20 Things...

For the third time around on this blog, time has come for me to simplify my memories into bullet points. Since that is right, kids, what you are reading right now is my annual birthday post, that, for some reason, was kind of a struggle to write this year, and I still hate it a little bit.

But, without launching into a long-winded complaint, here it goes. These are *some of* the 20 things that defined my life at 20:

At 20, I...

1. Was a Resident Assistant for Century Apartments.
2. ...And found it so amazing that I was rehired for another year!
3. Took a charter flight to Dallas. 
4. Learned how to cook pasta (and make grilled sandwiches).
5. Had an article published on me in USC News.
6. Took a trip to the NASA JPL lab.
7. Planned an entire trip to New York City on my own.
8. And then proceeded to go on said NYC trip with my roommate.
9. Marched the Rose Parade and performed in the Rose Bowl.
10. Started going to the gym regularly.
11. Got my navel pierced.
12. Got a paid on-campus job.
13. Got an internship (well technically, I got five, but who's counting?).
14. Made my own short films.
15. Filed my own tax returns.
16. Wrote a full-length spec script for a TV show with my Screenwriting class.
17. Subleased an apartment for the summer.
18. Was an assistant director on two award-winning short films.
19. Learned how to drive a golf cart.
20. Went on a road trip to Santa Barbara.

Note: Like last year, this is an edited list that doesn't *exactly* mirror the one in my diary, so some of these 20 things might feel a little forced/out of place. As always, my private life is private and some things should just stay off the Internet. Period.

So what does it feel like to be 21? Well, after spending three riveting days as a 21-year-old, I can confidently report that it feels just like being 20. Except now I can drink champagne and make my bad decisions completely legally. Not that I've made that many bad decisions over the past few days, of course, except maybe going on California Screamin' two times in a row at California Adventure yesterday. That was stupid. But yeah, 21 is just an age and a number, and all its connotations are social constructs. You don't become an adult overnight, it's a gradual process.

Adulthood is relative and only exists in the context of a society, and we all know I don't give a 💩 about societal expectations. I might be filing tax returns, I might be looking into buying a car (yes, I want a Mini, stop hatin') and I might have a regular laundry schedule (jk I don't), but I still throw bread crumbs at my friends at fancy restaurants and have an undying love for bounce houses. And there's nothing you can do about that.

Yet at the same time, I am 21 now and even though I don't feel it, things are changing. 21 is not that big of a milestone for me -- I turned 18 in Europe, so I've been through the whole "first time being carded" and all that -- but this has been my first birthday that I spent without my family. And this is the first summer that I'm spending without my family, and on my own. So, although my birthday isn't that big of a deal, this entire summer is indeed a transition period for me, and it does mark the beginning of something.

And that's where I'll leave it for now.

Here's a Snapchat screenshot, because I have nothing else to post.