Hello friends! Today we begin a new life testimony series called Breakthrough - a story of a young man from Singapore called Jimmy Ong Tiam Huat. To say that he had a terrible start in life would be an understatement.

Jimmy was born in 1965. Jimmy’s father was a taxi driver and his mother, a housewife and a food vendor at an army canteen. They had a big family with eight children. And like most kids, Jimmy was not keen on studying. In fact, he preferred to make money outside of school. His dream then was to become a successful businessman.

His first taste of the business world came when he was only 10 years old. Jimmy asked his mum to cook a local dish called nasi lemak (coconut rice). She was a good cook and made 20 packets for him. Jimmy took these packets, walked to a nearby factory and tried to sell them to the workers. Much to his dismay, Jimmy had to return home with the same 20 packets.

When Jimmy’s mum found out, she told him that he could not just simply stand there; he had to attract the workers to buy from him. Undeterred, Jimmy asked her to cook another 20 packets for the next day. This time, he walked to the factory at lunch time and started yelling at the top of his voice, “Nasi lemak, nasi lemak!” That day, he sold five packets. The following day, all 20 packets were sold out! Jimmy thought it was such a good feeling to be making money!

I did not realise that I was being entrepreneurial back then. All I wanted to do was make some pocket money. I learnt very early on in life about sales and how to make people buy things from me through this early nasi lemak venture.

Being the youngest in the family, Jimmy was bullied by his older siblings a lot. He was ‘Boy Friday’ and had to run errands for everyone. His siblings would often send him to the provision shop to buy things for them. Also, he had to wash his father’s taxi.

Even at a young age, Jimmy’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident. He discovered he could monetise his errands or get some benefit from his tasks! For example, when his siblings wanted him to buy a packet drink that costs 15 cents and he was given 20 cents, he would pocket the extra 5 cents as a tip. However, if he was given exactly 15 cents, Jimmy would ask for two straws and drink some of the beverage before bringing it home.

Sometimes, when the weather was too hot, Jimmy would accidentally drink too much of the beverage. When he got home, he would be questioned and reprimanded by all his siblings, except his eldest sister, Lily. Lily took good care of Jimmy and ensured that he was not severely bullied. Whenever she was around, he felt like a king. She was like a mother to him. As she was working already, she would spoil him by giving him surprises like extra pocket money or presents. Jimmy couldn’t imagine life without her.

So, what about Jimmy’s relationship with his parents?

In his youth, Jimmy did not like his father who was fierce and vulgar. He was a drunkard as well. People nicknamed him ’Hor Sai’ – ’hor’ is Hokkien for ’tiger’ and ’sai’ is ’lion’! His mother, on the other hand, was very submissive. His father would often bully and shout at her.

However, he had a gentle side too. He would sometimes call home to ask if any of them wanted supper from a famous curry rice stall at Serangoon. Usually, no one wanted as he would come home very late at night! He would then switch on the light in the living room, open his packet of curry rice and get ready to dig in. The bright light and the smell of the food would instantly wake Jimmy up! Jimmy would ask to eat his father’s food - and finish the whole packet himself! His dad would just sit there and watch Jimmy devour his dinner without saying a word. This happened on many occasions; and he never scolded Jimmy.

As they had such a big family, Jimmy’s parents were not able to give him any pocket money. The only time they would give him some money was when he fell ill and needed to visit the doctor (which he disliked). He looked forward to falling ill as he could pocket this extra money. Jimmy’s mother knew what he was up to, so she would bribe him with extra food to make him go to the clinic. Being ill was a highlight of Jimmy’s childhood. He got more money - and attention!

Back then, Jimmy’s mother was working part-time at the army canteens. The Sembawang Camp canteen was his favourite. It was near the airbase where many foreign soldiers and airmen lived with their families. As his parents could not afford to buy him any toys, Jimmy would go to the rubbish dump to pick up toys that were thrown away. Once he found a toy helicopter with a broken rotor blade. Jimmy liked it so much that he slept with it!

Being poor, Jimmy wanted to work and make money at a very young age. He asked his mum to help him get jobs during the school holidays. She got him a job with a carpenter. Jimmy accompanied a Malaysian man to condominiums and learnt from him how to fix things. He started to make some money and by the time Jimmy went to secondary school, he became quite a good handyman - and studying was the last thing on his mind. He was hungry and wanted to go out and earn more!

At that time, Jimmy lacked the motivation to study. He failed Secondary Three twice. He was fed up and told his father he didn’t want to study any more. Jimmy’s father was a very fierce man and he would have preferred Jimmy to graduate. But he relented because Jimmy wanted to make money to support the family. (At that time, Jimmy didn’t know he had dyslexia, a learning disability; he knew about it only very recently.)

After dropping out of school, Jimmy got two jobs. He worked at Mandarin Hotel and also sold pens and watches at the now-defunct Klasse Department Store in Lucky Plaza. They kept him very busy; but he was happy - he was earning his own keep.

In 1983, Jimmy enlisted for the National Service (NS). His vocation was a driver. One day while in camp, his mother called him. His eldest sister, Lily, had committed suicide. She was only 29.

As far as he knew, his sister had committed suicide over her relationship problems. She left behind two young daughters aged six and seven. Her death devastated Jimmy. He realised very early on that he should not depend on anyone but himself as everything and everyone can be gone in an instant.

The thing about suicide is that it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. When people commit suicide, they leave behind a worse problem for their families and loved ones.

That same year, one day, Jimmy’s niece found him on the bed, face purple and gasping for breath. He had gone to sleep after dinner. When he turned in bed, he suddenly couldn’t breathe! Jimmy’s father rushed him to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).  X-rays were taken at once. He had a pneumothorax—an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space that separates the lung from the chest wall. This caused problems in breathing. In Jimmy’s case, blood had collected in that space.

The doctor inserted a needle to release the clogged blood. Jimmy also underwent an operation to patch up his lung. To this day, he is still unsure of how that happened. But Jimmy remembers very clearly the doctor telling him, “You narrowly escaped death. Your life is a bonus from now on.”

During his two years in NS, Jimmy’s allowance was only $90 per month. Subsequently, it was increased to $145. His father advised him to leave that allowance in his bank account. He gave Jimmy money from his own earnings as a taxi driver. He would also send Jimmy to and back from camp without fail. That was his way of showing his love for his son.

Two days after completing his NS, Jimmy found a job. A friend, William, had set up a shop selling audio equipment in Fu Lu Shou Complex near Bugis Street. He asked Jimmy to be his salesman. Without hesitation, Jimmy agreed and threw himself into this job - he was very eager to make money!

After two very serious setbacks in life – the death of his beloved sister and a life-threatening health condition, Jimmy dived into his worklife. What awaits this young man who learnt to grow up independently and who was very eager to make money? Would he achieve his dream? Come and listen to his story next Thursday. Stay tuned and good bye!