Hi, my name is Hai Fang aka Aifang and for people who have problem pronouncing and remembering my Chinese name, I give them the liberty to call me Rachel and I think I am beginning to like the convenience of the latter and the cheerful tone to it.

I was previously blogging at 4malmal.blogspot.com and if you are interested to find out why the move, read here. You may encounter some missing links on this site, especially for comments which I had ported from my old site.  I blamed it on my shabby work at migration and I am still trying to clear up the ends, though without much urgency.

I am a Singaporean Chinese and a full time mother. I am married to my childhood sweet heart who enjoys the rush of operating a flying machine. He is the sweetest and most sensitive man I ever known.

I started this site when my son, Malcolm, was 9 months old, after we received news about my husband’s job posting overseas in the States. This site started off as a convenient space for us to share our lives with our family and friends back home in Singapore. It started off as a journal recording our daily activities, tears and joy, Malcolm’s big and small milestones and like many mummies, I was obsessed with my baby boy.

Being a perfectionist, I insist on doing many things myself. Taking care of my little baby seems to drain off all my energy. Frankly speaking, I don’t blame anyone for falling asleep while reading this blog especially some of the earlier postings.  My life as a Stay At Home Mum revolved round my baby boy. He was the center of my life. Learning to care for a new baby and being a first time mum, takes up all my time.

I enjoyed my new role as a mother. It is my greatest joy to watch my little boy grow. But at the same time, I felt that I needed to do something more than the daily washing, cleaning and cooking. I need to keep my brain active and  mentally challenged. I feel that it is important that I retain my identity even if after marriage and children and I don’t want to be known as just someone’s mummy or ’so-and-so’ wife. I need to do something for myself. I started 4malmal.com, a home based online business selling baby slings.

I remember slinging Malcolm in a sling sewed by my mum and running around sourcing for fabrics. I remember staying up late at night working on the website.  I remember slinging Malcolm around for photo shooting sessions.  He was like my business partner, he follows everywhere I go and everything I do. It was tiring but fulfilling and it gave me tremendous satisfaction when my first sling was sold.

Starting a home based online business has always been my dream even till today. It is not so much about making big money, but more about the joy of creating something and sharing with people who believe and at the same time, spending time with my boy.

Malcolm was the initial reason behind this journal. Since then, it has snowballed into my love for writing. This site forces me to think and write in complete sentences. It is a place for me to practise my writing and improve my English. I was never good with my language. My husband knows it, my best friend knows it and they laugh when I say I enjoy writing now.

Being a parent has taught me a lot. It humbled me for I realised that my knowledge about this world is meager.  Malcolm always ask question we cannot answer.  Our daily lives are turned into living classrooms when there is something to learn about everything. One of my greatest joy of being a parent is to be able to learn together with him. I marvel at his ability to absorb new information. I am in no way better than him.

This site shares my passion and inspiration, my thoughts and my life as a full time mother. It will not be possible without Malcolm and thus, MalMal is Our Inspiration.

read more about me >>

read more about this site >>