ReAlItY ChEcK: I Am GoInG To Be 20 YeArS OlD SoOn…VeRy SoOn !

I was once an archetype of the perpetually hungry kid who was noisy and dirty and with the inborn ability to drive my parents “up the wall” as they say. With my next door friends of about the same age we would run wild around the neighbourhood , catching spiders, cycling, playing catching, disturbing people and on the whole enjoying ourselves tremendously. Those were the days where I was a “damn nuisance” to everyone older than us.

The years seem to have passed very quickly. I am now pushing twenty and on the verge of leaving NgeeAnn Polytechnic. I really wonder sometimes how did I grew up so fast. It would be just wonderful to remain kids forever, like peter pan and his friends, but then again it may not be such a good idea after all.

Anyway the reality is that I am no longer a teenager. When I think back and compare when I was then with what I am now I can see vast differences, much like that a tadpole and a frog.

The first thing I noticed is that I no longer have the energy to run continuously. In those younger days we did not walk. I ran, jumped and skipped all over the place. I had boundless energy and never knew what tiredness meant. Now I hardly ever run or rather can’t run, unless it is on the school field when I have to run or face the wrath of the P.E teacher during “TAF Training” during my yester years. Even then it is always more a fast walk then a proper run, much to the teacher indignation. I can never understand how I have become so unwilling to run. Maybe it is because I have used up my quota of running when I am a young kid. Anyway my parents will never catch me running for the fun of it. All those middle-age joggers I see puffing like puffer fishes and groaning on the road look more like jokers to me. I prefers the slow mode of moving. I think some of my friends share the same feeling too. Am I right?

Noise and dirt have been replaced by music and neatness. I admit I was once screaming little clouds of dirt that messed up and deafened everyone I met. Now I do not mess up anyone. Some of my friends are definitely very cleans but some are just plain stinkoid. This is the time when fashion and style seem very important. How can I looks good in our clothes if we remain dirty? Ah, I even wash our hands before and after meals like a Muslim would do. I am sure each of my friends brushes his teeth everyday. Otherwise he would not remain a friend for very long.

God bless those who invented the portable MP3 player. Now I can listen to my favourite songs without disturbing anyone else. Gone are the times when we have to run the volume down on the hi-fi set because my parents got mad at the too-loud music. With the earphones covering our ears now, we disturb no one and no one disturbs me.

Physically too, I have changed tremendously. I would say on the average, I am twice the size when I once was at ten. I also discovered we can no longer sing those children songs, firstly because I feel a bit embarrassed to sing them and mostly because I cannot sing in the key that I once sang in. a lion cannot squeak like a mouse. That is the difference in my voice. The once angelic voice of a child had turn into the growl of an adolescent boy.

Mentally I have obviously changed. I can no longer play the games I used to play with the girls of our age. When I was young it made no difference whether our playmates were boys or girls. Now it makes a tremendous change. I am so conscious of our sex differences. I only play among members of my own sex. The girls prefer to indulge in softer games on their own. We boys are more robust. I also detect a very great tendency for me to show off wherever there are girls around. I do not really know why, but I definitely play harder when the girls are watching.

Soon I will leave school to make way in the real world of adults. I would definitely change some more. I suppose things will get more serious and I will have less and less time to play. Physical activity will take a back seat except for those fitness freaks. Run? I think I will just sit down and watch teenagers do it.