The Diary
of
Anne Ku

21 December 2000 Thursday

From Father:

I have just read a page of the Sunday Telegraph you mailed to me. I think you mean "the case of having children" is quite interesting. The other two are also nice, but similar ones can also be found in chi newspapers here. The process of watching one's children growing up is indeed very precious. The sad part is: one often regrets that one has not realized this when one is in one's 20s, 30s nd 40s, even 50s until one is old (an old person is one over 65) and one's children are already adults. A neighborhood couple, in their late 20s, said they wish their toddler could grow faster. I said: ah, but soon you'll regret it. It's the best time to see your toddler's childlike looks and expressions, naive ideas and feel its little figure.

SHORTEST DAY IN THE YEAR

On the shortest day of the year, I should be inside and in bed. Instead, as I'm writing this on 16th December, I expect I will be running around visiting different people. Most of it, I'm sure, will be in the dark.

It's time to pause for reflection. A year ago this day I was coming back from Thailand. Last year I was abroad five months in total. This year (2000), I was out of the country every single month except for January and February when I was recovering from all that travelling. I continued to have jet lag for a few months after my round the world trip, waking up at 4 am every single day.

It has not been the best year of my life. I flirted with uncertainty big time. From part-time to over-time, mixing business and pleasure, it was the ultimate experiment. Was I so flexible and adaptable that I could take any form of uncertainty? No, I can't. My body rebelled.

My father had said to me, just after I graduated, that my future should be smooth sailing. He said,"You can see the road in front of you. You just have to walk or drive on it. Simple." It would certainly have been simple if I had just stuck to what I was trained to do. Instead, I was curious and flippant.

The day is too short to contemplate long. The good news is, tomorrow is another day. Another longer day, Scarlett.

Yesterday

Tomorrow

Related diary entries:

longest day in the year

information & uncertainty

business and friendship