The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.109)

2019 • 04 42 are not being utilized or consumed will only become waste with time”. Memories of the good old days Upon seeing each and every one of his damaged and rusted suitcases (some were even showing signs of oxidization), Uncle Chong reminisced on his younger days when he used to enjoy travelling both locally and overseas. He cherished his freedom so much that he chose to live the single life. “Wow, this is my most treasured collection in my entire life!” exclaimed Uncle Chong when the volunteers unfolded a scroll. It was an advertisement banner featuring portraits of himself with famous celebrities. The banner read “Professional mole- removal – good luck will return with bad moles gone…” Both Uncle Chong’s grandfather and father were traditional mole-removing and fortune-telling experts back in their day. Uncle Chong inherited their expertise from a tender age and started practising the trade in his teens. He soon became popular with Hong Kong celebrities in his twenties for his masterful skill. Uncle Chong made a fortune when he was in his prime. After settling in Malaysia, he continued earning a living by working in the traditional mole-removal industry until its decline, which coincided with him being burdened with various ailments. “Such is life, like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. I have nothing now, only this poster that has evoked in me so many memories…” said Uncle Chong while staring at the poster, his voice tinged with a sense of loss. The clutter the volunteers removed from Uncle Chong’s room occupied the entire corridor and the staircase landing. Uncle Chong himself could not believe the amount of clutter he had been stowing away in his tiny room all these years. The volunteers combined their efforts to move all unwanted items and waste downstairs. Yoon Choi asked Uncle Chong to take a final look at the pile of discarded items, before they were sorted accordingly and sent to the dumpster and recycling centre respectively by the volunteers. Yearning for blissful happiness After Uncle Chong’s room had been emptied out, the volunteers disinfected it with eco-enzyme and wiped all surfaces over and over again to eradicate all fleas. Yoon Choi and the volunteers, some of whom were elderly, also repeatedly cleaned the windows where dust had accumulated over the years to restore their shine. When Uncle Chong saw how hard the volunteers had worked to clean his room, he said, “It has been more than 20 years since I last cleaned this roomproperly. Iwas always busy running errands outside, leaving no time to tidy up my room, let alone clean thewindows.As time passed, I lacked the motivation to do any cleaning, even though I was aware that an unkempt living environment would affect my health. I am very touched and excited today; I finally believe that you are here to genuinely help me.” Looking around his sparkling-clean room, Uncle Chong suddenly felt the roomhas appeared more spacious; even ventilation has improved. He could not stop reiterating his gratitude to the volunteers in between sobs. Yoon Choi had previously observed that Uncle Chong had been sleeping on nothing but a baremattress laid out on the floor. He was worried that Uncle Chong’s health might be compromised by this nightly routine, and proceeded to source for a single bed frame and a brand new mattress. ouching Life Story