THE residents of Block 191 Boon Lay Drive are colour blind.
But no, not in the medical sense.
When someone is in trouble, everyone rallies to help. As one resident put it: "Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian or others – we are all one family."
Simply when someone is in trouble, everyone rallies to help.
Race issues not withstanding.
I was there recently, sniffing out signs of hardship for a feature on how Singaporeans are coping with tougher times.
After-all, many of the people living in the one-room flats of the block were felled by the recent economic downturn. And, the majority are lower income families and trying hard to make ends meet.
But along with the hardship, I found friendship, laughter, warmth and genuine goodwill among all.
Many of the doors to the individual flats were left wide open – something you would never see in condominium-living.
There was also an unconditional atmosphere of giving and sharing.
Now and again one or two families in the block might be without enough food for a couple of days. The meagre salary brought home was needed to pay the rent, or fees owing to the school.
Recently, when word got around that two families, were without enough food – usually passed on by the children – others in the block sprang into action.
It’s worth remembering too that these are poor folks with just enough food to put on their own tables!
Yet everyone was willing to tighten his own belt that night and put aside what they could afford to just to make sure two families get to eat that night.
And age was no barrier to sharing.
With cash hard to come by – and with many of the kids aware of it – nine were spotted sharing one can of Coca Cola.
They were conscientiously passing it around, making sure that even the youngest got a share.
When I offered to get them each one, a 10-year-old quipped: "Thanks, but Coke tastes better shared."
I raise my hat to him.
Think what you may about the one- and two-roomers.
When it comes to goodwill and camaraderie, these people are definitely richer than me.
Some may say that the kampung spirit of old had gone to sleep in Singapore.
Others say that it needs to be reawakened.
But I can safely say that the kampung spirit at Block 191 Boon Lay Drive is suffering from insomnia and is working overtime.