"We're lucky"
"The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive." - Robert Heinlein
Painted homes for CIP yesterday. Turns out more I've gained another few truckloads of thoughts, experienced more, seen the other side of Singaporeans and came out of the day learning so much more, feeling like I've reborn.
Walking down the long corridor taking peeks into houses with doors opened, some cast in darkness with just the flashes of bluish green light from the TV outlining the silhouette of a single man lying on the floor. Or a woman whose age caught on, just sitting on her chair, staring as the world goes past. No matter the age group, the gender, they have the same sad feeling lingering over them. Enveloped in solitude, gratified for company.
First step into Mr Veeru's place I was shocked and surprised. Surprisingly it was clean and not as bad as I thought. Shocked at the sparse items he had. No TV, no bed. He had his throat cut out and had to talk through an aid that was audible. He left us to do our work the way we wanted it to be. So some worked outside on the walls, Sunye and Nicholas working extremely hard in the toilet and fan. Limei, Ham and I in the area outside the toilet. It may seem smaller than the rest of the areas but it required the most work. Cleaning the walls with CIF and sponges, and then the ceiling and while the dirt that came off hasn't dried, another person had to clean it off with cloth and towel. It was hard work, I found a swelling bicep on my right arm today. It was so difficult to clean the high walls and ceiling. The extremely dusty poles were like on either side of my head. And it was so difficult for me to clean the ceiling.
The painting was so much easier but we spent more time during painting to make sure the colour was even. So much fighting in that small area. All of us had paint all of us. Limei had paint in her eye! So much satisfaction from seeing a complete transformation.
Lunch was a simple affair but extremely enriching experience. Just sitting there rewarding ourselves for the hard work. Mr Lim Yue Wen came over to talk to us. I only heard a little about his life and WWII but the rest of the details only Limei and Ham heard. We interviewed him for our film and he seemed like a learned man, proficient in Mandarin.
We talked to another man, Mr Lionel Chong. This time round he was good in English because he went to English school all the way until Senior High which was already very good last time. He told us about his life and from what we all could see he led an extremely blessed life. He lost none of his family members to WWII, met his wife who still lives with him till this day. He met his wife on a blind date, but it was love at first sight. And he loves his wife and vice versa until this day. He was rich, travelled about 3/4 of the world. He was a police inspector with relatively high pay, his kids went to University. He has a handphone he carries only for his wife, knows who is Lionel Louis the goalkeeper, the internet and all about emails and chat rooms. He is 70+ but looks so young and looks like SM Lee Kuan Yew.
The only bad point is that his kids' wives opposed to them visting him. "It can't be helped, we must understand them. They don't see us everyday nor will they see us for much longer. Unlike their wives. As we grow old, they have their own lives. We must let them go."
I'd never make my parents feel that way. I feel my ultimate aim above all my goals is to provide for my parents (If they accept) and let them live a happy retirement. My father to rest and enjoy his music, arts and nature. My mother to stop worrying and enjoy her life. Melina and I feel too, if our future to-be spouse doesn't appreciate his own parents or more importantly, ours and treat them nicely then we won't marry him. I super wanted to tell them this yesterday in the car, but it was stuck in my throat.
"Everyday I pray that when I go out, a car will knock me down. What to do when you're my age? Soon I'd be condemned."
"You can never help these people completely."
He wants to die but says the more you want to, the more you can't. Like that lady, referring one to just walked past. "She tried committing suicide twice, but can't. First time, she got caught onto a pole. All because she loved her boyfriend so much." And he gave us advice on boys, love, life.
I teared while talking to him, and let it all wash over me after he left.
