5 Benefits of Housekeeping without a Maid

It is reported in the news that maids from Indonesia will carry out four main household tasks at a minimum salary of RM700 per month in Malaysia. The daily tasks are cooking, housekeeping, washing clothes and ironing. Why not take the opportunity and leave your comfort zone and do some changes at the home front? There are 5 benefits   to carry out the household chores without engaging a maid:

1.       Savings: The monthly amount of RM700/= can be set aside as an emergency fund to meet unexpected expenses.  It is also an effective way to halt the outflow of a fund and save on foreign exchange.

2.       Sharing: Sharing is caring. Mother can do the cooking, the father can do the dishwashing, and children can do the laundry and ironing.  Everyone in the house can take a turn to keep the house spick and span.

3.       Self-reliant: It is a great way to survive and learn to be independent. When it is a habit, doing all the tasks will come naturally.

4.       Self-fulfillment: It is an effective way to manage your home and be productive while having to work and earn a living. You get personal satisfaction and happiness in managing time and tasks efficiently and effectively.

5.       Sedentary lifestyle: idling is not a good way of life. Human beings are meant to be active. Doing things at home will keep boredom and anxiety away from your mind. When things are done, you will enjoy more when you take a deserving break.   

A maid is another human being. She is far away from home and she needs support emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Will you be treating her in a dignified way? A maid may be a solution to your household problems. If you do not handle the situation with care, she could also be a source of your family problems in many ways. 

6 Warning Signs that Your House is Not Suitable to Live

You are getting nowhere in life, your health is deteriorating and you are living without peace of mind. Most likely you are affected by the house where you live:

1.       Electromagnetic radiation: Is your house situated next to power lines? According to Mercola.com, an enormous amount of electricity is created at power generating stations and sent across the country through wires that carry high voltages. All power lines radiate electromagnetic fields. There is a danger that living near power lines increases cancer risk, says thedailygreen.

2       Industrial activities: Is your house near an industrial site such as a quarry. Air and noise pollution will affect your health adversely in the long run. You also have to watch out for flying stones during the blasting of rocks.

3.       Places of worship: Is there a place of worship near your home? According to Albert Low, a Feng Shui expert, most religious places exert a unique spiritual influence and they are normally guarded by some special shield against hostile influences. This shield that protects the temple may have an adverse effect on houses nearby. Besides that, a temple also absorbs all positive energy from its surroundings and houses nearby would eventually lose their vitality and good Feng Shui.

4.       Low-lying area: Are you living on the low ground? Your house will be the first one to get affected in case of a flood. It is even worse when there is a road running parallel to your house on higher ground. You will be affected by the dust generated by ongoing traffic. It is even more dangerous than a car may slam into your home when it goes out of control.

5.       T-junction: Can you sleep in peace when your house is facing a T-junction? Oncoming cars with high beams frequently throw light at your house at night. Worse still, a drunk driver or a car with a malfunctioning brake may hit your house directly.

6.       Facing a hill: How do you feel, every time when you go out of your house, you face a hill in front of you? You are literally hitting the wall and making no progress in life. A hill blocks positive energy from going into your house. You are negatively affected every time you look at the hill because you cannot look far away. There is also a danger of landslides because of soil erosion.

In such situations, the best thing you can do is to relocate your home.

9 Feng Shui Rules You Should Follow

This is a guest post by Michael Schnippering 

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of promoting good chi energy in a location such as your home. It also focuses on utilizing tools to remove any harmful or negative energies.

Though the practice is ancient, its popularity has spread throughout the entire world, and more and more people are discovering that there is indeed a link between the health of a home and a person’s own physical, mental, and emotional health.

The science and art of Feng Shui can get very complex, but even the new practitioner can take steps to implement Feng Shui principles with great success. Here are 9 Feng Shui rules that are very important to follow:

1.      Clear Clutter: This is mandatory – any extra junk or clutter in your home needs to be removed. You cannot have good energy in your home if it is filled to the rafters with stuff. You should do this before you do anything else, as it will likely have the biggest impact in a positive way.

2.      Correct Furniture Placement: There are two things to keep in mind. First, arrange furniture so that it does not block energy from flowing through the house. Secondly, wherever possible, place your furniture such that when people sit in it, their backs have a wall behind them.

3.      Separate Work and Sleep Locations: You do not want to combine the different energies of sleep and work, for that can be harmful. Keep them separated for better energy usage. If you bring work to bed you will have trouble sleeping.

