The other day my daughter told me in confidence that she thought her friend, Paul, would miss her during the holidays. She made me promise not to tell her father about this. I was amazed...not at the fact that she knows that boys like her, but just at the thought that someone her age can grasp the concept of keeping secrets about boys from her father. Awwww. Of course I told my hubby in the end, but made him promise me not to let her in on his knowledge. Because I think it's important for my daughter to at least have that kind of trust in me.
Anyway, I'm deviating from the point here. I mean, this may remind some of you about the movie called Little Manhattan. You know, it's a movie about a primary school or kindergarten-going boy who falls in love with a girl. I'm not saying that my daughter is in love with this boy, but it's interesting to see that this kind of dynamics are already going on in the playground. From memory, I don't remember being in kindergarten years ago and even liking boys. In fact, I think, I only started liking boys around grade 5 or 6, simply because I used to see myself as one of the boys, so it was hard for me to see myself liking them in a romantic way.
So, this brings up another thing that I've been wondering about. Are children these days growing up way too fast than they did when I was a kid? Is it the technology and all the stuff they see on TV that play a role in the changing trends in children? In no way am I saying that I'm a prude who is against all this cutesy lovey dovey playground stuff...I think it's cute. But it just makes me wonder about certain issues, such as growing up, relationship and all that jazz.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Raindrops Keep Falling On My .... Everything
Geez, what a depressing day it has been today. The rain has been pouring non stop and it hasn't helped me recover from my flu either. And to top it all off, I'm having a slow day at work right now, with really nothing stimulating to keep my brains occupied and active. Actually, this "lethargic brain movement" is what has got me to thinking about other things, such as life, relationships and commitments.
A friend of mine has recently highlighted the fact that we are all (myself included, at least in her eyes) independent women. We don't feel comfortable depending on our spouses for financial support and the like. This statement, to me, sounds like independent women are only worthy to be women if they are, for lack of a better word, independent. However, I can't help but question, would it make us less of a woman if we were to depend on our spouse for financial support? Isn't the financial aspect of a relationship only one side of the spectrum? There are other factors, such as the emotional and the physical, for example, that make up a solid relationship.
At the end of the day, in my opinion, it's all about giving and taking. So, if a married person decides to leave the workforce as she'd rather be at home to care for her family, then that should be well respected. After all, I'm sure the husband would be able to work in peace at the office knowing full well that the house and his children are being taken care of by his own wife. And you know what they say, being a mother is the hardest job there is. So, just because it's not a paying job, this shouldn't mean that women that choose to do this should be seen as less of a woman or worse still, as less independent than those with a full-time job.
As for me and my ambitions, I'm not sure really. I mean I just want to be able to concentrate on one thing in life, as I know I'll be more satisfied knowing that I've done this one thing to the best of my abilities, than having to be satisfied with the fact that I've only invested 50% of my time into things. But for me the struggle really has been more financial than social.
Hmmm, this is something worth pondering about. Maybe in this balmy and lazy afternoon, I'll be able to think more and come to my senses.
A friend of mine has recently highlighted the fact that we are all (myself included, at least in her eyes) independent women. We don't feel comfortable depending on our spouses for financial support and the like. This statement, to me, sounds like independent women are only worthy to be women if they are, for lack of a better word, independent. However, I can't help but question, would it make us less of a woman if we were to depend on our spouse for financial support? Isn't the financial aspect of a relationship only one side of the spectrum? There are other factors, such as the emotional and the physical, for example, that make up a solid relationship.
At the end of the day, in my opinion, it's all about giving and taking. So, if a married person decides to leave the workforce as she'd rather be at home to care for her family, then that should be well respected. After all, I'm sure the husband would be able to work in peace at the office knowing full well that the house and his children are being taken care of by his own wife. And you know what they say, being a mother is the hardest job there is. So, just because it's not a paying job, this shouldn't mean that women that choose to do this should be seen as less of a woman or worse still, as less independent than those with a full-time job.
As for me and my ambitions, I'm not sure really. I mean I just want to be able to concentrate on one thing in life, as I know I'll be more satisfied knowing that I've done this one thing to the best of my abilities, than having to be satisfied with the fact that I've only invested 50% of my time into things. But for me the struggle really has been more financial than social.
Hmmm, this is something worth pondering about. Maybe in this balmy and lazy afternoon, I'll be able to think more and come to my senses.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Back in Business
Hah! After over one year, I'm finally back to update my blog. How sad has it been that I've not logged on to let all you interested people know about my life...yeah right!
Anyhoo, we're now well on our way into the third quarter of 2008 (how time flies!) and new stuff is happening around us. However, I've not really been doing anything much more different than in 2007. Still trying to juggle work and family and still finding this juggling business a struggle. Actually, for the longest time (since one year ago, to be exact), I've just been itching to be a stay-at-home mum again. Being the perfectionist that I am, I can't stand the fact that I have to split my time between being at work and being a domestic goddess. This way, I'm not able to concentrate on anything properly, and hence, not able to do anything 100%.
But the financial reality of living in Singapore is such that both hubby and I have to work to, well, just to have a decent life. Imagine this, the costs of everything from food to transportation to recreational activities, have gone up almost overnight. My daughter's school fees alone shot up by $300 just like that! I almost fainted when they told us they were increasing the school fee drastically.
So, basically the fact that I still have to be a working mum really bugs me at times. Although, I admit that, as a friend has recently reminded me of, I do have it good, in terms of flexibility in my job, etc, but it's still an added stress. I feel like I have too many things to think about all the time and my brain is literally asking me to make a choice! I can't really take care of the house 100%, neither can I concentrate on my work 100%. I mean, look at all those career women who appear to make it effortless to juggle both the home and the work. But I'm pretty sure that these women also have to compromise certain aspects in their lives. I mean, nobody is able to do two things whole-heartedly, right? So what to do? Who's going to win this tug-of-war?
I will keep you posted in due course, no doubt. In the meantime, I'll just keep trudging on in this battle...things will work themselves out...or at least, that's what people say.
Until next time!
Anyhoo, we're now well on our way into the third quarter of 2008 (how time flies!) and new stuff is happening around us. However, I've not really been doing anything much more different than in 2007. Still trying to juggle work and family and still finding this juggling business a struggle. Actually, for the longest time (since one year ago, to be exact), I've just been itching to be a stay-at-home mum again. Being the perfectionist that I am, I can't stand the fact that I have to split my time between being at work and being a domestic goddess. This way, I'm not able to concentrate on anything properly, and hence, not able to do anything 100%.
But the financial reality of living in Singapore is such that both hubby and I have to work to, well, just to have a decent life. Imagine this, the costs of everything from food to transportation to recreational activities, have gone up almost overnight. My daughter's school fees alone shot up by $300 just like that! I almost fainted when they told us they were increasing the school fee drastically.
So, basically the fact that I still have to be a working mum really bugs me at times. Although, I admit that, as a friend has recently reminded me of, I do have it good, in terms of flexibility in my job, etc, but it's still an added stress. I feel like I have too many things to think about all the time and my brain is literally asking me to make a choice! I can't really take care of the house 100%, neither can I concentrate on my work 100%. I mean, look at all those career women who appear to make it effortless to juggle both the home and the work. But I'm pretty sure that these women also have to compromise certain aspects in their lives. I mean, nobody is able to do two things whole-heartedly, right? So what to do? Who's going to win this tug-of-war?
I will keep you posted in due course, no doubt. In the meantime, I'll just keep trudging on in this battle...things will work themselves out...or at least, that's what people say.
Until next time!
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