OFF AGAIN

The final bell hasn't even rung yet (it's still a week off) but I already have the taste of freedom settling into my bones, my spirit halfway out the door. After a whirlwind of lessons, deadlines, meetings, and marking marathons, the school holidays are almost here!

Each day, the bell shrieks through the corridors, sharp and relentless, setting the tempo for another busy stretch. I climb three flights of stairs, arms full of books and stationery, bracing myself for the glorious melting pot that awaits. The classroom bursts with sound: twenty-plus teenage girls laughing, whispering, groaning dramatically about deadlines, disagreements, and mini-disasters all before 9 AM! It's a symphony of adolescence, beautiful and exhausting.

Lessons flash by in a blur of intense concentration, mini-alliances, collaboration, and ever-shifting moods. In between, there are admin tasks to complete, meetings to sit through, and professional development sessions that stretch on far longer than anticipated or desired at the end of an already long school day. Sports days come and go. School events pile up like clockwork. And time marches swiftly on. Then there's the avalanche of formative assessments and formal exams, with hundreds of scripts marked, collated, and then the fervent fumbling as scripts are returned and feverishly studied as feedback is given. Excel spreadsheets have become second nature, and my fingers, sore from typing and tallying, long for a softer, more joyful rhythm.

But something is shifting. A new current is running down corridors, through teachers' lounges, and the typing is no longer word or excel, but earnest research into the next trip. Bank balances are checked, sums are made, and that rational voice in your head is shushed by something way more exciting: your inner diva ready to sip, sleep in, and savour, or dip, dance, and devour...

Something's coming over me, I can't sit still... At the edge of my seat, rocking it like it will take off if I move fast enough, press down hard enough.

Fingers stroking keyboards daily will have to find something better to do. I close my eyes, dreaming of paradise. I start counting down until I can feel warm sand between my toes, ripple my hands through cool water.

Off the grid.

Off the clock.

Off the beaten path.

Bliss.

Holiday-me is a different creature altogether. She’s lighter, louder, freer. She laughs more. She moves differently. I shake my hair loose from the bands and fabric that keeps me in place, curls flowing freely now; kick off heels, wriggling toes in anticipation of gentle foot rubs and playful tickles. Ah, the games we play when work is banished from our minds.

It’s quiet here now, in these near-empty offices where my days play out. And I like it. I feel something flickering on inside me, like a light being lit. I dream of hours spent under a wide-brimmed sunhat, lost in the pages of a great book. I dream of feasting on exotic fruits, sipping cocktails with cheeky names. I dream of long, sunny days and even longer nights, spent in the warm company of love.

The clock reads almost 4 PM. A final email check reveals a reminder that all deadlines have been met. Nice work, team.

Still, I struggle to disengage. The habit of doing, doing, doing is hard to shake. I scroll through my checklist one last time. Done. Done. Done. And yet, it feels strange to stop. To simply rest.

Then, I see him. Standing in my doorway. That look in his eyes says it all. "Let’s blow this place." He grins, nodding his head in the direction of the exit. "Let’s go."

Hong Kong awaits. A neon dream of flights, ferry rides, dim sum, rooftop bars, and street markets pulsing with life. We’ll wander until our feet ache and our hearts feel full. Just the three of us. A trio on the move, rediscovering joy one street at a time.

This week promises everything I crave.

A sensory feast.

A well-earned splurge.

A deep, soul-refreshing exhale.

And just like that, I’m off.

Packed. Logged out. Heart wide open.

The world is calling, and once again, I’m answering.

Will you answer too?