Watching the sands of time

When you hear children asking to play with the computer at a house warming party, you know for sure that the sands of time have really left life-as-we-knew-it-in-our-childhood-days awash. Even if there had been computer games in those days, I don't think most of us would have dared to open our mouths to ask!

I suppose the older you get, the more acutely you are aware of the sands and hands of time. I don't think I've ever wished for them to slow down (futile anyway!) but there have been many times in my life when I wished that I had used time better. I wonder what I would be wishing when I look back at today in, say, 5 or 10 years' time. Would I wish that I hadn't left the working world? Would I wish that I had chosen instead to work towards promotions and take on higher appointments? I hope not.

Just last week, I bumped into 2 people from my past. First, I ran into a former colleague and she said, 'You look just like how you did before you got married!' Later that same day, I was at Esprit Vivocity (ya, still going to Esprit after all these years!!) when I met a former schoolmate and he said, 'You look the same!'

I will take their remarks as compliments. Perhaps quitting the world of work has restored my youth, ha ha... No lah, I'm sure I look different. They probably didn't notice the fine lines, etc, on my face.

Anyhow, I was thinking about how 'quickly' the intervening years (i.e. from the time I met these people to today) have passed, and how much/little things have changed. I asked my former colleauge, 'Are you still the XYZ (her former work position)?' and immediately regretted using the word 'still'. You know, some people can be sensitive about such words and they might think that you think they never progressed, or, if they actually chose to stay in that position, they might think that you are implying that there is something wrong with the job. But this is a very nice lady, and she's had a change of duties (and so a rather 'exciting', if supremely hectic, time) and the place of work has expanded to maybe twice its size and everyone's got more than twice the amount of work. What about me? From then till now, I went on to 4 other workplaces (tsk tsk, such a job hopper, aren't I?) and then quit altogether.

Conclusion #1: nice people don't change no matter how much their work lives have changed.

As for my former schoolmate, he's become a rather well-sought-after fashion show choreographer (very possibly, there is a more glamorous term for his job but I don't know it). He works both here and in other cities and you will see pictures of him with all sorts of famous people at very happening events and places. Who would have known during our schooldays that he would become the big-time person that he is now? The thing is he himself is still the same. No airs about him, no hoity-toity attitude and all. Compared to his, my work life (despite the many changes of workplace) seems really boring and un-glam. I really have no regrets doing the things I did, though.

Conclusion #2: same as conclusion #1.

Conclusion #3: You must believe in your dreams if you want to live them.
(Hopefully, there is no age limit for this. Maybe I will have the chance to live more of my dreams in time to come...)

In the meantime, I assembled my anti-ageing arsenal for a photo shoot.

(not in picture: Pantene anti-ageing hair conditioner)

If you don't recognise these, they are all anti-ageing, age-defying, wrinkle-combatting, etc, products, even the hand cream! Let me let you in on a beauty secret: the brand doesn't make very much difference. I switched to these more affordable stuff (all can be bought at Watson's type) since I stopped work and I have concluded that no brand works any better or worse than the others (ya, even the one that says 'visible results'!). Or maybe it's because I'm just getting older and constantly having to battle the signs of the times...

I read before that one should start one's anti-ageing skincare routine when one is in ones 20s. Well, too late now, I suppose, but hopefully, some care is better than none and maybe when someone meets me 5 or 10 years later, they will still say 'You look the same!'

By the way, do you all have the experience of meeting your old teachers, like, a million years after leaving school and they still look the same??