P.S.: This post is NOT sponsored by the Singapore Kindness Movement.
We, Singaporeans have never been known for our graciousness, so much so that our Land Transport Authority feels that we still need reminders to be gracious – which is why we have campaigns like “Give Way Glenda” and “Stand Up Stacey”.
Often stereotyped as selfish and inconsiderate, sites like STOMP and Mothership.sg show the ugly side of us, and while that may be true for some, the rest of us definitely do not deserve that stereotype. The rest of us have dispelled that notion in recent years and more acts of kindness and beginning to surface. Here’s a list of local incidents that will leave you with a glimmer of hope and keep your hearts warm.
#1 The Owndays Bracelet Lady Fiasco
This one is still fresh off our memory. The whole saga is actually quite mind-boggling, with most still confused as to what actually caused the lady to be so agitated.
To summarise the incident, the Bracelet Lady, as the internet calls her, stomps into the Owndays outlet at Tiong Bahru searching for another female shopper who came into the shop to hide from the Bracelet Lady.
When the Bracelet Lady became increasingly aggressive, two Ownday staffs helped shield the shopper and as a result were assaulted by her. Keeping their cool and choosing not to retaliate, the two brave staffs maintained their professionalism despite repeated assaults by the Bracelet Lady.
As for the Bracelet issue, it appeared to be a non-issue till she accidentally flung it across the storeroom in the midst of her violent behaviour.
#2 Police Officers Become Nurses In An Emergency
Clad in sleek dark-blue uniforms, the officers from the Singapore Police Force work all night long to keep our nation safe. From midnight patrols to the 4am roadblocks, they are efficient and constantly on their toes in case of any emergency. And that’s exactly what they did in this incident.
Just last month, Senior Staff Sgt Azhar and Sergeant Mohamad Adam Roslan, both 26, were praised for their initiative and quick-thinking. When a woman frantically entered Sengkang NPC with an unconscious boy, not only did they call the ambulance, they also realised that the boy was having fits.
The next-door polyclinic was already closed for the day, but a colleague tried his luck and eventually managed to catch a doctor who just knocked off work.
Long story short, instead of waiting around for an ambulance, their decision to get medical attention saved the boy’s life.
#3 Jamco Spectacle Literally Going The Extra Mile
They are just a spectacles shop located in Katong shopping mall with no delivery services whatsoever. Facebook user Darren Hkt shared that his dad needed a pair of spectacles urgently before his flight and even wanted to change the flight timing.
But the shop managed to supply the spectacles in time and the shop’s employee even rushed down to Changi Airport “drenched in sweat”. It’s a whole other level of going the extra mile, and Katong to Changi Airport is not exactly a stone’s throw away. It’s not often that we see or experience these customer service. To produce the spectacles under such time constraints and even rush down to deliver them – they deserve a round of applause.
#4 Standing Up For Migrant Workers
This is how you do racial harmony right. A moment of faith restoration was observed by Singapore Press Holdings journalist, in which a caring old uncle gets a migrant worker to sit down on the train instead of giving them up to Singaporeans.
“Hey you can sit down… You don’t always have to give up your seat, especially not to men on the train,” said 68-year-old to the labourer. “You come here to build our homes so you can sit also you know?”
Us, Singaporeans were against their hostels being built in our neighbourhoods, but are we also going to be that selfish and judge them for taking up space on public transports?
#5 “Save A Stranger”
Some employers are decent, while some are just straight up nasty, but the rare gems are those who would go an extra mile for you.
The owners at Strangers Reunion pitched the idea of a fundraiser when one of their chefs was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. When he got too physically too weak to work, the owners still supported him in his day-to-day needs.
They were hard at work on the cafe’s off day with the staffs volunteering their Tuesdays for 8 weeks until they reached their target.
Their campaign “save a stranger” was met with an overwhelming amount of response. Even though the money raised was still unable to completely pay off his medical bills, the rest were footed by his employers.
#6 Because Migrant Workers Deserve Angpaos Too
Kudos to these Republic Polytechnic students for teaching us the meaning of “putting others before you”. Students on the whole are one broke bunch since we would still be depending on our parents for most of our necessities.
Which is why the act of kindness by this Republic Polytechnic student towards our foreign workers showed us the true Singaporean spirit. Ian was motivated to do so after hearing about these workers only getting paid a measly $1.50 per hour. Pooling together the money he received in hongbaos from visits during the Lunar New year, he made 20 red packets of $5 and handed it out to the workers at the construction site behind Plaza Singapura. And no, it’s not part of their community involvement projects – it is simply out of their own goodwill.
#7 Braving A Flood For An Elderly Lady’s Cai Fan
They’re only 14, but their initiative and determination definitely showed much more maturity than that. Julia Kan and Ivan Chiew braved the rain and flooded streets to get vegetarian food for an elderly woman, whose meal request had been overlooked. This was during their community service with Touch Community, which was a first for Julia.
The lack of umbrellas nor the ankle-deep floods might deter the average joe from running out for food but definitely not for these kids. Well, like they always say – hearts are purest when you’re younger.
#8 Dedicating His Weeknights To The Less Fortunate
Being a doctor is no easy feat – long working hours and most of the time the patients aren’t making it any easier. Dr Lam is a doctor at the Institute of Mental Health by day, and dedicated volunteer by night. He spends his Tuesday and Wednesday nights volunteering for Healthserve, a non-profit organization. Their small clinic in Geylang attracts snaking queues, mostly from migrant workers.
While some of us might be deterred from volunteering since the next day is a working one, Dr Lam said that he wanted to “play a part for the migrant workers”, since an outside consultation for non-residents will cost them a bomb.
#9 A Family Of 10
Fostering kids, to put it mildly, takes a lot of courage. With four children of their own, you would think that this couple would already have their hands full as parents – much less go out on a limb to care for someone else’s children. But for this couple, Mr Ismail Atan and Madam Zawiyah Wee Abdullah, the thought of neglecting or abused children growing up without a family is just too much that there were no hesitations when they fostered – even though they already had their hands full with their own.
Although the fostering scheme offers some form of grants for these kids, expecting them to survive on $936 monthly is a huge feat. The family now houses a total of 10 people under their modest roof, but their lack of financial capabilities did not at all deter the couple – or their own children – from giving the foster kids the love and discipline they needed. Talk about selflessness.
These uplifting and heartwarming stories just goes to suggest that Singapore is actually making promising progress towards becoming a more gracious and thoughtful society. It really doesn’t take much for us to extend a hand of kindness and offer help to those in need. So why not start today?
P.S.: This post is NOT sponsored by the Singapore Kindness Movement 🙂
