http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/09/21/i-didn’t-want-my-kids-to-grow-up-in-spore/
Why I left Singapore: Moe Alkaff
By Ion Danker – September 21st, 2010
Local entertainer Moe Alkaff says Singapore’s rigid education system and his wife’s concern to be closer to her family were the “push” factors that led him to migrate with his family to the United States in 2000.
The 48-year-old earned his fame as host of local TV series “Gotcha” – Singapore’s version of “Just for Gags” — which aired from 1993 to 1994, as well as his starring role in 2001 hit local comedy, ”One Leg Kicking“.
In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Singapore, the father of two – Shamzi, 11, and Zara, 9 – describes the kind of life his kids have been experiencing Stateside in Fort Collins, Colorado.
“We live in an estate like a kampong (small village), they all go to the same school 200 metres away, all on bicycle. Every kid in the same estate goes there and they will all come back together, play outside, they go into our house, open and raid our fridge,” said the rubber-faced comedian with a ready smile.
“That’s the kind of life I want my kids to have because that’s the kind of life I had. In Singapore, you can’t see that anymore: kids playing downstairs, going into each other’s house, going to school together and becoming like brothers and sisters,” added Moe, who has been in the events business for 21 years.
He went on to compare the differences he observed after living in the US for 10 years and his early upbringing in Singapore.
“The education system is pretty stiff here [Singapore], it has created great people but is there enough creativity?”
“I want my kids to be street smart. The schools there [Colorado] are different. They take some subjects from Singapore, like math, but the rest involves a lot about their social abilities in terms of being creative, so my kids always come back with projects to do for school. I like that because they get parents involved too.”
Turning his attention to raising kids, he emphasised the importance of parents’ role in their children’s upbringing, which is why his wife, Che Che, chose to leave her marketing job to help raise their two kids.
“My wife and I would probably have to work to make ends meet in Singapore so we’d have to hire domestic help. Most domestic helpers are employed to help with the chores and they are not trained to raise kids. We want to pass whatever we learn to our children but if we are away and working all the time, it’s harder to give our children a part of us”
He shares his hopes for Singaporeans to put their families first.
Rising from humble beginnings, Moe — who graduated with only an NTC Grade 3 certificate — spent his early adult life doing odd jobs: he was a merchant ship sailor, construction worker and a club deejay before his big break on local television. He recalls how he was afraid to leave Singapore in 2000 for Las Vegas.
“I was scared to leave Singapore and felt insecure but the only thing that stuck into my mind is that if I don’t do it now, I will probably never do it and might regret it. I don’t want to live my life and regret it. I rather just do it and see how,” he said.
It seems he made the right choice. Today, he is able to spend all his time with his children when he is home in the US, but travels back to Singapore regularly to host corporate events and organise conferences.
“I will always be a Singaporean. I still have my home here where my mother lives with me and I love Singapore and it’s people and food. Gosh! All my best friends are here and I will never want to lose that!”
“When I am with my family in the US, I do nothing except spending time with them, play, hangout and I come back to Singapore to work every 2-3 weeks depending on the number of projects. I’ve been back here for almost every month this year,” he said, before revealing that he might slow things down as he gets older.
He declined to reveal how much he earns but while not rich, said he made a “decent living”.
“I have been an entertainer since young, in everything I did and I think it’s because of my entertainment abilities. I plan to do this all my life, I would die an entertainer. I have no plans to retire but I might slow down, work less, maybe 3 months a year and chill out the rest of the time. At 55, I want to slow down, see the world more, travel and climb mountains,” said Moe, who works out at the gym daily.
Moe Alkaff was a club deejay before his big break on local television.
Moe also revealed the lowest point in his entertainment career.
“The time I felt most sad was when the team celebrated Gotcha’s anniversary with champagne. The Muslim community slammed me after that because I drank champagne on TV,” revealed Moe.
“I realised I was a public figure and I had made a mistake, yes the slamming was hard to except, but I should have been more sensitive to the community and I am a part of it.”
Thank you for the incredible, amazing response to Yahoo!’s Fit-To-Post blog so far. We continue to welcome your views and comments but please don’t abuse this opportunity. Be nice. Be courteous. Be sensible. Respect the feelings of others and refrain from using any kind of offensive language.
