Pray for Nepal

Major earthquake in Nepal. It's one of the worst possible news one would want to hear about on this small and beautiful country much loved by many travellers. I first travelled there 10 years ago for my maiden trekking trip and had the opportunity to travel there two more times for different reasons. The people I met, the friends I acquainted and the friendships that I kept taught me a lot about life, and have pushed me to take stock of some of my dispositions in life. 

I have stayed in both Gorkha and Dhading, two beautiful districts in the country and have wonderful memories living together with the villagers. The people are so welcoming and take such good care of us that it strengthened my resolution to be as great a host as possible when friends visit my city. They may not have a lot financially but they are big with their hearts, giving me warm welcomes into their simple home. It is devastating to know that the epicenter is near Gorkha and the houses in the village I stayed in are almost completely destroyed. Future Village has also been affected and many places in Dhading will require rebuilding too. Many lives were lost. The only consolation is friends and families of people I know are safe at the moment. They are trying to help the rest of their fellowmen, evacuate the injured to medical services, and plan for a fresh start. I know they will be strong and resilient. And I hope that the weather and the earth will be kind to all of you, so that everyone can continue to keep safe. My prayers are with you,  my dear friends. 

Gorkha, 2011

Dhading, Future Village 2007

Maiden trip, 2005

My Lions Befriender Journey

I was told that someone joined our journey after reading the newspaper feature. So I thought I would repost this old FB entry from 11 Jan 2015.
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It has been nearly 3 years since I started volunteering with Lions Befrienders Singapore and started my weekly or biweekly visits to a group of elderly living in my vicinity. And I would like to invite you to read today's Zaobao article or listen to UFM 100.3 from 12th to 23rd Jan at 0730hrs. The radio series is aimed at creating awareness of the Befrienders scheme. If 0730hrs is too early for you, each day's program will be repeated at 1130, 1630 and 2030 hrs.

So, what do we do as Befrienders? It is named the 友伴计划 in Chinese, which means we volunteer our time to be friends and companions for a specific group of elderly that we are assigned to. While there are various financial assistance out there to help the poor on the material needs, the Befriending scheme is there to provide  emotional support for the elderly.  We offer our time and friendship to help lonely elderly cope with life and hopefully live a more engaged and active senior lifestyle. 

Depending on the area one volunteers at,  and it would preferably be near to where one lives,it may be a one to one matching or a team matching.

For me, I have been working in as a team with fellow volunteers, Larissa, Wan Jing and Derrick to visit about 13-15 households on a weekly basis. On a Weekly basis?! Some may ask. Yes, it is a commitment, which is why it took me so long to commit, ie when I knew I am done with long overseas residence. And we try our best to cover each other when we are unable to visit due to work, holidays or family commitment. Oh yeah, we need to strike that balance and it will take time for one to find it.

I have not really mentioned much about my visits on FB except for a few occasional posts on the LB gatherings with my fellow volunteers and executive staff in the Hougang-Serangoon team. It is generally for the elderly's privacy, as well as mine. But those who have met up with me in person these past few years would probably have heard a few interesting stories from my visits. Some of you have actually came forward and contributed in one way or another too. Thank you friends for showing support and care for the elderly even though you may not be able to afford the time to be a Befriender.

Well, since we have agreed to help raise awareness and join in the efforts to recruit more Befrienders, so we thought we would post something about it on FB too. We have a larger Hougang-Serangoon team and the rest of them are paired with other households. And there are many other fellow volunteers out there waiting for you to join us.

For those who are interested to find out more, you can always ask me or approach Lions Befrienders. If not, it would be great help if you can pass the message on to people who do not read Zaobao or listen to Ufm 100.3.

Thank you!

友情的细水慢慢「留」

今晚带了两位原本不太认识梁文福的小朋友和我们一起出席这场友情岁月的聚会。近五个小时的演出，估计他们觉得自己和他相逢恨晚吧。

梁文福的文字，梁文福的歌曲的魅力，是一种集体回忆，也是一种很个人的生活体验。我很庆幸自己赶上了新谣的末班车，认识了梁文福，跟着他的文字成长。因为《曾经》，对黄城有了一个模糊的想象。因为想成为黄城的一份子，是那座城，不是夜韵演出，所以后来有机会做出影响人生轨迹的一系列决定。

每一次的新谣聚会，都是一场纪念。这场聚会虽然等了好久，但是也只有到了这个时候，当他们带着人生历练重新演绎青涩岁月，少年不识愁滋味时曾经唱过的歌曲时，我们才能从歌声中品尝到岁月酿的酒的滋味。一边听歌，一边想着一些老朋友。虽然没有一起出席这场聚会，但是人生的每个阶段里都会有一些朋友常在记忆画面里出现的。所以，我能体会梁文福在开场时向那些可能20岁以后就不曾再见的朋友们问好的心情。

也感谢梁文福再次为新加坡派续写歌词。这不仅是一场对过往的告别，还是一场让友情细水继续潺潺不绝的聚会。