Time waits for no man

It's the start of a long weekend and I'm trying to complete all the housework quickly so that I have a clean home to chill in during the holiday.

The way the weeks fly by so quickly frightens me sometimes. Time waits for no one and I'm not ready to grow up so quickly.

I'm not a great planner but I tend to look at my life in stages. Ten years from now, the boys should have completed their tertiary education. That means I'll finally be free to do whatever I like. I'll take a whole year off to do nothing but travel. I have the next 10 years to put my plan together so that I can go places without worrying about money and the kids.

Once you become a parent, you can't help but build your life around the kids. CH and I were discussing about the haze in Singapore. I said we first experienced it in September 1994, though he didn't think it was that far back.

Well, how can I forget the date? I had just given birth to SK. When we left the hospital, the sky was dull and grey, the entire city was shrouded in haze. Within days, I developed a cough that wouldn't go away for weeks, I had to stop breastfeeding due to bronchitis. The haze became a worsening problem which peaked in 1997 when it reached dangerous levels.

Using the kids as reference helps me remember things better. My best friend got married in 1995 when YK was just over a year old because I recall running after him all night at the wedding banquet, I hardly had the chance to eat.

YK went on his first vacation to Tioman Island when I was heavily pregnant with his little brother. The following year, when SK was learning to walk, we all flew to Surabaya to visit a friend.

While the first 10 years of their life went by uneventfully, it was a tumultuous journey for me. Things took a turn the year YK turned 10 when his parents finally split up. Suddenly the boys found themselves trying to cope in a different environment. It was a difficult time for them.

YK is already in his late teens. They have both adjusted well; life has been peaceful and comfortable for us in the last 5 years or so.

Now I find myself planning for the next 10 years. Will I be able to fulfill my dreams and goals? They're not lofty ones, so I certainly hope so. Like what mum always says, "Time and tide wait for no man...", I mustn't fritter time away.