SINGAPORE: Every weekday night, Nur Aqilah Selamat packs leftovers for her “lunch” – to be taken when the rest of Singapore is fast asleep. “At 1.30am, I’ll be eating this,” she says, scooping rice and egg curry into a plastic container. “There’s nothing (else) for us at night because most of the shops are closed.”

And, with a quick adjustment to her headscarf and a swipe of coral lipstick, she heads out for the hour-long commute to work, with twins Nur Lutfiana and Nur Lutfiani, 9, running up to say a quick goodbye to their big sister at the door.

For about a year now, the 22-year-old has been an associate engineer at a semiconductor company, where her nine-hour shift starts at 10.45pm. She wanted these hours for they come with an extra allowance – meaning more money for her family.

On her slender young shoulders rests the responsibility of providing for her mother and six younger siblings, aged 9 to 20. “Being the eldest is one thing; but my love for my siblings is another,” she said. 

“In every little thing, I always think about them …. I don’t care much about myself at the moment. I want to do the best for them, just like how my dad did for me.”

After her father retired as a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighter in 2014, the polytechnic graduate took it upon herself to be more than just a daughter and a sibling. 

She became the family’s breadwinner, even to the exclusion of her youthful dreams for now.

FROM STUDIES TO WORK

When her father retired at the age of 52, he received a lump sum pension of about S$70,000. Though Ms Aqilah had just entered polytechnic then, she began to do the calculations about her family’s future.

“If you have one child, it’s okay. But for the seven of us to go through that amount for a few years? It’s not enough,” she thought to herself.

The one thing she did not have to worry about: School expenses for her younger siblings, whose fees, uniforms and textbooks were fully covered under the Ministry of Education’s Financial Assistance Scheme.

“With this help, we could cut down a lot on daily expenses,” said Ms Aqilah.

Even so, without a steady stream of income, they had to find ways to reduce their household bills to not more than S$500 a month in total.

She got them all to take shorter showers (five minutes each), minimise their use of air conditioning, and not charge their electronic devices for too long. “Little things can save a lot of money,” she said. “I could see the difference.”

In 2017, after getting her diploma in aerospace engineering from Nanyang Polytechnic, she applied to local universities. While waiting, she looked for work to “save up a bit for university”. She found a job at a semiconductor company in next to no time, and expected to be working for six months at most.

But, as the universities’ rejection letters came one after another, she realised she had to put her plans on hold and focus on working full-time instead.

As a part-timer, she was earning about S$1,000. But if she were to convert to full-time employment, her take-home pay would be roughly double that including allowances. That made up her mind.

Though she really wanted to get her degree, she said with her characteristic positivity: “I shouldn’t be disappointed because with my working experience, I know I can build my career to get a higher post or job.”

FROM DAUGHTER TO DISCIPLINARIAN

Becoming the family’s main source of income, however, was just one part of the role Ms Aqilah found herself stepping into.

When her father decided to seek training overseas after leaving the SCDF, she became the ‘dad’ of the family in other ways. She has fashioned herself as a disciplinarian, scolding her siblings when it becomes necessary, such as if they are late home from school.

“He passed on his responsibility to me, and I felt it had to be carried out for my siblings’ sake,” she said.

So she makes it a point to stay abreast of how they are doing academically: Besides the twins in primary school, three other siblings are in secondary school (the sixth is in National Service.) 

She goes to parent-teacher meetings with her mother, Madam Aktar Banu Mohamed Osman, 54, who is not highly educated and relies on her eldest to understand how her other children are faring.

Nur Mursyida, 13, remembers how her big sister tutored her for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). The latter had wanted her siblings to get into her alma mater, Woodlands Ring Secondary, because she had good teachers and liked the culture there.

These days with her sister working the night shift, said Mursyida: “She has no time because she would be very sleepy, so she sleeps maybe all day.”

Ms Aqilah also handles all the financial matters at home – seemingly unfazed by tasks that, for many of her peers, “their parents would settle for them”.

For instance, she ensures her family does not exceed their monthly budget; makes bill payments on time; and goes to the bank. “At first I was like, ‘I already have school, and now I’ve to take care of a lot of things,’” she said, a pile of utilities and telephone bills spread out on the coffee table before her.

But at the same time, I was able to learn a lot of things by myself … so it’s kind of a good start at my age to have experienced all these things.

As a mother, however, it is a bitter-sweet thing for Mdm Aktar Banu to watch her eldest daughter grow into her role. “I do feel sad looking at her,” she said. “But I could depend only on her. Her other siblings were still very young.”

She added: “Aqilah has been taking care of her siblings since she was in kindergarten. I trained her so she can be independent.” 

When her dad was at work and her mum out buying groceries, the youngster would watch over her brother and sister, helping to prepare their milk and diapers.

