Age is and has always been, just a number

...And a brand new year has just come. Welcome 2011, goodbye 2010.

Is it me or just the person in the reflection of the mirror, where I see more fine lines across my face. Crows feet when I laugh, and the deepened crevices across my face? Perhaps I am just over scrutinizing myself, or perhaps I am just being overly critical (as every normal girl should be) but I can't help realizing the other effects of age. For example, seven hours of sleep does not seem sufficient daily. Eight to nine seem to be required for Mizmanda to be fully functional.

And I also realized other differences. I used to be able to scour the whole of One Utama during the daytime, and to drive to the Curve or Ikano to walk around at night without skipping a beat. Where my mom would complain that she doesn't feel like going out after a few hours at a mall. This time around, I realize that I am beginning to feel exactly the same way. The horrors of finding out that you will eventually turn out like your mom is now a side issue, its severity offset by the horrors of finding out that your body is undergoing changes due to the effects of age!

Okeh okeh.... maybe I am over-dramatizing a leetleee bit. But hey, the year you turn twenty five, with heck loads of friends and acquaintances getting married (some getting kids, goodness gracious) i think i have rights to over-dramatize!

Nevertheless, 2010 was an eventful year for me. It was filled with truckloads of drama, soul searching moments, moments of absolute clarity and also moments of doubt and confusion. I suppose it was also a year where it finally dawned on me, exactly where I want to be and why.

2010 was a year where friendship was lost and made. New friends found, and certain things broken and mended over... leaving scars on relationships that would probably take more than a couple of years to fully conceal.... But it was definitely a year of learning and maturation for one and all involved.

Turning twenty four.

I love you guys too.

But 2010 is more than just a year of turning twenty four for me. It is more than a year of living abroad. It is more than learning from the experiences thrown my way. It was also the year where I finally found my way somewhere roughly at the end, where I really wanted to be despite everything.

Oh, don't get me wrong. There are still many areas of my life which I am still unduly lost in. I am still lost when it comes to trusting love in relationships. Lost in terms of where exactly I am headed. But at least I found exactly where it is I want to be.... and finding my way in that, is worth every bit of 2010.

A toast to 2011. May this be a year filled with answered prayers and merry laughter, for one and for all.