You know it's time to take a break when......

...........your parents' obligations becomes yours.

My mum was asleep by 2 a.m. last night, leaving me to tie up the loose ends of her research presentation well into the wee hours of dawn. An economist I am not, but I swear, by 8 a.m. this morning I had become an expert on Watershed Valuation and Opportunity Cost Analysis..

Of course, I also became the walking dead.. I shuffled about the CBioD National Stakeholders' Workshop completely out of focus, and slept through most of the morning's presenters.

I was only awake for my mother's turn, where I proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes clutching at my chest and mouthing the powerpoint slides along with her word for word, willing her not to falter.

Her RAs regarded me with mild disgust and sympathy... For puck's sakes, I'd spent the entire weekend crafting my mum's frigging research-output powerpoints for her! What did they expect!?

On the one hand I always ask myself, "Is there anything you can't do?" but the other hand keeps yelling, "Well, stop offering what you can!"

*Sigh* Say what you will, inner spirits.. But offer them I must.

I came home from work yesterday evening with a trunkload worth of groceries, thanks to my excursion at the pasar malam. Our fridge and pantry were almost empty, and it seems I was the only one with time, budget and attention to dwindling details to give a damn.

Kak Yati - our faithful maid - took the goods from me without so much as a word. I read the soft expression on her face and I knew what she was thinking and I was slightly afraid of all the things she's seen in my family and what she thought of them.

But, to her credit she's been very sweet to me lately. Always offering to do little things; always obliging. If that wasn't a sign of kind understanding, I didn't know what was.

Haish, be thankful you people have parents who are.. well, parents..

Heck, just be thankful you're not 27 sporting premature wrinkles and grey hairs and we'll call it a day!