Wednesday, December 21, 2005
this is the life story of a girl named Cleo (well, at least most of it)...it'll be a long and draggy post...if u've got no patience, skip it...trust me :)
it's not the full story with all the details cos that would take me another 2 more hours to write...and it would be far too draggy... another day... i'll get the whole story out. promise...
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on the 12th June, 1987 a baby girl was born in the maternity wards of Mt. Elizabeth Hospital
to young and proud first-time parents Veronica and BK.
the young mother idolised the lead actress of the then-showing movie "Cleopatra"
and hence named her little princess after her...Cleopatra.
and that marked the start of her life as a part-royalty in her own way.
her parents were young, ambitious, intelligent and very much in love.
as partners in business, Advance Gravis Pte Ltd, a computer technology company was established, with daddy at the helm of it and mummy playing the crucial supporting role.
together, they worked hand-in-hand to build up their empire.
finally they succeeded with 4 showrooms in S'pore, more in Penang, Yugoslavia, etc...
in the meantime, 2 more little girls were added to the family - Chloe and Chantal.
3 distinctly different little girls who loved each other's company, never failed to bicker and never failed to have fun together.
Cleo, Chloe and Chantal were fortunate little girls who had loving parents.
despite busy schedules at work, time was always taken off and devoted to them...
outings, meals, gatherings, etc...
despite being pretty well-off, the girls never splurged.
toys were granted once in a while, treats to McDonald's were greatly looked forward to every Sunday morning.
But everything started to change when the family moved to a 3-storey corner terrace at Pasir Ris Park estate.
After spending close to a million on buying the house, renovating the entire facade and buying spanking new furniture, the family moved in when Cleo was about 9 years old...in 1996.
Cleo shared a room with her sisters and loved everything in the brand-new house.
lovely wide open spaces for playing games with sisters and cousins, royalty brass beds costing more than $2K and even an entire 3rd-storey filled with teddy bears! nights were spent reading and playing up in the attic, comfortable with carpeted floors, air-conditioning and clear views of the sea and stars above.
rabbits were reared and soon 2 became 14. they were the centre of the girls' lives as they fed the baby bunnies, chased them round the gardens and bathed them in pails of water.
evenings were spent cycling and roller-blading around the estate and Pasir Ris Park across the road.
neighbours made fast friends and soon, weekends and holidays were spent in the houses along the street and within the estate.
then came the troubles...
'97 and '98 proved as troubled times in S.E. Asia.
the haze from forest fires in Indonesia was succeeded by the worst financial crisis in many many years.
Stock markets crashed, businesses went bust, people were retrenched, hearts were broken and families were broken too.
as a new public-listed company, Advance Gravis Pte Ltd couldn't avoid it in any way.
it was the first time the couple had to face such a massive crisis and they had no idea how to handle it.
as kind-hearted as they are, they strongly refused to retrench their workers.
even though they made to their employees that they were now unable to pay their full salaries on time, the loyal workers stayed on...
to pay them, Veron and BK went to all ends to borrow money...just so that they could pay them at least a little...
little did they know that the end was nearing.
they never thought of putting aside some money for them and their family in case the worst happened.
their only thought was to pump in as much money into the business to keep it going...which proved fatal in many ways.
finally, the business had to close down...it crashed and the devastated couple lost everything they ever had...everything they ever depended on.
with no savings whatsoever, 3 little girls to feed and an old grandmother to support,
they almost broke down.
thoughts were given to ending their lives together with their little girls...to end their misery.
but a strong mind helped mummy convince daddy that it was not a thought to be considered...that they can always pick themselves up and start all over again.
soon, both of them were declared bankrupt and all possessions were confiscated - the house the girls came to love, the 2 Mercedes Benz and even the furniture in the house were confiscated and auctioned off in an attempt to pay off a part of their debt.but alas, the debt incurred was far too large... millions of dollars ($7 or $8 million if I'm not wrong)
it was dark, dark days for the family indeed.
the next few years were spent moving from house to house, and by the time Cleo was 12, they had moved 3 times to take advantage of cash earned and bigger spaces.
thankfully, mummy had the foresight to choose to contribute to their own CPFover the years and they were permitted to own a flat, provided they paid only with the money in their CPF, which no-one could touch even after they became bankrupt.
owing millions of dollars, the family had no hope of being discharged anytime soon and hence the best they could do was to make the best out of the worst.
