Feeling excited for my 21st. That kind of heart fluttering excitement. Now looking back, the past two decades seem to have flown by. Was I just a short (ok i admit I'm still pretty short now), bespectacled and geeky 13 year old eight years ago?!?! I can still remember my days in school when I was 13, the strong bonds I had with my friends, the stupid arguments we'd get into, thinking how we were so mature when actually we were just beginning to grow up... These memories make me laugh. If I ever have a chance to sit with my secondary school friends and reminisce with them, it would be a bittersweet one.

Now, I'm really really growing up. If you ask me whether I miss my teenage years, the answer would be "no". Don't get me wrong, I do love those years. I miss how friendships could be so pure and easily maintained. Even though we were young, we understood the meaning of trust and honesty among friends. I miss how the world seemed simpler and kinder. Things aren't the same now though. As we begin to mature and learn, the world just inevitably gets a little deeper and darker.

But no, I don't miss those "innocent" days. 'Cause I much prefer to be growing and gaining knowledge, even if it means that some of the knowledge I gain negatively changes my perspective towards life. But I believe good things can come out of bad stuff and that the world is still ultimately a beautiful place. :)

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's party. I hope everything will run smoothly, that it won't rain, that my guests will not be ridiculously late, that all my friends will have fun, that no one will inform me last minute that they cannot make it (!!!) and that I will be very happy and have many good memories.