my ajumma notes

Wah, I am such an irregular blogger. Time for another of those 'wu liao' musings. I have noticed of late that these champion tennis players have no qualms about praising themselves to the skies. Well, I have noticed of late because it is only after stopping work that I have time to pay attention to such 'wu liao' things as what players say after their matches. They probably have been doing this all along. Praise and positive comments about their opponents are rare. Even when they lose or don't play too well, they are just talking about me, me, me... Take, for example, the reigning (2004) Wimbledon champions. Maria Sharapova, after her quarter-final win this year, had this to say of herself, 'When I'm down or when it's close in a match, I feel like I am still in it. Mentally I'm still really, really tough.' Roger Federer, on his chances at Wimbledon this year, 'Losing so few matches over the last two years, you start to feel you cannot be bea...

Wow, my last entry was done last month. Proof enough that staying at home doesn't necessarily mean you are a tai-tai. Where does all my time go? I realise that if I didn't prepare and cook lunch and dinner, I could 'save' about 2 hours each day, which could be spent blogging, surfing, reading, shopping, exercising, having my nails done... Maybe one day I will become such a pro in the kitchen that I would save time even when preparing and cooking the meals. I also notice many mums, and even maids, buy lunch from the food centre before picking their children up from school. Definitely a time-creating practice. We'll see... Such a trivial entry this is turning out to be. Hopefully no one will feel that they are being defamed by this. Stay-at-home mums are featured in this month's Female . All say that they are not living tai-tai lives. However, I suspect that they are better off than I am. Anyway, as stressed in that feature, I shall remember not to be a 'frump...

After a few days in the spotlight in the papers, the plight of single mums has now unfortunately taken a backseat, or maybe has gone under the carpet, eclipsed by the momentous IR, previously known as 'casino', discussion. I wonder how many people actually think about how hard it must be for single mums. Wish society here could be more understanding about their situation. Anyone who has had a child would know that it is tough having to care for the child all on your own. And these mums often have to do it with little or no family support. Worse, mother (unmarried) + child does not = a 'family unit' under HDB guidelines and they have to apply for special permission to buy an flat. It is the last thing they should be made to do, what with all their worries about how they are going to bring up the child, manage their finances, cope with work life, etc. If I'm not wrong, the mother-child bond is seen as the foundation of life in many traditions. I think it is brave and...

So I finally did what I think is the best thing for my kid and my family. Most, even my superiors, were supportive of the decision. A few people (female) said they were envious of my wonderful fortune to be able to stop work and stay home full time. Others (and this blog is named in their honour!) were envious that I would now be so 'free' and would be leading a tai-tai life. And I just know what they will say when they know about this blog: 'wah, so free ah?' Hey, I'm no tai-tai, ok? First, I'm not married to a rich man. That's the end of the story, actually... I have no maid, I mind the house, mind the son, wait in the hot sun at his school gate, etc. Despite reminding people of this, I suspect some of them still have visions of me lounging in front of the telly all day or going for regular high teas or something. Another reaction to the idea of me leaving the working world was 'what a waste!' I'm not sure what people meant by that. What a wast...