It’s no wonder that mother and eldest daughter share the closest relationship and are like “best friends”. “She has always shared everything in her life with me… even now, anything that happens at her work place,” said the 54-year-old fondly.

RESPONSIBILITIES NOT A BURDEN

As much as she strives to fill her father’s shoes, however, Ms Aqilah frets that she can never be a perfect father figure, mainly because “a dad’s love is different from a sister’s love”.

Like in any family, the siblings get into fights, especially with some in their turbulent teenage years. “Some of them think our age gap isn’t so big, so I’m more like a friend. A parent is someone you’d respect more,” said Ms Aqilah.

Her face softened as she added: “But I’d never say anything hurtful. I don’t take things to heart.”

The quietest time she has to herself is when she is back from work at about 8.30am and her siblings are at school. That’s when she kicks back and enjoys a movie or chats with her mother.

Some days, fatigued from her night shift, sleep comes the moment her head hits the pillow. As a bit of sunlight spills into her darkened room around the edges of the curtains, she gets about six to eight hours of shut-eye.

But uninterrupted sleep is a rare thing, especially once the twins get back at 1.30pm, followed by the others. “I’d wake up once in a while, like every hour … because when my siblings come home, noise is normal,” she said. “Sometimes I have to force myself to sleep.”

Having any kind of a social life is difficult. She misses meeting her friends for dinner or going window-shopping in the evenings, which is when she wakes up to have dinner with her family and sometimes help her siblings with schoolwork.

But, rather than pining for youthful freedom as her peers might do, she feels like a parent would about their children. “I don’t really see (these responsibilities) as much of a burden. I feel it’s something you can enjoy,” she said with sincere conviction.

WATCH: Nur Aqilah’s journey (5:04)

A LOAD OFF HER SHOULDERS

While it seems like a huge responsibility for her young shoulders, one thing that has taken a significant part of the weight off is the help the family has received along the way.

In particular, her five siblings’ school expenses – such as fees, textbooks and uniforms – are covered by MOE’s Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS).

The children started receiving assistance in 2013 as their father was earning S$4,000 a month, which worked out to a per-capita income well under the qualifying threshold of S$625 then – a criterion introduced in 2012 to benefit larger families like theirs. (Today, eligibility is based on either a gross household income of S$2,750 or less a month, or a per capita income of S$690 or less.)

READ: Budget 2018: More financial support for students, particularly from lower-income families

And under the School Meals Programme, in each school week, the primary-school-going twins enjoy subsidies of S$2 a meal for seven meals, while those in secondary school get S$2.50 a meal for 10 meals. The FAS also includes transport subsidies.

As for Ms Aqilah herself, when she entered polytechnic in 2014, her annual tuition fees of about $2,400 were covered by Mendaki’s Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy. She received a S$3,000 annual bursary from NTUC Income‘s OrangeAid Future Development Programme in her final two years.

The financial aid has not made the family complacent, however. Since young, the children have developed a habit of saving a portion of their weekly allowance. Each child has one, if not two, coin banks of various shapes and sizes.

Holding up one shaped like a heart, which she has used since she was at secondary school, Ms Aqilah said with satisfaction: “The last (time) I counted, there was more than S$300.”

Her siblings sometimes tap these savings to indulge in simple pleasures, like clothes or snacks. “You know the ice-cream uncle on a motorbike? They sometimes want to eat ice cream, so they’d take money out of their piggy banks,” she said, adding that they did not need any other financial assistance with the household expenses.

A TEACHER-IN-WAITING?

Even as her family’s needs preoccupy her, Ms Aqilah has not forgotten her dreams. She applied to university again this year, and hopes to pursue a teaching career some day.

Teaching was her first love, and she had hoped to make it to junior college and then to the National Institute of Education (NIE). But when her grades landed her in polytechnic, even though one can apply to NIE with a diploma, she decided instead to pursue engineering as maths was her strongest subject.

Her former teacher, Mr Soong Cheng Xiang, recalls how she would helpfully coach her classmates at Woodlands Ring Secondary in maths. “She would be very patient in clarifying their doubts, even if the questions were very simple ones,” he said.

And it was Mr Soong who told her, after she qualified for polytechnic instead of JC, that he’d always seen her as “a future lecturer”. Ms Aqilah, who had all but given up on thoughts of becoming a teacher at that point, said: 

My passion in teaching came back when he said that. It felt like he understood me, my inner self.

His final words to her at a recent reunion: “Serve to the best of your ability. What our school taught us was to be a worthy person, be someone who selflessly contributes to society.”

For now, she taps into that nurturing side of her in her workplace. Though the youngest in her team, she has been tasked to train newcomers and show them the ropes.

