Bye-bye twenty-something.

And so that's thirty years, eh? And I still feel like I'm stuck at the stage of a teenager, to some extend. 

I can't say that I'm not disappointed at not being able to call myself "twenty-something" anymore. To me, 20's respresents an age of discovery, of growth and exploration, and of being bold enough to be adventurerous while not yet wise enough to be afraid of them. It is a time when the crazy stories would happen, the "I cannot believe I did that" occurs, and when life seems young forever and that that the world would always be my oyster no matter what. It's a time of great learning and self-reflection, of soaking up the world like a sponge but not knowing quite what to do with all the information. It is about limitless opportunities for failures and new beginnings, and having "all the time in the world" without having to make up my about how to live the rest of my life. 

It's about the junction between youth and maturity, because "twenty-something" sounds young enough, but at the same time conveys that you are also an adult capable of adult-things, of adult-thoughts. 

And it seems a little sad that I might be waving goodbye to all that. But that is of course before I realize that our world is changing, and what was the old "twenty-something" is quickly expanding into today "thirty-something".

In fact, more than one person have already told me (probably in sympathy, but nice to hear nonetheless), that their thirties were the best part of their lives. Hooray. 

In my thirties, I shall learn to listen to myself more. I shall learn to know how to reach out for help, and actually listen to other people's advice for a change. I shall lay to rest some of my internal struggles that could not be solved in the last decade, and open my arms to opportunities the world toss out at me. I shall learn to keep a blueprint in my mind, but yet not so fixated on following it that I miss out on wonderful detours. I shall forget about trying to find my destiny, and let destiny discover me instead. 

This will be a decade when a lot of important events would occur. I would enter the work-force no longer as a trainee, and start to make a living to start building my life. If all goes well I will meet my significant other and get married sometime down the road. I will have my own place as the foundation of building a new home. I will explore new learning opportunities in whatever that inspires me and continue to settle into "a calling". I will likely be open to many opportunities to seek out the world and actually have the means of doing it. If all goes well I should be on the verge of a wonderful decade. 

Happy thirtieth. It has only just began.