sponsored advertorial
Hello everyone!! ^.^
Did you know that last Tuesday, the 13th of November, was also World Kindness Day? And on this significant occasion, our very own Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) also organised a very very special event to celebrate kindness, graciousness, and all things good!
This event was held at VivoCity’s Sky Park Amphitheatre, and the moment I stepped outside into the Sky Park, I was handed a bright cheery yellow gerbera by a volunteer with a huge smile on his face! So many happy vibes! Everyone was merrily holding on to their yellow daisies, posing for pictures, and all looking so buoyant and cheerful!!! There’s simply something about receiving flowers, be it from a stranger or a loved one, that magically puts a smile on the face of the receiver. What a lovely sight!
Here’s my beautifully framed polaroid picture with Nuffie Jayne!
And it was time for the show to begin!
Look at the huge turn-out of people, all champions for the cause of Kindness! ^.^ From young married couples with their children, to some elderly aunties and uncles.. Basically Singaporeans from all walks of life! đ All of them waiting patiently for the exciting show to begin!
Guess who was the guest-of-honor.. None other than our favourite Returning Officer, Mr Yam Ah Mee!!! It was funny, but all of us were so star-struck to see him in real life! He is so so so friendly and set everyone in an exuberant mood with his energy and happy vibes! Managed to get a handshake with Mr Yam too as I was just seated in the row behind him!!! Teehee.
The show kicked off with emcee DJ Emily Teng from Power 98, and we were treated to a series of remarkable cheerleading showcases from some of the top teams in our own Primary and Secondary Schools! The routines even incorporated little skits and cheers about Kindness and Graciousness, and it was indeed an entertaining and enjoyable segment to see the younger generation so enthusiastically cheering for Kindness! We also had a performance by Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s percussion band, which was equally applaudable!
After the opening acts, came the part of the show I was really looking forward to: performances by the artistes from Dream Academy! Talents such as Selena Tan, Judee Tan, Robin Goh, Siti Khalijah and Kumar appeared on stage for their own stand-up comedy/short skits and they were SO so so hilarious!!!
From impersonating a customer service officer to a TCM medical practitioner, they had me so thoroughly convulsed with laughter with all the wise cracks, funny cultural quips and antics! There was also an energetic audience participation segment with the Dream Academy artistes giving away CDs to the enthusiastic audience, when they answered simple questions on Kindness!
It was such fun!
I really enjoyed myself tremendously at the event and also, truly appreciated how kindness comes in all forms, big and small. It started pouring in the middle of the day, and all the selfless volunteers formed up a sheltered pathway with umbrellas so that everyone could get to the amphitheatre without getting wet! I thought this gesture really celebrated the spirit of the day, and demonstrated how kindness can be as easy as simply holding up an umbrella to shelter a fellow human being :)))
:’)
Nonetheless, the rain did not dampen our spirits at all!! And the very last thing we did, was a united effort that required each and every one in the audience to hold up the big gerbera daisy printed umbrellas that were given to us in our goodie bag to form a huge canvas of sunny gerbera daisies!! Such a heart-warming sight, and I felt ridiculously touched to see everyone’s spirit of unity!
THANK YOU to every single person who made the entire event so so enjoyable and fun!!!
***
Have you done something kind lately?
According to the dictionary definition,
Kindness:
kind·ness/ËkÄ«n(d)nis/Noun:
The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. A kind act.
It’s not easy in today’s society to be friendly, generous, or considerate. We’re all so caught up in our own selfish pursuits that we forget how easy it is to be kind! Be it a simple considerate act of giving up your seat on the train to an elderly person, or perhaps offering a lost stranger directions, it could make a person’s day đ
âIn every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little acts of kindness for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness – even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile – reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time itâs passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away.â
â Dean Koontz
***
I have encountered MANY random acts of kindness from strangers, and some have really touched me to the bottom of my heart! Some may say that Singapore is an uncompassionate and ungracious society, but I have met so many people who have proved that kindness is not dead, but is alive and flourishing in our society.
One such incident happened a few years ago, when I was cycling outdoors with YZ and stupidly managed to fall into a huge drain on the roads!! :((( My knee was bleeding badly from the fall, and we quickly made a stop-over at the nearest coffee shop to use the washroom to wash and clean up the injury. Upon seeing my bleeding knee, all the nearby passerbys came over, some offering tissue, and others with band-aids! Even the drinks stall uncle gave me some ice because he said I should use the ice to stop the swelling!
Here I was, a complete stranger, and everyone was rushing to help me in spite of what they were doing. It was truly a heartwarming feeling, indeed, and goes to show that true compassion and kindness still reside in the hearts of our fellow human beings!
And… I am a super absent-minded, exceedingly careless person who frequently misplaces my personal items.. đ If you would believe it, I actually departed from a food court without realising that I had left my wallet behind, in which contained almost two thousand dollars cash (I had just withdrew the money from the ATM to pay for some bills) as well as all my important cards and identification! Worse still, I only found out two hours later, and I was SURE that my wallet would be gone!
I immediately called up a friend who was in the area to go back to the food court to check for me, although I knew the chances were practically zero. I was so dreading his call back to me to tell me that the search was futile, but amazingly enough, he told me that he managed to retrieve my wallet, with EVERYTHING intact, including the cash, all thanks to the kind cleaner who saw the wallet and kept it aside for me! What a miracle! I am so utterly grateful to have had the wonderful fortune to run across such kind souls in a situation such as this! :’)
In my bid to demonstrate kindness in my own little ways, here is the “Bloggers’ Edition” of A Nation of Kindness, featuring Qiuqiu, Noel, Emily and myself!! This is the first time I’ve recorded a video like this.. SO PLEASE PARDON THE AWKWARDNESS!!! I felt very silly and slightly embarrassed, but after I saw the surprised and happy smiles on the faces of the serving staff, a little warm glow was ignited in my heart! Hehe. It sounds corny.. I know. It honestly feels great to be able to make someone’s day, no matter in how small a way!
***
And now, it’s your turn to spread a little Kindness..
What does Kindness mean to you?
Translate it into a single photo and you can walk away with a prize! Using Instagram, hashtag your photos with #aNationofKindness and a caption that explains the meaning behind them. Top 3 photos stand to win exclusive shopping vouchers worth $100!
Contest closes on 30 November 2012.
For more information, log on to http://makesomeonesday.sg to find out more!
#ANationOfKindness
And I would like to end off with this quote.
“Kindness is an intangible gift and you never know how far it will travel with those you give it to.”
Please help to spread the word about Kindness, by “Liking” Singapore Kindness Movement’s Facebook page here!
I know that there are many of you reading this, but how many of you will actually bother to contribute in your own small way by just “liking” SKM’s Facebook page so that more and more people will come to know of this campaign? It’s only a simple click of the button, and will only bring about positive change! A big change starts with a small step from every single one of you, and remember, no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted!
Thank you SO much for being kind!
xoxo