Time Flies...

Am I the only one who thinks 2013 sped past us with an incredible speed? This is already October, and it is scary how vividly I still remember the chiming of the hour that gently nudged 2012 into 2013, and all those early days of January thereafter.

And now...we are counting down to the end of the year yet again. With bigger children. Older faces. More experiences. New things to look forward to.

Time is scary. It is even scarier in fast-paced Singapore where we are constantly forced to plan for the future. Our children's exams in the next fortnight. Our job appraisals in the next week. Our parents' birthdays in the next month. Our business trips in the next quarter. By planning for all these way in advance, we are losing precious sight of the current moment, in a bid to chase for the future. And I think that is why time flows exceptionally rapidly for us Singaporeans. It is sad. And somewhat unnerving.

I was reading The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom, and was struck by the poignancy in which the different protagonists in the book wanted to manipulate time to their own agendas - just to grasp that little slice of happiness that they think they desire. Yet, happiness and contentment is within everyone's reach - if only we slow down and appreciate every single moment. But - can we do it? Is this yet another instance of "this is easier said than done"? What can we do to appreciate every moment? To take time for its face value? To have a realistic balance of reminiscing moments long gone, relishing the present and anticipating the future? I have no answers to that for sure, and I am still trying to discover day after day.

Still, one of the tiny ways for me to cherish and remember every moment is to look at past photos. This evening, I was looking through some old photos from late last year, and realised that we had such a multitude of different experiences and activities just in the last quarter of 2012. Yet, at that point, I was probably too busy planning for the year ahead (Little Bee's first time in primary 1, Big Bee's entrance into stressful primary 5 territory, my heavy workload, etc) for me to really savour those moments. Until now.

Because of this, I am trying to play catch-up with time. I might be posting some really backdated posts which I think are fundamental moments in our lives that I would love to document here.

As for now, here is a photo that depicts a special time of the year that we are constantly looking forward to - the imminent year-end Christmas season! Enjoy the moment and look forward to the beautiful days to come :)

Taken at the Tanglin Mall's mock snow fiesta in December 2012 - just before they became wet and soapy!