4.      Quick Fixes: If anything breaks or needs repair, do not put this off – do it as expeditiously as possible. Broken items will cause breakdowns in your relationships.

5.      Feature Living Things: throughout your home, place living items such as plants, bowls of fruit, or fresh flowers. These all have chi, or life force, and will help boost your own chi.

6.      Use Water: If you put some sort of representation of water in your home, this is very good. You can put it in a small waterfall, for example. Just make sure that you avoid areas where water should not be.

7.      Color Your World: So much of successful Feng Shui means using the right colors. Colors are very powerful. Get rid of plain white walls and put some paint up. Just use the right colors.

8.      Stay Away from Lines and Sharp Corners: Soft, round shapes promote good energy but harsh lines send out bad chi energy. Try to minimize this and especially keep beds and sofas and chairs away from any line that points to them because it is sending bad energy straight to the location.

9.  Door to Door:  Do not have your front door straight in line to your back door – all the luck will head straight out of your house as soon as it enters.

If you follow these guidelines, you will have successfully implemented Feng Shui principles in your home. You will notice right away that the positive energy is flowing better and harmful energy is minimized.

BIO: Michael Schnippering is the founder of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia, and Argentina.

9 Productive Ways to Enjoy Sunday

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.  ~Joseph Addison

On a Sunday you do things which you do not normally do on weekdays. This is the time to unwind, relax, take it easy and be as free as possible to spend time together with family members joyfully. Here are the things you can do productively on a bright Sunday:

  

 Morning

1.       Wake up early as usual: Don’t wake up at high noon and waste precious time. There are many ways to spend the morning meaningfully. When you wake up, the best thing you can do is to move your body. Be fit, be healthy and be alive.

2.       Have breakfast together at a hawker centre: How often do you have breakfast together? Do it on a Sunday at an eatery and enjoy a leisurely meal amidst lively conversation and laughter.  

3.       Go to church or the mall and shop leisurely: Sunday morning is also the time for Christians to go to church. For others, it is a good time to visit the mall, do some shopping, and browse the books at a book store.   

Afternoon

4.       On the beach: The best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon is to be on the beach to enjoy the fresh air, the sun, the blue sky,  the sea, and the sand. 

5.       A short nap: A nap in the afternoon is another marvelous way to renew your energy and get back your balance in life. 

6.       Visiting friends and relatives: It is also the best time of the day to contact those people you care in your life to find out how they are getting on.

Evening

7.       Read with children:  Avoid watching TV to dull your mind and zap your energy in the evening. Instead, do reading together with your children quietly. Be enlightened by the new knowledge you have gained.

8.       Reflect and plan ahead for the following week: In the evening refresh your memory and find out what you have achieved and the challenges you have encountered for the week.  At the same time plan ahead for the following week especially getting organized for Monday.  

9.       Appreciation: Before you knock off for the day, think and be thankful for all the good things you have enjoyed in life. Feel good about your life and go to bed with contentment and peace of mind.

How do you spend your Sunday? Is your Sunday productive?

13 Tips to Bring Up a Happy Child

One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.
Maria Montessori

As parents, you can do a lot to bring up a happy child:

1.      Be active outdoor:  There are many advantages to spend time outdoors with your child.  Apart from fresh air and sunshine, your child gets to build up his or her body and reduces stress and negative emotions. It is also a chance for them to have fun and find satisfaction in what they do physically.

2.      Hug often:  To hug is to show affection and it is an effective way to convey your love for your child. For the baby, your tender touch will be able to promote health and alertness.  For the parents, hugging can reduce stress and calm your mind.

3.      A lot of free time: Avoid filling the time of your child with a lot of activities and classes. Let the child have more free time to do what he or she likes and stimulate their imagination. Allow your child to do less and encourage relaxation that leads to creativity.

Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.
Maria Montessori

4.      Eat healthily: The key to good health is to eat fresh food, consume less fat and sugar and follow a balanced diet. Drink plenty of water and not sugary drinks every day. A healthy body is essential for the healthy and happy growth of your child.

5.      Listen to your child: When your child is talking to you, put down whatever that you are doing and listen to him or her attentively. Be patient and don’t interrupt. It is the way to show your concern for your child. In this way, you encourage your child to communicate with you freely and willingly. Your child just needs to talk to someone.

