Elusive Signs

Elusive Signs

My blog entry on this day two years ago was entitled A Meditation on Time. I remember writing that on a dull and unevently day in the office in Jakarta, when the hours seemed to drag by so slowly. It's about time for me to reflect on how much my life has changed since then.

Not much actually. My thinking is still very much the same; I'm still stubbornly single and independent and I still love Jakarta as much as I did then, if not more. Even though I don't mind staying in one place for the rest of my life, I still cannot imagine myself being married and leading a family life. I'm sure married life has its joys but I think I can live without it--at least for the foreseable future!

Of course for women, it is more difficult. When they hit the age of 30, some of them start getting very edgy. They see their youth and beauty fading away and the pressure they get from family and friends can be quite unbearable. Sometimes I think there should be an association or club to protect single women from such unnecessary harassment! What's wrong with being a single woman in your thirties and forties?

I have a good female friend who recently got married in her forties. And the recent marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla, who are both in their late fifties, has certainly invigorated ageing hearts. Middle-aged single women shouldn't worry too much about not being able to find a life partner--there's always the "divorcee market" that they can tap into. Divorced men probably make better husbands too: they are older and more stable and having gone through a failed marriage, they know all the pitfalls very well. Given a second chance, I'm sure they will be more appreciative of the opportunity.

I personally don't believe people should rush into getting married. Why should finding a life partner be such an obsessive preoccupation of ours? Go get married when you truly and sincerely feel that it is the right thing to do. Don't do it out of fear, insecurity or family pressure.

What then are the signs indicating that it's time for one to get married?

Don't ask me: I'll tell you when I see those signs myself!