My Greatest Fear....

My greatest fear is not public speaking, although it is known as the No. 1 fear in the world. Speaking in public was perhaps my greatest fear when I was a student, but after having joined the teaching profession and toastmasters' activities, I have overcome this fear.

My greatest fear is not death....for as a Christian, death has no sting for me.

My greatest fear is not poverty for I have always experienced God's timely supply, for He is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. I know God will never let me go hungry, for I have yet to see a skinny raven! If He cares for the birds of the air, would He not care for me, the highest of His creation.

My greatest fear is not failure....for failure only brings me a step nearer to success. Hence, I can try again and again.

My greatest fear is not of falling down....for life is not about falling down; it is about whether I pick myself up again. I know God will send people in the likeness of Barnabas to encourage and uplift me.

My greatest fear is ...... W O R M S! Cr ee ee py c r a w l i e s!! They make my hairs stand on ends, my heart miss a beat and legs go soft.! The other evening, I was cutting a chiku when suddenly the head of a big fat worm showed itself! Immediately I threw the knife and fruit away! The worm was really fat...even fatter than me...in worm size! It must have enjoyed the succulence of the fruit! I shared with Vanessa Yong about my fear, and to my horror, she told me that her ex-husband had eaten live worms before! They were at a tour fair, and a New Zealander showed how he ate live worms. Her husband, Seetoh, followed suit! He said the worm was creamy and tasted like caramel! I pleaded with Vanessa to stop because I felt like vomitting! Some people are just so adventurous with food. Why! I would not even take mutton, beef and lamb!

I shared with my manager, Aveline, and she told me that she had eaten roasted cockroach before! Arghh! Not again! Aveline shared that when she was a little girl, she often had tape worms in her stomach. Her mother believed that eating roasted cockroach would help to get rid of the worms. Her mother would catch the cockroaches that invaded the house, and removed the wings and heads before she roasted them. Aveline vaguely remembered the taste to be like roasted cuttlefish!

I know that everything has a purpose and God has created worms as food for the birds. In fact worms have lots of proteins and little cholesterol. This is why birds often look so healthy, with shiny, gleaming feathers! One man's meat is another man's poison!

Unsung Heroes and Heroines

 

Committed volunteers checking with Ms. Alice Sim

 

Ms. Alice Sim, a compassionate and dynamic leader

 

Volunteers giving out food to the needy

 

A generous donation of 12 edible items

Further to my previous article on "The Art of Receiving" as promised, I had gone to Pek Kio Community Centre to find out more about Ms. Alice Sim and her group of volunteers. Bus 131 brought me right to the doorstep of the Centre. As usual, everything is always well organised in our little country. 6 volunteers were seated at the reception to check on the identity and addresses of the recipients. After the forms had been verified the people were ushered to the collection centre where each received a goodie bag of 12 items. I asked to see Ms. Alice Sim as I wanted to interview her.

An elegant and dynamic lady greeted me. She was armed with a writing pad, and though busy, she granted me some of her precious time. I told her I wanted to write an article in my blog as I want my overseas readers to know what takes place in this little dot on the world map.

As a staunch Buddhist, Alice Sim feels that she would like to emulate the example of Buddha. "Buddha was a prince who gave up his royal comfort to seek enlightenment. Why can't we too forget ourselves - our status, ethnic backgrounds, etc. to come out and do some good for society? This is why, my group of friends and I have been organising such functions for the past 8 years. My friends gave what they could, and my family would top up the difference. Apart from this giving away of food, we also organise annual 10 course Chinese dinners for the elderly and destitute. These people hardly have chance to have sumptuous meals and we want to bless them." I asked for a copy of the menu. Wow! It is indeed sumptuous! The mouth watering menu from Xinhuai Restaurant :-

1. 6 Combination Cold Dish
2. Braised Bowl Shark's Fin Soup
3. Roasted Crispy Quarter Piglet
4. Steamed Fresh Pomfret
5. Boiled Live Prawn with Wine
6. Stir Fried Nai Bai with Scallops
7. Double Boiled Mini Buddha Jump Over the Wall
8. Stewed Pork Sliced with Bun
9. Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf
10. Yam Paste with Pumpkin with Coconut Milk

11. Free Flow of Soft Drinks and Chinese Tea

Wow! 550 elderly folks will be treated to a lovely dinner this coming Saturday evening. I am happy for them!

Alice Sim also revealed that each year, her group spends about $80,000/- for the charity drive. I like the prudence in this business woman. Alice told me that this year, the group has taken rice off the list of items and replaced it with noodles instead. "People are hoarding rice; I do not want to help jack up the price!" I also like the way she handles contingencies. An elderly Malay lady came to the reception. The volunteer staff found out that she lives in a 4 room flat and referred her to Alice. "It's ok. Let her have the bag of goodies. We do not want to turn away people." I agreed with Alice that it is difficult to assume that just because someone stays in a four or five room flat, he is rich. He/she could be desserted by his/her family. Who wants to come a-begging unless he has reasons to do so.? "Hence, I never turned this lady away....she has been coming here for the past 8 years." My family is very supportive of this event too.

I smiled. That's the spirit! I like people who are firm, yet flexible and who do not just go by rules and regulations. I went home, feeling like a lark. I proudly showed brother and his guest, Phoon Yew Tien, the donated food and the photos I had taken. It makes me feel so proud of Alice and her group of volunteers ....the unsung heroes and heroines....who go around playing their part, to make life a little better for their fellowmen! In a country which is well known for her kiasuism (fear of losing out) and kiasism (fear of dying), I find Alice Sim's selfless giving to be refreshing and inspiring. Keep it up, Alice and friends. May God bless you richly even as you give of your money, talent, time and energy.

A Precious Gift

 

Brother playing some parts of his composition.

 

Brother and Phoon Yew Tien discussing their work coordination

 

A precious gift - a lovely violin from Yew Tien. I must work hard on the violin

Brother Kee Yong had arranged to meet his friend, Yew Tien, at my apartment to discuss some of his orchestral composition. Phoon Yew Tien is Singapore's well-known composer.

I proudly told Yew Tien to try my Kawai piano which I had purchased at $100/-. He tried a few classical pieces and I thought he played very well for someone whose specialty is the flute and composition. Later I showed him my relatively new violin which I had bought for $280/- from a music shop in Balmoral Plaza. Yew Tien tried it and immediately detected that the sound post and bridge were not in their ideal position. I told him my brother would help me to fix it up.

The next day, when Yew Tien came, he brought with him a lovely violin. "For you", he said. I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat overwhelmed by Yew Tien's generosity. Wow, the sound is beautiful.... so much better than mine. It is more seasoned and the sound is richer. Brother played some parts of his composition on the violin. It made me yearn to be adept at this lovely instrument. With Yew Tien's gift, I now have two violins and I feel so rich! However, I guess it won't be long before I give one of my violins away, probably to my grand nieces when they are more grown up. More importantly I must learn to play the violin well. I must persevere as my fingers are quite short. Since I have been able to play "The Maiden's Prayer" a piece with many octaves on the piano with relative ease, I should be able to overcome my limitation!

I am so blessed to be surrounded by musically talented siblings and relatives as well as friends who have been endowed with the gift of music. "Music has power", as papa has always asserted. Indeed, like animals, music also makes my world go round!
As my good friend, Sally, had said, "Give Choo a dog and some music, and she'll be happy the whole day long".

My dear readers, what makes your world go round?

Gan Chau