“What's so good about being 20? I call them the materialist years. The years we get distracted by all the bullshit. Then we cop on when we hit our 30s and spend those years trying to make up for the 20s. But your 40s? Those years are for enjoying it.” - Cecelia Ahern in Love, Rosie

When the doctor asked me how old I am and I answered, “30 this year”, I swear I freaked out a bit. In two months I’ll be 30! THREE. FREAKING. ZERO. It’s not that aku rasa being 30 tua sangat ke apa, it’s just that I remember back when I was a student, I always look up to kakak-kakak in their 30s, with career and money and kids; aku rasa mereka sangat grown up and accomplished. Quoting the girl from the movie 13 Going On 30, “Thirty, flirty and thriving.”

And now I’m gonna be one of the kakaks in my 30s. Sangat grown up lah, so grown up that I feel like rewarding myself with something cool on my birthday this year. Something that says, ‘Congratulations Self, For Turning 30’. Kah kah.


Did you know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Britney Spears and Jonathan Taylor Thomas all turned 30 last year? Man, they were once so young! And now they’re 30?! I feel so old. Oh Beyonce too will turn 30 this year. And she said she’s going to retire once she hits the big 3-0, yeah, she’s that accomplished, tahap boleh retire dah at 30, when manusia biasa like me terkedek-kedek dalam career path. And now she is a mother. How more (duniawi) perfect can one be?! Oh well.

According to This Is London, things you must do before turning 30 includes:

Buy a property. Have a baby. Live abroad. Build your brand. Leave parental home, because life begins when you fly the nest. Look after the pennies – save up! Drop out of the rat race. Co-habit with a partner, be it boyfriends or friends. Own a designer handbag; paid for with your own hard-earned cash, equals job satisfaction by the bucketload. Grow a pair, learn to stand up for yourself, how to say "no" and more importantly, how to entertain the notion of being right. Baz Luhrmann was right, always wear sunscreen. Dump the debt – settle your student loan. Build up your black book – because information is power, and networking ability will always stand you in good stead. Be a fashion victim. Heal a broken heart. Get married. Take it to the extreme, push your body to its limit. Write a book; Flaubert, Kafka, Fitzgerald, Updike and Walcott all pushed out classics before 30, so writing a decent tome is actually possible too. Know who your friends are. Learn to cook. Learn a language. Make a million, or at least earn your age. Find yourself. Have a summer of love. Get a second life; Don't let work become life. Extracurricular activities could also help you unearth your real passion. Sleep when you're dead, because everyone knows the best fun starts after midnight. Start a business; Take the plunge while you still have nothing to lose.

What a cute list. Glad to know I could check off a few from the list, phewww. Hehehe. I would really like to start my own 30 Before 30 Project of 30 things I must do before turning 30. But March 30th is in just 2 months and I’m afraid aku akan hangat-hangat tahi ayam. We’ll see, maybe I’ll come up with something. Or maybe I’ll just be lazy, cheat and think of what to get myself as my ‘Congratulations Self, For Turning 30’ gift. Hahaha.

Oh, just so you know, hubs’ already had his ‘Congratulations Self, For Turning 30’ all planned out; he wants a Ducati Monster! Pfffttt, man!

But really, still being given the chance to live this perfectly wonderful life is a gift itself :)