At about 11am every day, an old man carrying several large plastic bags filled with hundreds of soft toys can be seen making his way towards a bank in Damansara Uptown.
David Christopher is the 65-year-old Pokemon soft toy uncle whose story went viral on social media over a week ago.
The elderly man had been left with 250 Pokemon soft toys whom he said a customer had ordered but failed to collect.
When a Netizen learned of his plight and shared it on a Facebook post that went viral, they rallied together and went to his usual spot in front of the bank the next day. David cleared his stock within an hour.
Even after his predicament was resolved, customers still waited for him in front of the bank to buy his soft toys sold for RM10 each.
A 15-YEAR ROUTINE
David said he would get onto the LRT near his house in Pandan Perdana at 7.30am every day and travel to Jalan Petaling, where he retrieved his stock of soft toys. He would then board another train to Damansara Utama.
"Every day I would take around 300 soft toys from several toy shops in Jalan Petaling and carry them to the LRT.
Sometimes, if the orders are large enough, I would hire a taxi from Jalan Petaling to Damansara Utama, he said to Bernama.
David said he had kept the price of his products at between RM10 and RM12 despite the rising cost of living.
The market price of these soft toys can be as high as RM30 each. Im selling mine for RM10 each as a token of appreciation towards my customers who have been supporting me for the past 15 years, he said.
The single father said his routine started 15 years ago when he resigned from his job as a nightclub manager due to his advancing age and to take care of his then five-year-old son after his wife walked out on him.
"I was mulling our future at the time as he was so young. I decided that for a start, I would peddle soft toys for a living, he said, not realising it would be his source of income for the next 15 years.
"I'm just grateful that my son is very aware of our difficult life. He studied hard since primary school so that he could be the one to change our lives. All his hard work paid off as he eventually received a scholarship to continue his studies in electrical and electronic engineering, he said.
NOT BEGGING
He had been peddling soft toys from location to location when a customer, who also happened to be the employee of a bank in Damansara Utama, offered to allocate him a spot in front of the banks premises.
Seeing as I was quite old, she offered to obtain permission from her superiors to allow me to conduct my business in front of the bank.
Sometimes I am not that well but I still have to go out and make a living because I dont want to have to depend on others, he said.
There are times when passersby would mistake him for a beggar and give him money.
"I would usually refuse and offer the toys in exchange. I don't want to accept help without giving anything back in return," he said.
SILVER LINING
David is a firm believer of there being a silver lining behind every cloud.
He said although he was disappointed by the actions of the irresponsible customer who failed to claim the 250 soft toys he had ordered, a positive thing came out of it in the end.
After one of my customers posted about my predicament on social media, all 250 of the Pokemon soft toys were sold out within an hour the very next day.
In fact, I even received additional orders after that, he shared.
David's life story even caught the attention of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that ran a story on him just last week. - BERNAMA
Bernama
Mon Sep 26 2016
David Christopher is the 65-year-old Pokemon soft toy uncle whose story went viral on social media over a week ago. - File Photo
Ringgit ditutup tinggi sedikit berbanding dolar AS
Pada 6 petang, ringgit naik kepada 4.7745/7775 berbanding dolar AS daripada 4.7765/7780 ketika ditutup pada Rabu.
Inspirasi bermakna daripada Forum Umrah & Ziarah 2024
Usaha meningkatkan kapasiti Mekah dan Madinah bagi membolehkan lebih ramai umat Islam mengerjakan umrah kini menjadi fokus utama kerajaan Arab Saudi.
Forum Umrah & Ziarah 2024 yang diadakan di Madinah telah membincangkan banyak hal berkaitan perkhidmatan umrah dan ziarah termasuklah pengadaptasian teknologi terkini, pengurusan yang lebih cekap serta pengurusan kewangan yang lebih berdaya saing.
Ikuti laporan hari terakhir forum berkenaan bersama Hilal Azmi.
#ForumUmrahZiarah2024
#AWANI745
Forum Umrah & Ziarah 2024 yang diadakan di Madinah telah membincangkan banyak hal berkaitan perkhidmatan umrah dan ziarah termasuklah pengadaptasian teknologi terkini, pengurusan yang lebih cekap serta pengurusan kewangan yang lebih berdaya saing.
Ikuti laporan hari terakhir forum berkenaan bersama Hilal Azmi.
#ForumUmrahZiarah2024
#AWANI745
Penjawat awam perlu amal kecepatan dan kepesatan dalam pelaksanaan tugas - PM Anwar
Penjawat awam digesa untuk sentiasa mengamalkan kecepatan dan kepesatan dalam pelaksanaan tugas supaya dasar-dasar kerajaan dapat dilaksanakan dengan pantas.
Kerajaan kekal komited laksana dwirangkaian 5G, DNB penuhi syarat terdahulu - Gobind
Kerajaan semakin hampir untuk melaksanakan dwirangkaian 5G selepas pengumuman Ahli Lembaga Pengarah baharu Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
Kos SUKMA Sarawak dianggar hampir RM300 juta
Kos penganjuran Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) Sarawak tahun ini dianggarkan hampir RM300 juta, antaranya meliputi kerja-kerja menaik taraf venue sukan serta perbelanjaan keperluan logistik.
Break The Siege: Misi flotila ke Gaza belayar esok
Syaff Shukri membawakan perkembangan terkini misi pelayaran Break The Siege: Freedom Flotilla to Gaza yang dijadualkan esok.
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
Peruntukan Pembangkang: Terpulang untuk Muhyiddin kata apa - TPM Fadillah
Terpulang kepada pihak pembangkang untuk mempersoalkan keikhlasan Kerajaan berhubung draf perjanjian persefahaman (MoU) peruntukan pembangkang, kata Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Ketua Whip Kerajaan Perpaduan itu berkata, beliau enggan melayani sindiran bekas Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi Perikatan Nasional, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tentang isu tersebut.
#AWANI745
Ketua Whip Kerajaan Perpaduan itu berkata, beliau enggan melayani sindiran bekas Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi Perikatan Nasional, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tentang isu tersebut.
#AWANI745
Pelantikan ahli lembaga baharu DNB kemajuan penting dalam penyusunan semula rangkaian 5G - Gobind
Gobind berkata perkembangan terkini itu merupakan satu langkah penting ke arah memenuhi komitmen kerajaan terhadap pelaksanaan dasar 5G dwi rangkaian.
SSPA terbaik pernah diperkenalkan kerajaan - PM Anwar
Kerajaan memberi jaminan Sistem Saraan Perkhidmatan Awam (SSPA) yang bakal diumumkan dalam tempoh terdekat, sebagai antara yang terbaik pernah diperkenalkan, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Namun, katanya lagi, langkah itu bakal membabitkan implikasi kewangan yang tertinggi berbanding yang pernah dilakukan sebelum ini.
#AWANI745
Namun, katanya lagi, langkah itu bakal membabitkan implikasi kewangan yang tertinggi berbanding yang pernah dilakukan sebelum ini.
#AWANI745
KESUMA tawar lebih 3,000 pekerjaan industri hijau dengan gaji RM3,000 hingga RM16,000
Kementerian Sumber Manusia menawarkan lebih 3,000 peluang pekerjaan dalam industri hijau menerusi Karnival Kemahiran dan Kerjaya Hijau KESUMA 2024.
Gedung 'The Starling' dijangka dibuka akhir November
Gedung membeli belah itu yang juga dikenali sebagai 'Gedung dalam Taman', sudah 90 peratus siap.