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In a few short months, I'll hit the big 3-0. Already, I'm getting plenty of unsolicited advice.
"You'll be too tired to go out anymore," warns my 34-year-old sister. "Enjoy this energy in your 20s while you can!"
"Be prepared to work out more and eat less," says one salad-noshing co-worker. "You won't be able to chow down without gaining weight."
"All your friends start getting hitched or having babies," says a former roommate. "If you're still single, you'll start feeling antsy and depressed."
With these forewarnings swirling in my head, I start to think I should be feeling panicked, paranoid and stressed. But I don't. I can't wait to turn 30.
Sure, twentysomethings have this guilt-free license to take chances and make mistakes, all in the name of finding ourselves. And we can do it all on little sleep and a limited budget.
We go all-night clubbing and manage to show up for work at eight in the morning. We Priceline our way to last-minute trips with friends and randomly land on an island in the French West Indies. We relish our entry-level jobs doing what we love - even if we are living on Top Ramen in some hole in the wall with roommates. We're still young enough to be excused for asking our parents for money.
But the 20s also means facing a tough road of firsts. First major car accident. First career-track job. First stab at paying off debt. First apartment break-in. First friend betrayal. First devastating broken heart.
We're unsure. We muddle through. We're constantly looking around for approval and comparisons. We make checklists of what we should have accomplished by now - finding The One, landing that dream job - especially as 30 nears. Each of us wonders: Am I the only one who feels as if I don't have it all together? Are these my real friends? Who am I trying to be?
I'm eager to turn 30 even when many of my peers would rather turn back the clock. Not because I think I'll miraculously have it all figured out. (Although I'm secretly hoping I'll be closer to it.) Thirty, to me, will mean a little more confidence, a lot more experience and focus, and the hope that the most exciting and meaningful events - getting married, starting a family, hitting my career stride, becoming a leader in my community - are yet to unfold. To me, 30 marks a new beginning.
But before the decade begins, there are a few rituals, activities and accomplishments that shouldn't go undone.
This is not a list of 30 unattainable, over-the-top goals (i.e. climb Mount Everest or have a crazy, sexual escapade) that you must do before you dive headfirst over the proverbial hill. It's a list of 30 rites of passage - from the fun and frivolous to the uber practical - you should try to squeeze in before another packed decade of very cool stuff to come.
THE LIST: THINGS TO DO BEFORE TURNING 301. Travel abroad alone. - (Hope to travel more and see the world!)
2. Drink a champagne cocktail in a Paris bar. - (See comment #1)
3. Find your own primary physician. - (Every women should always think of their health)
4. Start a 401(k). - (Huh?)
5. Make a proper Cosmo. - (I don't make, i usually order one! He he)
6. Run a marathon. - (Training for one now... Yay!)
7. Forgive someone who wronged you. - (Easier said than done!)
8. Apologize to someone you've wronged. -(Refer to above)
9. Blow your annual bonus on a pair of Jimmy Choos. - (a pair? why not several???)
10. Master cooking one impressive gourmet meal. - (i make a very mean gourmet maggi goreng... Kuang3x)
11. Be a mentor. - (I'm in the profession)
12. Save a sizable emergency fund. - (Sigh! There goes my Jimmy Choos!)
13. Get published (and not on your own or your friends' blogs). - (Trying to get my courage)
14. Learn to change a flat tire. - (I'm a pro! ;D)
15. Buy an original piece of art. - (Too scary since Teddy & Coco might make an art out of it)
16. Volunteer at a soup kitchen - more than once. - (Always!)
17. Take a nighttime helicopter ride. - (Will find one! Soon... I hope)
18. Shop at an exclusive boutique without being intimidated. - (Ohhh... La La...)
19. Live alone. - (I can't imagine living with a group of people)
20. Find a signature scent. -(Burberry! Original! Always!)
21. Divorce toxic friends. - (Done!)
22. Ask for a raise. - (Bos! Aku mau gaji naik ini time jugak... Kuang3x)
23. Learn to salsa dance. - (Sexy!)
24. Wear sunscreen daily. - (What? You don't wear one? Crazy ahh you?)
25. Buy a knock 'em dead designer cocktail dress - and wear it to your high school reunion. - (The sexier the better! You go girllll...)
26. Drive leisurely across the country. - (A good therapy)
27. Establish a routine to pray, reflect or meditate. - (Always!)
28. Read a compilation of essays called: "The May Queen: Women on Life, Love, Work, and Pulling It All Together in Your 30s" (2006). - (Ok! Aku cari bisuk!)
29. Go for your dream job. - (I'm living it)
30. Confess to your best friend that you're in love with him. - (My best fren? Hah? Why pulak this one is the last one on the list?)
OK. So the above are the 30 things women should (at least) do in their lives. This is me signing off (for now).
:)
