...about n.i.n.e.t.e.e.n...

January 18, 2008.

Another day. Another year. Another age. Another 365 days waiting right in front of me.
And the moment starts NOW.

Why?

Because I just turned NINETEEN!!!!

*jumps around excitedly*

..Alright alright slow down. Before I creep y'all out with my silly overexcited dances... *laughs*

Yeah. I turn nineteen today. Big ONE and big NINE.
And gawd, has it been a very very long day.

Started off the day waking up REALLY LATE for my precious Law tutorial. Jumped out of bed straight away after receiving Jacelyn's wake-up call, rushed to the shower, quickly dressed, ran off to college, and arrived about half an hour late to the class. Oh well. Not a good start. But everything went quite fine from there. Got some occasional stupidity flashes here and there, experienced a bit of a brain overload, got scratched by that crazy sudden fear of flunking the exam, you know, nothing new. 'Cuz it's Law fgs. *sighs*

After class, I sped up with Jacelyn and Andrew, picking up Wei Hong along the way, to Clayton Road to have lunch, then went to Rusden House in an aim to work on the stupid Business Statistics assignment together. *shocking, i know* Met up with Din and Chris, but parted ways because the four of us were going to Jacelyn's apartment and Chris was going to Din's. Then we went on a ten-minute walk from the carpark to Jacelyn's unit, and the whole route was like a MAZE. We kept laughing our heads off for no reason along the way, talking about stupid meaningless things and silly shit, with my back aching due to carrying the superheavy textbook-leaden tote bag on my right shoulder.

We chatted for a while, laughed a bit more, fooled around with Jacelyn's dolls, trying to lock Wei Hong out at the balcony, some crazy happy stuff like that, before Jacelyn suddenly asked us all to go back downstairs since Din and Chris were already waiting to start working on Stats in the common room. So we grabbed our stuff, then marched down to the basement common room.

Along the way, or should I say the intricate Rusden Maze *lol*, I began to notice that some weird stuff was going on. For instance, why Wei Hong wasn't bringing his stuff with him, why Andrew became even quieter than usual, and why Jacelyn was like smiling in a mysterious way. But I immediately dismissed the thought and kept walking.

But then it was as if everything was turning upside down because suddenly everybody was singing Happy Birthday on top of their lungs, and I was left there stunned, stopped in my tracks, flabbergasted.

The rest was history. *laughs*
So they were not actually serious with the Statistics-groupwork thingy. It was just a VERY GOOD EXCUSE, even too good that I wasn't even suspicious at all of their sudden switch of early study-mode. But yeah, in the end, the shockparty was awesome. Got to eat a LOT of super-yummy blueberry cheesecake, took pictures, laughed a lot, fooled around with them for a while, danced a bit to the music, basically having great fun with great company.

Here as some of the pictures of our Rusden Moments together.

This is the super-yummy cheesecake I just mentioned. DELICIOUS! =)

This is Jacelyn helping me cut the cake into smaller slices.

I'M THE BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Thanks for all the efforts, guys! =)

And then, fast-forwarding first, during a habitual Glen-Waverley Friday dinner with my iCare friends, they presented me with another birthday cake.
Oh, my God. I was like so, so touched.

I mean, two birthday cakes, two surprises, to sweet gestures, two groups of amazing, loving friends. Even ONE is good enough to make me cry, but TWO?

WOWZERS. I'm lost for words right now.

My second birthday cake! =)

The B'day Boy with SoFt! members. I LOVE YOU GUYS HEAPS!!! =']

Well. This may be my very first birthday away from loved ones and family, and home.
Yet so far, this has been one of my most memorable birthdays, truly. Celebrating with my new friends, from college and from iCare, has been VERY fun and enjoyable. I know it would've been so much more meaningful if only my loved ones were close, but hey, I just gotta stop complaining and start being grateful of what I have now, right? And, believe me, I AM grateful. More grateful than you think I am. *smiles*

And I don't want this birthday to go by with no meaning. I don't want my upcoming days to be fruitless. This is my stepping stone towards adulthood, the final age of my teenage years. And I'm gonna live it up. I will.

I wanna make my resolutions come true.
I wanna strive to fulfill all my goals, short-term and long-term.
I wanna lose weight. *laughs*
I wanna be on top of my game and just enjoy the things that I have.
I wanna make more friends.
I wanna make my own money.
I wanna fight, and be brave, and take chances.
I wanna get closer to HIM and learn more of HIS Grace.
I wanna stop being the crybaby and the lazy bum that I am and become more self-motivated in achieving everything in my life.
I wanna find myself.
I wanna live my life to the fullest that I can.

And finally, I wanna be a better person, as a whole, mentally, physically. To myself, to my loved ones, and to God. 'Cuz I know I still got a long way to go. And I'm not gonna waste each and every moment that I have in my life.

I wish nineteen is gonna be a great age for me.
Amazing days are waiting for me ahead! And I'm gonna face each one with pride and joy, knowing I'm ready to fight the battle, and I'm sure I will always win.

Last but not least... The Curtain Call!! *grins*

First, thank you to The Big Guy Up There for giving me a chance to experience yet another year of my amazing life.

A big thank you to Andrew, Chris, Din, Jacelyn, and Wei Hong for the surprise party that you guys threw for me, for the cake, the drinks, the donuts, everything. *smiles*

Thank you for Ko Andri, Ko Bagas, Ci Zoya, Ci Eve, and Andrew for the cake, and the dinner surprise. And thanks to MelMel for the meaningful message. Love you guys! =)

Thank you for my special ones and best friends: Dad, Mom, Neja, Brie, Renata, Stella, Amelinda, Adeline, Fred, Deya, Lina, Richard, Jayadipta, Kev, Maya, for your thoughtful greetings and messages! You guys may be far, yet your places stay true in my heart forever.

And finally, an equally big thank you for all my beloved friends in Melbourne, Jakarta, Surabaya, Sydney, Singapore, KL, Purdue, LA, Beppu (Japan), wherever you are, for your sweet greetings and wishes! My big hugs are extended to all of you. *hugs*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!
Almost goodbye, happy Dreamland years. Almost welcome, adulthood and real life.

*claps*
*curtain closes*