20 + 1 = 21

I’m going to be 21 years old in about three days. And I’m proud of it. Besides, it’s not like I have a choice, right?

For days now, friends have been joking me that I’m getting old, all because I’m turning 21. It’s a man’s debut. It’s my debut. But I was never like, “Oo nga, eh, nakakalungkot, tumatanda na ako!” Incrementing my age each time I celebrate birthday is no issue for me, unlike other old people who cringe at that inevitable +1. I mean, come on guys! It’s the reality we all have to face. We age each year, we get older. We all go through with it. It’s inevitable. So what’s the bad fuss? When we were kids, we couldn’t wait to get older. Now that we are older, we all want to be younger. Ironic, isn’t it?

Actually, the whole debut thing doesn’t really mean much to me, sans for the formality that I can be officially called an adult male. Men don’t normally celebrate their debut with as much fanfare as women when they turn 18. But in my case, I’m excited not really because I’m going to be 21 and it’s my debut but because for the first time since I was 7 years old, I’m gonna have a party. And I’m so looking forward to it. And it’s not gonna be like the typical party that families have at their homes, with all the family friends and relatives. It was like that during my high school graduation party. Half of the guests probably don’t even know that I study at DBA. =) Not all of them contributed one way or another in order for me to achieve what I have achieved ­­– to graduate as Valedictorian. There were only a handful of my schoolmates, classmates and friends that were there. To think that aside from my family, I owe my high school success more to them than any other blood relative. And I don’t want my debut party to be like that. I want only the important people in my life present at the venue – the people who have made my 21 years of existence worthwhile. I want a very intimate and personal party.

With age comes wisdom they say. This is what I answer to friends who chide me for getting old. There are still a lot of things that I still have to learn. For starters, I still don’t have a driver’s license. I’m 21, for crying out loud. I still can’t cook. So if I’d have to work abroad, I’m gonna starve or take-outs will just consume a bulk of my hard-earned dollars. I still hate taking care of children. I love my nephews to bits, but when it comes to parental administrative stuff (like feeding them, giving them a bath, and all that jazz), I still don’t have the instincts. In short, though I’m legally capable, hindi pa ako pwedeng mag-asawa. Haha! =) And i still don't have a girlfriend. Don't get me wrong. I'm fine with it. But I hate it when my folks keep bugging me for a gf. I'm like, "Ayaw niyo ba talaga ako gunraduate?! Hindi nga ako makapag-focus eh, gusto niyo pang magka-syota ako?!" =) I would have to do with flings, haha! AS IF, REX!!

In three days, I’m gonna be 21. Some say I don’t look my age. Some say I look older because of my occasional unshavened chin (Darn! I hate having to do this every morning!). While some souls mistake me as a Sophomore, to think that I’m already in my fifth year (bless these rare souls, haha!). But in the end, it’s all about what I’ve already accomplished in my first 21 years, right? Boy, I’ve been through a lot. While I have my own shortcomings as an adult, I can fairly say I’ve made up in other departments of my life. This early, I have touched and inspired a lot of lives already. How do I know? People say so, and they have done the same to me. Imagine what else I could do in the my second 21 years? Hopefully, drive a car at NLEX. =)