The eldest of five children, Mdm Woo Ngan Kin, 75, has been fiercely protective since childhood. She grew up in a kampung in Tiong Bahru, near Si Jiao Ting (a Hokkien cemetery). With her mother working as a hawker, she was responsible for her younger siblings, cooking, cleaning, and keeping the household running. It was rare that she got to go outside just for fun, but occasionally she would visit Great World during fun fairs to play games like tikam-tikam (random pick games).
She also loved playing hide-and-seek with her neighbours, darting into the many nooks and crannies beside the kampung houses or behind large trees. In primary school, she stood up to the boys who teased her friends and pulled their hair. One of these encounters led to a lifelong friendship with a classmate. When she saw her friend being bullied, she defended her and told the boys she would “settle” them. Till this day, she visits her friend, who lives in Clementi, regularly.
At St Luke’s ElderCare, Mdm Woo keeps her mind and hands active through calligraphy, exercises, robotics, and even AI. Nowadays, when she’s unsure about something, she’ll use AI — much to the disbelief of her young grandchildren. She also encourages other elderly participants trying something new: “Just take it one step at a time. Relax and enjoy yourself.”
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