At home, she takes the time to tutor her younger siblings. But like any teacher should, she ensures that they learn independently too. “It isn’t good to spoon-feed,” she said. “They have their own examinations to go through. And during exams, you don’t have your parents beside you.”

Ultimately, her goal is to see her siblings excel in school – and in life.

“With all the help they’ve already received from the FAS, they don’t have to worry so much about the burden on them,” she said. “And they can focus on their studies now that I’m already working.

“(Attaining) good results wasn’t easy for me, especially when I had to juggle a lot of things … I tried my best, but I know they can do better than I.”

This story by CNA Insider was done in partnership with Gov.sg.

SINGAPORE: When Ms Cindy Sim heard of the job offer for her brother, she instinctively hugged Goshen Art Gallery co-founder Faith Lum-Yu, who had reached out with the proposal.

Many others have responded generously, offering the family cash donations and to buy her brother’s paintings, following CNA Insider’s story about 50-year-old Sim Kah Lim, who has been institutionalised for nearly 35 years and paints old Singapore from memory.

READ: In a mental ward for nearly 35 years, he paints old Singapore from memory – and he dreams

The possible chance, however, for him to reintegrate into society, as both siblings see it, has thrilled them the most. “I’m happy and touched that somebody recognised his talents, and is willing to give him a chance,” said Ms Sim.

“It would be good for Kah Lim to get back into society, back to work and interacting with people. Now he’s still living in his own world. When people talk to him, he’d just interrupt.”

WATCH: His gift unfettered (6:16)

But there are many other considerations to take into first, and she admitted that it was early days.

The last time he was in any sort of job was as a 10-year-old helping an advertising company to paint movie posters and bus advertisements, before he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“Nor has he gone out for a long time. I’m just a bit worried about whether he can cope,” added Ms Sim.

Her brother, however, is already talking about using part of his future salary to employ a helper for their mother.

WAITING ON DOCTORS’ ADVICE

Ms Lum-Yu decided to offer Mr Sim help in the hope that he can “have a sustainable way of life”. Her new social enterprise ArtSE provides employment for individuals with special needs, especially artists.

And having met him and his sister at the Institute of Mental Health, she was struck by his talent and knowledge of the old Singaporean painters.

“Kah Lim is such a lovable person. We talked about artists; even the ones that we represent, he knows them. We had a lovely time talking,” she said.

He was excited when they spoke about the possibility of employment, but she cautioned that “we want to take it slow”. She said: “We’ll wait for the doctors to advise us what days he can come out to work.

“We’re going to impact on another person, and that’s what we’re looking forward to – it gives a greater meaning to what we’re doing.”

The idea is to have a senior artist mentor Mr Sim at the gallery once or twice a week. He, too, could share his knowledge with budding artists, but that would depend on how ready he is.

Ms Sim intends to take her brother out to crowded public places first, to observe how he interacts with others. She will also show him the art gallery to see if he likes the environment.

Ascertaining whether he is ready for the job will take some time, while full reintegration is a long way off, she admitted, as a sudden return to society would be “a shock to the system”.

MANY FACTORS IN CONSIDERING REINTEGRATION

The first step, however, is for Ms Sim to work closely with the IMH doctors.

“His consultant said it would be good if he can slowly integrate back into society, and he’d love to see if Kah Lim can progress to that stage,” she said.

“I’d love for him to be out completely, but partially is good enough. Eventually, he can change for the better, to be completely okay.

We’ll take it step by step. I’m still in good health – I can take care of him.

When contacted, the IMH said that in assessing a patient’s readiness for reintegration, the care team would consider his clinical condition, the ability to support himself in the community in areas like home support, and the ability to do practical things like use public transport and money.

The team must also consider the patient’s wish to return home or not, and whether there are carers around, such as family members.

The IMH said its occupational therapists and vocational specialists assist individuals in their job search and placement when they are ready to take up employment, based on their interests and skills.

Most collaborations are in the administrative, retail, food and beverage and cleaning settings, where there are more opportunities.

“In addition to providing on-site job coaching to support clients at work, individual follow-up with clients is also carried out to help them identify and overcome any challenges they face at work,” said an IMH spokesperson.

To date, 26 patients from its slow-stream rehabilitation ward have been discharged to their homes and community rehabilitation facilities.

These patients are doing well and engaging with the IMH at the outpatient level, added the spokesperson, who declined to comment on Mr Sim’s case, citing patient confidentiality.

OFFERS FROM U.S., NEW ZEALAND

Apart from the job offer, as many as 80 people, including from the United States and New Zealand, have emailed Ms Sim to buy her brother’s paintings, donate art materials or even to commission him to paint something for them.

Some have offered monetary assistance, but she referred them to the IMH. “So many people there also need help, not just Kah Lim. That’s not right. He could always sell his paintings if he needs more money,” she said.

Some of his paintings have since been sold, but the details are being confirmed, she added.

