Little-Wonder.Net - Personal domain and blog of Brenda Tan

Now that I am (almost) turning twenty-one in just a few months more - the first stage of adulthood, it is high time I came clean with certain issues.

Despite having reached the epitome of late teenhood, I am happy to declare that I’ve managed to steer clear of the several vices (okay, not really vices, but I couldn’t find a more suitable word) that teenagers my age and below tend to engage in.

Because I swear that this is going to be one hell of an interesting entry, please read on. ;)

I don’t club, have never clubbed, and will never ever club.
On my eighteenth birthday - the age where it is officially legal to step foot into those noisy places full of mad teenagers hopping their heads madly to strange music, and ingest weird, colourful concoctions they call cocktails.

“Brenda! You’re legal! Let’s go clubbing on your birthday!”

“No thanks,” is what I’ll say.

And it is not because of parental restrictions. I just do not want to.

I’ve always visualized clubs as dangerous places where girls get high on whisky, flaming lamborghinis and what-have-yous, get drunk and get whisked off to dubious places by strange men.

Although what I’ve described is the extreme cases where girls do not take care of themselves, clubs are in reality, places which I will never be caught dead in because they are noisy, chock full of people, reeks of alcohol and smoke and are frequently patronized by new-victim-seeking sex addicts.

Even if people deem clubs as excellent places to de-stress and catch up with friends, I can do the same thing at Starbucks Coffee, thank you very much.

Seek new experiences, they say? I’d rather keep my sanity.

I have never ingested a single drop of alcohol.
Again, no. Not even after I’ve turned eighteen which is also, the legal age.

I’ve accompanied friends and relatives to restaurants where they’ll start placing orders for beer or wine (and again, other alcoholic what-have-yous). Whereas yours truly will simply pick out a simple drink such as my favourite fresh watermelon juice from the drinks list.

People have coaxed me to “just take a sip”. I’ll simply refuse.

At a certain friend’s birthday, the group had decided to play a game where the losing party will have to chug down an entire cup of vodka. I strongly declined, and chose to stay out of the game altogether.

Although people have a tendency to put alcoholic-drinking and socializing together, I have never seen the link because I can name several hundred other ways to socialize without having a single drop of alcohol touch my lips.

And why am I so against alcohol? Because it does nothing good to my system, that’s why.

Furthermore, alcohol fries your brain and makes you all muddle-headed. And I, for one, do not like being muddle-headed because I start feeling insecure when I can’t think properly.

If I need a drink, I’ll stick to Milo, full cream milk, hot chocolate, fruit juice or water. They give me just as much joy. I am just sick and tired of being coaxed or forced to ingest any form of alcohol because I just do not see the need to.

(No offence to my dearest offline friends who like alcoholic drinks. This entry isn’t in any way directed at any of you.)

I don’t watch movies or television. Even if I do, the program is rated nothing NC16 and beyond.
I get the same thrill indulging in my novels, thank you very much. I do not need a big screen to tell the story for me.

The only form of programs that actually have the ability to attact me to the screen are either reality programs in the form of talent shows (especially singing, which is one of my biggest interests), or comedies. Otherwise, the tube will remain switched off.

I don’t watch movies because I am rather against the idea of forking out nine hefty bucks just to be confined in a freezing cold dark area for several hours on end with the sound system booming into my ears, not even for a good movie. Additionally, I tend to fall asleep in movies. (Why? Because all of the above gets me so angsty to an extent that I try to fall asleep to lessen the agony.)

If I actually see a show I’d like to watch, I’ll wait until the DVD comes out, purchase it, and watch it happily in the comfort of my own house with the volume set just the way I want it to be.

That leaves the biggest question. Why no programs NC16 and beyond?

I’ve pretty much accepted that issues such as homosexuality, pre-marital sex and all things sex sex sex are already rather prevalent in our open society. However, I do not wish to have them enacted right before my eyes on big screen. My eyes will BLEED. Keep it to the bedroom, please!

Of course, the amount of scorn I’ve received about this has been endless. Brenda, you should learn to open yourself to the real world, (I’m already open-minded enough. Thank you very much.) Brenda, this is EDUCATION - you can apply all these knowledge in the future, (Oh, please.) Brenda, you’re such a wimp. (Thanks for the compliment!)

I’m simply turning a deaf ear on these. Like I’ve said, I’m aware of these going-ons. I just don’t see the need to watch these in action. Additionally, I have pretty strong opinions against such issues which I shall not go into detail here because it may offend the general public.

But uh. One confession - I don’t mind vulgarity coated humour programs because I do curse and swear quite a bit. - Sheepish grin.

I am too clean for my own good - claims several groups of friends.
And I’m proud of it.

I am usually the last to get dirty jokes when they’re told, the last person to be let in on various deep dark secrets lurking around the lives of the people around me, and the person people laugh at because of the first issue of being the last to get dirty jokes when they’re told. (Yes, I know this sentence is looping.)

In real life, I am usually always known as the “innocent one” among all all the groups of people that I knw. Although having such a title attached to me usually implies that “aww, she’s still a little girl” (which I do resent, a little), I pride myself in being mature in mentality, especially when it comes to deciding what’s good for myself.

To me, growing up doesn’t entail having to open yourself up to the nitty gritty details of everything going on in this world. Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m aware - but I do not need to be too aware.

And to the sceptics and this certain fellow who dared to proclaim right in my face that all this cleanliness is just a front, you’ll soon find that it isn’t.

I have my own principles, and I stick by them. And this is what defines who I am.

Oops, and this entry is getting a little long.
Yes, yes, yes. I know. But it so happens that the above issues were running through my head just several minutes back and I felt that I just had to write about them.

Additionally, too many people are starting to question my individuality (especially when it comes to my opinions on certain R21 issues) lately and it is starting to bug me a little.

AND.

If everything I have written above makes me sound like a boring person with no life, let me convince you that I do lead a happy enough life by curling up in bed with a good book, de-stressing with a cup of hot chocolate or the occasional (OKAY. frequent) retail therapy, catching up with friends at Starbucks, spending quality time with my family or just making people laugh with my antics. I am an interesting person, really!

I salute you if you have come this far.

Meanwhile, back to studying.