In the 1960′s my Dad made S$ 200 p/mth – never enough to support 7 kids. My mom had several part time jobs to double the income n still it was hard. In our teen years, we all had a part time job after school n worked full day in the weekends. I hv always enjoyed working a full month during the december holidays bec it meant having enough to buy the school books for the following year. I can therefore, empathise with Sawn. Pity that her kids couldnt ease her burden. My parents had a small pension. Thank goodness there’s so many of us to ensure that they live a comfortable old age.

With the boom of the past decade, Singapore is seeing a gap between the rich n the poor. It’s very disconcerting. Charities r doing a good job helping them. However, it’s imperative that kids hv their education, to prepare them for the challenging world.

Here in Europe, it’s sad that illegal immigrants finds themselves at the bottom of the totem pole bec they came ill-equipped in a fast track society where high education is a must to survive. I volunteerd as an asylum-seekers-buddy for some years (until it petered out) n was surprised how naive most of them were. They thought being able to work hard with a pair of strong hands would yield them a small fortune to take home, eventually. They realised soon enough that the cost of living would deplete their moderate pay cheque !

A small percentage of these immigrants r well educated n they soon find themselves in good jobs. It always gives me a lift in my heart to see them succeed n be a particpating member of our community