I grew up in a pretty big family as well, there are 5 of us, and my family was living at bare minimum too. I got along well with my siblings, there was lots of laughter and funny moments. But we couldn’t afford some of the opportunities that we wanted. I rmb the insensible primary sch me asking my parents to let me go for piano or ballet lessons after seeing my friends performing, but was told that we cannot afford. Even for my sports CCA, I had to pull out cos of the fees incurred, and switched to a club that won’t incur fees.

Moving to sec school, I couldn’t join my friends to eat outside school cos fast food was considered expensive. My friends would go for occasional movie trips, but I did not join any cos it was expensive, plus as the eldest, I have to go home to take care of my younger siblings. I had difficulty integrating into my circle of friends since I can’t hang out.

I started doing part-time after JC and all the way through uni, in order to fund my own expenses in school. I was asked to forgo a major of my choice and opt for a more lucrative one as I am expected to help out with family finances when I start working.  In order to juggle work and studies, I couldn’t actively participate in CCAs. While others form friendships and networks in uni, I was pretty much isolated.

Having started work for a couple of years, my savings have been limited since I took over the allowance and expenses for my youngest sibling in poly, plus some other bills. My boyfriend and I has been dragging our BTO plans in order for me to build my savings.

I love my family and I know my parents tried their best to care of us. I feel very very bad for thinking this way, but I always thought about the missed opportunities and social life due to financial constraints. While I grew up with useful house-chores and babysitting skills, I would hope to have picked up some other skills ie sports, music during my childhood. I mean, who will want to spend their childhood doing chores and babysitting.

I’ll probably get bashed for this. People would say I should be contented and there are people out there who are worse off. Yes definitely, I don’t deny. I’m not saying that the children in the report will feel the same way as me; they might grow up feeling that their childhood was perfect for them. But I feel that there should be a balance between wanting alot of children for a merrier family vs being able to afford a childhood that your children want. After all, childhood is very short-lived and we won’t get to live through it again.

Just a rant.

I’m less attracted to my gf because of cosmetic procedures

My girlfriend works around a lot of people who get cosmetic stuff done, and lately she’s been getting more and more procedures done and it’s slowly making me feel less physically attracted to her.

I feel really bad about it tbh because she’s just trying to do what makes her happy, but I am not a big fan of those kinds of things at all.

I’ve never tried to stop her or shame her because at the end of the day, it’s her body and her life. But I’ve noticed I am becoming increasingly less attracted to her physical appearance the more stuff she gets done.

She used to just change her hair colors and lengths frequently, which I always liked because I think being so versatile with your hair is cool.

She started getting brow work done, and then she started getting those big fluffy eyelash extensions. More recently, she’s gotten lip fillers and Botox to make her lips big, and it’s a huge turn off for me.

I haven’t said anything negative to her and I’m trying to be supportive but I’ll be completely honest I think it looks ridiculous and i hate how her lips feel when she kisses me.

They feel lumpy, swollen and like I’m kissing someone completely different and it’s weird.

Like I said, I feel like a complete jerk for finding her less attractive when she’s just trying to feel better about herself and such, but I’m really not into it and find it pretty off-putting.

Not to mention, we’re tight on money and she’s blowing them off on stuff she doesn’t even need in the first place.

It was a sunny day in Singapore when I first walked into the office of “Ah Beng” Interior Design. The company had been recommended to me by a friend who had recently renovated her HDB flat. She had praised their innovative designs and reasonable prices. Little did I know, this would turn into a nightmare that would leave me feeling cheated and helpless.

I had saved up for years to renovate my HDB flat. I had dreams of a modern kitchen, a cozy living room, and a tranquil bedroom. “Ah Beng” Interior Design promised to turn these dreams into reality. I was impressed by their portfolio and their seemingly professional approach. I decided to entrust them with my hard-earned money, hoping for a home that I could be proud of.

I paid a hefty deposit, as is customary in such renovation projects. The company assured me that work would begin in a few weeks. However, weeks turned into months, and there was no sign of any work being done. My calls and emails to the company went unanswered. I visited their office multiple times, only to find it locked. It was then that I realized something was terribly wrong.

I was not alone. Several other customers had also paid deposits to “Ah Beng” Interior Design and were left in a similar predicament. We were all victims of a renovation scam. The company had collected our deposits and disappeared without a trace. We were left with empty homes and lighter wallets.

