Whether we like it or not, there comes a time when everybody grows up, including ourselves and we realise that we’re not kids anymore.
Oftentimes, we don’t notice ourselves or the people around us getting old until one day, something unusual sort of wakes us up and makes us realise that we’ve aged.
Here’re some of the funny, wholesome and sad moments that made these Malaysians realise that they’ve aged.
1. Leaving the club early
You know you’re old when you choose to voluntarily head home after a few hours of dancing in the club. Ain’t nobody staying till closing time anymore- we have a bedtime self-care routine to do at home.
“It just suddenly hit me when we were dancing on the dancefloor. I just thought I was so tired and so ready to go home. Then we deadass just left,” Rachy reminisced on how she used to be way more energetic.
2. Looking out for good laundry days
When we were younger, sunny windy weather meant staying in and napping or going out to play. But when you start living alone and doing your own house chores, sunny windy weather means the perfect time to air-dry your clothes outside.
“I think it kinda hit when I was hanging out with my friend who also lives alone. The weather that day was so sunny and windy, and the first thing we had in mind was ‘Wow, what a nice day to do the laundry’,” shared Megs lightheartedly.
3. Changing dating app age preferences
When you use dating apps, you’re able to filter people by age by selecting the age range of people you’d like to swipe on. So, your age range preference will (hopefully!) change as you age too. Y’all can’t be 34 and dating 22 year olds like you were at 24!
“I was changing my age preferences in the apps once a year and at one point I just realised, ‘I’ve grown another year older’,” said Hung.
4. Being constantly tired
“Remember when we used to be able to survive a whole day of high school? Now, I feel like death just after a day of work,” Kevin shared.
It’s crazy! We used to wake up at 5am, go for class till 2pm then do sports or other extracurricular activities till 7pm, then go for tuition! Those were the days…
5. Can’t stay up anymore
In the same vein, it seems like those who used to be night owls can’t stay up as much anymore.
“When I was younger I’d be able to stay up till 6am and wake up at 8am the next day. I wouldn’t even feel tired – I’d feel surprisingly fresh,” shares Nel.
However, these days, Nel is already asleep at 1am and even then, waking up at 8am is tiring as heck!
6. Budgeting with an Excel sheet
“Before I was budgeting, I’d be taken aback when it came time to make my big annual payments like property taxes and insurance.”
“I’d always end up suddenly having to spend a lot more than planned, which depleted the amount I had left for daily expenses like meals,” said Bryan.
So, realising that he has financial commitments that he needs to budget for to fulfil was what made Bryan realise that he’s a big boy now.
7. Noticing her skin deteriorate
When it comes to age, Dorathy says that skin condition is one of her dead giveaways.
To counter the harsh pigmentation and loss of supple skin she used to have, Dorathy focuses on eating healthy, jogging, washing off make up before bed and avoiding negative energy from people.
8. Being called uncle or auntie
“I think it’s more understandable when your nieces and nephews call you aunty, but I get annoyed when strangers ask their kids to call me aunty. It really makes me rethink how I dress and if my makeup makes me look old,” said Hui.
This is probably one of the most common experiences shared- being called uncle or auntie. The first time you hear it, you probably think, “Me? Uncle?! I call people uncle, I’m not an uncle.”
But little kids don’t know any better, so get ready because there’ll be a lot more where that came from!
9. Losing interest in your hobbies
According to Hanif, he realised he’s aged when he stopped being religious about his hobbies.
“Back in school, I used to watch like 10 animes that’re airing at the same time. I’d also be able to catch up with my backlog of old animes without much trouble,” Hanif shared.
“Nowadays, watching 5 feels like a chore and my backlog is ignored entirely.”
“You can’t quite let go of your hobbies (which isn’t a bad thing) but you also can’t hold on to them like you used to.”
10. Parenting my parents
Our parents do everything they can to take care of us as kids- drive us around, cook food for us and teach us things. But as the years pass by, these roles start to reverse and we as children tend to parent our parents more and more.
“My parents are a bit older and more forgetful, so I have to remind them of a lot of things. ‘Don’t forget to wear mask‘, ‘Don’t forget to take IC’, ‘Don’t forget this and that’,” said Wan.
She also has to make sure her parents take their medication, supplements, do their exercises, help them update their phone apps and so on.
“Then, scolding them also have “art” one, cannot be so direct cause they tend to be sensitive, so you really have to jaga their feelings,” Wan explained.
Can you relate to these Malaysians’ aging epiphany? What was the moment you realised you’ve aged?
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