Gifts Schmifts

When it is your birthday, people give you gifts - especially on your 21st birthday. On the weekend was my big 21st dinner party with all my family that my Mum and Dad organised. I had a great time. It really solidified a feeling of awkwardness though, that I have developed since being 'adult' and earning my own money - with the receiving of gifts. There is definitely a kind of guilt that surfaces in these situations, mainly because I feel like I never give enough back to them to justify them handing me $50 cash or I haven't felt like I've really done anything at all deserving to be showered with presents except getting out of bed every day for 364 days which I reckon I would have done anyway without the promise of presents.

I maintain the best gifts are those bought for yourself with money you've slaved away for and earned yourself. You know what you want. You know when you deserve something and the 'giving and taking' boundaries and rules are up to you. The only thing worse than feeling guilty/undeserving of a present is feeling guilty/undeserving of a present that makes you wonder if the person who's given it to you even knows you AT ALL and what on earth you're going to do with an industrial deep fryer or something. Ha. Anyway I did get some great presents, guilt aside and above is a present I bought for myself - an Alannah Hill skirt - and a present my Aunty gave me, a beautiful powder pink retro Mason Pearson hair brush.

Anyway we cut open the mountain cake and today my Nanna told me that she slept with a slice under her pillow last night - sort of like they would do for weddings to bring the married couple good luck. I guess this is supposed to give my life as an adult good luck - and whether it works or not I'll take all the help I can get.