You've got mail (I can't believe I'm doing this)

Dear Amri @16,

Greetings from Amri @24. Yup, I'm 8 years older, zilch taller and not much wiser. But due to intense pressure from Asela and Terng (yes, 8 years down the road, I'm still friends with them, though I'm not entirely sure why), I've decided to write you a letter of sorts and try to warn you of what's to come, so you can brace yourself and not give into the emo-dom that'll threaten to engulf you.

Life as a teenager is going to be tough, I won't lie to you. You're going to be confused, angry and sad, sometimes all at once. But those years are also going to be the best and happiest of your life, and come 19, you're going to look back and want to start regressing in age. So live life to the fullest, and don't have any regrets. On a side note- those years in school are most carefree ones you'll ever have- so live it up, get in trouble, and make the best of it, because it's those memories that stay with you the longest. Live by the lyrics of Baz Lurhmann's single 'Everbody's free (to wear sunscreen)'; I still do.

Don't take the academics too seriously. Study hard and do your best when you need to, but make sure you have fun along the way. Those end of term tests and marks are not going to matter in couple of years, but what will stay with you are the recollections of those all nighters that you pulled, mom waking up and keeping you company at 4am, and dad driving you to the exam and trying his best not to panic on your behalf :) Learn as much as you can, when you can, about the world and stuff outside the textbooks, because time becomes more of a luxury when you get older. And take the sports and extra curricular stuff to heart- it pays off later on.

Family. The quarreling will never stop, and you'll feel hard done by, and yes they probably were too strict with the 12am curfew. But they love you, will be proud of you no matter what, and really want what's best for you, though they might not be experts at figuring out how to put this across the right way. In spite of feeling like the world will end if you don't go to that party, it won't, and they know this. So listen to them and be patient with their stories from the years gone by, and give them the respect they deserve; bringing you up is a lot harder than you think, and you actually turn out pretty decent in the end.

Boys. Well, I still don't quite understand them. It's true, they can be absolute jerks at times. But like you, they're just trying to find their footing, and are just as confused, even now :) In a couple of years though, they'll stop being such idiots and settle down, and some of them will become your best friends.

The girls. We're still the closest of friends :) Forgive the fights over the same boys, the hormonal mood swings and the times they might have stepped on your toes, because they're going to stick with you whatever happens, and will always be there for you, across the miles and different time zones. They'll change with time, but so will you.

You. Don't worry too much about figuring yourself out. It doesn't get any easier as the years go by, but it's a process and it happens eventually, and making those mistakes and learning those lessons are all a part of it. Just keep picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. And time heals. You might be cynical about this now, but really, its true. The arguments, misunderstandings and heartbreaks will seem like distant memories of another life in a few years.

This letter is a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I shall stop the ramble here and wish you the best of luck in the years to come. Don't stop believing in yourself, and don't give up on those dreams, no matter how lofty they might seem right now. And keep that sense of humour intact; stick with your values and stay true to yourself- it's hard to go wrong if you do :)

Signed,
Amri@24