Age

Time really flies. No question about it. Last thing I remember is I was just a geeky secondary school student who wanted to be the greatest guitarist in the world (incidentally I sucked and the only reason no one says I suck now is because I have not touched a guitar for the past 8 years or so) and now I am 27, at the crossroads of my life. Actually, no lah, a clearer path in my life has emerged than it has ever done so in the past.

Anyway, I feel I have aged a lot, particular in my university years. When I was 18, attendants were still checking my ic before admitting me to arcades (in case you are not as bo liao as me, the legal age for arcade admission during school hours is 16). All the way until I was 20, I had to show my IC when I bought cigarettes or alcohol. At that point, I thought I was an extreme annoyance and wished that I look older to avoid all this hassle.

Like they say, beware what you wish for......... I think particularly in my final year in my uni days I aged a lot. Of course that was the period of my life I had a bottle of Martell in my room most of the time and drank before sleeping. Over that year I think I aged a lot. Even when I was going into night spots where the minimum admission age was 23 or even 25, I don't recall being checked.

After starting work, I think the situation worsen. When I was 24 or so, once I was going home late after a date or something in cab, the cab driver was chatting with me and all of a sudden asked me "Li gui e kia? i.e. How many children do you have?". HELLO??? How many children do you think I could possibly have. How old do you think I look? Then I sulked home in silence refusing to talk with him.

Another cab driver was more subtle I guess but had an equally devastating effect.
Cabbie: Are you married?
Slacker: Nope....
C: No hurry lah, you are still young........ thirty one or two right?
S: No lah! I am 24!
*Cabbie was genuinely shocked and stared into the rear view mirror*
Awkward silence ensued......

Another lady customer I met when I was still in banking really has the subtlety of a Sherman Tank:
Lady to son: Boy boy, don't run around, wait uncle scold you!
Slacker (trying to make small talk): Don't call me uncle lah, I am only 25.
Lady *blink*: Oh my God! You must really learn to take care of yourself!
Suffice to say, I had lost complete interest in making that sale.

The list goes on forever, but many are common variations on this theme:
Girl: How old are you?
Slacker: Make a guess....
G: Thirty....... two?
S *Starts making a face*
G: Too young ah? Sorry, I usually give discount to be sure.

Oh well, that's life. My friend is recommending me SKII with Pitera or some crap like that to keep your skin soft and supple. At some point in time I had taken to wearing young looking t-shirts (like John Cena-word life) and over-length bermudas to look younger. Sometimes it works "Boy, school holiday now ah?", other times I get lambasted for trying to act cute. Nowadays I give up......

Slacker