I don't often get quiet moments in the morning. Most of the time it's clock in, get the lesson slides out, rush to class, talk-yack-scold-"facilitate"-givehomework, come back, crash on seat, reply email, then it's off to the next class. Ad infinitum cum happy nauseam (smile).

But end-Dec is special. Not just because it's that time of year when capitalist economies go into mall-decoration and gift-purchasing mode. Somehow, for me at least, this time of year always begets quietness and solitude. Of a semi-turbulent kind.

My cousin's three months' pregnant. The second Lau baby of Nicky's generation is expected to be in-da-house come June-ish. That's about four months after a certain Caitlin Lim emerges (smile).

First, life was all about the coolest cartoon characters. Then it was about the books and college. Then it's about girlfrens and boyfrens (gay-frens hasn't quite caught fire in my community yet). Then it's about the first paycheque. Then it's cars and houses and wedding bells (and dinners). Now it's about babies. Bottles, maternity clothes, baby clothes, pre-natal classes, baby cots, diapers, wet-wipes (I had NO IDEA a product like this existed prior to Jan '04), powder...and a whole lot of sleepless nights...

And nowadays Nicky ensures I don't oversleep in the morning either, what with his cowboy-style bang-the-door-open appearance in the room to jump on the bed and say, "HI!!!"

Better that than "FEAR NOT!!", eh?