SINGAPORE — When Ms Grace Ke, 32, and Mr Joshua Kho, 37, found out from friends and family that they were featured in a viral TikTok video for clearing their trays and crockery at a Malaysian cafe, the couple was bewildered that their actions had generated such a buzz in the first place.
She then noticed the uncleared table next to theirs. So, Ms Ke decided to help return the utensils as well, not realising that their actions were being filmed.
“(The patrons at that table) were a family with a child. You know how it’s like for families with kids — it can be quite chaotic,” she said.
“We decided to help clear up. No big deal,” she added. The couple continued on with their holiday after that.
PARENTS EXTREMELY PROUD
The next day, Ms Ke and Mr Kho were bewildered to discover from their friends back in Singapore that they had gone viral and were surprised to see the amount of praise they got from netizens.
“Our football friends on Thursday sent us the video asking if it was us,” Ms Ke recalled. “We ended up spending our whole holiday replying friends’ and family members’ messages with ‘Yes, it is us in the TikTok video’.”
While the couple are still puzzled by their sudden fame, their parents are extremely proud of them.
Ms Ke said her father has been sharing news article links about the viral TikTok video with his friends and family, while her mother has also taken it upon herself to defend her daughter against Facebook commenters who made mean remarks about Ms Ke’s tattoos and appearance.
But Ms Ke said that her parents should be proud of themselves, since her instinctive actions that day were the result of her upbringing.
“My mum always told me from young to leave a place better than when we found it… Even before the fine was in place, we always cleared our trays when eating out,” said Ms Ke.
Asked what her takeaways were from appearing in the viral TikTok video, Ms Ke said she hoped it would lead people to be more civic-minded and clean up after themselves.
The couple — who are fans of the Singapore Premier League — would often encounter trash left behind after watching live football matches every fortnight, she said.
“It’s easier if we all clean up after ourselves, than if one person has to clean up for everyone,” said Ms Ke.