Look 1: Topshop bralatte, YHF culottes and Adidas shoes

Look 2: UNDO top and UNDO skirt

Look 3: UNDO top and Topshop denim culottes

Look 4: Salad Day jacket and Salad Day shorts

Look 5: Salad Day shirt and Nike shoes

Look 6: Salad Day shirt, UNDO skirt and Zara boots

All throughout my pubescent years, I’ve never been the type to celebrate my birthday beyond a simple sit-down meal — save the awkward smiling or staring at a cake while being sang a happy birthday to or a throwback Facebook greeting that millennials seem to greatly obsess over. If I could recall the last time I ever actually celebrated, it was of me in a princess Jasmine costume and a Kim Possible cake to share at a neighbourhood pool à la childhood grandeur.

And just like that, years on and no longer crooning to ‘call me, beep me’, today officially marks my two decades of existence and funnily, I feel a slight change of heart and more nostalgic than I ever was. Perhaps it’s a different story now because I’m actually bidding farewell to my teen years and officially stepping into the world of adulthood — although realistically and in the matter of tradition, that will only happen once I get a degree and run on a 7-5 schedule with a sharp suit on and, god forbid, some spanx. But who knows what’s to come in those years? I might actually afford to go spinning ritually to sashay my way in a skintight pantsuit. But for now I’ll stick to an oversized tee and bag of Doritos while my metabolism is still at its glory years, thank you very much.

The funny thing is that the 10 year old me thought that twenty meant getting a job, paying bills and getting married. And boy am I glad to be only 1/3 of that: unemployed, karat-less and currently paying a heavy bill from iTunes for game purchases.

Okay, that sounded less pathetic in my head.. but you get my point.

The thing is, I don’t feel any different — any more wiser or any less younger. Or anything that Buzzfeed says about reaching your twenties. No, sir. But hey, give me 3 years and I might just say something else. Right now, I’m just looking forward to whatever this new chapter in my life has in store for me and because 20 is a pretty rad excuse to, you know, live a little — champagne, sparklers and all. With that, here is a post I’ve been working on for quite a while and am really excited to share with you all! I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. TTYL.

Shot by Acushla Obusan | MUA Gianne Esguerra | Edit by yours truly