After all these years, the simple and happy thoughts are the ones she holds dear to.

by: Geraldine Ng

Seated at the corner of a lounge in Thye Hua Kwan Nursing Home, Auntie Mei Lan greeted us with a friendly smile as we approached her. Around us, many other Project Refresh volunteers were also settling down, in preparation for the Christmas activities planned for the Home.

Mdm Phung Mei Lan has been living at Thye Hua Kwan Nursing Home since January 2018. As a single destitute with no family support, she is blessed to have made a couple of friends at the Home, and befrienders visiting her from time to time. In the Home, Auntie Mei Lan would spend her time watching television, doing exercises and taking walks under the supervision of the staff.

As we talked, the Project Refresh activities started. Auntie Mei Lan started off the first art activity by drawing large, prominent flowers, before diligently adding the sun, clouds and grass in the background. She then chose the colours yellow, red, green and blue, which were to be added using the droppers provided. This was no easy feat as it was rather difficult to control the droppers, but Auntie Mei Lan remained undaunted. Slowly but steadily, she started to get used to the droppers and managed to complete her vibrant piece of art.

When asked about her artwork, Auntie Mei Lan explained that she loved flowers, and more so, growing them. Along the corridor of her previous apartment in Aljunied, she had planted and arranged her very own flowers, such as chrysanthemum and roses.

The 83 year old had come over from Malaysia with her family at the age of 16. She recalled growing crops such as cabbages, sweet potatoes and chilli back in her Kampong days. During that time, her family had also reared hamsters and white rabbits, of which she would occasionally give to her neighbours as pets too.

“Living in Kampong was fun,” she told us happily in Mandarin.

Soon after, we led Auntie Mei Lan into the second activity – drawing a Christmas tree using a fork and paint. We watched in awe as she beautified her artwork by creatively utilising multiple colours -- red, green, brown, yellow and red to create a bright and colourful Christmas tree.

Perhaps her brilliant flair for art could be explained from her previous tailor job, where Auntie Mei Lan had specialised in manufacturing pants, jeans and shorts, reflecting her skills in handicrafts. It was a job which she stayed for a very long time and had only quit during retirement.

Her artistic talent started from a young age. Before her work as a tailor, her other work involved developing black and white photographs, of which she would enjoy adding colours to.

Auntie Mei Lan was constantly enthusiastic in responding and interacting with us. However, we could not help but notice that her voice often sounded hoarse and strained. Sometimes, it was difficult to make out her words as well.

Auntie Mei Lan did not elaborate on the specific reasons for her condition, but did share with us that there was a period of time when she could not talk. Back then, her doctor had informed her that if she failed to speak within the next 6 months, she would not be able to speak forever. Auntie Mei Lan told us that she knew of a child who did end up being unable to speak permanently due to the condition.

In her case however, she had miraculously regained her ability to speak in the end. While she may still face some difficulties in articulating her words with ease, Auntie Mei Lan was simply grateful for what she has.

“Being able to talk is good enough,” she said in Mandarin.

"Being able to talk is good enough."

One of Auntie Mei Lan's greatest hobbies is music. Particularly, she enjoys old Chinese songs including "The Moon Represents My Heart" and it was a pity to hear that she is unable to sing them out loud. Even so, Auntie Mei Lan was not disheartened and told us that she is happy just being able to listen to the songs through radio, TV and at the karaoke with her friends. It was certainly heartwarming to witness her clap and sway happily as we sang “The 12 Days of Christmas” at the end of the session.

We greatly appreciate Auntie Mei Lan for her time and effort in sharing with us the stories of her life. Despite having faced struggles, Auntie Mei Lan’s positive outlook and sense of appreciation are definitely strong, inspiring attitudes that are not to be underestimated.