Why I left Singapore: Moe Alkaff
By Ion Danker – September 21st, 2010
Local entertainer Moe Alkaff says Singapore’s rigid education system and his wife’s concern to be closer to her family were the “push” factors that led him to migrate with his family to the United States in 2000.
The 48-year-old earned his fame as host of local TV series “Gotcha” – Singapore’s version of “Just for Gags” — which aired from 1993 to 1994, as well as his starring role in 2001 hit local comedy, ”One Leg Kicking“.
In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Singapore, the father of two – Shamzi, 11, and Zara, 9 – describes the kind of life his kids have been experiencing Stateside in Fort Collins, Colorado.
“We live in an estate like a kampong (small village), they all go to the same school 200 metres away, all on bicycle. Every kid in the same estate goes there and they will all come back together, play outside, they go into our house, open and raid our fridge,” said the rubber-faced comedian with a ready smile.
“That’s the kind of life I want my kids to have because that’s the kind of life I had. In Singapore, you can’t see that anymore: kids playing downstairs, going into each other’s house, going to school together and becoming like brothers and sisters,” added Moe, who has been in the events business for 21 years.
He went on to compare the differences he observed after living in the US for 10 years and his early upbringing in Singapore.
“The education system is pretty stiff here [Singapore], it has created great people but is there enough creativity?”
“I want my kids to be street smart. The schools there [Colorado] are different. They take some subjects from Singapore, like math, but the rest involves a lot about their social abilities in terms of being creative, so my kids always come back with projects to do for school. I like that because they get parents involved too.”
Turning his attention to raising kids, he emphasised the importance of parents’ role in their children’s upbringing, which is why his wife, Che Che, chose to leave her marketing job to help raise their two kids.
“My wife and I would probably have to work to make ends meet in Singapore so we’d have to hire domestic help. Most domestic helpers are employed to help with the chores and they are not trained to raise kids. We want to pass whatever we learn to our children but if we are away and working all the time, it’s harder to give our children a part of us”
He shares his hopes for Singaporeans to put their families first.
Rising from humble beginnings, Moe — who graduated with only an NTC Grade 3 certificate — spent his early adult life doing odd jobs: he was a merchant ship sailor, construction worker and a club deejay before his big break on local television. He recalls how he was afraid to leave Singapore in 2000 for Las Vegas.
“I was scared to leave Singapore and felt insecure but the only thing that stuck into my mind is that if I don’t do it now, I will probably never do it and might regret it. I don’t want to live my life and regret it. I rather just do it and see how,” he said.
It seems he made the right choice. Today, he is able to spend all his time with his children when he is home in the US, but travels back to Singapore regularly to host corporate events and organise conferences.
“I will always be a Singaporean. I still have my home here where my mother lives with me and I love Singapore and it’s people and food. Gosh! All my best friends are here and I will never want to lose that!”
“When I am with my family in the US, I do nothing except spending time with them, play, hangout and I come back to Singapore to work every 2-3 weeks depending on the number of projects. I’ve been back here for almost every month this year,” he said, before revealing that he might slow things down as he gets older.
He declined to reveal how much he earns but while not rich, said he made a “decent living”.
“I have been an entertainer since young, in everything I did and I think it’s because of my entertainment abilities. I plan to do this all my life, I would die an entertainer. I have no plans to retire but I might slow down, work less, maybe 3 months a year and chill out the rest of the time. At 55, I want to slow down, see the world more, travel and climb mountains,” said Moe, who works out at the gym daily.
Moe Alkaff was a club deejay before his big break on local television.
Moe also revealed the lowest point in his entertainment career.
“The time I felt most sad was when the team celebrated Gotcha’s anniversary with champagne. The Muslim community slammed me after that because I drank champagne on TV,” revealed Moe.
“I realised I was a public figure and I had made a mistake, yes the slamming was hard to except, but I should have been more sensitive to the community and I am a part of it.”
Thank you for the incredible, amazing response to Yahoo!’s Fit-To-Post blog so far. We continue to welcome your views and comments but please don’t abuse this opportunity. Be nice. Be courteous. Be sensible. Respect the feelings of others and refrain from using any kind of offensive language.
