Sunday, September 11, 2011
Growing old.
Ohaiiiiiii :P
Guess who's growing older in 4 days time? :D
I'll give you a hint. It's
I've always questioned why growing up was such a big deal, why everyone celebrated their birthday every year. It's not that I don't like celebrating my birthday, I do. I like the birthday wishes, I like the whole "birthday girl says" game where you get whatever you want, I love the little surprises my friends plot. Basically, everything! :) That's why I try to make each of my friends' birthday special.
But that's just surfacial right? All the celebrations and fun? Ever wondered what exactly we celebrate? Other than of course, surviving another year on this planet. All the more reason to celebrate if you got knocked down by a car and survived, or got sick with flu. Because flus can be deadly too right? ;)
I realized birthdays are like milestones in your life. Not too long ago I celebrated my sweet 16. Wasn't too sweet celebrating it during my secondary school prelims, but it had a meaning. Not only in the legal term. Yay I can watch NC16 movies. It's even the legal age to give sexual consent, yay for me?! Rather, it was what was behind these huge responsibilities the government had thrown to me. I mean wow, you're no longer protected by the law if your hormones get the better of you. You learn to make decisions on your own. In some countries you're even allowed to drive! The government entrusts you with the responsibility to go on the road because it knows you're mature enough to understand safety. Wow, it's huge, even if it doesn't seem so.
So what's so significant about me being 18? In this awesome country, it means I'm almost independent. Unlike those in China and India, I can choose when I want to get married, and whom with. I can't be forced to enter a marriage. Isn't that great? What else? Oh yes, it's legal for me to get drunk and smoke till I destroy both my liver and lungs. How cool is that? (That's sarcasm btw, for the turtles reading my blog) I can even choose to get a tattoo [but we all know I have a cute butterfly on my back ;) ] I won't be a minor anymore. I make my own decisions. Sounds like a pretty good deal innit?
Well, I am not keen. Not at all. :( Now, I can't use the law to say no to stuff I don't wanna do. When I turn 18, there are going to be invites for me to go clubbing and get drunk, or light a stick to blacken my lungs. I can't use my age as an excuse anymore. Instead, I have to grow a pair (not like I've grown enough already ahaha) and tackle the peer pressure on my own. Do I like the idea of getting drunk or even drinking socially? Nope, alcohol is vicious, even in small amounts. I made my dad stop drinking seven years ago, I'm not gonna try that. Smoking? Nah, I'll pass. Having sex like some slut? Not the set of values I subscribe to, unfortunately. Hahaha if my mum reads this, she's gonna be such a proud mother! :D
But you know what, I'm glad I'm growing up. I'm proud of the way I am. My parents trust me completely, and I've never broken that trust. When they gave me an extra thousand Euros to spend in Europe, I came back with all thousand unspent. And that's a good thing. My mum encourages me to go and try out social drinking at least once, it'd be useful in the corporate world. So when I do try it, I won't be leaving my home with two angry parents and a tight curfew. I'm finally starting to feel it. Why it's so important for me to grow up, why there's a reason to celebrate. I'm gonna be an independent girl soon, my parents may rely on me more than I rely on them a few years from now! Sooooo... I'm gonna be legal, bitches! ;)
PS: Even Subway knows about my birthday. That's why the island-wide promotion is only on my birthday. Yeah, I am influential. Ahahahah! :D
With Love,
