What being poor in Singapore means

I'm taking a break from the usual blog banter and would like to highlight a grim reality,that is the widening income gap.While it is true that the rich-poor divide are found everywhere in the world, there is this common notion among us that there are NO poor people in Singapore.Maybe this is due to the fact that we have recently surpassed the Swiss standard of living. Most of us trailblazed in the booming economy but what about the plight of the less fortunate?This list hopes to enlighten the top earners in Singapore (ie the elites) about the lives (what lives?) and struggles (what struggles?) of the poor .

Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.
Being poor is mistaking KFC and McDonalds as fine-dining establishments
Being poor is not sending your kids to pre-school,thus resulting in illiteracy when they enter Primary One
Being poor is having to include your kids for the Financial Assistance Scheme
Being poor is really needing all the goodies announced on Budget Day
Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.
Being poor is having to hide during CNY/Hari Raya,because you have no money to give out as Ang-Pow
Being poor is having to shop at the Sheng Shiong supermarket
Being poor is gazing and drooling at the Armani store in Vivocity
Being poor is hoping the toothache/cough goes away.
Being poor is thinking that the neighbourhood $2 shop is the greatest idea since sliced bread
Being poor is preferring to clean the HDB corridors yourself over paying $40 monthly to the Bangladeshi workers
Being poor is coming back clutching that tin of Milo you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the tin has to last for the whole month
Being poor is off-brand toys,instead of Tomy or Fischer Price
Being poor is Enzer and Akira whitegoods
Being poor is hoping your kids don't have a growth spurt.
Being poor is jumping onto the MRT tracks with only have $16 in your pocket
Being poor is Giordano/Bossini underwear.
Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.
Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
Being poor is not talking to that girl because she'll probably just laugh at your clothes.
Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.
Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.
Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.
Being poor is your kid's teacher assuming your kids dont have tuition or books in your home.
Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is a two-hour wait at the A&E department with a sick child asleep on your lap.
Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn't bought first.
Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 colouring book from Mustafa Centre
Being poor is knowing you really shouldn't spend that buck on a Toto/4D ticket.
Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won't listen to you beg them against doing so.
Being poor is making sure you don't spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back to Harvey Norman or Courts if you dont pay your monthly installments.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is four years of night classes for a Ministry Of Labour or WDA certification
Being poor is a lumpy futon mattress and pillows bought from pasar malam
Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is seeing how few options you have.