20.

Older, but definitely not wiser. Or, maybe just a little bit. Nineteen things that I have learned this past year; may I never make these mistakes again. =D

1. Honesty doesn’t always work. It has the ability to create its own little mess.
2. Never assume that hairdressers know exactly what they are doing. Most of the time, they don’t, and the end result could be a thick carpet of your once-long hair.
3. Your entire belief system can come crashing down in exactly 3.5 seconds and one word.
4. Never walk into a bathroom when you’re sleep deprived. It might just be the wrong one. More importantly, don’t spend over 5 minutes staring blankly at your reflection. MOST importantly, when a boy walks in, run.
5. Secrets are never secrets. Tread carefully.
6. Your favourite green footwear can, and eventually will, get shredded into a million pieces.
7. Chocolate chip cookies can make you fat.er. Especially if you have one 12-piece packet a day, and selfishly offer your room-mate just one of these twelve.
8. University is not the breeze through you think it would be. Soon, you will realize how very disillusioned you were. You will also wish that you had stayed under this illusion for longer, possibly forever.
9. Curry flavoured noodles contain fish. They are not vegetarian. They never will be vegetarian.
10. One twenty minute episode of HIMYM/BBT/FRIENDS can lead to twenty more, closely following the first one.
11. Change really is the only thing that is constant.
12. You cannot survive on four hours of sleep. No matter what, you will end up either crashing and sleeping for 30 hours straight, or crashing and dying.
13. Take all the good advice you can get, but at the end of the day, make your own choices. No one is responsible for your life but you.
14. Cheap flip-flops + heavy rain = combination for a (falling) disaster.
15. Exams can, and will drive you crazy. Like, over the top insane. Mental hospital material. You get the drift.
16. Never say things when you’re mad. You’ll only say it all wrong, you’ll only make it all worse.
17. The library has the ability to literally freeze you. I could have sworn that my feet once turned into two large chunks of ice.
18. Be open to everything. Be open to the very concept of being open. You won’t get anywhere without this basic ideology.
19. Most importantly, be yourself. Stay true. There’s no other way to live.

From a Distance

A question from a friend (you know who you are!) urged me to go ahead and write a New Year's entry, despite my previous aversion to it. Who am I kidding, anyway? You can't change, erase or forget the past. Most of the time, it's right there, in your face, mocking you (also, possibly dancing to Waka Waka. And dancing very well to it, I might add.).

So do I rewind, or do I fast-forward? Or maybe just float around, in the moment? If there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is to take things as they come. Learn to live with whatever is thrown your way. Kafka's Metamorphosis taught me this much.

I could go on like this. There were so many lessons, so much to say. But I can't help but stop for a moment and wonder- why do I always focus on this tiny part of my life? I only end up taking into account a miniscule, insignificant fragment of the world, completely missing out on the bigger picture. It’s time to step back and really take a look around.

And then it hit me. Maybe this coming year should involve a little less selfishness. There is always someone who has it worse than you do, and as important as self-improvement is, there should definitely be a lot less wallowing and self-pity in the process.

I know people close to me who have survived cancer, who have been through extreme psychological breakdowns. People who live secret lives, and people who have lost it all. People who have lived through worse disappointments than I can ever imagine; people who have seen their whole lives crumbling down right in front of their eyes. People suffering from autism; people whose drunken husbands beat them up on a weekly basis. People who never had anything to begin with; people who have it all, but still can't find that silver lining.

All I'm trying to say is, it's important to be content. Whatever you are being put through now- well, the truth is, there could be something much worse coming your way. Prepare for it, and as crazy as this may sound, embrace it. It may change you in ways that you can never imagine.

To conclude, I would like to say that the Bubble Calendar is the best thing ever invented (Google, in case of any confusion). And here's something to think about- "When it's all said and done, would you have said more than you have done?" Also, am I becoming too preachy and repetitive? Happy New Year!