It’s very great – the responses from the public. Some even messaged me. The first week, I was very emotional.

Ms Sim has created a website about her brother and diverted all the emails and queries there. She intends to photograph his paintings and catalogue them on the website for interested buyers.

It is a work in progress, and she hopes to upload the pictures in the next month or so. She has not even had the time, however, to price his paintings.

But she promised one thing: “I’ll also share updates about him and his progress.”

Read Mr Sim’s story here, and visit the website about him here.

SINGAPORE: Korean pop star CL has cancelled all engagements around the Hyperplay event scheduled for this weekend at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, said the event organiser on Friday (Aug 3). 

In a statement, a Hyperplay representative said that the 27-year-old was “a little unwell”, although she will still perform as scheduled on Saturday at 7pm. 

“Her management sends their regrets as they request to cancel all engagements around the event, so as to allow her to have utmost rest and be performance-ready on Saturday evening,” the statement read. 

Channel NewsAsia understands that the engagements include media interviews, as well as a private meet-and-greet session. 

CL, whose real name is Lee Chae-rin, was seen at Incheon airport on Friday afternoon before her flight to Singapore. 

Videos circulating online show the former 2NE1 member signing autographs as she walked across the departure hall. Entertainment media outlets like Allkpop and Koreaboo noted that she had visibly gained weight, prompting messages of outrage and concern from fans on social media. 

Amid these reports, CL, who is managed by YG Entertainment in South Korea and Scooter Braun in the US, posted an Instagram Story featuring a black-and-white photo of what appeared to be letters, accompanied by the words “Thank you always” in Korean. 

CL is due to make her Hollywood debut on Aug 17 with Mile 22, an action film also starring Mark Wahlberg and Ronda Rousey.

Other stars set to feature at Hyperplay are Indonesian singer Afgan, Thai rock band Slot Machine and American singer Nick Jonas. The event is an e-sports and music festival presented by the Culture, Community and Youth Ministry and National Youth Council.

SINGAPORE: The United States remains committed to ASEAN centrality and its strategy in the Indo-Pacific, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday (Aug 3). 

Speaking at the start of a ministerial meeting between the United States and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said that the US looks forward to deepening and broadening its strategic partnership with the region. 

Delivering the opening remarks at the start of the meeting, Mr Pompeo cited the attendance of US President Donald Trump at the ASEAN-US Commemorative Summit and the East Asia Summit held in Manila last year, as well as other Cabinet secretaries’ visits to the region. 

“I expect and am eager for this frequent engagement to continue,” he said. 
Mr Pompeo is in Singapore for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and other related meetings held at the Singapore Expo over the course of this week. 

Earlier, he had announced US$113 million in new regional investments focused on technology, energy and infrastructure, an announcement that he also referred to in his remarks.

Mr Pompeo added that the economic engagement between the US and ASEAN has created “thousands of jobs” on both sides of the Pacific. ASEAN, he said, is the number one destination for US investment in Asia, and ASEAN member states have increased their investment in the US by more than 1,300 per cent between 2004 and 2016. 

“Our policy cooperation in issues like ICT, energy, transportation and agriculture is also developing rapidly,” he said. 

He added that he appreciates ASEAN’s ongoing efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, supporting the rule of law in the South China Sea and in strictly enforcing sanctions on North Korea. The US, he said, is also working with ASEAN member states to counter the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the region. 

In delivering his opening remarks, Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Saifuddin Abdullah, who co-chaired the meeting with Mr Pompeo, noted that ASEAN member states appreciate the US’ role in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region. 

“We also appreciate the US’ constructive role in helping us evolve a rules-based regional architecture through various ASEAN-led mechanisms, with a greater sense of ASEAN centrality and unity,” he said.

“ASEAN looks forward to working closely with the US to bring our partnership to a higher trajectory,” he added. “We also look forward to exchanging views and information on regional and international issues of mutual interest.” 

SINGAPORE: From Aug 13, Holland Village’s main car park serving the hot dining enclave will make way for works on a mixed-use development, which is set to complete within seven years. 

Weekend visitors flocking to the area, which is home to bars and restaurants like Nakhon Kitchen, Fatboy’s the Burger Bar, Fosters Steakhouse and Wala Wala, will soon find themselves short on parking lots – 405 in total. 

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has been distributing notices informing motorists about the closure of the open-air car park since Aug 1.

The notice includes information on alternative parking spots, namely the car parks opposite blocks 18 and 21 Holland Drive, and at Block 5A Holland Close and Block 10A Holland Drive. 

Stirling Land Holdings, a consortium led by Far East Organisation, was awarded the tender for a 99-year-old leasehold land parcel at Holland Road in May.  

It was earlier reported that the development is to inject vibrancy to Holland Village, with public spaces added to the existing shophouse street block.