6.      Teach your child to care for others: Encourage him or her to help others by taking part in community services. This is an effective way to show your child that giving is a wonderful way to be happy too. 

7.      Discourage perfection: You can encourage your child to do his or her best but do not measure their performance according to your standards or expectations. It is applying stress and pressure on your child. Allow your child to learn and grow happily. 

8.      Stimulate the artistic talents in your child: Introduce music, art, dance, and other artistic activities to unearth the inner world of your child. To dance, draw or play music is a way to express his or her emotions and feel satisfied.

9.      Teach your child to solve problems: Help your child to identify a problem and ask how he or she is going to solve it.  Guide your child to take the correct steps to solve a problem. Assist your child to come up with a solution to a problem.  

Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. ~Roger Lewin

10.  Compliment your child constructively: Spot what he or she has done right and compliment accordingly. This is the best way to inspire and motivate your child. He or she will be very happy and excited to do more and better.

11.  Read stories to your child: It is the best way to cultivate a reading habit in your child and to provoke his or her imagination.

12.  Teach your child about a positive mental attitude: Promote confidence in your child. Let your child know that whatever happens to him or her is not important, the most important thing is to react to things positively. This is to encourage optimism, hope, and positive expectations in the mind of your child.

13.  Be happy yourself: Your child follows what you do and not what you say. Be cheerful, upbeat, and smile often. Spread happiness around the house and influence your child to live with joy and happiness.

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. ~James Baldwin

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. ~Theodore Hesburgh

Organize Your House for Better Feng Shui – 7 Top Tips

Feng Shui masters believe that when your home is free of clutter it is able to attract positive energy into your living space. Let us find out how you can keep your home neat and tidy:

1. De-junk: Throw away all those items which are used, broken, and beyond repair.

2. Newspapers and magazines: Keep the cuttings for your future reference and recycle the rest on a regular basis

3. Clothing and shoes: Send those clothing and shoes that have outgrown you to charity or sell to second-hand goods outlets

4. Use your free time: Whenever you are at home and you have nothing else to do that is the time you can use profitably to organize your house.

5. Do one room or one section at a time: Concentrate on one area at a time so that you are not under pressure to clear up the whole mess. When you look at the room you have just tidied up it gives you a sense of relief and you know it is the neatness and tidiness that are pleasing to the eyes.

6. Good Habit: Cultivate the good habit of putting back an item that you have used to its original storage place so that you will not start another pile again.

7. 5 actions you can take: Remember you can choose one of the following actions when you want to decide on an item. You can:

• Keep it at the proper place for easy retrieval
• Throw it away after using it
• Recycle it when you have done with it
• Donate it when it is still usable but it is no longer useful to you
• Sell it if an item is in demand when you don’t use it anymore

When you have cleared the whole house you will be very pleased to be at home and a sense of calmness and peacefulness will fill your mind.

Start organizing your house this weekend for better Feng Shui at home.

6 Virtues to Teach Our Children

There are six virtues to instill in our children so that they will grow up to be wholesome people.

1. Respect:

· Treat others the way you want to be treated.

· Be respectful to others.

· When someone is talking to you , you must listen carefully

· Do not bully or cause troubles to others.

· Do not bad-mouth or scold others

· Understand the person before you pass judgment on him

2. Trustworthiness:

· Be honest, do not tell lies.

· Be reliable, deliver what you have promised.

· Be courageous to carry out the task, though it is difficult

· Do not betray the trust of your friends in you

3. Caring:

· Treat other kindly and generously

· Help the needy.

· Sensitive to the needs of others

· Do not harm or treat others shoddily

· Think of what you do will affect others

4. Responsibilities:

· Do it when you have agreed to do so.

· Do what is expected of you and don’t expect others to do it for you.

· Think carefully before you do it. Think of the consequences.

5. Fairness:

· Allow others to have their opportunities.

· Treat others like you treat yourself

· Tell the truth.

· Follow the rules.

· Listen to others with an open mind.

· Don’t blame others for your own mistakes.

· Don’t take advantage of others.

· Do not form cliques.

· Think of what you do will affect others.

6. Citizenship:

· Do your part for the school, community so that it is a better place to live

· Play your part for the things that are happening around you.

· Look after the environment.

· Respect others.

· Be a good neighbor.

· Abide the rules of family, school and the society.

These virtues highlight the importance of character building of our children so that they can become model citizens in future.

