nineteen.

So I received a year's worth of wishes for my birthday yesterday. Most weren't very fancy, just two words, 'Happy Birthday!' and there were others who wrote more. Just receiving the acknowledgement was nice, and I wanted to thank each personally and did so.

There wasn't really anything insane this birthday. Nice and pleasant... and it reached half-day when I started feeling bored. Apparently, my friend was too, because we decided to go out. With no purpose or intention or even knowledge of where we were heading to, we said that we would just go out 'a wandering'. Well, we ended up having dinner at this fancy place with affordable prices and good food.

Later at night, I spent it laughing with another friend watching this movie, 'Definitely, maybe.' I realised that my film tutor had been talking about the kid in this film, and how 'creepy' she was. She talked in an 'all-wise' way, telling her father what to do. 

Dad: Why -why are you so concerned with this anyway?

Maya: Because I want you to be happy.

Dad: You know I'm happy.

Maya: Trust me, dad. You're not happy.

There is something disturbing in that, a what, 7 year-old girl talking like Yoda? Anyway, it made me think of that film tutor of mine, whom I will really miss. He was a good actor too, and always made his lines sound exactly like the characters. Those classes were great.

Anyway, I'll get to the point of this post. Well, so my cousin tagged me in a note on Facebook; which he said was given in lieu of a birthday present. 

It's priceless; one of the best presents I've ever received. 

And I thought that I'd share it here:

I copied it all in my journal. Am trying to think up a way to put it up somewhere where I'd see it everyday.

Things worth knowing :

• Make decisions based on what YOU want to do, not on what other people want. Following the crowd is easier, no doubt, but you won't be happy.

• Don't ever close any doors through laziness. Sure, school is a pain, but you don't want to limit your options by screwing around. Be excellent, try your best, and if you choose to go to college or not, know that it's YOUR choice, not one foisted on you by poor decisions.

• Try everything. You're at a point in your life where the world is open to you. Just because you haven't done something doesn't mean you won't like it and can't provide you with a lifetime of satisfaction.

• Be kind to everyone. It's easy to get approval by picking on those weaker than you. Avoid that temptation. Everyone deserves your regard.

• Forgive your friends when they wrong you. They will. It's part of life.

• Be kind to your parents. Odds are they love you and want what's best for you. Alienating them will hurt them and those scars will last for decades.

• If someone asks you out on a date, go. You never know.

• Read. Everything. Get a list of the top 100 books and slog through it. Yeah, everything won't make sense but you'll understand the world so much better. Everywhere in our culture people allude to things that you just won't understand if you haven't forced yourself to become well-read.

• Take every opportunity to travel. Seriously. The world is huge and you want to lose your provincial view as early as possible.

• Get involved in politics. You may as well get disillusioned early.

• Stay in shape. It's so easy now and it will last your life.

• Don't smoke.

• Learn a foreign language.

• Don't be contemptuous of those who know less than you.

• Take every opportunity to tell your family you love them.

• Learn to cook.

• Save your money for things that are important, not things that give you momentary satisfaction.

And here are the flowers my wonderful pen-pal sent me. They're so beautiful!

:)