SINGAPORE: Building ahead of demand is important for Changi Airport to keep up with its competitors,Coordinating Minister of Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan said on Friday (Aug 3). 

In his speech at the official opening of Changi Airport’s Terminal 4, Mr Khaw stressed that projecting demand “is indeed one of Singapore’s economic success factors” in areas like aviation, maritime and industrial development. 

READ: Changi Airport unveils ‘chandelier-inspired’ playground at Terminal 4

“For global business, if you don’t have the capacity to serve, you lose business to your competitors. It’s as simple as that,” he said. 

READ: Why Singapore needs Changi Airport Terminal 5, to fly higher

Mr Khaw stressed that building ahead of demand “requires strong judgement” and not simply “build and they will come”. 

“The aviation industry is unpredictable, subject to many disruptions, including oil prices and at times, unhelpful governmental interventions. Adhering to straight line projections may end up with white elephants,” he said. 

“We must be sensitive to potential disruptions and be ready to make strategic changes promptly when warranted,” he added. 

T5 WILL BE CHANGI’S SECOND AIRPORT 

Mr Khaw also spoke about the upcoming Terminal 5, which is scheduled to be completed by 2030. 

Terminal 5 will increase Changi’s annual capacity by 50 million passengers initially and up to 70 million if needed – which would mean 150 million passengers a year, compared with the current capacity of 82 million.

​​​​​​​READ: Why charges are needed to help pay for T5 – Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong

“T5 is not just another terminal building. T5 will actually be our second airport,” Mr Khaw said. 

“To manage the risk of disruptions, we are designing T5 in scalable modules and to build them in phases,” he added. “This is a practical approach to avoid over-investment and being caught wrong-footed should our projections turn awry.”

Terminal 5 is being built on one of Singapore’s largest construction sites. At around 1,000 hectares, it is the size of Tampines New Town or two-and-a-half Marina Bays.

SINGAPORE: Asked if she knew what a selfie was, 74-year-old Lim Siew Ngo peered over the top of her glasses, looking puzzled. “What’s selfless?” she said.

As for FOMO – millennial lingo for fear of missing out – she confidently declared that it stood for “father out, mother out”, much to the amusement of SGAG creative manager Lim Yuxuan.

Expecting a bunch of elderly tech noobs like her to spearhead a crowdfunding exercise by creating a social video on smartphones was never going to be easy.

But eight residents, aged between 66 and 90, from St John’s Home for Elderly Persons recently rose to the challenge, with their home’s future at stake.

They were presented with the opportunity to enter the unfamiliar realm of social media in the series #DontForgetMe, featuring elderly Singaporeans left out of the ultra-connected digital world.

And with Channel NewsAsia’s help, two talents from local humour website SGAG were roped in to mentor these residents in their digital learning and fundraising efforts. (Watch the episode here.)

“We chose (the residents) because they’d be able to work together as a team, helping each other when they come together to learn,” said the home’s general manager Goh Beng Hoe.

Some, like 71-year-old Lim Seng Kim, simply wanted to show gratitude to the home, where most of the seniors are on public assistance.

“People who live here come from places of hardship; they don’t get much support. It’s like they have nowhere left to go. That’s why they’re living here,” he said. “I’ll use the last years of my life to save this home.”

NEW BUILDING NEEDED

Three years ago, the home at Wan Tho Avenue bought a fresh 30-year lease for 3,300 square metres of the state-owned land, about a quarter of the area under the old lease.

To house its residents in that smaller area, a new five-storey facility, which will nearly double its licensed capacity to 150 residents, is due to be built and completed by end-2020.

The building cost will be more than S$15 million, and the home is still short of S$5 million, which it must raise by 2020.

“We’re already at the stage where we’ll award the project, but we need to work doubly hard now. The last S$5 million will be difficult to raise; we’ve already reached out to many donors,” said Mr Goh, adding that the home would like to avoid taking a loan.

The home usually raises about S$6,000 to S$7,000 a month via crowdfunding – an insufficient amount to hit its target by 2020.

“Never in our entire history of the home have we needed to raise such a big sum,” said Mr Goh.

The most difficult thing is that people don’t know us. We’ve been keeping a very low profile.

Would the seniors be able to help through a social video?

About four months ago, they started learning the basics of smartphone usage (with phones sponsored by Sony Mobile), and for some like Mdm Lim, even finding the power button proved to be a challenge.

“How to press? I don’t know how to press,” she asked, scowling in frustration, while the oldest in the group, 90-year-old Anandam Tanjamal, struggled to get the touch screen to respond. Said Mdm Anandam: “It keeps going to the wrong screen.”

ANY FACEBOOK FRIENDS?

It was when they were setting up their Facebook accounts, however, that this social experiment highlighted a bigger concern than the difficulty of learning to use smartphones: The seniors’ social disconnection.

