Dear fellow SHC members,
As the year draws to a close, and a new year begins, let’s take this occasion to wish one another a “Happy New Year”.
In particular, I wish you have met new friends in SilverHairsClub; and that you will also bring your other friends and family members to join the Club next year.
Thank you to all the Event Organisers EOs and Event Cordinators ECs who have played a role in bringing SilverHairsClub together. And to the other members who have silently worked in the background to bring more activities to our fellow members.
Have a meaningful and healthy year in 2015.
Terence Seah
Tonight the whole world will countdown at the chime of 0000 hr with celebratory cheers, text message and video clips flying all over the world.
When it is over, it is back to come what may for those without any new resolutions.
Life is like a journey on a train with its station with changes of routes and with accidents, like that of the recent ill fated AIr Asia flight.
We board this tarin when we are born and our parents are the ones who get our tickets.
As children, we believe they will travel on this train with us. Alas,however
at some station our parents will get off the train, leaving us alone to continue with the journey.
As times goes by, other passengers will board the train, many of whom will be of significant – siblings, friends, love of our life and children.
Many will get off during the journey and leave a permanent vacuum on our lives.
Many will go unnoticed that wont even know when they vacted their seats and got off the train!
This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fabtasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes and farewells.
A good journey is helping and loving and having a good realtionship with all the co passengers.
For we do not know at which station we oursleves will get off the train.
So we must live in the best possible way : to adjust, forgive and forget, and offer the best of what we have. When the time comes for us to leave our seat we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue with this journy of life.
So those who read this, whether you are or not a SHC member, let make 2015 a positive and inspiring one. Happy New Year.
Leon
Dear folks
Here is wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year ! Let’s hope for a world peace and safety for all living being.
Best regards
Pow TK & Helen
Leon,
You are quite a pragmatic guy. Sad that many unexpected things happen around us. Many of us are at home, others are travelling, while some of us have many thots as trot towards the new year.
I have always celebrated my new year in Thailand, far away from Bangkok. And tonight, I like to share with you my dinner, a BBQ rat.
We still have a few hours more to 2015. What are u doing tonight?
[image=rat.jpg]
May Singapore continue to enjoy peace and harmony in the new year. To all in SHC:[image=happy ny3.jpg]
Terence,
The year begins with another senseless accident of 36 people dead in a stampede in Shanghai. I spent my count down in a church by accident too hearing the testimonies of those who were thankful for event changing their life in 2014.
I said accident is because I have not been to church myself for more than 5 years
and did not planned to be there till late that night
That is nasty looking rat you are holding, dead one I believe. I will be in Bangkok just after CNY.
Cheers.
A (tuition) student of mine, in Secondary 2, won an award for submitting an article in an essay-writing competition in his school last year. It is titled “Happy New Year”, and I find it appropriate to share it on this “happy” occasion.
It was New Year day and dinner time. A group of friends met to have dinner at a food centre – 8 of them for good luck. When the echoes of “Happy New Year” faded away, they began to tuck in. There were plenty of food – chicken, fish, prawns, meat, soup etc. Except for the clicking of chopsticks, it was complete silence as each and every one reached out to the food and gulped it down with gusto.
“Happy New Year, Sir. Tissue paper?” a voice broke the silence. A frail old lady thrust 3 packets of tissue in the air. As if on command, almost all around the table shook their hands (or chopsticks) in unison. The old lady persisted. The man nearest her shooed her away in an obviously annoyed manner. Perhaps the distraction could make him lose the “drumstick” he was targeting at. The poor old lady dawdled away, moving to the next table to peddle her stuff.
After satisfying their gastronomic craving, the merry makers sipped their tea and picked their teeth. The conversation resumed. One woman went to the stall owner to ask for serviettes, or tissue paper. The issue of tissue was thus brought up.
“Why none of you buy from the old lady. It is only $1”, asked one of them. The group paused, some pretending not to hear while others played with their phones.
“Hey. Maybe that old lady is richer than any of us”, one managed to blurt out a reason.
“Yes. She may be driving a Mercedes”, another quipped.
“Don’t be fooled by such people”, the third said approvingly.
“Then why didn’t you buy?” the fourth was sober enough to snap back.
“Oh. Mine are all big notes. No small change”, the questioner was obviously ready for this.
The conversation then turned to other topics. The bill came and a total of close to $200 was spent, which came to around $25 per person. After a round of commotion where money was paid and changed, the people left their seats.
As they walked past the old lady clutching her big bag of tissue papers, one man told her, perhaps on behalf of all the others, “Happy New Year”.
DC
(Note: this student of mine is from China, and has been in Sg since P4)
Hi Daniel
The student who wrote the article based on what he saw and perceived as an
observer from China. His observation was more in depth for the reason that he
could see what most locals would not.
If this piece of social manifestation is representative of the majority, then it shows much about the image of the people in general.
It reveals the ugly side of the norms of the country. People are unsympathetic,
and care very little for the unfortunates. In this episode, the merry-makers could
easily spend $25 per person for a meal and would not spare $1 to buy tissue paper from the old lady.
How the society has degenerated to such a melancholy state?
RO
Thank you Robert for your comments. To be fair, there are kind people in this lovely land of ours. We can see at the hawker centres, for every 10 persons who say NO, there is 1 or 2 who will buy. The article was perhaps a bit exaggerated for “dramatic” effect. But it is not very far from the truth.
As it reflects upon us at the start of this new year, we ask whether we are guilty of such an “oversight” when we are enjoying a happy occasion.
DC