Heaven on Earth vs. Haze

It's been over 24 hours. My kids and I have not left the house nor did I let any fresh air circulate into the house. (How could I? The air outside was so hazy and smelled like smoke)

My usual drill; opening all windows early in the morning to let in some fresh air has been curtailed thanks to the haze!

Thanks to the multi-million dollars companies, who decided to take short-cuts in clearing forests by setting it on fire for their cultivation!

Thanks to all these, there is a price tag for breathing fresh air!-air purifiers

Haze in my neighbourhood

First, it was bottled water and now it's air-purifiers! Soon it will be air in a bottle!

All was fine up to 4 pm today but by 7 pm, I began feeling a little light headed and a little disoriented. I caught myself looking at the microwave oven and figuring out how to add minutes to heat up my curry.

Even my youngest was cranky.

Preparing dinner was a challenge because she wanted to be carried, all the time! My thoughts were so hazy that it didn't even cross my mind to carry her in my carrier. Instead, I tried reasoning with her by telling her that I could not carry her because I needed both my hands to roll chapati.. I even demonstrated to her how I roll the chapatis! All she did was cry and was so inconsolable after that.

I did everything I could, to ensure my kids didn't fall prey to the unforgiving haze.

I made fresh fruit juice, high in vitamin C and kept them well hydrated with a lot of water by playing a game of "Who can beat my score". The person with the highest number of cups of water would be rewarded.

I quickly dished out dinner and cajoled them to eat fast. There was no room for our usual dinner chat.

Within half hour, they were sent up to my room with the air-conditioner cranked up, hoping the air there would be much lighter and fresher than that I was experiencing in my living room.

Once in bed, we felt better. The laughter immediately took over the crankiness. Even the youngest went about playing with her toys and became less clingy. It felt so good not having them clamouring all over me.

That's when I decided to go to my digital world which is my nightly escape. Saw some of my weekend gateway pictures. The haze had clouded my thoughts so much that I had forgotten about this gateway which happened just 36 hours ago! Oh, how I wish I had stayed longer (I would have, if I had the foresight that state government was to announce, all schools to be closed due to the haze).

Perhaps, this could be a reason why my youngest was so cranky earlier. She had a blast at the waterfalls despite the cold freezing water. It was so good that we visited it twice over the short weekend.

The first, was with my sister's kids. The second, with my brother's kids. The kids got braver and ventured further by climbing up rocks and diving into the cold water. Luckily for us, this waterfall is located just an hour's drive from the city. 

As for me, I just wanted my free spa-natural jacuzzi. It was brilliant! Imagine having hundreds of tiny hands massaging your body and head, while listening to the gushing water and children's laughter. 

The gateway was so good that we have decided to mark it in our calendar and try to do this once every month. I get to visit my sister and enjoy the beauty nature has to offer which is so close to her place!

I can't stop looking at these pictures!

Chilling at Chilling Waterfalls

The first dip is the hardest! Water was freezing cold!

brrrrrr....too cold but I like

trying to keep warm by staying out of the water

Scenic view

everyone's initial reaction

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