A Visit to Toa Payoh on Saturday 16.05.2015

Old housing estates like Toa Payoh never lose their appeal. In fact, they age like vintage wine. Standing at the bend of tree-lined Lorong 7 which was utterly free of traffic, I could instantly feel the inviting quiet charm of this old satellite town.

Ron works at the Care Centre and was busy entertaining the elderly residents at the void deck. A bunch of NTU students had come to host some games and the happy folks were competing to give the right answers. The Centre has a kitchen and cooks 2 meals a day for those who are on their needs list. Project Awareness blessed the elderly residents with 40 boxes of Perk Beverages.

Mr. Kok was stressed out by his unpaid medical bills and expressed his frustration that he could not use his CPF monies to pay them. Born in 1949, he did not know at all whether he was eligible for the Pioneer Generation medical benefits. He was also worried sick about his imminent surgery to remove his bile and thought he might just die. After hearing some reassuring words, his mind was finally at ease. Initially reticent about receiving any favours, he finally agreed to accept some rations because he could not work and had no income. Noticing that his prayer offerings were pathetically placed on his floor, we offered to provide an altar table. He was surprised at what he thought was a very gracious offer but was more than happy to accept.

Old Granny Teo is a Hainanese and her husband is Teochew. Both are 83 years old and she has been passing out blood. She has 3 children who are almost all in their 60s and themselves in need. She is gearing up for surgery on Monday and was worried. Her husband, who has weak legs, was seated in the living room most of the time. Mdm Tan tried to put on a brave front but she soon could not control her tears as she shared her worries with us.

Margaret is 76. She lives alone and has been suffering from depression. Her aged father just passed away at 100 and her bedridden mother, aged 95, still does not know. Troubled by how to cope with her mother's persistent queries about her father, Margaret is constantly in tears. Her mother lives nearby and she knows her mother's days are numbered which adds to her feelings of melancholy.

Mdm Khoo has run out of help. HDB has told her that she has to take care of her internal spalling paintwork and she does not know who to turn to. When she saw us, she invited us into her flat and showed us the kitchen wall and toilet ceiling. The walls had traces of external seepage and the spalling toilet ceiling looked really bad.

Old Mr. Ayyakannu is 83 and his wife is 76. This gentle old Indian couple lives without their children who have moved to India. Even though they take their daily meals at the Care Centre, he  and his wife needed some dry rations. As we were talking, the Town Council's friendly plumber, Kannan, emerged from the flat with a smile. He had come to fix a leaking pipe and the old couple were happy with the job he had done. And more so with his friendly disposition.

She had her right leg amputated because of gangrene and lives alone. When we asked what we could do for her, she said all she needed was someone to help her clean up her electric standing fan. She invited us in and without ado, we got into action to carry out such the task which was difficult for her. Within minutes, the fan was in clean working condition and she was all smiles.

Mdm Du was opened her gate and invited us in. She was upset about how she and a group of colleagues were asked to leave the hotel where she worked a few years ago. She had reached 62 and the hotel did not pay them anything other than their last drawn pay. She rattled on about how the union had failed to protect her rights even though she had been faithfully paying the monthly membership fees. She asked if I could help her read some letters and produced them from her drawer. Her birth date appeared in a letter from the hospital and we realised that today was her birthday. Instantly, we burst into a birthday song and she was overjoyed. Perhaps, no one has sung her a birthday song for a very long time and she flashed the biggest smile we had seen.

The façade of Block 5 was colourful and surrounded by big trees. Walking from floor to floor, I noticed the corridors to be brightly lit and the residents had kept the floors clean. However, there were loose wires hanging out from electrical boxes and litter collecting on the parapets. Perhaps, closer attention could be paid to safety and hygiene by the relevant authorities.

At the close of the visit, we dropped by the United Temple. It consists of 5 smaller temples from the different dialect groups in the Chinese community in old Toa Payoh. We were warmly greeted by the organising committee of the Hokkien clan who were celebrating Tua Pek Kong's birthday. Overwhelmed by their hospitality, I made a small donation as a show of appreciation and support and was given a bag of festive goodies to bring home.

This was another chapter in my book of knowledge. Behind every door and fellow human being is a story that will help us to better appreciate our own existence. We learn that each of us walks a different journey in life. As we walk ours, let's just take some time to extend a listening ear and a helping hand to those in need and make our own journey that more meaningful.