The year I was 21.

The year I was 21.

There have been too many gripes about how life goes downhill once you're 21, but truth be told I'm not at all apprehensive about turning 22. Being 21 skims the lines of legal everything, but being 22 kinda tangibilizes it. I still feel underaged sometimes, so this birthday would be my legal passport to anything and everything.

I've toyed with the idea of this entry for some time now, but I had to wait until I was nearing the end of my 21st year before it would be meaningful to pen it down.

When I was 21:

I packed up and left home for the longest time so far
lived in India for over four months
experienced my first winter
sat on my first auto-rickshaw ride and prayed to live through it
sat through many more in the Indian winter while bundled up in two jackets and a scarf
squeezed and huddled with three others in the back of an auto-rickshaw meant for two
got groped, twice
learnt to appreciate the sunshine on a cold day
a steaming cup of chai while seated outdoors on a winter's night
and the toasty warmth of shelter from harsh winter winds

I watched my first Bollywood film in one of Ahmedabad's cinemas
washed my own clothes for the first time
killed my first cockroach
endured my first Brazilian wax in an Indian beauty parlor
befriended and became great friends with the Frenchies
spent many a night with them bastardizing the institution
over chai at Chhota and hot Bonvita at TT
over late-night badminton games
or while watching Go to Goa, the film of our Indian life

I fell head over heels in lust with Berty
finally kissed him on our third evening in Goa
bargained at the Anjuna hippie markets I'd always wanted to see
spent a night in Sur la Mer, one of Goa's most romantic resorts
sat on a motorbike for the first time
got my first motorbike battle scar
had my first injection in India in one of Goa's dilapidated hospitals
and lived to tell the tale

I visited Shanghai for the first time
missed my first flight
had my first catch-up with a friend on foreign land
and spent a night with food poisoning in the transit hotel

I flew halfway around the world to Paris
for a six-week rendezvous with B
had my first visit to the Laundromat
saw the Eiffel Tower thrice
ate my first escargots and too many French delicacies
shopped at the outdoor markets I've longed to visit
saw Mont Blanc and the French Alps
drank champagne in Champagne
visited my first Disneyland Park
missed my second flight
traipsed through Rome with my childhood friend
bridged sisterly rifts with my sister over fries in Brussels
danced through the night in a Spanish club
met up with the Frenchies in Paris and Guethary
discovered a new way of life
and a new way of embracing it.

It has been the year of many firsts, and one that made my previous 20 seem bland and colorless. It was one where I said my goodbyes to old endings and embarked on the most beautiful and inspiring of beginnings. Too many times I payed no heed to the head and followed the heart, and was rewarded with experiences of a lifetime. If i had to sum it up, I would say that this was the year I finally stopped thinking, and finally started living.

With commitments that would keep me grounded here in Singapore for the good part of my 22nd year, I'm not sure how exciting it would be, but we'll see. :)