SINGAPORE - Her biological clock may be ticking, but she is in no hurry to have any children of her own. Not even her husband's eagerness to start a family will change her mind.
Local actress Kym Ng, who has been married for three years to a man the media only knows as Mr Yang, admitted to this newspaper that remaining childless was for selfish reasons.
Ng, who is in her 40s, told The New Paper: "I think I'm too selfish to have children. I want time for myself. I can't imagine the commitment involved in having to take care of kids.
"Every night, I spend half an hour before bedtime massaging 20 different types of serum into my face and my husband always jokes: 'You purposely make me wait until I fall asleep'."
With a twinkle in her eyes, Ng revealed that what he meant was that there wasn't time for any intimacy before sleep.
The irony is that she once wanted to have four children.
She recalled the warmth of growing up with four brothers and in a close-knit family. But somewhere along the way, she changed her mind about being a mum.
Ng's husband, who wants two children, has even asked her if she would be open to adopting. But, said Ng: "I have said 'no' to adoption. Why should I adopt when I can give birth to my own kids?"
Ng, who plays a mother of three in the Channel 8 television drama It Takes Two, added: "Playing a mother in a movie doesn't make me want to have my own. Neither does seeing my friends with their own children.
"After I finish playing with their children, I'm just happy to return them to their parents." She is adamant that she does not want to be pressured into having her own children, even though she is running out of time.
Her parents and in-laws have "given up" on her.
Ng said she is lucky that she and her husband come from big families so there's always the pitter-patter of little feet around the house, thanks to their siblings' children.
Her honest take on child-bearing also included the financial burden of being a parent.
So what luxuries would she have to cut back on if she were to become a mum?
For now, Ng gets to pamper herself with the creme de la creme of facial serums, which costs more than $100 per tiny bottle and lasts less than a month.
That's about $2,000 spent every three weeks on the 20 bottles or so that she uses up.
There are the weekly diamond and caviar facials, which cost $100 a session.
Ng also splurges on her fitness regime, but not in the conventional manner, such as running on a treadmill.
Instead, she hires a professional table tennis coach from China - paying $50 an hour - to train her at least three times a week.
Some weeks, it's a daily affair.
She is not gunning to be the next Feng Tianwei, Singapore's double London Olympic bronze medallist. The actress said that she simply fell in love with the sport when she had to learn to play it for the Channel 8 drama Table Of Glory three years ago.
Toned
As a result, she has put on muscle and gained weight - going from 42kg to 51kg - but she's extremely satisfied with her toned physique.
Her intensive exercise regime has also allowed her to eat anything she wants, and for Ng, that means unhealthy stuff such as sweets and fried chicken (with skin).
She admitted to being in the best shape ever, so she is not worried that her body would be ravaged by the rigours of childbirth.
Said Ng: "I think my husband thought that I was afraid of the pain of childbirth and that's why he asked me if we should adopt a kid.
"He loves me a lot and I'm touched by it. I know he wants kids quite badly because every time he sees his brother's kids he says, 'See, aren't they cute?'.
"But I did tell him before we got married that I wasn't keen on having any.
"However, the door isn't completely closed, just that for now I'm very happy with my life." And since wailing babies and nappy changes are not a concern, Ng said that she gets to spend romantic weekends with her husband.
The couple go for dinners and movies.
"My husband will watch any movie that I want to," she said.
Sometimes, the lovebirds also play with soap and suds as they wash their respective cars.
She owns a Saab convertible and her husband has a Saab station wagon because he's an avid golfer who needs ample space for his clubs.
Said Ng: "He's my best friend, really. When I'm busy filming, he'll cook for me.
"In turn, when he goes overseas, I will do some renovations around the house and ask him how he'd like his new bathroom.
"He's a hilarious guy and will tease me in turn, asking if I could get him a new wife." Considering that she has been in the entertainment industry here for 20 years and with her man for 19 of those years, Mr Yang remains a mystery.
No mug shots. Nothing online.
Ng told TNP in a previous interview that her hubby is quite the spitting image of Hong Kong actor Lau Ching Wan.
She also let on then that he is a Chinese Singaporean who is a few years older than her. He is 1.75cm tall, manly and the sporty sort who loves outdoor activities like scuba-diving, mountain-climbing and of course, golf.
He's also a romantic, she said, who once left eight love notes in her make-up pouch and luggage when she flew off to China for work.
The couple registered their marriage overseas in 2009 and their wedding ceremony was a hush-hush event attended only by close friends and family.
Said Ng: "My husband and I hold hands when we go out so I'm sure people have definitely seen him.
"But at the personal level, I will continue to respect his privacy as he doesn't want to be in the media glare."
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