Cheekiemonkies: Singapore Parenting & Lifestyle Blog: Let us all make a wish! Cheekie Monkies

(Daddy wishes...)

As 2011 draws to a close, I am sure almost all of us would have new hopes and aspirations for the New Year ahead. And while we do look forward to the festivity mood that only New Year's Eve could bring, it is also a time for contemplation and for us to make our best wishes for oneself & our loved ones.

Just like the previous Countdowns, this year's Marina Bay Singapore Countdown brings back the ever-popular Wishing Spheres.

At face value, it is but a white inflatable plastic ball. But metaphorically, each sphere represents a hope - a belief that the New Year will bring possibilities and the promise of better tomorrow.

So all throughout December, EVERYONE is invited to pen their New Year wishes on these Wishing Spheres at various stations around Singapore. (Details are at the end of this post.)

Well, Ayd has already written down his wish.

Hmmm... a rather odd wish I would say given that he prefers dogs more than cats. Oh well.

As for Ash, he had a more erm, scholastic wish.

I must stress that he wrote it entirely on his own accord.

But just in case he conveniently forget about it in future, I thought I had better snap a picture of it first. Just in case.

And in an effort to reach out to more people from all walks of life, volunteers from various tertiary institutions bring these Wishing Spheres to people like the elderly and underprivileged.

Ash, Ayd & I had the chance to participate in one such meaningful session where we, together with other volunteers, met up with the elderly under the care of the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre.

Initially, the monkies didn't understand what the word volunteer meant, let alone the work behind it. But as I explained the work that these volunteers do and how there were so many other people who are not as privileged as them, they responded enthusiastically and even asked to be placed in charge of one sphere each.

And so they got what they asked for.

And when the real work started, it looked that my worries that they would be too shy to approach strangers for their wishes were grossly unfounded.

Ash was terribly hardworking - he kept moving his sphere along the row of senior citizens as soon as one finished penning.

As for Ayd, he was using his own way to win over the hearts of all the ah-ma's there. :P

Ayd is the more touchy and exuberant one of the two. And his infectious warmth and friendliness soon made some of the ah-ma's wanting to take a photo with him!

I think he just got his own fan club there. Haha.

Some even followed his poses! :D

For those senior citizens who were illiterate, the youth volunteers were there to write as they dictated their New Year's wishes.

Both monkies did an equally magnificent job in collecting all the wishes, and I think they enjoyed it tremendously too!

And of course, they were naturally proud of their spheres.

Which joined the rest of the wishes on other Wishing Spheres.

But where will all these spheres go?

These spheres, all 20,000 of them, will be unleashed onto the Marina Bay waters and become part of a visual arts installation there.