The Exodus

It's been almost 2 weeks I've pinned on this new badge on my new hat - a home-stay mom. Hence this online babble space.

It never crossed my mind, and I thought not in a million years that I'd quit my day job to permanently submit to the around-the clock of motherly duties and the kids' demands, the forever-piling up laundry, cook a limited palette of dishes for the husband, and run all other household errands; at 30!

11 months ago I was stoked with a handsome offer of a managerial positon in some locally-owned oil drilling technology company, to do IT, implementing the SAP software as one of the company's 'realizing potential' and 'business transformation' goal of being recognized globally. Bye bye lame job, hello excitement (plus super-tight deadlines and the husband's silent treatment if I came home from work slighty off the time limit allowed). This was the opportunity to acquire more knowledge, to be at my best and make my existence in the SAP world much more significant. At this time I had already foreseen myself some time in my 40's, still behind a business laptop, probably by that time, with a secured and more fulfilling position, saddled with a few years of SAP implementation/enhancement project experience; or in a worst case, be a 5-figure salaried walking-dead boss turning up at work barely on time and leave the minute the punch-card clock sings its 'go home' ringtone. If lucky, I could even be working from home.

But no. After all that corporate climbing, I plunge myself all the way down - at 30, I'm a housewife. I have to turn up to wok, instead.

Now I sit on the same boat as those 20, 30 year-old domestic gender, whom I used to speculate that they devote themselves to household affairs due to society influences and little enthusiasm to empower themselves with knowledge and tougher responsibilities in the worlds outside their own orbits. Another is that they're married to wealthy or more-than-sufficiently-funded men who can afford their wives to be on the shelves after their marriage vows take place, then produce a few heirs. Now that's a remarkably big catch you've got there, woman. Or not.

Sceptical me.

May be I'm not doing justice to this demographic group of people. May be it's because I've not seen my own mother hatting kitchen duties full time, at least until she opted for an early retirement at 52, due a small finger accident that that took a year to recover (she has osteoarthritis). Soon after, she earnestly deepened her passion for baking and is now selling cakes from home, apart from marketing health supplements and skin care products (still awfully young-looking despite twenty-over years of staff nursing shift job). Not that my father couldn't afford governing the household expenses with his own income, sometimes every woman should not just completely submerge herself in the household title, but to do what her heart desires, or at some achievement point, buy her own diamons with her own earned dough. My mother did.

But then again, we all have our choices to make. Career woman, or home-stay mom. It's been mutually decided between the husband and me that I join the latter group - neither because I'm lazy nor my husband's a rich guy; but my exodus is based on a justifiable reason. With that, I'm now honing my handcraft skills at designing wedding gifts and making my own small pocket change; or help my mother sell her cakes. Not to blow my own horn here, but at least while I'm without a steady income, I've still got a few orders to deliver in time before the husband says "let's seal our last box, honey. We're moving to the Netherlands now" and after which, I'll probably have completely nothing to do but spend the euro in his wallet.

Until my move, getting married anyone? This home-stay mom's shop (http://beadsnribbons.fotopages.com/) is officially open for business.














4 comments:

rina, lek ah... it sure is dreadful to be stucked in da office making myself redundant k. i wish i could be just like u. then again, that'll be da day. but fear not, one fine day, it'll be my turn.. mine... muahahhaha... mine (gelak mak jin ok?).

September 12, 2008 at 2:14 AM  

Rina...ahh..u got a nice new bloggie! well, well...i loved your entry! well said i must say. i feeeeel you girl! it looks like we're on the same boat. im still adjusting though, my parents are leaving in 2 days and after that arghhh, i'll be dead!! im a serious non-domestic housewife what-so-ever. but at least u'll be in better environment in NL cos ppl speaks english and there are tonnes of malaysian/asian. me?? i'm still wondering if i can survive here in tokyo :(

September 13, 2008 at 8:38 PM  

Hi Rina, Got your blog add from kak dora's blog... Wa, u'll be moving to NL.. That's good.... Bile la aku nk jd full time housewife ni... :)

September 18, 2008 at 11:04 PM  

I really want to be fulltime husband..can?I can do the laundry..play game, or PSP...

Blog, surfing net and take pictures while my rich wife works..ahahaha..nice blog mummy

September 26, 2008 at 10:51 PM  

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