Happy Women’s Day! In honour of this wonderful celebration of every female in the world, Nanz Inc launches our Superwoman series, starting with how to give yourself the best present ever: Space! Busy, busy, busy – that’s what the life of a modern Asian woman seems to be about. “Give me my space!” you feel like yelling out to the world as countless to-dos stream in, clamouring for your time. Here’s the news: it’s really up to you to create some room in your life to just Be. By: Melanie Lee Your to-do list is never-ending...

Is it possible to have your ice-cream and eat it? Wong Peck Lin says yes, and demonstrates just how. By Lianne Ong Wong Peck Lin spent the first years of her career as a lawyer, then as a management consultant. Now she has the best job of all, putting both skill sets to use in the homemade ice cream business that she and husband David own — Udders Ice-Cream . In addition, she works part-time for a non-profit organisation, putting her legal skills to use. She is also a mother of two children, Kai, 7, and Fern 2.5 years, as well as an avid soccer...

Are you having a Christmas meltdown, three days from Christmas Day? Gifts not bought, dinner not prepared for, forgot to send out the Christmas cards? So stressed you have nearly finished all the Christmas cookies you baked at the start of December? Relax — ’tis the season to be jolly! End-of-year festivities can often be overwhelming to both the mind and the body but you can choose to chill and really enjoy the celebrations. Here’s how. By: Sharlene Tan It’s the countdown to Christmas, and with it arrives the stresses of the season:...

Olivia Choong, 30 is the founder of Green Drinks Singapore, an organisation that holds monthly public meetings to get Singaporeans to discover and discuss sustainable ways of living. The freelance copywriter shares with Nanz Inc how every girl can work, dream and be green, every day. By: Melanie Lee You have probably uttered these words at some point in your life: “There must be something meaningful for me to do!” There is — but what it takes is for you to get off your butt and do it! Be inspired by Olivia Choong, who decided to walk the...

Getting pregnant can be a challenging process for some women.  Two Asian mothers share with Nanz Inc the hurdles they had to cross to have babies. At some point after love and marriage, many couples long for that baby in the baby carriage.  However, for women like Sarah, 30, and Cassandra, 31, this was a long-term personal struggle that they hope to share, so that women in similar circumstances would be comforted. Experiencing difficulties in conception is often a long drawn-out affair.  Sarah had been trying to get pregnant for over two years,...

Beyonce makes it look cool, but being single can be a bummer.  These Asian women share with Nanz Inc how they make the best out of being on their own. By: Melanie Lee Being single is hardly a social stigma these days as more women in Asia become independent financially and socially.  However, marriage, especially in the Asian context, is still seen as the “more acceptable” status.  How do the bachelorettes of the 21st century make sense of their independence, their longing for companionship and social expectations to be hitched? For...

Mong aka Meng Choo, 37, shares with Melanie Lee how she runs a busy ship of never-ending cake orders, running baking classes and selling baking supplies with her home-based business Mongstirs – all while keeping her house in order, being her children’s chauffeur cum tutor and ensuring her husband gets dinner on his table. By: Melanie Lee How did you get started on baking and cake decorating? I’ve always liked to bake but my cakes would always sink!  It was only when my husband was posted to Hong Kong for work in 2005 that I decided...

How are you going to “have it all” if your body is quitting on you? One of the most important safeguards a woman needs is her health — inside and out. What are the health hazards in your life that you can, and should, get rid of today?  By: Theresa Tan When it comes to health, most women assume they are “doing okay”.  Most of the time, they are more concerned about how they look. But as you grow older, it becomes more and more crucial to pay attention to your health.  We have all heard about someone who lost her or his entire...

You’re nagging, they’re ignoring.  You’re tired of your words having no impact on your children.  Here are five tips to start turning things around. Communication is the key to many situations in life — so why should talking to your kids be any different?  The use of words in helping your children to develop well and to be disciplined cannot be underestimated.  But the problem often lies in the how and the what of what we say.  You’ll be surprised — there’s a lot a parent can accomplish with the right tone of voice. Here...

It is an arduous task raising children while working at the same time. Here are some recent measures that the Singapore government has set in place to help women here juggle work and motherhood with greater ease.   By: Melanie Lee Extended maternity leave Since October 2008, the Ministry of Manpower extended paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 16 weeks to enable working mothers to recuperate from childbirth and strengthen bonding with their newborns. The last eight weeks of this maternity leave can be taken flexibly over a period of 12 months...