When SGAG’s Mr Lim asked 66-year-old Ng Ann Lock if he had friends outside St. John’s whom he wanted to add on Facebook, Mr Ng hesitated and mumbled: “Friend? Errr.”

He thought hard and furnished a name, who turned out to be a former employee at the home.

For Mr Henry Chong, 81, who added his BFF (best friend forever), fellow resident Arvindnath Sharma, 75, there was only one other Facebook “friend” to add: A news site.

When the widower, who was rescued by the home after he lost his housing in a financial mishap, was asked why he did not add more friends, he replied matter-of-factly: “I don’t like because too many friends, too many troubles.”

Mdm Anandam, on the other hand, could connect with her family on Facebook. It has been seven years since she moved voluntarily to this home, so as not to burden her family with her poor health.

She sees her family weekly, but now hopes for more regular updates on them. She has already learnt the art of “Facebook stalking” – a way for her to make sure her family are doing well, through her grandson’s Facebook page.

SIMPLE BUT HEART-WARMING VIDEO

For their fundraising appeal, the seniors were also introduced to the selfie video, the concept Mr Arvindnath decided on after the group voted for him, with his can-do spirit and familiarity with using a smartphone, to be the director.

“I never thought I’d have the chance to make a movie,” Mr Arvindnath said proudly after he interviewed them on why they loved the home.

The result was a simple, raw but heart-warming piece shot within the home’s compound, in which the residents described how their general manager was having difficulty raising enough funds.

Individually and in pairs, they appealed for donations and talked about what they do in the home and why they like it.

“The raising of the funds isn’t about our effort itself – it’s all of us (being) included. So it’s teamwork that counts,” said Mr Arvindnath.

Before the video was uploaded onto social media at end-May, Mr Goh said: “They really put in a lot of effort. Most of them aren’t digital savvy. I hope we’ll do well.”

Within a week, the video raised some S$10,700. As of end-July, more than S$67,000 was raised – five times the donation rate before the video.

“This must be a dream,” laughed Mdm Lim after the first week, to which a positive Mr Arvindnath said in reply: “Nothing is impossible.”

Making this fundraising video has empowered the seniors, besides introducing them to social media.

For example, Mr Lim the grateful resident now finds the smartphone useful for photographing the final memories of the old compound. BFFs Mr Arvindnath and Mr Chong even plan to make their own funny videos.

“Seniors from these homes can learn if they take the opportunity to learn. But the reason they don’t learn is because they feel embarrassed,” said Mr Arvindnath. “They fail to understand that … you’re never too old to learn.”

Watch the episode here. The series #DontForgetMe airs on Mondays, at 8pm.

Watch the video the seniors made, and you can donate online here.

SINGAPORE: When Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu recently said that there is “no specific” target for Team Singapore athletes who will be competing at the 2018 Asian Games, netizens responded with a mixture of confusion and derision.

Does the absence of a target signify a lack of aspirations, expectations and vision?

Some speculated that the authorities were too afraid to set targets for fear of falling short.

Whatever the actual reasons, a case can be made for not announcing targets  considering the way the public has responded over the years.

A case in point is former national swimmer, Joscelin Yeo’s experience.

Ms Yeo won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in her 17-year competitive swimming career. She is the only athlete on record to have won that many SEA Games gold medals. She also represented Singapore in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and four Olympic Games.

While she progressively gained much deserved public adulation for her medal wins, she acknowledged that the public reaction to her international debut was hard to handle.

THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECT OF NOT MEETING EXPECTATIONS

In an On the Record interview last year, she described what happened at the SEA Games in 1991 in Manila where she won two silver and three bronze medals.

Instead of being celebrated for these wins, Ms Yeo found herself being condemned.

“I was 12 and I was swimming at my first SEA Games. But because I was representing the national team, the expectation was that you come home with gold medals. I got a bad report in the media. I knew I was not living up to public expectations,” she said.

READ: Joscelin Yeo’s On the Record interview with Bharati Jagdish

It was clear that even though more than 20 years had passed since the Games, the memory of falling short still affected her on a visceral level.

She actually quit swimming for a few months after the negative coverage.

Athletes I have spoken with over the years tell me that they all have personal goals and targets, but expressing them to the public sometimes has a detrimental effect.

It increases pressure, raises expectations and if publicly-expressed goals are not met, widespread criticism of not only the athletes but government agencies involved in sports administration only serves to further harm morale.

This could indeed be one of the reasons for not announcing targets.

SETTING MEANINGFUL AND REALISTIC GOALS

Setting unrealistic goals is clearly detrimental too.

An example that many Singaporeans remember is one articulated in 1998 by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of aiming to qualify for the World Cup by 2010.

