Actually, I can second AP. Bot my parents worked from the age of 16 in clerical jobs, then worked their way up from there, while bringing up siblings, as their fathers were retired.
But then we are Eurasian ... appreciating life and contentment with simple pleasures trumps relentless pursuit of money, which is never enough to provide 'security'. It also meant we lagged behind the Chinese and Ceylon Tamils in wealth gathering to our serious loss.
I do not remember wine as a child or teenager - it was hard liquor then, so in my time we drank beer or vodka with orange, and we laughed at guys who drank whiskey and coke.
We only had parties on birthdays, but there were many birthdays. However, people often dropped by, and food and drink was always found and shared ... the company was a party.
ALL festivals were celebrated, and every culture and all religious practices were respected minutely: so we always got invited out to celebrate every festival. In those days, the word 'Peranakan' was hardly ever used [and if it was referred only to the Peranakan Cina]- so I was never able to put a name to the insanely delicious food that the Fu family served, as to us they were simply 'Chinese'.
When I was growing up, Elvis lived in Katong.
