Optimist, sunshine, nature, apples, clouds, animals, walking, being me, air-rifle, sketching, music, laughing with friends, reading, living each day to the fullest
'On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

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Today (or yesterday, a few hours ago) I went to malaysia with my family for dinner.
I'm still drying my hair now so I'm not asleep at this weird hour.

Its been a really really long time since I went there, like since I was 10 years old. The last time I've been nearest to Malaysia was at the start of the year when we went to the bridge area with my family, friends and godgrandmother to celebrate the new year by watching the fireworks display on the other side. It was beautiful, but as it was really quite distant, the impact was like bleah. But we still oohed and ahhed just for the fun of it :).

We were to this place "da ma hua yuan" in malaysia. The food, REALLY REALLY AWESOME. If I could drive, I would drive all over malaysia to eat :D. We ate zi char and shopped around a mall after that. During my meal I just felt really lucky to be in Singapore, and that we have a rather good government, or at least we have a well-managed environment.

Pardon, its not about the quality of food. Erm, but the surroundings and the people you see around you. This was what I have experienced when I was having my meal.
A lady walking past us asking us if we wanted to buy VCDs (pirated type)
A disabled man, missing a right palm, begging for money.
A great service from the xiao er to take initiative to push a trolley over for our coconuts as our table had no space.
A beggar in his 30s walking past us, begging for money.
An old man in his 60s, limping with a stick, begging for money.
The beggar in his 30s, going to a table where the customers just left with some unfinished food, and the waiters were clearing the table.
The beggar watching my dad take money out of his pocket to pay for our dinner bill.

This scene of the many beggars walking past us while we were eating good food somewhat tugged at my heartstrings. Many thoughts popped into my head. Why were there so many people, in this unfortunate state? Is there more in malaysia than in singapore? are there also many in singapore too, just that we don't get to 'meet' them? Who's going to do about it with them? Why did it happen to them? Where do they live? Are they receiving any help?

Sometimes as people who are better-off, its easy to just donate and forget it. But when these people go past you, so many different individuals, needing money you cannot just give them money. Even if you are kind enough, spare a thought for the wallet too. But there's just not enough to go around either. Perhaps our government dealt with this in a better way. I used to remember seeing beggars around waterloo street, when i used to go there for music lessons, but i believe its not that common these days.

I just felt sorry for him when I saw him limping briskly to the table in front of us which the waiter was clearing - just to get hold of the half eaten plate of whatever, noodles, and a drink on the empty coconut left by the patron earlier. He had really messy hair, pitiful gaze on his eyes, really tattered and thin clothing, the bag on his shoulders had holes and the straps were managing on his shoulders by a few pieces of cloth that is still attached together. His shoes were old.

This man saw the food on the table and placed it behind an unmanned stall so that he could eat it in peace without the waiter clearing it. From the next table, with a clear view of him, his eyes look as though they were saying "THERE'S FOOD, quick grab everything I can before they throw it away. Perhaps this can be my meal for today."

I would never wish that I was in his shoes, but I learn to sympathise with people who are in such circumstances. Looking at the noodles which were half-finished (we ordered a lot, and we were really full) I felt a bit guilty for wasting the food like that.

No, I cannot give the food to the beggar. Firstly, I think the shop owners would not appreciate it as it might draw more over. Secondly, despite how beggar-like somebody is, I think it is to uphold his human dignity not to treat him like a stray cat/pariah/beggar. So the best thing was to do nothing about it. What should be done should be for their state government to think of.

From the many things I have observed in my surroundings in our slightly more than an hour of dinner, more of it were not so worthy to talk about. I'm happy to be in my position, and to have a simple dinner with my family. I really don't think a dinner more expensive or in a polished environment can make much of a difference, as what matters always for me is the company you have with you.

I choose to go our with my jiemeis on friday even though we had a class outing because we planned it earlier and it was the company which I looked forward to and enjoyed. Even though we ate in the open space, had rain creeping into the tent area, eating clock's birthday cake with our spoons used for our oyster noodles, it was the company, the laughter, the joy that made the day great.

Besides that, in a nice family outing to malaysia yesterday, not only did I eat good food, spend quality time with my family, I also learnt more to sympathise with unfortunate people and be more appreciative.

I told my sister this meal made me feel inspired to write a story on the beggar, in two circumstance. maybe in future if I still remember to write, and if i have the time to :)

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