being the eldest daughter, Cleo had the greatest responsibilities. She had to understand what the family was going through and look after her sisters cos they were too young to know what was happening.
no more maid and that meant she had to learn how to do the housework.
she was 12 at that time...P6.
while juggling preparations for PSLE, she had to do household chores at home.
mummy and daddy were busy looking for jobs, upgrading themselves, etc...
so within a week, she learnt to iron clothes for the whole family, cook simple meals, fold clothes, do the laundry and clean up the house. all at the tender age of 12.
it wasn't easy for her...having been pampered all her life.
before, she never even had to make her bed or clear the table after a meal.
now, she had to wash all the dishes and make the beds for her and her sisters.
the brightest part of those dark times was when Veron got pregnant with a new baby...it was an accident nonetheless but a pleasant surprise...something to look forward to...but how were they going to feed the baby when they could barely feed themselves anymore? well, it was a blessing from heaven and it couldn't be destroyed regardless.
as the pregnancy progressed, Veron had difficulties sleeping at night due to immense backpain from the weight of the over-sized baby growing in her.
to ease her pain and soothe her, Cleo volunteered to give her back-rubs and back massages every night.
she would massage her mother while squatting by her bed-side until she heard light snores...which meant mummy was fast asleep...then she'd creep back to her room, prepare for school the next morning and go to sleep.
Drago was finally born on Valetine's Day 2000.
soon, he proved to be the best thing that could happen to the family at that time...
no matter how bad a day anyone had, one look at the smiling, innocent look on his chubby face soothe everything and chased the blues away.
till today, Cleo believes that Drago saved the family from going down in the rut of times...
then she got into SCGS with an amazing PSLE score of 255 and that was despite situations and difficulties.
it was difficult to be in a school filled with rich girls and expensive lifestyles but she managed it with the help of the financial assistance scheme... she didn't enjoy school for she felt like an outcast...but she made a mark for herself by being active in sports, cheerleading and class activities.
throughout secondary school, she went through alot of situations that changed her...
her naive heart was taken advantage of over and over again, broken and mended, broken and mended...
and that she no longer wants to recall or remember...
to help make ends meet, she worked her way through secondary school so she didn't have to burden her mother with her pocket money...at times, she chipped in for family expenses too.
thankfully, she made it through O'levels and with flying colours...
offered a place in the prestigious Victoria Junior College, she turned it down to pursue her passion in hospitality and tourism... which is where she is today...Temasek Polytechnic (Tourism Academy@Sentosa)
the rest, as they say, is history in the making.
~by Cleopatra~
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looking back, the bankruptcy of my parents was truly a blessing in disguise. before that, i was an arrogant, selfish, spoilt and pampered brat. i admit it and people such as Matthew, Leonard and Chin Leng would attest to that. I flaunted my family's wealth shamelessly and used it to put down people around me. I believed that i was the best around and didn't give 2 hoots about everyone else. Matthew once told me before my family went bankrupt - "Don't ever count your chicken before they hatch, you'll one day regret everything u once said to us". true enough, i regretted...deeply...an after that, we became best of friends. i learnt to appreciate the value of friends and the value of humility. I changed, i matured and i grew far beyond my tender age. it's difficult to explain or identify the amazing change in me, but it's there.
my mummy is one brave and courageous lady i admire...alot.
she never gave up and for the sake of the 4 of us, she persevered.
she supported my dad though when he was down and though till today, he hasn't found a stable job to help the family, she stood steadfast by him... that's the real admirable part.
having gone through so much as a family, is it a wonder why i love them so much and they mean so much to me? to douse doubts and misunderstandings about bankruptcy in Singapore, here are a few facts based on first-hand experience:
- yes, you can drive a car as long as the car is not registered under your name as the government doesn't confiscate your license.
- yes, you can still go overseas provided it is for work purposes or holidays if you can prove that someone else is paying for you
- and yes, you can own a house as long as you can prove that you or your family needs one to survive and as long as you don't have to fork out cash to pay. you're only allowed to use what you're permitted to use from your CPF account.
- and NO, you DON'T have to pay the debts for your parents if they're bankrupt. it is their personal liability...nothing to do with you...you're not burdened in anyway
- and finally, yes...you're not allowed to own mobile phone lines and cable TV lines, broadband accounts, etc...
in other words, no luxuries allowed...only the necessary required for survival.
anyway, i'll drop off here...
thanks for bearing with the long boring and naggy story...
ciao ciao!
'fallen_angel'
6:57 PM
