SINGAPORE – “The best thing about being me right now is that I’m enjoying life with hardly any stress,” joked Star Award-winning actress Joanne Peh. She was talking at the sidelines of the media update session for the movie, 1965. Peh stars as Zhou Jun, a young immigrant from China, who is settling into life in Singapore when the race riots erupt in the early ‘60s.

Now though, it’s all mother’s talk. The mother-to-be said she had just about two months before her baby would be born - and Peh seems to be relishing every moment. “I wouldn’t be able to say this at any other point in time. Think about it: In school, I had tests and exams. Then it was doing drama after drama, and after this period, I have to wake up every two hours to feed the baby, trying to understand why the baby is crying ... so isn’t this the best time for me?” she said, laughing.

Is there worst thing? “No, not at all, because I’m only left with two months ... or maybe that’s the worst thing – that I’m only left with two months of pure bliss!”

While the actress said she wasn’t following any particular style of parenting and was open to all ideas, there were certain things she wouldn’t be doing. For instance, she wouldn’t be having a long confinement period like fellow actress Fann Wong. “It’s a 28-day confinement package but I think personally, a fortnight is enough. But you never know,” she said, adding that she wasn’t going to adhere to all the traditional rules of the confinement practice, such as not showering for the entire duration.

“I don’t think I’ll stick so strictly with the no showering part. I think that was rooted in old practices in China, where it was cold and you had to walk outside to take a shower. In Singapore it’s so warm, so not showering ... I don’t think that’s good for the mum either. Personal hygiene is important too! If you are smelly and you feel dirty, it affects your mood towards your baby (and) I think all that emotional distress is unnecessary.”

So just what kind of a mother does Peh think she’ll be? The actress, who said she’d been reading up about motherhood, would like her child “to have freedom to explore”. “I would like to be there for the child every step of the way, but not to be too controlling. I think children can offer us much more than what we can offer them. So I’m looking forward to seeing what I can learn from my child instead of the other way round.”

As for talk about having tiger mum tendencies, Peh said: “The real meaning of tiger mum - especially in China where this term is commonly used - is a mother who wants the best for her child. I can totally understand this. So when a mum fights to get the best for her child, that’s natural. But it comes down to the perception of ‘what is the best’? I prefer a system that is freer and less structured.”

The actress also said she didn’t mind if her child didn’t take after her and her actor husband Qi Yu Wu, and had no aptitude for acting or the arts. “Even though I’m very pro-arts, what if my child turns out to be someone who doesn’t like the arts? It’s fine. We mustn’t be so hard up about things like, ‘you must be this’. I don’t think it’s fair for parents to impose what we want on the child. It stifles them, and sometime it stops them from realising their real potential.”

And don’t get her started on school. Peh said the idea of having to book early just to ensure a place for one’s child in a pre-school was “so stressful”. “Otherwise you’ll have no options, right? But we really don’t even know if we’re going to spending more time here or in Beijing, because my husband is based there, or elsewhere. Some say 18 months is too young for children to go to play school, but I can totally understand how busy parents might have to put their children in childcare. They also get to learn and interact with others there. I also haven’t quite decided what my personal preferences are, but maybe in the end, I’ll go ‘I should have queued up back then for a place!’ haha! Or I’ll run my own school!”

One thing is for sure, though. Peh will be very selective about the acting roles she takes once the baby is born. “Because, obviously, every time I take a project there will be opportunity cost – I can’t be there to watch my child grow. So it has to be something that, at that point in time, I feel is really worth it. I’m not going to say I’m just going to one movie or one drama. Every actor wants to do something that inspires or challenges them - that’s how (I’ll choose) what I’m going to do next.”

Of course, we had to ask Peh, who has been unwilling to divulge the gender of her child thus far: What names have they picked? “Well, I’m not going to tell you! Then you’ll know!”