Singapore - A City of Samaritans
My fall was totally unfortunate.
But it is also because of an unfortunate event that I count myself fortunate;
Fortunate - to be on the receiving end of acts of goodwill from many kind people whom I’ve met;
Fortunate - to have a rare chance to see the compassionate side of folks in Singapore.
Remember Mr Samaritan the day I fell?
Frankly, if I were him I would have tried to walk off (discretely).
Why? I have had someone fell right in front of me before and I was so stunned I didn’t know how to react…
But he took the initiative to offer help (and risked missing his bus ;P)… THANKS~
And not forgetting the bus driver on that same day..
He could have driven off without me too (who knows how long I’ll take to get my butt up, and whether I’ll still be taking his bus?)
But he chose to wait on.
This is what I call ‘a small act of kindness goes a long way’… THANKS~
And here’s more…
One week later, on the day that I went for my appointment with the specialist (yes..that was the ONLY day I stepped out of my house since 8 Aug…booooo)
I had called for a cab, and the moment I settled down in the taxi I was greeted with a warm ‘Morning!’ from the cab driver.
Wwoh… when was the last time I’ve had a cab driver greet me (with such enthusiasm)? And without me doing it first too?
It really came as a pleasant surprise. I happily greeted the cab driver back and needless to say, the rest of journey was a smooth one. His attitude was great~ I could sense his cheerfulness even when his face was hidden behind his sunglasses.
A smile speaks a thousand words, he certainly helped kick off a good start to my day :)
After seeing the doc at TTSH, I had to collect medicine at the pharmacy and as expected, there was a long queue. While waiting, I saw a familiar face walking towards me… It took a while for me to recall her name.. Ah yes, Meifen!
We acknowledged each other as we were schoolmates from the same secondary school, but we’ve only had a few brief exchanges before. She was working there and without saying a second word, she offered to help me ‘jump queue’.
So it took me only 5 mins (‘stead of 15-20mins at least) for my name to be called! Yet another pleasant surprise for the day.. I really wasn’t expecting her to do me (and my mum too) this favour. It was very nice of her… Thank You :)
Over lunch at the foodcourt, we shared a table with a couple who sat opposite us.
There were some uncleared trays on the table and when they saw my mum approaching with a tray full of food, they immediately pulled the dirty tray over to their side so that my mum could put down hers.
I told the lady it’s fine we have enough space, and the lady replied with a smile, ‘It’s ok, we’re leaving already’.
It was very thoughtful of them, we smiled back to express our thanks.
After we’re done, mum flagged a cab to head for home. I was surprised when I saw the driver hurriedly stretch to the back seat to open the door for us (prolly coz he saw me on crutches).
So nice right…
On the journey back, he asked about my condition and that reminded him of his daughter who recently fell down while playing on her roller shoes. She had injured her spine and I could tell he was very worried as his daughter is only 8 years old, and spine injury is no play-play business.
When we arrived home, he cautioned me to be careful so my mum will not have to worry about me.
Wei2 ren2 fu4 mu4 xin1 ah….
It was very nice of him to show concern about my injury, and I would like to wish her daughter speedy recovery too!
This day was a day filled with pleasant surprises and it really feels good at the end of the day to have met all these samaritans.
What they have done could be a small effort on their part that seems insigificant, but what I have received was at least 10 times more.
We have to remind ourselves that many a times, it’s the thought that matters.
It’s the little gestures that really mean - A LOT.
Perhaps if we can learn to give more, and expect less from the people around us - be it your loved ones, someone whom you are not very familiar with, or just a stranger - everyday can be a G-R-E-A-T day =D
But it is also because of an unfortunate event that I count myself fortunate;
Fortunate - to be on the receiving end of acts of goodwill from many kind people whom I’ve met;
Fortunate - to have a rare chance to see the compassionate side of folks in Singapore.
Remember Mr Samaritan the day I fell?
Frankly, if I were him I would have tried to walk off (discretely).
Why? I have had someone fell right in front of me before and I was so stunned I didn’t know how to react…
But he took the initiative to offer help (and risked missing his bus ;P)… THANKS~
And not forgetting the bus driver on that same day..
He could have driven off without me too (who knows how long I’ll take to get my butt up, and whether I’ll still be taking his bus?)
But he chose to wait on.
This is what I call ‘a small act of kindness goes a long way’… THANKS~
And here’s more…
One week later, on the day that I went for my appointment with the specialist (yes..that was the ONLY day I stepped out of my house since 8 Aug…booooo)
I had called for a cab, and the moment I settled down in the taxi I was greeted with a warm ‘Morning!’ from the cab driver.
Wwoh… when was the last time I’ve had a cab driver greet me (with such enthusiasm)? And without me doing it first too?
It really came as a pleasant surprise. I happily greeted the cab driver back and needless to say, the rest of journey was a smooth one. His attitude was great~ I could sense his cheerfulness even when his face was hidden behind his sunglasses.
A smile speaks a thousand words, he certainly helped kick off a good start to my day :)
After seeing the doc at TTSH, I had to collect medicine at the pharmacy and as expected, there was a long queue. While waiting, I saw a familiar face walking towards me… It took a while for me to recall her name.. Ah yes, Meifen!
We acknowledged each other as we were schoolmates from the same secondary school, but we’ve only had a few brief exchanges before. She was working there and without saying a second word, she offered to help me ‘jump queue’.
So it took me only 5 mins (‘stead of 15-20mins at least) for my name to be called! Yet another pleasant surprise for the day.. I really wasn’t expecting her to do me (and my mum too) this favour. It was very nice of her… Thank You :)
Over lunch at the foodcourt, we shared a table with a couple who sat opposite us.
There were some uncleared trays on the table and when they saw my mum approaching with a tray full of food, they immediately pulled the dirty tray over to their side so that my mum could put down hers.
I told the lady it’s fine we have enough space, and the lady replied with a smile, ‘It’s ok, we’re leaving already’.
It was very thoughtful of them, we smiled back to express our thanks.
After we’re done, mum flagged a cab to head for home. I was surprised when I saw the driver hurriedly stretch to the back seat to open the door for us (prolly coz he saw me on crutches).
So nice right…
On the journey back, he asked about my condition and that reminded him of his daughter who recently fell down while playing on her roller shoes. She had injured her spine and I could tell he was very worried as his daughter is only 8 years old, and spine injury is no play-play business.
When we arrived home, he cautioned me to be careful so my mum will not have to worry about me.
Wei2 ren2 fu4 mu4 xin1 ah….
It was very nice of him to show concern about my injury, and I would like to wish her daughter speedy recovery too!
This day was a day filled with pleasant surprises and it really feels good at the end of the day to have met all these samaritans.
What they have done could be a small effort on their part that seems insigificant, but what I have received was at least 10 times more.
We have to remind ourselves that many a times, it’s the thought that matters.
It’s the little gestures that really mean - A LOT.
Perhaps if we can learn to give more, and expect less from the people around us - be it your loved ones, someone whom you are not very familiar with, or just a stranger - everyday can be a G-R-E-A-T day =D
posted by Jshan @ 19.8.06
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