When I was 22...

- My friend threw me a surprise birthday party even when I told her I didn't want one. She got wasted that night out of fear that I would be upset at her. I got wasted that night because everyone gave me booze (and chicken wings) and because it was my birthday.

-Got rear ended at a free way entrance the day after my birthday (not at all related to my birthday drunken-ness). The guy was a mechanic and promised to fix up the scratches on my bumper. I contacted him a 2 months later, his number was disconnected.

-Did a keg stand for the first time in celebration of my college's annual spring concert (otherwise informally known as the day when the nerdiest kid in your class is found passing out drunk on the side walk). The keg stand threw me into a blackout but I managed to talk myself out of detox (I knew the security guard).

- Danced to "Like A Virgin" on top of a piano and later on top a guy in front of a room full of people. And all my much less drunk friends. Thought I was the shit.

- Had the worst hair cut of my life. Took nearly a year to recover/fix it.

- Got really into online Scrabbles. My roommates and I would each be on our respective computers and played against each other, occasionally shouted out "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" from the other room/across the condo. I had no control over this obsession.

I was there

- Took lots of naps in my car during my last quarter in college (school was ridic). Once I pulled over on the side of a freeway during traffic hour, a high way patrol woke me up 20 minutes later. I later found out that it was because the area was shady and I could have been robbed.

- Quited one job on Monday and was let go from another one the Tuesday after.

- Spent 3 weeks in Brazil with 9 other girls. The most estrogen-filled experience I have ever/will ever put myself through. Also the most boobs I have ever been around all at once time. We partied and drank everyday during the last week. Slept on through an entire 6 hours bus ride because we were out all night until 7am so we could make the bus station at 8am.

said mural painting

- Got into two car accidents a week apart from each other. Neither was my fault. It was the Curse of October.

- Went into a post-grad slum and at one point, I would only go outside for food. Drinking became less fun then.

- Started working as a tutor and actually liked it.

- Worked at a Vietnamese sandwich shop and hated it.

more juice, please

- Quited my job at the sandwich shop and went to Vietnam for a month and a half. Spent most of my time there melting and being eaten alive by mosquitoes, but got to drink sugar cane juice everyday. It was so worth it.

motherland

my sandals

- I spent my 23rd birthday in Vietnam.

"I was 22 or 23 when I made a decision not to be actively Hamlet-like and miserable in my daily life, and the decision helped a lot. Living vitally is not easier than living morbidly — it’s just better." — Stephen Colbert  

Looking back, my year as a 22 year old wasn't that bad. Sure, economically I made pretty much no money and couldn't really claim success for anything, but I did have an eventful year. That should counts for something, right? Who knows, maybe in 10 years or so, I would wish that I was 22 again and get to have so much free time and so little things to do again.

For now, I guess I'll try to do what Stephen here said and snap the shit out of it and get the hell out of Sad Ville. After all, 23 is one of the cooler number, I should try and enjoy this age before I'm 26. I'm just not a fan of 6s.