He had spoken about achieving this partly by naturalising foreign talent to help boost the local football scene.

Even then, many questioned if Goal 2010 was achievable.

Today, it’s clear that it wasn’t.

However, having a meaningful vision that inspires athletes and Singaporeans as a whole remains key.  

And when realistic targets are set, they can have the effect of inspiring initiatives that propel us towards excellence.

But even if these targets are not immediately met, we need to be able to soldier on and support the journey.

Are we capable of that?

READ: Are Singapore’s efforts to be a sporting nation half-hearted? A commentary

THE MEANING OF SPORTS AND THE ROLE OF THE “VILLAGE”

Several issues plague sports in Singapore today.

Debate over whether the state is doing enough to fund our athletes and whether corporates are sufficiently stepping up, rears its head every now and then.

Recently, the Ben Davis saga surfaced the issue of National Service obligations possibly getting in the way of sporting excellence.

The fact that such issues still generate public debate shows that Singaporeans see some meaning in sports.

But do we see enough meaning in it to have and pursue our sporting dreams and to encourage those around us to do so?

Do we see enough meaning in it to support our athletes proudly and unconditionally?

Are most of us merely fair-weather fans?

The public adulation that national swimmer, Joseph Schooling garnered as a result of his Olympic gold medal win in 2016 was expected.

But would the public have commended him had he merely won a bronze medal or none at all in spite of doing his best?

Any athlete would tell you that consistent fan support can inspire excellence too.

CEO of Sport Singapore (SportSG), Lim Teck Yin said in another On the Record interview that the role of the “village” which includes corporations and individuals, is vital. He said:

The meaningfulness of the achievement of our national athletes will be enhanced only when the village gets behind them in substantive ways. When there’s an over-reliance on one party (the Government) to do everything, the value of bringing people together is lost. We need to build something great together.

READ: Lim Teck Yin’s On the Record interview with Bharati Jagdish

READ: In 60 seconds, Lim Teck Yin’s On the Record interview

A STRONG VISION

Whether we are able to get behind a sporting vision for Singapore is dependent on several factors.

The Government and other sports bodies clearly have a role to play in defining a vision, especially in a country where sporting excellence has often played a secondary role to academic excellence.

To be fair, cultivating a sporting nation has been on the national agenda for several decades and efforts have been made in this regard.

For instance, SportSG’s Vision 2030 is meant to inspire mass participation and support for those representing Singapore on the international stage.

On SportSG’s web site, it is described as “the story of our people and how Sports can be used as a strategy to achieve our national priorities such as developing healthy and resilient people, forging strong united communities, retention of core values, shared memories, strengthened friendships as well as building a dynamic society and economy.”

This is supported by initiatives such as the Sports Facilities Master Plan “to provide greater access to quality, affordable sports facilities and enable wider participation in sports”.

SportSG says initiatives to encourage sports participation through ActiveSG have had a positive impact.

Hopefully, all this will inspire more to work towards excelling at the elite level as well.

READ: Singapore, don’t let this World Cup lesson go to waste, a commentary

Whether sports can be a viable career in Singapore is another issue that has to be progressively addressed.

However, these issues perhaps can only be addressed if, as a start, more of us took action on the ground to doggedly pursue our sporting dreams or to encourage others to do so.

The authorities can formulate a vision and do more to put in place mechanisms to support it, but ultimately it comes down to the people.

Do we dare encourage and rally round those who represent our nation at the highest levels regardless of their results in order to inspire them to greater heights and create a vibrant sporting culture?

It’s time to ask ourselves if our brand of Singaporean pragmatism of setting KPIs and responding positively only when these are achieved can be elevated to unconditional support that inspires excellence without fear of condemnation. 

Bharati Jagdish is the host of Channel NewsAsia Digital News’ hard-hitting On The Record, a weekly interview with thought leaders across Singapore, and The Pulse, Channel NewsAsia’s weekly podcast that discusses the hottest issues of the week.

SINGAPORE: Asked if she knew what a selfie was, 74-year-old Lim Siew Ngo peered over the top of her glasses, looking puzzled. “What’s selfless?” she said.

As for FOMO – millennial lingo for fear of missing out – she confidently declared that it stood for “father out, mother out”, much to the amusement of SGAG creative manager Lim Yuxuan.

Expecting a bunch of elderly tech noobs like her to spearhead a crowdfunding exercise by creating a social video on smartphones was never going to be easy.

But eight residents, aged between 66 and 90, from St John’s Home for Elderly Persons recently rose to the challenge, with their home’s future at stake.

They were presented with the opportunity to enter the unfamiliar realm of social media in the series #DontForgetMe, featuring elderly Singaporeans left out of the ultra-connected digital world.

And with Channel NewsAsia’s help, two talents from local humour website SGAG were roped in to mentor these residents in their digital learning and fundraising efforts. (Watch the episode here.)

