"Can Help Or NOT?"

Was at China Square Central last Sunday for the flea market with the intention of looking for some fun stuff to dress up our office desks and had this encounter with an auntie trying to sell some charity stuff.

The auntie: Sir, madam, can you please take a look at this.... *goes on to explain the I don't know what that is* The auntie continues: Please it only costs $10. Can help poor children... Airen: No, not interested. The auntie: IT'S ONLY $10!

No, we did not buy though sensing the emphasis in her voice. We stepped up the escalator to look at toys and saw her approaching another couple who simply ignored her and walked away. Fate has it that we'll have to see her again later when we went downstairs - I'm sure she remembered us but just to give her the benefit of the doubt at the moment coz she had to come approach us again.

The auntie: Sir, can you buy this? Save poor children. $10 only. Airen: No, not interested. *and quickly walked away*

Then suay suay, on our way out of the building, she'll just have to approach us again.

The auntie: $10. Can help or not?

From the way she speaks and the way her sentences gets shorter with each approach, I'm sure she remembered us. This time, forget it lah. We simply walked away. What is it about charities these days anyway? We have flag days every Saturday when we used to have them once in a while. Then there are those charity events on TV where the celebrities walk on knives, jump though fire, get stung by bees. Eh? Give me back those days when things used to be so much simpler. Makes me feel like a lousy person each time I ignored a tin carrying student, an auntie selling pencils and celebrities asking me to be kind enough to dial just that 1 more call - only to be persuaded for another 1 more call, about another 100 more times throughout the night. But, do I really have to? Charities and causes, eveybody has their own beliefs. Some feels more toward the old, some the sick and some animals. It's kinda like religion, whatever you choose, whether you have it or not, it's not up to others to judge on. Simply a personal choice. Which reminds me of a question I asked airen last Sunday. If you had only money enough to donate to 1 charity organization, what would you choose? 1. SPCA (Pitiful Animals in Singapore) 2. Some Old Folk's Association (Pitiful/Sick Old People in Singapore) 3. Some Kids' Association (Pitiful/Sick Young People in Singapore) 4. NKF or the like (Pitiful/Sick People in Singapore) 5. Tsunami or the like (Pitiful People outside Singapore) 6. World Wild Life (Pitiful Animals outside Singapore) Airen chose number 6 because he says animals get extinct but not humans - yah at least not at the moment, would be funny when the day comes that animals get to donate to keep humans alive though. Me? I'll prefer not to help any. Not that I'm mean or something but I simply couldn't associate myself with any of them out there. Not yet. Therefore instead of forcing beliefs on myself, I'd rather spend it on a meal at Mac. At least I know I'm spending it on a worthly cause.