The 7 Vital Ingredients of Successful Parenting

To bring up smart and obedient children you need the following 7 vital ingredients:

1. Love: Love means being in the presence of your children. On a daily basis spend some quality time talking to your children, share jokes and stories with them. Allow free flow of conversation between parents and children. Pay close attention to questions and feelings. When you give your children abundant love you give them a sense of security, belonging, and support.

2. Patient: Give your children more time to learn when you help them with their homework. As parents, you are full of experience and knowledge and so you are able to do things faster. You have to give them allowance to learn at their own pace. Do not scold them when they are not progressing as expected.

3. Confidence: Believe in your children and help them to develop their self-esteem. Show pride in your children's academic growth and accomplishments. Help your children to perceive themselves as capable problem solvers. Avoid verbal criticism and praise them when you catch them doing something right.

4. Be open-minded and a good listener: Try to understand your children’s point of view. Put aside your feelings and beliefs and give your full attention to them.

5. Humanity: Adopt a learning attitude. As parents, you should embrace the concept of lifelong learning. Get to know the new concepts of child-rearing.

6. Moral Values: Teach your children right from wrong. Teach them about basic values and manners so that they can get along well with others. Set personal example about honesty and kindness.

7. Treat your children with respect: Say “please’ and “thank you” to your children. When you treat your children with respect they will, in turn, treat you and others respectfully.

Successfully parenting means helping your children to grow up with high self-esteem.

Help Your Children to Succeed at School -10 Top Tips

How do you help your child to excel at school? You don't have to be a teacher or highly educated. Here are the 10 top tips:


1. A loving home environment: Make your home environment conducive for your child to study. Shower your child with love and show your concern for your child’s schoolwork, Set a regular time table at home for him to do his homework. Monitor his progress in all subjects.

2. Reading habit: Set a good example for your child by reading books yourself.
Supply him with adequate reading materials and he will follow your reading habit.

3. A suitable place to study: Provide him with a study corner so that he can do his homework and reading. Make sure that the place is well ventilated. The other point to note is that the table should not be facing a window. It is to avoid distractions from outside.

4. Set realistic goals for your child: Depending on your child's capability, you set attainable but challenging goals for your child.

5. Examination time: Help your child to organize and prepare for the examination. You must know his examination timetable.

6. TV and Internet: Place a limit for him to watch TV. Actually, TV is a time-waster. Do not let the TV take over your place to look after your child. Be vigilant when your child is surfing the net.

7. Motivate and reprimand your child: Show your appreciation and reward him for his good behavior and good performance at school and reprimand his misconduct accordingly.

8. Health: Robust health and fitness will ensure that your child can concentrate on his study. Encourage him to be physically active like going jogging with you on a regular basis.

9. Be active in school: Get to know the school better by participating in PTA meetings and joining events organized by the school.

10. Meet your child’s teachers: It is an excellent way to find out your child’s progress in school by talking to his teachers.

Malaysian Children - Their Education, Health, Safety and Stress

Children

According to a local newspaper, it is reported that whether we have our priorities right. Children are paying too much attention to excel in their education at the expense of their health and safety. It’s quite normal nowadays that parents wish to enroll their children in the best primary school in town and hope that they can have a head start in their education. But now you even have to book in advance a place with your tutor for your tuition for next year. Seeking educational excellence is going to the extreme. 

 On the other hand, the health of children in Malaysia is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Children as young as 7 are developing Type 2 diabetes.11 percent of Peninsular Malaysia children between 6 and 12 were overweight and 6 percent were obese (2000UKM study). This has to do with their eating habit and couch-potato lifestyle. Parents are giving in to their children and pampering them by allowing them to frequent fast food outlets. The unhealthy eating habit contributes to the growing trend of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol level. 

 In addition, the safety of children is at stake. 8,000 children were missing in the last 5 years and three out of four missing children are girls, four of 10 children go missing after running away with peers or lovers. More than500 children were reported missing between January and May this year.

 In the meanwhile, Malaysian children are under tremendous stress. They have to do well academically and they have less time to spend outdoor to develop a healthy lifestyle. On top of that their safety is vulnerable. No wonder 130,000 children suffer from mental illnesses and 53 children under 11 and 1837 above 12 attempted suicides in 2000. One reason is that both the parents are working and they have no time for their children. They have not only neglected their children but their lives are equally stressful. 

