Mountains of weeks

Friday came with a big blast bang.

With anticipation for the weekend's plan.
Saturday came in a slip slide fast.

With the blink of an eye, suddenly it is past.

Where are you going my dear, dear Sunday?
Don't be in such a rush to meet up with Monday.
Why, Monday, hello. Again we meet.
Excuse me while I shuffle my feet.
As I make my way through today.
Stretching my neck and looking for Friday.
Its Tuesday now, we're another step closer
Towards the long week getting over.
Wednesday! Ah~ we've reached midweek.
Time seems to be moving as we speak.
We're halfway done from scaling the mountain.
Towards weekend; our rejuvenation fountain.
Thursday comes and I can smell
Weekend's joyous cheerful bells.
Before we know it, Friday's here!
Shall we celebrate with some beer?

Happy weekend, everyone.

Of Love, Life and an Expiry date

14th February - a day to celebrate love.

I see couples with bouquets of flowers walking down the street. I attended a wedding - a joyous occasion of two individuals who have decided to start a life together. I know of some who were born on this day and also heard with a heavy heart, separate news of two individuals who had their lives cut short.

As I reflect on the turn of events within this day, I am reminded once again that Death doesn't wait for an 'appropriate' moment to strike. 

It doesn't not strike because it is a day of celebration for love and cny festivities. And it certainly doesn't postphone its plans because it is a day of someone's birth or wedding.

Death doesn't need a reason or an excuse. It strikes just because.

We have no way of predicting when that day will come, only knowing that when it eventually does, it will cut deeply, thoroughly and painfully, brutally snuffing out whatever light the person once had in their life. Life, with all its beauty, sweetness and joys, comes along with an unstamped expiry date.

But often, because of not knowing when that day will come, we begin to slowly forget about the existence of it and gradually take the people around us for granted. Such is the habit of many including myself. Seldom cherishing what we have in abundance, only holding precious those we have scarce.

It is only when the 'expiry date' gets stamped, and the knowledge that time is now limited, that we start to clamber and grasp for whatever remaining time that is left. 

Do we need to have that 'expiry date' marked and unveiled, in order to start cherishing the lives of those that we love around us? I'm sure the answer is a definate no.

But cherishing, loving and appreciating the ones who matter with the time we have now and not until time is left little and precious, is something that is easily said but not done. I have personally experienced the devastating moment when my Dad died. I understand time and its limits, but yet take my loved ones for granted on many occasions without meaning to.

As the day winds down to an end, so does Valentine's day with all its lovey dovey theme of roses and hearts. For some, it signifies the end of an occasion for love. Personally, it is a reminder that the celebrating of love, giving of flowers and presents, and showing of appreciation, shouldn't be hinged on just one day. Love, together with life, should be celebrated every single day. We cannot control when or how that day will come, but we can control how we treat the ones that we love until that very day.

Because the people that we love matter to us everyday.

Because we never know how much time each of us may have left with each other.
Because today might be the last.
Because love doesn't need an appropriate day.
Because love doesn't need a reason or an excuse.
We love just because.

Household chores, and a MOUNTAIN of them

I write this post at the risk of sounding like a spoilt brat (I'm not, btw) but I'm going ahead with my rant anyway.

Some of you might have read my previous post about going maidless for a few weeks (and still counting while I wait for a replacement helper to arrive.) And while we have been previously without a helper for weeks before, the absence of one this time round was particularly magnified due to the arrival of the (jeng jeng jeng...) Chinese New Year.

I live in a big household (三代同堂-kind and not forgetting my two geriatric dogs who mis-cue in pooing and peeing regularly,) lots of visitors during weekends, and with a great deal of cooking, washing and cleaning going on daily. While we battle mountains of laundry, oily kitchens, sink-full of dirty plates, mopping and cleaning, and more mopping and cleaning in the absence of a helper during this period, I am very thankful to have a helpful and spontaneous family who chip in to do the chores.

My elderly in-laws help out in whatever ways they can, doing the laundry, ironing, cleaning and many other chores too detailed to list, and my sisters-in-law volunteer when they come to visit, in the bathing of the dogs, doing the dishes, clearing of the doggie pee and poo and many more. Hub and I did whatever that was needed to be done and I must admit, I have never done so much mopping, cleaning, ironing, wiping and washing in my life!

On top of these chores, the twice weekly spelling, daily homework and prepping of the kids to school took up the rest of whatever 'free' time I had.

Some days passed by through sheer grit of determination to finish those chores and also in trying to stay on top of the spelling and homework within that precious 'golden' hour. I'm not talking about the glitzy glamour kind of 'golden'. I'm talking about the very, very limited kind of 'golden'. It was the slot of time I had right after I came home from work and finished my dinner, and before the kid's bedtime.

Some days were a mad hectic rush as I race against time trying to cram the cleaning, spelling and homework before S's bedtime, while other days went on a little easier. Sometimes my arm felt like they were dropping off. Other days my feet were really killing me (and I don't even wear heels.) On most days, my back felt like they were breaking and I literally hear the crack of my bones as I stretch.

But at the end of the day, after the house gets cleaned and scrubbed, and the laundry washed and ironed, there's a certain sense of satisfaction and house-proud smugness that gets achieved. * pat on back *

I respect families who do without domestic helpers (and they don't rant off like me either) and while I hope to be 'maid-free' too someday, I'm not quite prepared for that situation in the near future.

Being without a helper this time round has revealed several things to me.

One: The kids need A LOT more training in housekeeping. Here's how L hung the clothes when I told her to help. Well, I give her TEN points for trying. *clap clap*

Two: Need to sweep and mop but feeling lazy? Use stuff like these! They are a heck lot breezzier then the old fashioned broom and mop, (we still do that btw) or lugging the bulky vacuum out from the store. Using this is like cheat sweeping and mopping. But it works! So, Whatever. Plus I buy those 'chiong' ones from the provision shop near my house which are so much more economical. Talk about being lazy and a cheapo. Lols.

Three: Mountain of laundry to iron? Do like what I did. I blasted my music player and grooved/danced/shook like a mad woman to my favourite music while I did the chore. Very therepeutic actually.

But I must admit, I really don't know how to work my iron. Poor ironing board. Well, you can't blame ME for the lack of trying.. Meh.

But all is not lost. The holes seem to be getting smaller as I progress.

As I anxiously count down the days till the next helper arrives, I shall resign myself to ironing the clothes with my favourite songs blasting off while making sure I don't burn down the whole ironing board.

Did I say it was therapeutic?