While it was peppered with many product endorsements and rather slow moving in the beginning, the running themes of filial piety, contentment and good ol' Singaporean current issues and problems made up for it. In fact, the very OBVIOUS product endorsements added to the humour of it, cos it just made it even all the more Singaporean.. everything also has an agenda... haha!
The movie had me in tears in several portions of it, and i will not say too much to avoid spoilers here, but kudos to Ah Hui, who played the role of the filial, down-on-luck elder brother in the best possible way. Could not have imagined a better actor for character fit in this case. There's a good strong dose of Hokkien, but it's a great way to get in touch with the Singaporean roots again :) Non-hokkien speakers, fear not.. there are English and Chinese subtitles, so you shouldn't be lost, though i think you would miss out on some of the nuances in Hokkien humour.
I've forgotten what Money No Enough 1 was about but this movie does make me wanna watch 1 was about. Hope the screen it on TV soon!
Post-Movie Personal Thoughts :
I will never - it's a strong word i know, but i reiterate, NEVER, put my father in an old folk's home, much less deceive him into going into one. Even if it takes up my entire savings and i have to quit working from my main job, to look after him, i pray that if ever that time comes, God gives me the grace to be a good daughter to him. What is it about a parent-child relationship that a parent always has less or no qualms about sacrificing themself for the child, while children seem almost always have hesitating thoughts? I know i am not immune to having those thoughts of selfishness if my parents fall ill, so i can only ask God for the grace to do what is right in His eyes should those times come. GOD, help me.
i heard there was a "joke" about the place i stay at :(
ReplyDeletei think... there can always be exceptions, and there may be situations when it is better for an elderly parent to reside in a well-equipped (esp in terms of medical/staff) home than with a child that cannot care for him/her around the clock. But even so, NEVER with deception. (that scene in the movie was heartbreaking). Also just as a thought, it isn't always the case that the parent is the self-sacrificing one while the child is the one who hesitates. You are very fortunate to have such a wonderful father! Sadly, I know of cases of parents who are not only irresponsible, but are a constant, grave, emotional and psychological burden to their families, and yet have dutiful children. Either way, it's painful... either way, we can only pray for sufficient grace and love to keep serving!
ReplyDeletehey ann! yeah, agree that it's not always parents being the self-sacrificing one, but i think they are more common than the opposite. Yeah, it's true i'm blessed with an awesome dad.. hence personally, i won't want to choose the old folk's home path. (tt's why it's called Personal Thoughts) . It helps that i can only think of mainly fond memories and good things about my dad
ReplyDeleteActually i think it's also going to be more challenging especially when u have your own family.. ur own kids, but i think i'm of the idea that my children will be equally impt as my parents, not more, though i must be honest that i am not sure when crunch time comes, i will be able to act on this without hesitation :(
Ivy, although I can't say I have had such strong feelings that you've expressed here, I used to think kinda along the same lines..... until recently.... Plus, my views might not apply to Singapore cos I'm not familiar with the facilities back home. But I visited quite a few "homes" or "elderly assisted living" in the US where I thought it was just awesome! The activities that they have are catered to the elderly managed by therapists etc. And they get to make friends etc. Some of these homes are kinda like your own home as in, it's your own furniture etc etc. Almost like a condo with apartments rented out to the elderly. And some facilities are more like a "day" facility where old folks can just go by during the day, which is nice since you get to go home and be with family in the evening. Plus, it's nice to have someone around all the time in case the old folks fall etc. It'd be tough to be around 24/7. But of course, I have to admit, my heart is not totally rid of selfish motives! :(
ReplyDeletehey corrine! wow that place sounds great! i wouldn't mind staying there myself next time when i'm old.. haha. I like the day facilities alternative, where the family can come by and pick up their parents and spend time with them in the evening and they can all swap stories with each other.. That sounds really cool! i think if the parent would prefer that, that'd be a great alternative!
ReplyDelete:) actually, my mom's always talked of the possibility of staying in such a home in future. in fact, her dream, if she had enough money, is to invest and set up just such an ideal kind of 'old folks/retirement' village. and don't know if i told you before, but my grandmother-in-law actually requested to stay in an old folks home (Orange Valley, which happens to be very comfortable and with activities and well-trained nurses) cos she was bored to death being at home at all the time since she lost her mobility. Where she is now, she has a daily routine and also friends to chat with... and she looks forward to visits. but what is sad at the old folks home is that i think there are many residents whose children do not visit them regularly, and not all are as contented as she is.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to think of these things early, but we don't know what the actual realities of the situation will be until it happens... and often the right/best thing to do really depends on the actual circumstance. Just gotta keep praying that whenever, whatever, we'll have the will and the grace to love our parents as is best for them!
And btw, sometimes it gets depressing to know of so many families in pain. I don't have as optimistic a view as you with regards to there being more selfless parents than there are selfless children because in more recent times, I've gotten to know of more of the opposite in dynamics. Such that I cannot understand why a father or a mother can be so selfish and unfeeling to their own children. That is why now, whenever I hear of or read in the news of children who fail to take care of their elderly parents financially or otherwise, I don't rush in to make a judgment. Who knows what may have happened.... and what drives me mad sometimes are parents who live for their own pleasure, not caring what pain they inflict on their families, and yet take for granted that when the day comes, their family will be there to take care of them. There are more such parents than you might expect. sorry for the rant... and thank you for the space to do so! :P
you're always welcome to comment on my blog, dear! :) thanks also or sharing your perspective on this issue. I am aware that there are irresponsible parents, but i think it is my personal thoughts for my own family that i will not want to do that for my father if that's not what he desires. He's abit of an independent soul, cos he wants to lead his own life without depending on his children so of course i'll respect that! in fact, i hope to be able to do that for my children, that i can save up enough to be a blessing to them, not a financial burden also and stay healthy the best way i know how. But i am just averse to the idea of 'depositing' your parents just cause they are 'inconvenient' to have around.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it is also true that there are possibly as many selfish parents as there are children, without the grace of God we are all prone to be selfish. i remember there was one court case where the parent sued his son for not taking care of him under the Maintenance of Parents Act. And the son told the judge "since we were young, he has never provided for us or our mother and always came home drunk and beat us up. How has he been a father to me, that I should support him now?" The Maintenance of Parents Act i think is abit of a self-defeating Act, because chances are that the truly good parents who love their kids and who should be supported will never sue their kids out of love for them and to maintain relations, but it is those who do not have good relationship with their parents that will actually sue their kids!
i find this show makes u really think,
ReplyDeleteand this is not good! people shouldn't be thinking too much!
makes me think too....
i have only two words left to make me happy,
Hakuna Matata :D