oh just growing up

I'm not sure why it took four months of driving until i finally realised how all grown up i am. I'm nearly 18 now and it's pretty strange to look at those digits and think of how suddenly in the seconds between your final moments as a 17-year-old and the first ones as a legal adult, that you suddenly have more rights and responsibilities according to the law AND the society's perception. It's like breathing in one second as a minor and the next as somebody more significant. Of course, this is all how i would expect it to feel like. I wouldn't actually know what it's like to finally be 18 until the day actually comes. Out of all the things i would finally be allowed to do as an adult, the only thing i'm actually excited about is finally being able to change my IC photo. The 12-year-old picture of me looks absolutely ridiculous.

The other day i was walking around in a mall alone and somebody from the blood donation organization approached me and asked if i was interested to donate my blood to the blood bank. Knowing i was still under-aged, i told them that i was not 18 yet. They seemed surprised of course, because i usually appear to look way more mature than i actually am. It turned out that i still could donate my blood but only with the consent of my parents. That gave me something else to be excited to turn 18 about.

There's some satisfaction to be able to decide something for yourself. Even though i have no memory whatsoever of having needles stuck in my veins i'm sure donating blood is quite exciting. I'll be looking forward to trying it out soon. Of course, i'll still let my parents know i'm doing it. Technically in Islam i'm still supposed to ask for their permission for these kind of things, up until the responsibility shifts to my future husband but that's going to be a long while away anyway.

Honestly, I don't really care about my birthday, the fact that it's going to be my 18th is what really makes me fidgety. I've never had a memorable birthday anyway, and the older i get the more the idea of celebrating it seem unnecessary. I guess i'll just have to enjoy showing the inner kid-Kamalia for another week. After that, well, we'll see :)

still 17,

Kamals