The incident left me feeling betrayed and angry. I had trusted “Ah Beng” Interior Design with my home and my money. In return, they had vanished, leaving me with a half-renovated home and a hole in my pocket. I felt helpless, not knowing where to turn or what to do next.

I decided to take the matter to the authorities. Along with other victims, I filed a police report. We also approached the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) for help. While the authorities were supportive, they informed us that such cases are challenging to resolve. The perpetrators often cover their tracks well, making it difficult to locate them.

This experience has been a harsh lesson for me. I have learned the importance of doing thorough research before engaging any company for renovation works. It is crucial to check their credentials, track record, and reviews from past customers. It is also advisable to pay the deposit in stages, rather than in a lump sum.

Despite the ordeal, I remain hopeful. I believe that the authorities will do their best to bring the culprits to justice. I also hope that my story serves as a warning to others. Let my experience be a reminder to be vigilant and cautious when dealing with interior design companies.

In the meantime, my dream home remains just that – a dream. But I am determined not to let this setback deter me. I will save up again, do my research, and hopefully, find a trustworthy interior design company that can turn my dream into reality. After all, every cloud has a silver lining. This incident, while unfortunate, has made me wiser and more cautious. And for that, I am grateful.

Back when I was around 8 or 9 I had gotten curious about a lot of things, with reproduction being one of them. However, me being a child and not knowing much about search history, and the fact we only had one big family computer, I didn’t know how to properly act on this curiosity.

One sunny day my parents and sisters weren’t home and my brothers were asleep and I decided that this was the day.

I would see my first explicit image.

As I typed all kinds of synonyms into the search bar I quickly learned there was a filter on the results for children, but I also quickly learned to take the filter off, and I got to see a woman with her chest out. When I was done viewing them I quickly closed all tabs, played some Barbie dress up, and went on my way to my room.

Later that day I hear an argument in the living room. My mom is scolding my brothers. I was only able to make out that she was telling them “do not EVER do that on the computer” “what were you thinking??” “What if the girls(me and my sisters) saw??”. All the while my brothers were constantly denying it.

I quickly realised what was going on. I peeked my head inside the room and asked what was going on and my mom quickly told me “nothing”, and that I should just go to my room. This confirmed it even more. Knowing I had just dodged a bullet, I obliged.

My mom saw the search history and assumed my adult brothers were more likely to look up that kind of stuff than her angelic young daughters, and though I definitely agree that my brothers probably consumed that kind of media as well, I am pretty sure they were knowledgeable enough to actually delete their search history after.

I will never ask them if they suspected one of us, I will never know if they knew, but something in me knows they knew. I also know they would understand.

Do I feel bad they got scolded? Yes. Would 8 year old me do it again? Probably.

Anyways if you read this I’m sorry bros

I have a confession to make – my husband likes to dress like a woman and he’s asked our baby daughter to call him “Mama”.

I know it sounds strange, and I’m sure it’s something that a lot of people don’t understand. But I’m here to tell you that there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just a way for my husband to express himself, and it’s something that has been part of our relationship for a long time.

It all started when my husband, who I’ll call “John”, was a teenager. He was always interested in fashion and liked to play around with dressing up. He loved experimenting with different looks and styles, and he found that dressing as a woman made him feel more comfortable and confident.

When we first started dating, I was a bit taken aback by his interest in wearing women’s clothing. But I quickly realized that it was just a part of who he was, and that it was something that I had to accept if I wanted to be in a relationship with him.

Fast forward to today, and John still loves to dress as a woman. He’s a lot more confident now and is really comfortable with who he is. He loves to buy clothes from women’s stores, and he loves to wear makeup and jewelry.

The thing that I find most difficult to accept is that John has asked our daughter to call him “Mama”. I know it’s not something that a lot of people would agree with, but John is her father and he loves her very much. He’s even got her a “Mama” t-shirt and he reads her stories as “Mama”.

I’m sure that there are people out there who think that having our daughter call John “Mama” is wrong, and I understand why. But at the end of the day, it’s our family and we are the ones who have to make the decisions about what is best for us.

John isn’t trying to be disrespectful to anyone. He’s just trying to find a way to express himself and to be true to who he is. He’s also trying to show our daughter that it’s okay to express yourself in whatever way makes you feel comfortable.

I know that some people might not understand why my husband likes to dress as a woman, and why he’s asked our daughter to call him “Mama”. But at the end of the day, he’s just trying to be himself and to make our family happy. And that’s all that really matters.