Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sir, u Pinis I clean....
Today was one of those days which I wished I had a maid. On other days, the reason why I wished I had a maid, was due to the nature of my job. At least I can understand their behaviour and psyche and hence come up with better marketing ideas. But today is purely for personal reasons... I decided to pack my room so that it won't be a last minute job when I shift.. god.. It's amazing what a person can hoard in her room after.. wat? 16 yrs??? Didn't help that I have been skiving during all those Chinese New Year spring cleaning.. "it's ok, just sweep it under the carpet" mentality... well, it's coming to haunt me know.. damn
But on second thought, I don't think I can be comfortable with a maid around. I find it very intrusive. Umm... nothing personal to those people who have maids, but I just find it weird having someone else cleaning up my own mess. No doubt, they can be a great help and care taker to the young and old. But growing up without a maid, it has made me a very independent person. Maybe a little too independent! Ha ha.. something which i think my parents regret now. Dad's probably thinking whether he should enforce a curfew on me again and mum's always complaining (direct translation from Mandarin): Wings grow hardened already, now can fly ah! Ha ha ha! :)
Even when I have my own home and kids, I probably won't have a maid. I have heard a lot of horror stories about maids.. Maids abusing children. Children becoming lazy. Children becoming too attached to the maid. Maid killing madam. Husbands having affair with maid. There was one which involved a little boy with a penchant for jam; a horny maid; jars and jars of jam and loads of licking. Use your creativity. I shall leave it to your very ADULT imagination.
Well, maids are in the news again. This time because of the murder of a maid by another maid. Newspapers reports say that the murder was a result of a love triangle gone horribly wrong. Reporters have gone down to the 2 home towns of the suspect and the deceased to interview their families as well as showcase both maids' background. For the article on the deceased, they report that the husband had an affair when she was in SG. Now, he and his mother-in-law are disputing on where the wake should be held (where she was born or where she was currently living before coming to SG). For the article on the suspect, they depicted her life one in poverty. Her husband is in SG for the trial. Her family is praying for her back home and her two boys are pining for her. Other articles in conjunction with the murder include whether maids should have off days at all and also Singaporean and foreign men who are target maids for sex.
Here's my take on the issues:
1) Maids should/should not have off day.
Some of the employers say that maids should not have off days because during these off days they meet their boyfriends, go wild etc. I'm all for maids having an off day/s. How would you like it if your boss told u that you have to work everyday from 6.30am - 10.30pm with no rest? Maids, like us, are human and need rest. The more you prevent them, the more they will rebel. It's a case of self fulfilling prophecy. And don't generalize, not all maids are sex crazed and horny.
2) Singaporean men and foreigners who target maids for sex
Kinda sad that these men have to do that. They are preying on the maids loneliness. On a given sunday, u see the same men walking around Lucky Plaza hoping they can score.. and there's always loads of activity going on in the stair wells.. I was joking with my manager that they should open a budget hotel in Orchard.. definitely make money. But yet, I don't blame these maids for indulging in such trysts. They are human and they are lonely. They crave the companionship. Imagine you are alone, in a foreign country. Even if you don't like it, you can't return. Your family back home is depending on you for survival. You can't quit. Hence, most maids make the best out of a bad situation I guess?
3) Deceased's husband has an affair when wife is in SG
Well, once again, I don't blame him. He is lonely. Doesn't help that his ego is bruised, in the sense that he cannot support the family and his wife has to go overseas to supplement the income. Worse, his wife earns more than him. I am not sure about the culture in Philippines (is it an accepted norm?), but I am pretty sure that the male ego is the same everywhere.
4) Story on the suspect
I'm not sure if the media is trying to give the suspect a more sympathetic angle? Well, all I can say is, if she really did murder the other Filipina, it is the greatest mistake she has made. In moment of passion, you have done something really reckless and irresponsible. Not only has she harmed her family, she has harmed another family as well. I wonder if she was blinded by the bright city lights of Singapore and forgot her responsibilities back home? What's going to happen to her children now? And more interestingly, why hasn't the man in question been found? No news about the central figure who may shed some light into the whole saga!
