As I flipped through my favourite blue photograph album, the album which compiled beautiful pictures of memorable events, I paused for a second. I looked at a page filled with pictures of my family and another page filled with pictures of my best friends and I. I looked at it and smiled, even cried a little. “I wish I could turn back time, back to how simple things were,” I thought to myself.

I wonder, if only I could stop time and rewind it. If only I could go back to how exciting things were, rather than spend my time here feeling depressed that I am no longer a child, that I am now considered a teenager and soon to be an adult. I feel extremely sick of the world and also rather scared to face the harsh reality of life.

As I ponder on life, I wonder if things could be different. If things would be better if I were able to experience those days again, would it be for better or for worse? Would things be more eventful? Would things be more meaningful? What would happen if I were able to go back in time and do things differently. If only I could build myself a time machine. All these thoughts about my fear to face reality continued to pop into my head.

Today, I realized, I am now sixteen and in six or seven months’ time, I would turn another year older. I would be seventeen, busy preparing myself for a major examination. Busy trying to be a responsible adult. I remember, when I was ten, I told my father that I couldn’t wait to grow older. To do the things adults could do that children cannot. I promised myself that when I grew older, I would do all sorts of things that I would be capable of. Things that I couldn’t do when I was a just a child.

As I entered secondary school, I began to feel tired and sick of doing so many different things. I’ve always wished that things would be as simple as before. Imagine, all we had to do back in pre-school was to read ABC’s and 123’s and now, we have to struggle with algebra and science. I used to be excited over being an upper secondary student. But right now, when I finally am, I realize how different and difficult things are. Chemistry. Biology. Physics. Additional Mathematics. Gosh. I can’t seem to find even the slightest moment to be myself. To be as free as a bird, free from everything. Homework, sports, various school activities; if only I had a remote control to control time I would have clicked onto the pause button by now.

Things are passing by so quickly, I can’t even imagine how things would be in just a few more years.

I looked towards a picture of my family all smiling happily, all of us together as one. I can’t imagine a day without them, even though I know that the awful day that we would part is drawing nearer. People come and go. They live for a period of time and soon, when the right time comes, they will all go away. Tears continued to drop from my watery eyes as I realized that one day, I would be living a life without my parents, without my loved ones. I would have to face the world alone.

My greatest fear would probably be losing my loved ones. I can’t even describe how I would be when that day arrives. Would I just fall apart or would I gain courage to continue with life?

Even now, the thought of my friends going to different parts of the world bothers me. Would we be able to keep in touch forever? Would we still act the same towards each other or would our characters change over time? When we’re done with our secondary school life, all of us would be busy trying to cope with our new journey in life. We probably won’t even have enough time to spend with each other since we’re too busy coping with the main priorities of our lives. Thinking about all these things made me realize how weak of a person I am. This weakness that I have discovered in myself has brought me to who I am right now. To who I want to be in the future.

As I continued to think about how I wished things would be, I promised myself that I would be brave enough to face the brunt side of life. Happiness is important in life and it includes strength. Strength is vital to be a strong and happy person, whether or not one faces a downfall. If only things could be as simple as it was, I would never have to worry about anything at all.

But then again, what is life without worries? Life is too complicated and it takes a long time for one to discover the truth and the lies beneath it – the happiness and the sorrow. Everyone in this world goes through it. And I believe that someday, things would be better. Life would be... simpler. Hopefully. At this moment, we should all cherish the times we have with our family and our friends because soon enough, you would regret it when they are no longer around...

Life is an adventure, filled with many difficult tasks. And we, as humans, have to be brave and smart enough to face each and every task given. But right now, if only I could just stop everything from going too quickly. Just pause everything for a moment or two, just to cherish every possible thing ever that I still have along with me.'