Your Asian mom

Few more days until a new year, it feels like there is not much happening for the past few months except I am taking extra precautions not to be infected with Covid-19 by limiting meetup with friends and even extended families.  It is devastating, but thinking about the possibility of getting sick from the virus and no one to look after 7-year-old daughter, I become very much paranoid of the virus and the most I could do is to pray that the pandemic will be gone for good.  Daughter, who is in Primary 1, somehow attended only about six months of less of schooling session due to this pandemic as well. Homeschooling it is as I am also working from home.  Though it means more works and stress for me as I have to split my time into keeping the house clean, prepare meals, teach and spend time the kids while doing works, I should spare some gratitude as it is what I have wanted to be before the order for everyone to stay home. I had been feeling I spent so little time with kid with her busy w

The government is imposing another round of Movement Control Order in the state following the surge of new Covid-19 cases. I pulled through the initial three-month of staying and working from home most of the time, of course with a primary school student in tow.  But, I realised that the stress from the so-called new norms by confining myself at home is actually taking a toll to my mental health.  I thought I would be okay but did not realise the building up from one to another stressors could lead to insomnia for almost a week.  The nature of my work is supposed to be outside a building, but as husband works at a hospital, I have the responsibility to ensure I don't bring the infection to home due to my job demand.  Touch wood, if 7-year-old daughter or I get the infection, the recovery chances for us are higher but husband should not be exposed as it would affect the hospital institution.  Some more, without schooling, I am obliged to look after daughter at home. It is out of the

A very good book to teach parents on kickstarting financial knowledge and practice for their kids.  According to the author, it is never too early when to expose children on health money spending or saving money as they are already learning when they see adults use their money whether it is buying things, saving in the bank among others  My parents (I believe many do too) think that I am obliged to give them a lot of money (as seen on TV). They have the preconception that their children can afford to allocate half of salary for them to live comfortably after their retirement.  Unfortunately, the ugly truth is not everyone is earning extraordinary income in today's world with higher cost of living. In fact, even to put a roof under the head is a troublesome for many young generations.  Some more, there is a term for us...Sandwiches generation which we also have to think of supporting our own child.  Let me be clear here that it does not mean that I am not giving money at all to my p

As people are losing their jobs amid Covid-19 pandemic, many have sought for income alternatives by selling variety of items that they can make a living from.  photo courtesy: Westfield Financial Planning For time being, I am lucky to still have my job despite the industry is not really doing very well. With the Movement Control Order, which required almost everyone to stay home and commitment in terms of childcare fare, fuel and eating out expenses cut down, I really can afford to spend some money to support friends who need to make living out of selling homemade cooking and etc. However, I am not so keen to be approached/forced to invest my money into unit trust via an agent/consultant.  During the product introduction briefing, I was told that unit trust could earn a return of between 5-10 per cent. But, when I check on the previous reports, it may not seem to be true for all time. The units could drop to below 10 per cent, which means that unit trust holders would likely to lose mo

Watched one of the episodes in Grey's Anatomy movie. An elderly couple was still bickering with each other even though the husband was pierced with a pole when storm hit Seattle.  Apparently both of them fight almost everyday for 30 years, the wife told the doctor that they could have not survive the marriage without the quarreling.  "Most importantly, he comes back after every fight and I always love him for that."

If you know Chinese or even better be excelled in it, you are in advantage of getting employed and of course to demand for higher pay as it is a specialised skill.  I am lucky to get my daughter enrolled into a Chinese Primary School (SJKC) as parents, despite not having any basic in Chinese, are fighting for places to get their children to learn the language.  My daughter's class has about 40 students cramped in the room.  I remember when I was younger, there were quite limited number of non-Chinese students in the SJKC as parents probably think it would be more convenient to send their kids to school which use their mother-tongue language.  The then syllabus, especially Chinese, was quite simple and basic for non-Chinese to follow.  Fast forward 20 years, Primary 1 students would require to remember many words, the strokes counting, the pinyin (sound) etc. Some who could not cope and could not get help will probably stress out and worse, lose interests in