Yupz.. so there... my room is still in a mess and no maid to clean it up... hmm...
Fairy god mother.. where art thou?
I am tired and u r not around!
Pack my stuff in a jiffy
make everything clean and spiffy
so that moving my house
will be easy!
Yeah.. right...
But on second thought, I don't think I can be comfortable with a maid around. I find it very intrusive. Umm... nothing personal to those people who have maids, but I just find it weird having someone else cleaning up my own mess. No doubt, they can be a great help and care taker to the young and old. But growing up without a maid, it has made me a very independent person. Maybe a little too independent! Ha ha.. something which i think my parents regret now. Dad's probably thinking whether he should enforce a curfew on me again and mum's always complaining (direct translation from Mandarin): Wings grow hardened already, now can fly ah! Ha ha ha! :)
Even when I have my own home and kids, I probably won't have a maid. I have heard a lot of horror stories about maids.. Maids abusing children. Children becoming lazy. Children becoming too attached to the maid. Maid killing madam. Husbands having affair with maid. There was one which involved a little boy with a penchant for jam; a horny maid; jars and jars of jam and loads of licking. Use your creativity. I shall leave it to your very ADULT imagination.
Well, maids are in the news again. This time because of the murder of a maid by another maid. Newspapers reports say that the murder was a result of a love triangle gone horribly wrong. Reporters have gone down to the 2 home towns of the suspect and the deceased to interview their families as well as showcase both maids' background. For the article on the deceased, they report that the husband had an affair when she was in SG. Now, he and his mother-in-law are disputing on where the wake should be held (where she was born or where she was currently living before coming to SG). For the article on the suspect, they depicted her life one in poverty. Her husband is in SG for the trial. Her family is praying for her back home and her two boys are pining for her. Other articles in conjunction with the murder include whether maids should have off days at all and also Singaporean and foreign men who are target maids for sex.
Here's my take on the issues:
1) Maids should/should not have off day.
Some of the employers say that maids should not have off days because during these off days they meet their boyfriends, go wild etc. I'm all for maids having an off day/s. How would you like it if your boss told u that you have to work everyday from 6.30am - 10.30pm with no rest? Maids, like us, are human and need rest. The more you prevent them, the more they will rebel. It's a case of self fulfilling prophecy. And don't generalize, not all maids are sex crazed and horny.
2) Singaporean men and foreigners who target maids for sex
Kinda sad that these men have to do that. They are preying on the maids loneliness. On a given sunday, u see the same men walking around Lucky Plaza hoping they can score.. and there's always loads of activity going on in the stair wells.. I was joking with my manager that they should open a budget hotel in Orchard.. definitely make money. But yet, I don't blame these maids for indulging in such trysts. They are human and they are lonely. They crave the companionship. Imagine you are alone, in a foreign country. Even if you don't like it, you can't return. Your family back home is depending on you for survival. You can't quit. Hence, most maids make the best out of a bad situation I guess?
3) Deceased's husband has an affair when wife is in SG
Well, once again, I don't blame him. He is lonely. Doesn't help that his ego is bruised, in the sense that he cannot support the family and his wife has to go overseas to supplement the income. Worse, his wife earns more than him. I am not sure about the culture in Philippines (is it an accepted norm?), but I am pretty sure that the male ego is the same everywhere.
4) Story on the suspect
I'm not sure if the media is trying to give the suspect a more sympathetic angle? Well, all I can say is, if she really did murder the other Filipina, it is the greatest mistake she has made. In moment of passion, you have done something really reckless and irresponsible. Not only has she harmed her family, she has harmed another family as well. I wonder if she was blinded by the bright city lights of Singapore and forgot her responsibilities back home? What's going to happen to her children now? And more interestingly, why hasn't the man in question been found? No news about the central figure who may shed some light into the whole saga!
Yupz.. so there... my room is still in a mess and no maid to clean it up... hmm...
Fairy god mother.. where art thou?
I am tired and u r not around!
Pack my stuff in a jiffy
make everything clean and spiffy
so that moving my house
will be easy!
Yeah.. right...
# posted by Xallista @ 12:58 AM 
