Let go...

I read an article on an interview with successful women. One question was how the successful women manage their family, especially when they have young children. One of the replies was to let go and reprioritize.
I do not aspire to be a successful or brilliant working mum. All I hope for is to be a working mum. But this will also mean that I have to sacrifice a lot of precious time with my child. How to let go of the kind of discipline and values that I want to instill in my child? How to let go when I myself have certain likes and dislikes of how I want my child to grow up?
To let go will make a lot of people happier. But what are the things that I can compromise? How to strike a healthy balance? I suspect I do lean towards the tiger mum's ideology. Strict family upbringing. I myself come from a strict asian family. But is it still going to work in this age? Will it cause more harm to the child? Will I end up being unhappy too?

Invest and not gamble

The election is over. The results were both exciting, disappointing and exhilarating!
First, a GRC is won by an opposition team after the system was put in place for many years. GRC is meant to promote multi-racial leadership but somehow it is also used to limit alternative parties' participation. I prefer to use alternative parties rather than opposition parties. Opposition just sounds so negative. Yet, on 8 May 2011, WP has made history by winning the first GRC from incumbent party. A big salute to them. At the same time, I sincerely hope that this is not a gamble for WP. It involves the lives of the entire constitutency and the faith of WP's supporters in WP being a responsible party to improve lives for fellow Singaporeans. Their report card will be out after 5 years and we shall know if their supporters will live and repent. Let's all hope that our faith and support in WP will be a good investment!
"Investing and gambling are both games of chance. " This is quoted from an advertisement on investing workshop. How often are we able to invest wisely, rather to gamble with a stroke of luck? With our raising cost of living, it is good to have a second source of passive income. The stock market seems an attractive place to earn that second source of income. However, it is also a dangerous place if the investor does not have the right understanding of the stocks that they are investing in. I learnt my lesson in 2007 when I followed in stock investment blindly. Till now, I'm still stuck with the two stocks and they have devalued greatly that I have hardly any hope that I can recoup my losses.
Yet I am still tempted to this very day to try investing again. Where else am I able to grow my retirement nest? I wanted to earn a honest living by getting home based job online. The harsh reality is that most of them are scams that hoaxed my hard-earned money. These people are downright despicable. Thus with only myself to trust, I should get the proper education and knowledge of investment in stocks. Only then, with additional luck and hearsay, I hope I can get a decent second souce of income.

Singapore GE2011!!!

This year election has created a lot buzz. Mainly due to lots of oppositions contesting in more constituencies. Finally no more walkover for the constituency that I lived in. For so many years, the mighty Marine Parade GRC has taken care of the estate that I lived in. This year, it is craved out to form a Mountbatten constituency. Finally, I get to vote! And I will consider seriously who to vote for.
PAP, represented by Mr Lim Biow Chuan, has not visited my household. He has not made any speech in the rallies so far. In contrast, Ms Jeannette Chong, representing NSP, has visited my household and made numerous speechs. I agree PAP is a strong backing for Mr Lim. But if I do not see any effort from him, he can hardly earn my vote.

Parenting support

In this fast paced society, having a dependent is not easy. How to raise a kid? I wonder.
Looking at other kids, I always thought to myself that they could be disciplined more, they should be given more attention by their parents. Yet, these are easier said than done.
In the past, parents have kids and try to provide as much as they could. The best thing that one parents can provide is to give the kid a tertiary education. Education is seemed as the key to success. But nowadays with the fine-tuned education system to produce more elites, it has create high level of competition among kids. Parents also have their share of stress. Some resort to giving the kids a lot of tuition and supplementary classes. Drawing, dancing, music, swimming... etc. You name, they have it. All these need a lot of financing and parents need to shower with attention too to ensure kids are coping well. But with the increasing living standard, both parents usually need to work to sustain such a lifestyle. Thus government need to come in to provide some financial support. Yes, Singapore has baby bonus and mothers do enjoy 4 months of maternity leaves to care for the new born. But are these enough?
If we look at country like Germany or even Austria, I would say no.
Parenting in Germany: An Introduction 
This article shows us the extent of government support given to ensure the well-being of kids. I wish one day Singapore will advance to this level of support.