The ballad of Amoi and Thangachi*

We finally collected the framed picture from Ms Loh's shop. Over the years, we have seen Ms Loh mature and prosper from a petite 17 year old girl who started working as a clerk in a shop which made photo frames and mirrors. After learning the nooks and corners of the business while working in the same premises over the past 10 years, she has finally opened a new shop after renting a shop lot in a new housing estate. Ms Loh is now running the business with her husband also giving a helping hand. She seems quite excited about the business and we wish her all the best for her boldness in entering the field shark eat shark world of business!

Ms Laxmi who also completed her studies at the same year as Ms Loh. Not performing as well as she should to continue her studies; she started to work as an assistant nurse in a clinic. Over the next 10 years, she got hitched, started her family, become a mother of 3 children but remained put in her place of employment (her employer is so nice!), performing the same job but with more experience but a leader among her peers. Her salary has increased marginally to commensurate her years of faithful employment but she sees herself at a sort of dead end. She would probably be doing the same job till she decides to call it quits.

Here you can see the different paths taken by two individuals after secondary education. One has become an entrepreneur of sorts whilst the other remains contended with her simple job. We have seen many Ms Lohs and Ms Laxmis in daily lives.

People who are not bold enough to improve their living standards or are constantly expecting handouts from the others or living on self-pity will and are always complaining that the Government is not doing enough to help them or that the community is not doing enough to help their ethnic group. At the end of the day, the western movies’ words of wisdom come to mind – ‘a man got to do what a man got to do’.

*The controversial Beatles' last No. 1 song in the UK. Recoreded in 1969 by Lennon and McCartney while Harrison and Starr were on leave! Lennon played the guitar and McCartney played drums! Several US radio stations declined to broadcast the song because of what they saw as sacrilegious use of the words Christ and crucify in the lyrics:

The release of this song marked the beginning of the end of the era of the Beatles!

Christ, you know it ain’t easy,

You know how hard it can be,

The way things are going,

They’re gonna crucify me.              "