Thirty
As I come into the final hour of my twenties, I guess now would be a good a time as any to think back at the first decade of my life that REALLY mattered. As in, it mattered in the sense that it would actually set the tone for what the rest of my life would look like. Of course I wanted to throw myself a big to-do over this particular birthday. I had envisioned a posh hotel in Tokyo, champagne at midnight wearing a pretty cocktail dress and killer shoes, maybe with a date who would take me back to the room for a proper celebration. The theatre maybe? Definitely would have gone through with my furisode photo shoot beforehand. But hey, 31 is still a good birthday to do that to. I remember twenty feeling like hope and excitement. I was happy not to be a "teen" anymore, and firmly guaranteed a seat at the adults' table. I was a young thing in New Zealand, happy to just be away from home and not be under the constant scrutiny of my parents, peers and teachers. I...