“We chose (the residents) because they’d be able to work together as a team, helping each other when they come together to learn,” said the home’s general manager Goh Beng Hoe.

Some, like 71-year-old Lim Seng Kim, simply wanted to show gratitude to the home, where most of the seniors are on public assistance.

“People who live here come from places of hardship; they don’t get much support. It’s like they have nowhere left to go. That’s why they’re living here,” he said. “I’ll use the last years of my life to save this home.”

NEW BUILDING NEEDED

Three years ago, the home at Wan Tho Avenue bought a fresh 30-year lease for 3,300 square metres of the state-owned land, about a quarter of the area under the old lease.

To house its residents in that smaller area, a new five-storey facility, which will nearly double its licensed capacity to 150 residents, is due to be built and completed by end-2020.

The building cost will be more than S$15 million, and the home is still short of S$5 million, which it must raise by 2020.

“We’re already at the stage where we’ll award the project, but we need to work doubly hard now. The last S$5 million will be difficult to raise; we’ve already reached out to many donors,” said Mr Goh, adding that the home would like to avoid taking a loan.

The home usually raises about S$6,000 to S$7,000 a month via crowdfunding – an insufficient amount to hit its target by 2020.

“Never in our entire history of the home have we needed to raise such a big sum,” said Mr Goh.

The most difficult thing is that people don’t know us. We’ve been keeping a very low profile.

Would the seniors be able to help through a social video?

About four months ago, they started learning the basics of smartphone usage (with phones sponsored by Sony Mobile), and for some like Mdm Lim, even finding the power button proved to be a challenge.

“How to press? I don’t know how to press,” she asked, scowling in frustration, while the oldest in the group, 90-year-old Anandam Tanjamal, struggled to get the touch screen to respond. Said Mdm Anandam: “It keeps going to the wrong screen.”

ANY FACEBOOK FRIENDS?

It was when they were setting up their Facebook accounts, however, that this social experiment highlighted a bigger concern than the difficulty of learning to use smartphones: The seniors’ social disconnection.

When SGAG’s Mr Lim asked 66-year-old Ng Ann Lock if he had friends outside St. John’s whom he wanted to add on Facebook, Mr Ng hesitated and mumbled: “Friend? Errr.”

He thought hard and furnished a name, who turned out to be a former employee at the home.

For Mr Henry Chong, 81, who added his BFF (best friend forever), fellow resident Arvindnath Sharma, 75, there was only one other Facebook “friend” to add: A news site.

When the widower, who was rescued by the home after he lost his housing in a financial mishap, was asked why he did not add more friends, he replied matter-of-factly: “I don’t like because too many friends, too many troubles.”

Mdm Anandam, on the other hand, could connect with her family on Facebook. It has been seven years since she moved voluntarily to this home, so as not to burden her family with her poor health.

She sees her family weekly, but now hopes for more regular updates on them. She has already learnt the art of “Facebook stalking” – a way for her to make sure her family are doing well, through her grandson’s Facebook page.

SIMPLE BUT HEART-WARMING VIDEO

For their fundraising appeal, the seniors were also introduced to the selfie video, the concept Mr Arvindnath decided on after the group voted for him, with his can-do spirit and familiarity with using a smartphone, to be the director.

“I never thought I’d have the chance to make a movie,” Mr Arvindnath said proudly after he interviewed them on why they loved the home.

The result was a simple, raw but heart-warming piece shot within the home’s compound, in which the residents described how their general manager was having difficulty raising enough funds.

Individually and in pairs, they appealed for donations and talked about what they do in the home and why they like it.

“The raising of the funds isn’t about our effort itself – it’s all of us (being) included. So it’s teamwork that counts,” said Mr Arvindnath.

Before the video was uploaded onto social media at end-May, Mr Goh said: “They really put in a lot of effort. Most of them aren’t digital savvy. I hope we’ll do well.”

Within a week, the video raised some S$10,700. As of end-July, more than S$67,000 was raised – five times the donation rate before the video.

“This must be a dream,” laughed Mdm Lim after the first week, to which a positive Mr Arvindnath said in reply: “Nothing is impossible.”

Making this fundraising video has empowered the seniors, besides introducing them to social media.

For example, Mr Lim the grateful resident now finds the smartphone useful for photographing the final memories of the old compound. BFFs Mr Arvindnath and Mr Chong even plan to make their own funny videos.

“Seniors from these homes can learn if they take the opportunity to learn. But the reason they don’t learn is because they feel embarrassed,” said Mr Arvindnath. “They fail to understand that … you’re never too old to learn.”

Watch the episode here. The series #DontForgetMe airs on Mondays, at 8pm.

Watch the video the seniors made, and you can donate online here.