Goh Mui Lan and Ryan Teo

Goh Mui Lan:

This frugal lady Madam Lim, was my role model. She had nine children, five boys, and four girls. Her husband was a cook and worked three hundred and sixty-five days a year. He went to work at 9pm on a bicycle and only came home after midnight. The only time he took leave was when his children got married.

Madam Lim went to the market only in the late mornings so she could buy cheaper groceries to feed her children. The fruits she bought were spoiled ones with the rotten parts cut off. Her husband, as a cook would bring home bread crumbs and she would make dumplings, fish skins, and beef offcuts to make curry for her family.

Madam Lim was unable to rent a room for her family of nine. Some of her children had to stay at her husband's quarters and the rest had to sleep in a rented room on the floor and under the bed.

She was a very kind lady who lends money to her immediate neighbour, who also had a large family, even though Madam Lim was poor. She always said to us 'put yourself in their shoes.' The other motto was, do unto others as you want them to do unto you.

Madam Lim saved some money and bought her own house in Chong Pang. The attap house cost about 3K. The family was very delighted and happy that they now can live together. On all festival occasions, the family always came together to celebrate. After several years the Government acquired the land for development and she was compensated and was given a HDB flat. Both Madam Lim and her husband had now passed on. And that frugal Madam Lim was my Mother.

Ryan Teo:

I always look forward to those family gatherings that we have. I can catch up with my Grandmother and she always offers me words of wisdom and advice. They give me a new perspective on my current and future stages of life and keep my mind centred on what mindset to have when navigating through it.

Through the stories of her experiences, my Grandmother always maintains that above all, we should be generous to others. She also says that we must be understanding of other people's struggles and help whenever we can.

I try to emulate all that in my everyday life. I would always try to lend a helping hand to others around me and help to the best of my ability. This includes my classmates in school previously and my comrades in National Service currently.

In school, I would always assist my classmates or friends who asked for help as much as I could. In NS, I strive to help my comrades as often as possible regardless of how small. This includes help with what we learn and a listening ear if they need it.

I've learned a lot from my Grandmother my whole life and I'm so grateful to her. Her stories and values have helped me become a better person and I'll always remember them.