Jocelyn - The Newcomer; The Worker; The Helper

Wei Wen - The Chef; The Helper; The Player

Jocelyn is a new -- but also not so new -- face in Jurong. She had only moved to Jurong a few years ago, after she got married. Besides being a resident here, she also works in Jurong. She works at Ng Teng Fong Hospital, where she plans and carries out arts and health-related programmes for patients together with various partners and volunteers.

Her husband, Wei Wen, grew up in Jurong. His fondest memories growing up is the McDonald’s treat -- especially the “curry pie” -- from his aunty and Mr Softie from the 7-11 at the corner of Block 252. They also had memories in Jurong as a couple -- they would take evening walks at Jurong Lake Park.

Like many Singaporeans, we were kpo and probed more about how she met Wei Wen. It turns out that they met on a volunteering project at a children’s home in Batam – where they took many of their wedding photographs.

We soon found out that while Jocelyn and Wei Wen were similar, they were also different in many ways. Jocelyn loves working with children. The volunteering project at the children’s home in Batam is like her “baby” and for the past 4 years, Jocelyn visits the children’s home at least monthly. On the other hand, Wei Wen prefers working with seniors and is an active volunteer under Lions Befrienders. Jocelyn and Wei Wen also share the love for food – except that Wei Wen enjoys cooking while Jocelyn loves eating. How compatible! Indeed, when Jocelyn excitedly showed us some of the food Wei Wen cooked, we were impressed by how delicious and professionally plated they were. When we asked Wei Wen what he enjoyed about cooking, he had a simple answer for us. “Fun lor. Less stressful than work.” Beyond cooking, Wei Wen’s interests include sleeping and playing mobile games.

It was evident to us that Jocelyn and Wei Wen are both givers, and we wondered what they would want to take from others. It was especially tough for both of them to answer. After much consideration, Jocelyn shared that they have been contemplating learning either Bahasa Indonesia or Bahasa Melayu together because it will help them speak to the people they meet in their volunteering stints – even what they wanted to take was linked to how they give!

If there’s anything Wei Wen hopes to see in Jurong, it’s more affordable BTO. Although they wish to move to a new house, they wish to remain in Jurong, especially with its amenities and convenient transport!