Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Popiah-making and a lesson in life

My mum wanted to cook popiah last Sunday. Obviously that meant ME had to do all the marketing and ME had to do all the preparation work and cutting of the vegetables. I’m quite particular that the vegetables for the popiah must be cut rather than grated so I spent at least three hours cutting stuff like french beans and turnips. By the time I finished cutting, my right arm was all sore and aching. My mum did the cooking after I finished and she commented that the turnips were well-cut! ^_^

After all that hard work, I was finally savouring my popiah. As I bit into my roll of popiah, shreds of vegetables fell off but I picked them up and put them into my mouth. Not a single teeny weeny bit of vegetables was wasted. Why? Because I had just spent hours painstakingly cutting them! Suddenly, it dawned on me that this is the way I have been living my life. I had little or no regard for things that came easy to me but things that I had to slog and work hard for, I treasured them more, even if it was just a shred of turnip. My popiah-making actually taught me a lesson in life.

I have been living in my rein-free comfort zone for 16 years. I have so much freedom in life, I take a lot of things for granted. During the last week of Dec 2008, I decided it’s high time I revoke this unappreciated freedom from ME. I can’t see the light at the end of my tunnel in life and it scares me. A symptom of mid-life crisis? At age 42, I have decided to give up my business and my directorship in my brother’s company, to rejoin the civil service. I’m going to become a teacher.

6 Comments:

At 3/18/2009 10:56 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ZT learnt similar lesson on Mon when he helped me to "pluck" the bean spouts' tails..he did a good job and finished the dish when served =) BUT ..lesson learnt : mama, pls dun cook dou ya again!! hahaha

 
At 3/18/2009 11:39 pm, Blogger yeelee said...

what a smart and fast learner! i think all of us will be no match for him once he goes to school next yr hehehe!

 
At 3/23/2009 4:41 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ur students will Namo amitabha everyday. kkkk

 
At 3/24/2009 12:58 pm, Blogger yeelee said...

they can chant anything they like, as long as it's not vulgarity hehehe!

 
At 4/23/2009 11:38 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i like your new spirit!

 
At 4/24/2009 9:29 am, Blogger yeelee said...

hah! i keep telling myself, it's ok to feel uncertain :p

 

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