There’ve been several lists like this before, so here’s my take on it, being a 23-year-old hermit.  (And yes, this is the birthday post.)

A decade ago, I was still a Freshman, in a new school — fast-forward to the present, my Freshman P.E. t-shirt still fits as pambahay.

Given the chance, here’s a couple of things I’ll be telling my 13-year-old-self, who’s probably clueless about what to do.

1. Nurture your inner geriatric. While everyone at this age is nurturing their inner child, (thanks to the revival of 80’s favorites) you should focus on nurturing your much-wiser inner old-coot.  You could be a child on a day-to-day basis instead.

2. Work on the laugh. Life’s funny.  As Dr. Horrible puts it, “a lot of guys ignore the laugh.”  You may not be a mad (yet) scientist (no, a Computer Science degree does not make you a scientist), it’s no reason not to laugh like no one’s looking.

3. Some people will get you;  some people won’t. You DON’T have ANYTHING to prove to anybody, really.

4. Follow your dreams. Even if your dream is sitting in front of the computer for a few hours as a living.  Plus, some of your best dreams will occur in the classroom.

5. Bluff to the future! Remember: it’s never a lie if you believe it.  Honesty is subjective; as long as people ask the RIGHT questions, whatever truth you can think of WILL BE the absolute truth for you.

6. You will not end up with HER. (Whoever “she” was at that point in time.)  You will not have half-her/half-you babies (yet) — but you will get to meet other (and better) post-modern/old-fashioned girls in the future.  Get over it.

7. Angst isn’t cool after 20. (Scratch that.)  Thanks for getting it out of your system by 17.

8. However “cool” material possessions are, work on the intangible stuff, the nominalizations. (yow)  The kind of things that you can’t put in a backpack or a wheelbarrow.  (P.S. Do your research about these words.)

9. Work on your list-making abilities. It will buy you stuff one day.  (While you’re at it, work on the wordplay, the puns and whatnot.)

10. Eat what you want, when you want. Hopefully, there’re gonna be cures for everything.

11. Any unique emotion you’re feeling, or is about to feel can be expressed by a Beatles, Morrissey, Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith, Billy Idol or Sting song.

12. Never break the rules you make. Ever.

13. Invent a time machine, so that this list can have any actual bearing in the present.

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Thanks for all the greetings!  This has been the best birthday yet.  (I mean, any birthday where you don’t have to attend a funeral is always better than one where you have to.) 

(Image from here: http://photofile.ru/photo/fishki_net/3568632/77932205.jpg)