The Little Rules

The Singapore Way

Watching Media Corp's production each evening helps me understand and learn about living moments in the neighboring island. When you have 2 daughters working there it is of great interest to me in knowing the rules of the place.
The characters depicted in the show tell me that the local people are threatened by the presence of foreigners as they seem to be snatching away opportunities in the work place. If you belong to the lower rung of the professional ladder, you can lose work and find yourself in a dilemma. There was this Chinese immigrant who was granted a permanent residence status, worked hard to bring his wife, daughter and mother-in-law across and later found to be out of job.So how does he solve his problem? His wife gave private tuition and his mother-in-law sold tit-bits to earn some monies to make up for the lost income. The tuition part was not made into a huge issue but the pedaling business was a no-no thing; it being forbidden by the government. No foreigners without a valid work permit can attempt to do such a business. So, the poor son-in-law took over and was ready for reprimand in the pipeline. Rule says not to work without permit.
Then there is this teacher character who faced an uphill task of teaching Chinese in school. The drama tells me that local present generation finds it a chore to learn the language. The teacher goes through immense pressure that led him to manifest his frustration in stealing acts in shopping malls.So he was caught and kicked out of school; jobless. So how does he face his wife, son, father, mother and sister? The mental stress gave room for many to forgive him; it is good to see this value depicted. Whatever it is, everyone deserves a second chance. So he gives tuition to make up for the lost opportunity. Rule says tuition is a way of life  and a source of income on this island.
This drama portrays many facets of ordinary living. The typical abode of many of course is residing in HDB flats. On this island when land is scarce and expensive, affording a typical flat is already a bonus. So the neighborhood is a colorful one and you can name any type of character; all found here. The crux is to share a common corridor with everyone not getting into each other's back. With a narrow corridor meant for walking, it would also mean keeping the flower pots, bicycle, shoe racks and everything else in place so that there is no cause for squabblings and  misunderstanding. This reminds me of the tight corridor my girls have to put up with in their place. Each time I visit them, I brace myself for all 'tight' feelings including clothes, poles and hangers stringing everywhere. I must also learn to be pleasant; not to comment but to be smiley and friendly. After all I do not want the girls to bear the consequences of my not so nice attitude on the occasional visits. Rule tells me that space is a factor to bear.
I am glad my youthful daughters are trying their stints on the island. They like the pay, the opportunity and the way of life there. They tell me they can jog any time of the day and are not afraid of snatch theft. They like the efficient public transport system that rarely fails them.They must also like to be away from me; less fuss and naggings. Let's hope they will be able to build their dreams well.
I also hope to learn more about the people here; hopefully I will gain more insights as I watch more dramas in the evenings.

To be continued; when opportunities arise.