Yesterday morning Ying Ying shared that she truly felt why we must really be grateful to those who allow us to help, to give us a chance to do good deeds, 'cos not everyone can give us the chance to do so. During the visit to the elderly home at Chinatown, Ying Ying's group came across a case whereby the Ah Ma was disabled and stayed alone. The house clearly needs cleaning and yet the Ah Ma declined their help.

I felt Ying Ying's words when during the same afternoon at Silra Home, it was my first time talking to an Ah Gong all by myself. i tried to come up with conversation topics and asked him questions but the Ah Gong merely reply my questions with one-line answers or just nodded his head when i mentioned anything. Only then i truly felt it's not always so easy to care for the Ah Gong and Ah Ma.

Maybe it's my broken cantonese or soft-spoken nature, i'm not too sure if the Ah Gong can hear or understood what i said or he just nodding his head to comply me ha-ha. Just a few minutes before we're about to leave, both of us sat there and a few awkward minutes of silence passed by.

When i finally decided it's time to leave, i told the Ah Gong. As though suddenly awaken from a daze, he gave me the longest reply in the whole afternoon! A more than one-line answer, which he said 'You're leaving? Oh..you're leaving...' i told him we will be back next month.

But like a fellow Tzu Ching senior said, we wouldn't know if the next time we come, the Ah Gong or Ah Ma will still be around then. i'm reminded of this once again when i heard that the Ah Ma whom Hui Ying always cared for, passed away last december, when we were still in Taiwan. The Ah Gong also reminds me of my late grandma, whom i didn't really make an effort to know her better when she was alive.