will go with which pair of outfit?...
So I say..always prepare for the worst. don't think we are forever stuck in this mold. But one thing...i do believe in..and have been proved correct all this while...wateva hardship or unfortunate event that happens...it will give way to something better...so stay positive..gather all ur strength...and appreciate the little things in life. U don't have to physically go out and smell the flowers..frolick on a bed of sand...just put a smile on ur face...and say you're lucky to so-and-so...For me, I'll say....i'm lucky to still be standing and walking after a bout of polio when I was a baby. What say u?..
just as i thought that I couldnt imagine myself downgrading from a four room right down to a rented one room flat as that would be rather far fetched..hey anything is possible if one day, that could happen. But for now *touch wood*...bless my good parents for working so hard over the years even before I was born to be able to pay the housepayments on time. then bless my current job rite now which allows me to contribute monthly to my central provident fund even though the job sucks. sometimes....if you dont look at things with rose-tinted lenses...u'll see that what you have rite now is sufficient enough for u to continue surviving in this harsh reality of life. who cares if i am not fortunate enough to live in a condominium rite now...who cares about living in a bungalow in a 10 district area....who cares about all of these if you don't spare a thought for those whose lives have dramatically changed because of one or more life turning events. Even such people who suddenly encountered instant hardship, would appreciate what they have all this time..something they have neglected for a long long time before their hardship. everyone wants to be a somebody..that even I cannot deny....further ur studies..get a better paying job...upgrade ur houses...but before we reach our goals..let us take a backseat and appreciate what we currently have. taking a good look around you can make u re-think that hey, you can take the bus the next day as you have enough transport money. Or you can afford that packet of food from the canteen with the pocket money your dad gives u. Or you are right there sitting in ur office cubicle, which u have dubbed 'hell hole' by the way, because you have a job that lets u earn money to pay the utilities bill. Or myself..I am typing this blog at home using my pc with internet because my job allows me to earn enough to afford myself my own internet. not everyone have such pridviledges....they'll do anything to have a taste of the kind of life u are currently leading.
the other time i watched this malay docu drama on real life stories on our very own singaporeans..like of the breadwinner of this family who used to earn up to 5k every month from his job as a restaurant manager. not many people are fortunate enough to earn 1k...let alone 5k?!! just as u thought this restaurant manager..will not have to think about not having enough money for his family of four children..with the youngest being onlie a two week old baby...and a loving wife. they were leading a life so comfortably in their lush house until one day, their son got into a coma. he had to eventually quit his job to look after his son who is unconscious and is in the ICU and his wife is still weak after giving birth to his fourth child even though, u cant beat a mother's love for her son..she still goes to the ICU to talk and sing to her child hoping that one day, he'll regain consciousness.
even though throughout his job as a restaurant manager, he did save up for the family but onlie to have the savings to slowly dwindle away as they are heavily used to pay for the very expensive medical treatment. His once healthy son...has to depend on an artificial respiratory and had to be fed through a tube...then complications do arise even when he is in coma and that requires money too. but because of his very supportive frens and family, even though they are not that rich themselves, they help where they can. Like his two elder daughters who are still school-goers, they need pocket money for school. And there were times when they did not even have enough money to go to school. Then, when one of them ask for a 2 dolar pocket money...he asked them to go get from his shirt pocket. But onlie to be told by her that 'pa...u onlie have coins in ur pocket.' He panicked coz the daughter not have enough pocket money. So he called one of his friends and begged him...to please help him. Bless his good friends...they help me where they can...Also for the first time, he got help from a local malay society who helps those who are in financial crisis just like this man's family...even though he used to earn a lot...but unfortunately, some good things are not meant to last. Even though it may never equate to what his family was used to live in comfort with...whatever means of help they receive, they receive them with open arms. All..they want...is for their son to one day, regain consciousness. He said that nevermind...if his savings mostly go to his treatment and also finding a cure for his mysterious illness...whether through modern or traditional medicine. And it is very heartening for them to see him twitch his fingers..bat his eyelids...because to them..these are signs that he's gonna be alrite one day.
Like now...if we break a nail..we nag and nag over how long we try to grow that nail. Or if we simply cannot find that perfect pair of shoes that lead us to a constant 'search' for that pair..(ahem..yes, i'm guilty..but i stopped alreadi..hopefullie)...Touch wood....what if one day, we lose senses of our fingers..do we still worry about that broken nail? Or if we're paralysed..do we worry over which pair of shoes will go with which pair of outfit?...
So I say..always prepare for the worst. don't think we are forever stuck in this mold. But one thing...i do believe in..and have been proved correct all this while...wateva hardship or unfortunate event that happens...it will give way to something better...so stay positive..gather all ur strength...and appreciate the little things in life. U don't have to physically go out and smell the flowers..frolick on a bed of sand...just put a smile on ur face...and say you're lucky to so-and-so...For me, I'll say....i'm lucky to still be standing and walking after a bout of polio when I was a baby. What say u?..
Comments