Thursday, June 24, 2004

Coming of Age

A couple of years ago, someone asked me how old I was and I had to pause and count before I proceeded to give the wrong age due to my inability to do simple arithmetic. It was then that I realised, after a certain age, you don't really want to remember how old you are. Your mind gamely cooperates by letting crucial age related information to slip out of your memory thus making it hard to recallhow old one actually is.

Tomorrow, I turn 28. It's not a big milestone but I face it with great reluctance and a certain amount of trepidation. Since I've moved back to Singapore, every year added has seemed to load on more responsibilities. In Melbourne, we were sort of in limbo. As students, our lives, habits and obligations didn't vary much from year to year. No doubt, academic pressure mounted especially in honours year, but apart from that, it was pretty much the same year in year out. This wasn't the case upon return to Singapore. Our first year back, my 26th birthday, we were busy planning and saving for our wedding. That year was spent running around like headless chickens and I learnt to answer to not just one set of parents but two. Last year, my 27th, we were newly married and had acquired for ourselves, a house, a car and two jobs that weren't the most easy going even at the best of times. So add that to the list of things we were answerable for and this year, the list seems to have grown another foot.

It is because of this that I face turning 28 with great reluctance. It seems that with every passing year, I lose more freedom and gain more grown up things that I am expected to carry out. How un-fun it is to grow up.

On a brighter note, to celebrate my birthday, I am heading for the Mango sale even though I'm broke. I'll try very hard not to buy anything- although I think that's humanly impossible for me. I'm confident though, that if I did buy anything, my shopping will be more curtailed and subdued then at previous sales. Tis the power of a credit card bill for items purchased in US dollars.

Dan is also taking me to high tea, so tomorrow will be a day of indulgence and I shall look forward to it and forget for the moment that the day signifies a year of increased drudgery.

Ondine tossed this thought in at 22:17

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