Today was the first day of our long weekend! Whee!
It’s the kind of weekend where Shorty and I would normally take advantage of to go on a long holiday but we had so much going on this weekend we couldn’t get away. Plus we got really tired of traveling so for once we decided to stay put.
Saturday afternoon for me was spent following Shorty around to try wedding dresses. There was a wedding dress designer named Gilbert who suggested sponsoring the dress for Shorty’s wedding so we went to try out some of the dresses he designed. Here’s one.
And here’s another…. that he designed for a competition in Hong Kong.
He won runner up for that.
Which do you guys think fits Shorty better?
After an afternoon of trying out dresses (well Shorty did all the trying of dresses, I basically just sat on a couch and read a book), we went home for a quick pre-dinner nap. We had to get all rested for the night because that night we were going to the Kechara Soup Kitchen to give food to the homeless in KL.
When we went there this round we met a number of my blog readers. Some of them who read my first entry about the first time I went and started going since then. I met a Nicole there and a Katy and Vicky that have since gone much more often than me and are pros now.
My route this time was the same as the last time. We went to Chow Kit and gave out food to the homeless.
The difference this week though was that we all had apples (that were hugely popular) and t-shirts that were even more popular.
Apparently one of the volunteers managed to get some t-shirts from a production overrun for us to give out. Here’s a picture of the volunteers that decided to take time off on a Saturday night and help feed 650 homeless people that night.
Including fellow Nuffie Yee Hou and his girlfriend.
I had also been doing a small part on my own. I heard that the homeless people really love the little shampoo or bath foam bottles that we get from hotels when we stay there. So since I travel a lot and stay in hotels a lot, I’ve been making it a point to collect them and give them all to the soup kitchen to give to the homeless. To us it’s just something we take for the sake of taking it (since we paid for it already) but to the homeless, taking that small bottle of shampoo and washing their hair once a week is a luxury.
So we went out to the usual spots and gave out food while the homeless lined up orderly.
David took this picture of me getting ready to give out the apples we had. I have no idea what Shorty was doing tugging at my leg. But I think she was trying to tell me to look at the camera. Heh.
Every time we go we meet some new people. Here’s a few that I met:
1) The KTV Hostess
We met this woman who looked like she was in her fifties now. Homeless and staying on the streets but seeking refuge every night near a Chinese temple. She used to work as a KTV hostess in her day where she would earn RM1-2K a month. She said she could’ve earned more if she had gone further and slept with her “customers” but she didn’t want to sell her body.
Her job did cost her health anyway. She had developed liver cancer from all the heavy drinking she had to do in her earlier days.
2) The HIV Victim
We met this really nice and grateful Malay lady in tudung. She was in her twenties or thirties. She used to be from a Kampung but her husband came to KL to work so she followed. They eventually ended up on the streets because the husband started getting into drugs. His drug habit one day gave him HIV from sharing needles. Eventually I’m not sure if through needles or unprotected sex with her husband but she got HIV too.
So now there there were living on the streets, not able to afford a lot of HIV treatment (apparently HIV can be treated and controlled if you have the right treatment). One thing I admired about her though was how she was still so bubbly. I can never imagine the strength she must have… to know that you have a deadly disease and still be able to smile so much. I wish she could be cured and given another chance at her life.
3) The Wanker
We were at one of our stops giving out food to the homeless when we saw this Indian man standing in a dark corner in the distance. We shouted out to him many times and asked if he wanted some food but he kept saying “later” and just stood there instead. We eventually found out what he was doing. While he was standing there in the dark corner under the shadows, he was giving himself a wank… probably looking at the girls in our group (or the guys).
These were people I met today on this trip. Regardless of whatever their stories, we all fed them all (except for the wanker who decided not to take any food and instead spend some alone time for himself). I still find feeding the homeless a fulfilling experience.
Now I shall go to bed guys. I’m sooo tired.
PS: If you’d like to volunteer, call Kwok Wai at +603 2141 6046.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space