Just spend some quality time on a regular basis with your children and it will make a world of difference.

Image source:https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/children-mean-raise

Five Gifts For Your Children

When your children obtained excellent results in their exams you will buy them gifts to reward and motivate them. When they are admitted to the university you will rejoice and celebrate the occasion. What are the best gifts you can give to your children when they are young? The following five gifts are the best gifts that parents can give to their children and you can't buy them with money.

The first gift: A discipline and a healthy lifestyle - Develop in them a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time. Get them involved in doing the household chores. Cultivate a good eating habit of avoiding junk food. Develop a daily routine to do study and take up physical activities.

The second gift: Develop a reading habit among the children. Start by reading bed time stories to them. Set a good example at home by reading books instead of watching TV. Books are sources of knowledge information. Develop in them a quest for knowledge. This is the foundation of a good habit in lifelong learning,

The third gift: The ability to build relationships - encourage your children to participate in extra curriculum activities in school and take part in other youth groups. It is a way to develop their healthy relationships with others. They will learn to give and accept instructions in different situations. This will help them to get along with others well.

The fourth gift: The loves of nature - Nowadays children spend a great deal of time indoor to study and when they are free they are glue to the monitor and spend very little time outdoor. Parents should take them outdoor to explore nature, to stimulate their curiosity about nature. In a way it is to develop in them a healthy body by being a part of nature.

The fifth gift: The love of the parents – Your care and concern will nurture your children a healthy growth physically and mentally. They will in return treat others with a caring attitude.

All the gifts will go a long way for the children When they are big enough to venture into the world by themselves they will be more successful to live independently, to live with others and to appreciate nature more – the only place we have in this world.

The Joy of List Making

List Making

Every evening I have my to-do list ready for the following day.

I find list making useful:

1. If it is listed, it is remembered.
2. It helps to plan my day well and use time productively.
3. I can go through the day according to the list with little stress.
4. It gives me the satisfaction of crossing out accomplished items.
5. It helps me to do the most important and urgent things before anything else.
6. I sleep peacefully knowing that I have already sorted out those things I must do the following day.

A list is a useful tool. Here are some guides to follow:

1. Work according to priorities: Start with the urgent and important things.
2. List small things with the big ones: The small things are easy to take care of and you will be happy to know when they are done.
3. Keep the list with you: I keep the office list on the table and the personal list in my shirt pocket so that they are a constant reminder. Otherwise, the impact of making lists is lost.
4. Add additional items as you go through the day: Perhaps it is something that you can do today or something you can do for the following day.
5. Make a manageable list: Don’t let a long list puts you off.

Image source:https://thirdside.co/types-of-lists/

Sha Qi (煞气）– The 9 Evil Forces of Feng Shui to Avoid

Sha Qi  known as reverse bow/ sickle (反弓煞/ 鐮刀煞

Feng shui (风水) means the wind and the water. It has to do with the environment where you live. You will be impacted favorably or unfavorably by the surrounding. Sha Qi means the presence of killing forces. Look at the following evil forces which should be avoided at all costs: 

 1. The evil forces of the dragon: From your window or your door your can see broken mountains, quarrying activities, rock; sand, and broken tiles everywhere. These will drain your wealth. 

 2. The evil forces of suppression: Your house is surrounded by buildings, flyovers, and there are big billboards on top of the building. Your luck will be sluggish and you will find it difficult to break through the situation. 

 3. The evil forces of glaring light: From the window or your door, strong light reflected directly into your house causing stress and slow down your reactions.

 4. The evil force of sickle: The shape of the road or the flyover is like a sickle that cuts into your house. It means bleeding, disputes, and a drain of wealth. 

 5. The evil forces of the white tiger: There is a building under construction or is being demolished on your right side. You will be subject to illnesses, bodily injuries, and loss of wealth.

 6. The evil forces of the staircase: The staircase leads right up to your doorstep. It means sickness and failure. 

 7. The evil forces of noise: The noise created, such as a building under construction, will make you ill at ease and succumb to illnesses. 

 8. The evil forces of odour: The air is stagnant or you can smell the foul air coming from the rubbish dump. You will be weak and do not feel well.

 9. The evil forces of the flying dagger: From your door or the window you are directly facing the sharp roof or the sharp corner of another building. You will face illnesses, injuries, and loss of wealth.

Image source:https://fengshuiindahouse.com/exterior-sha-qi-singapore-part-2/