The copywriter obviously went overboard with the last line. There must be many others who regretted moving to, or staying on, this little red dot.
On Sep 11, 95-year-old Mdm Loke (陆带好) ended it all by leaping from her HDB flat in Bukit Merah. Her loving caregiver said she had a fall in July and was hospitalized for three weeks. It is speculated that she decided not to burden her children any further. As a Samsui woman, she had worked from dawn to dusk for 50 cents a day, hauling bricks and construction equipment. Imagine what the "subsidised" hospital bills might look like to her. She had sacrificed her youth for better days, but the migrant from Guandong who came ashore at age 18 only found that "life was harder when I got here."
The Christmas season is a difficult time for those with burdened minds. While those with extra bonuses live it up at fancy joints that charge $10 for chye tow kuay, many are still struggling to cope with the mortgages, utility bills, service & conservancy charges, public transportation fare hikes and countless inventive tariffs. We have a cousin who always makes sure her kids give grandma a good hug each time they meet. They may not be able to communicate verbally because of the loss in use of dialects, but the physical touch is priceless to a senior citizen. Forget the lights at Orchard Road, the sparkle in her eyes is much more to be treasured.