KWSP / EPF

Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) or the Employee Proficent Fund (EPF) is a body which governs the Malaysian employee.

Under this fund, the employees and their employers are required to contribute to the account. The fund will be used for investment and the gained profit will be distributed among its contributors. This retirement account may be withdrawn when its account holder reached 55 years old.

I personally have used this account to register my hajj and purchasing my first property. My lack of saving forced me to use this alternative route to apply for pilgrimage. Registration with Tabung Haji to perform pilgrimage requires RM 1,300 balance in ones account while using this method, a KWSP statement to show balance in the contributors account will be sufficient.

Further, KWSP provides others opportunity for its contributors such as withdrawal to pursue higher education.

This account will sure provide a peace of mind to certain level as it provides income when an employee retires. However research shows that up to 70% of contributors will need other resource of income when they retired as this fund will not be sufficient for them to lead a cushion life upon retiring.

Will I be among the 30% when I finally retired in 25 - 30 years?

Human Milk Soap

Last month, I begin to store expressed breast milk (ebm) for the new born. There are few expired ebm dated September 2013. Sadly, I am too sentimental to discard the milk. My elder child would not accept ebm since he turns one and I have been giving away to a friend's child since then. My boy would only accept direct feed, I have been pumping to maintain my supply. The remaining three packets was left untouched to its expiry.

 

To make space for the fresh ones, I decided to turn the expired ebm into soap upon reading about its process here and here. Previously I would add the expired milk directly with warm water in the baby tub.

 

The later method which I opted has lesser ingredients, just a bar of soap and milk. I decided to forgo the fragrant and colouring ingredient. My bar of soap was a round soap from previous hotel stay.

Method

Cut the soap into small bits.

Add milk.

Put it in a pan on slow fire until soap melted.

Fill the mixture into ice cube tray.

Put a layer of baking sheet on top of mixture

(I skipped this part and now my guess would be; the purpose is

to have a smooth surface, without leaving any air bubbles)

 

The small soap and 3oz of milk create 5 cubes of this.

 

The texture is not as hard as normal bar soap, a little 

over dose of milk would be my guess for its soft texture.

 

That was my first attempt. It did occurred to me to try the other recipe if I ever get my hand into lye- the key ingredient to create soap from scratch.

 

Mother's milk is a taboo in producing cosmetic products and soap, the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) ruled, Berita Harian reported.

Jakim director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha said the authority had also take into account guide-lines of the Health Ministry's National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau before making the decision.

The guidelines stated breast milk or any material of human origin could not be used in cosmetic products, including soap.

Othman was responding to an earlier article of the daily that breast milk soaps were making waves in China.

 

I came across this article on the Star news paper on 26th July 2014 after I made the soap. There would be no second attempt in soap making from human milk for me in future. I am still sentimental about throwing it down the drain. In future, any expired milk from the freezer would be plant fertilizer i.e. down the earth instead of down the drain.