old we are not

i was saying to a friend that he's lucky he's a guy because being a guy, you get away with your age. in fact, the older you are, the higher your attraction rate climbs, whereas for girls, if you're 30 and single, oh no (heads shake). well, i'm not there yet, but imagine what it's like for a guy to say he's 30 and for a girl to say she's 30; you get different responses. for the guy, people will simply marvel and wonder at how distinguished he looks, how successful he might already be; how young still, how smart he is. for the girl, they'll wonder, if she's still single, poor girl; why is she not married yet? if she's married, her entire face and body will be scrutinized and analyzed. right?

and right after that conversation, i read a remark where this witty guy noted that "we don't need to make efforts to grow. we just do". haha so true.

time is flying by at an alarming rate. suddenly we're at the final lap of 2008 (i still remember christmas of last year for goodnes sake). suddenly, we're a year older. yes, we (or I) might not 'feel' my age. i feel probably just the same as i did two years ago, but perhaps, i HAVE changed. i HAVE grown older. i'd like to think so actually. don't tell, in fact, i wish i could buy wisdom and maturity.

maturity comes only with age. and like fine wine, it is to be appreciated and savoured. there's nothing i would give to trade what i have learnt and gained in the process of growing up. and you know what? being right smack in the first quarter of my century, i feel like it's a ... special year. different in a way i can't really explain but there's this realization ... this awareness that it's significant.

like it or not, we age. want it or not, we get older and there's just so much time left in us. how we want to live it out, how we want it to count rest on us and us alone.

we can moan and bitch through life, or we could try to make each moment count. we could live without a care in the world, or we could love deeply, laugh without abandon and yes, have our hearts break from time to time. but then, isn't that what makes life real? isn't that what makes life worthy of something? to taste. to savour. to fly. to fall.

glorious. absolutely enthralling.

so, old? we are not. just wiser i hope.