When I look back at my childhood, god, do I feel blessed.
I had a mom who educated and nurtured me for the first 12 years of my life.
She made sure that all 3 of us would be well-rounded in every way, education, sports and activities like music etc.
She encouraged me to try new stuff, to explore and to travel.
She once had a big argument with my dad, because I wanted so badly to go to Singapore by myself (when I was 9!) and my dad didn't really approve. She fought for me.
It was drilled into my mind that although we should always put academic excellence as our top priority, but what makes you a better being is to be able to express yourself and to appreciate what life is really about.
I now think that my children are deprived of the childhood I had, and although I may not be able to give them the piano lessons, sports coaching and other finer things, the one thing I can give more is my time.
In Taiping, a different world away from the cities we know, a child can go fishing in the brooks, swim in freshwater pools under a cascading waterfall, hike up the hill and do so many outdoor activities which city kids are unfamiliar with.
I'm working towards a target where I'll be able to spend more time with them, to see them really grow, and to expose them to books and music I grew up with.
Godwilling, I will be able to do this by July next year.
In case you don't know how a child's mind works, here's a clue.
The world is an adventure,
there's so many things to see,
the search for buried treasure,
climbing high up in a tree.
Finding shells along the seashore,
playing marbles in the sand,
skipping stones across a pond,
throwing as far as you can.
Playing a game of hide and seek,
way back out in the woods,
pretending your a robber,
and stealing all the goods.
Wading barefoot in a creek,
and trying to catch a frog,
or going to your favorite park,
and playing frisbie with your dog.
And as I sit and wonder,
it comes as no supprise,
how little things can seem so big,
seen through a childs eyes.
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