I'm not too fond of the age 25. Truth be told, it's my hatest age to turn into. Mostly because, once you get to it, there's really no going back. And I know, I know, there's no going back on any age ever. But there's just this finality to 25 that makes me uneasy. It could be because you're already a quarter of a century old, or because (and this is what I usually tell my friends), when you're 25, you're already in your "late twenties". As opposed to if you're 24 and below, and you're in your "early twenties" so you can still act like a kid, or a college student, and people wouldn't mind too much. Of course some of my friends argue and say that 25 actually makes you in your "mid-twenties". But I don't think that makes much of a difference. "Mid" isn't "early". And if it's not early, it's late.

Anyway, my birthday is in September, but already I'm somewhat panicking. Because this is the year. 2009 is when I turn 25. Maybe that's also the reason why I'm so determined to make this year a good one.

So, we've thought of several ways to celebrate: go on a trip abroad, throw a really big party, etc. But here's the winner:

My officemate who was born on the same year as I am saw an advertisement on TV and told us, "I'm turning 25 this year. It's my last chance to join the Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant!"

"Yeah!" I told her. "That's exactly what it's about!"