Passage of time

Had a horrid time while doing invigilation yesterday.

It was my own fault for not sleeping earlier and it made every single minute of invigilation feel like an endless moment. 
On the best of days, invigilation is already a test of endurance so yesterday was bad, really bad.

Over the day, I kept revisiting time ... mainly because I would look up at the clock every once in a while and wince when I realized that only a minute or two had passed.
This was so in contrast though with how the students were feeling.

We were all trapped in the same classroom.
Different reasons no doubt but sharing the same moment.
 

The students work on their papers
They glance at the clock and silently curse at it.
60 revolutions of the second hand
Had never gone so fast.
The teacher watches the students 
He glances at the clock and silently curses at it.
60 revolutions of the second hand
Had never gone so slow.
The sharing of the same moment.

Broaden that a little if you will and think about our shared lives in Singapore.
We have packed so many things to do in our lives, so many things to buy in our lives that life is flashing by. It has been remarked, more often than once that time seems to fly past, the older we get. Personally, I think it resembles a bell curve with the peak arriving at the time you are most economically valuable to Singapore, with a gradual winding down as you approach retirement (and hopefully not a sudden crash).

What would it be like if we could unclutter our lives?
What would it be like if we could uncomplicate our lives?
That one hour you just spent pouring over that unmarked script 
That one hour someone just spent nursing a cup of coffee at the park.

What is your time worth to you and what will you do about it?