Finally legal.

Before the year 1998, when I was growing up, I lived on Jalan Gasing, opposite Assunta school because my sister was studying there. It was a semi-D house and I loved everything about it. It was my first house (my parents 10th and my sisters 3rd). My sister had her own room, and since I didn't appear for 10 years, there was no room prepared for me, and so I slept with my parents. In between them. The bed was pretty huge so it was very very comfy.

I remember once my sister was playing with fire and accidentally set fire to her papers on her table, and the fire spread so fast, and it was so hot and so scary, but we both managed to put it off without our parents knowing anything about it =).

Anyway, I digress. We had family prayers every night. Once when I was asked to pray, I prayed that God would give Jesus a bed so that he wouldn't need to sleep with the donkeys. I used to pray that it would rain more so that my cars could be washed, and I would say thank you whenever it stopped. Once I heard my mom saying 'No TV during rain Shenara!', and so I prayed that there would be no rain anymore so that I could watch TV whenever I wanted to. After all, we had a gardener to wash the car!

At night I would just lie down, comfy, and snuggled into my blanket which my dad tucked in nice and tight (I wouldn't sleep if he didn't), and after my mom said prayers (I was afraid that in my sleepy state, I would say something stupid and God would laugh at me), after both parents fell asleep I would just lie down, surprisingly alert after prayers, staring at the ceiling. The room faced the street, and so I could see the shadows of moving cars and somehow it was soothing for me.

There was a boys school (La Salle) right there, but I went to Cempaka. My dad was a manager.

Fast forward 13 years (or rather after 1997). I live in a bungalow on the other side of PJ. Jalan *number*/*number*. Again, there's a school right down the lane, (Sultan Abdul Samad), yet I still went to Cempaka. And then HELP. My sister finished Accountancy at Sunway College, and worked at PriceWaterHouse Coopers and then left for a better offer at Ernst and Young. My dad was promoted to Director. I have my own room, the second biggest in the house.

I lock up both my room doors at night, so that my music wont disturb anyone else. I sleep when I want to and my mom shouts good night from her room (prompting a scolding from my sister from her room) before she turns in, and my dad knocks on the door at 3am, and if I'm sleeping will swat all the mosquitoes and then turn in himself. My sis and I interact during dinner or when were fighting for the remote control, or when she needs help with work.

We only have family prayers once in a blue moon and my room is a distance from the road, and overlooks my neighbour's son's room, and so no shadows for me. I don't notice and just fall asleep when I've had my quota of night-smses and songs.

Though many years have passed, the amount of love in the family is still the same (or rather increased). Even though everyone is always so busy nowadays we still make it a point to eat together every Sunday night and any other night my sister can get back in time for dinner. We still pick one or two tv shows that we have to watch together as a family (this year it was Seinfeld, along with the regular American Idol).

I'm thankful that all the good things in life that I experienced over a decade ago, I still experience today. Or rather I experience the same things and more!

I have had a blessed life so far, and I thank God for that. I thank my parents and my family and my friends.

And so on this day, my birthday, even though I'm 'legal', I'm not going to forget about or leave behind or graduate from the people and events that have made me who I am today.

So....happy birthday to me =)