So my 18th birthday passed only a few days ago and wow, it has been 18 years since I've been here on this planet. And in the past 18 years, what have I achieved? It's a question I've been asking myself since my birthday, and man it's the toughest question I've ever encountered since. In retrospect, I've done almost nothing impactful or meaningful in my life. 98% of my life was spent going to school, but what have I learnt?

Up till this day, there are still so many things I haven't achieved or done. There are still so many things I want to learn and so much more to experience. So now, what do I truly want?
I still want to learn the piano again, learn how to play the cello, pick up new languages: French, Korean, Japanese, travel around the world, volunteer in rural places, do yolo things like paragliding and cliff jumping, hiking in New Zealand, living the camper van life, stargazing in a beautiful place, visit Europe again and each and every part of the world I've never been to. There's just so much more to life than just studying, graduating, getting a job, getting married and settling down with kids. There's so much more to life than just being satisfied with the idea of settling down.

So on my birthday this year, I wish that at least five years later from now, I wouldn't be stuck in my own comfort zone and that by then, I'll already be doing the things I once set out to do. And that by the age of 20, 22 or 25, I would have said that I've spent most of my life LIVING it, not surviving it.

Last but not least, happy birthday to myself. The past 18 years have been bittersweet, tough af I would admit, but nevertheless I'm thankful. So thankful for having the best family and for meeting the craziest, most genuine and beautiful people in my life. Thank you for making life a blast.