'Mice? Mice don't play music!'
Nov. 12th, 2009 12:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12I am a sentimental old fool.
Today is my wonderful sister Mimi's 21st birthday. I find that almost inconceivable. It seems like only yesterday that we were crawling around behind the couch, inventing a game about characters called 'Cherry' (an anthropomorphic helicopter) and 'The Dirty Porridge Monster' (his porridge was dirty because he ate people in it). It seems like only two days ago that I was announcing with solemnity to my classmates that two-year-old Mimi was 'now my best friend', after an ice-breaking trip to Bali where I decided that, rather than a usurper of my territory, Mimi was an excellent person with whom to partake in activities such as brushing the leaves of shrubbery with hairbrushes.
But yes, she is 21, and, as of yesterday, she has also finished her undergraduate degree (exams in Australia are in November, and she had her last one yesterday).
Over the years we've had our feuds and disagreements, and as we grew up, we grew into very different people. But I view Mimi as the perfect example of the stupidity in only seeking friends with similar interests and temperaments. Oh, sure, the pair of us probably share roughly similar world views and ethics (that's what comes of a shared upbringing), but in many other things, we're very different. She's an extroverted optimist who has always been moving on out, seeking to break free. I'm an introverted pessimist who had to virtually be pushed out of the door. She likes fashion, art, design, music festivals and the sunny Sydney social scene. I like books, geeky TV shows and movies, 'I don't go to concerts, baby' and the insane yet endlessly fascinating cultures of the internet.
And yet none of this matters. Oh, sure, our interests sometimes converge: we both love cheesy 90s pop, house music, good food, hanging out in cafes, and if one of us thinks something is funny (Flight of the Conchords, The Chaser, the Marx Brothers, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 90s teen movies) chances are the other one will too.
But all these likes and dislikes are irrelevant. We GET one another on a level that goes beyond television preferences, personality types or an appreciation of fashion. We almost have our own language, so filled with internal references and allusions as to be almost incomprehensible to others. And we have 21 years of shared experiences which I would like to think have done a great deal in shaping us into the people we are today. I'd like to think that we both make one another's horizons wider and lives richer.
One thing that became apparent when tracking down photos for this entry was how loved Mimi is by everyone around her. All the photos show her out and about with friends and family, smiling, talking, dancing, laughing and celebrating. She's the sort of person who comes back from every party, every music festival and every holiday claiming it was the 'best time of her life'. And although I am the eldest, I have learned so much from her. She is the one who taught me to grab life with both hands, to celebrate and be cheerful simply because it is wonderful to be alive and surrounded by friends, and to be brave and less pessimistic about people's opinions. I am eternally grateful, and eternally proud to be her sister. Of all the people I miss back home, she is the one I miss the most.
Happy 21st birthday, Mimi. The future is yours.
Today is my wonderful sister Mimi's 21st birthday. I find that almost inconceivable. It seems like only yesterday that we were crawling around behind the couch, inventing a game about characters called 'Cherry' (an anthropomorphic helicopter) and 'The Dirty Porridge Monster' (his porridge was dirty because he ate people in it). It seems like only two days ago that I was announcing with solemnity to my classmates that two-year-old Mimi was 'now my best friend', after an ice-breaking trip to Bali where I decided that, rather than a usurper of my territory, Mimi was an excellent person with whom to partake in activities such as brushing the leaves of shrubbery with hairbrushes.
But yes, she is 21, and, as of yesterday, she has also finished her undergraduate degree (exams in Australia are in November, and she had her last one yesterday).
Over the years we've had our feuds and disagreements, and as we grew up, we grew into very different people. But I view Mimi as the perfect example of the stupidity in only seeking friends with similar interests and temperaments. Oh, sure, the pair of us probably share roughly similar world views and ethics (that's what comes of a shared upbringing), but in many other things, we're very different. She's an extroverted optimist who has always been moving on out, seeking to break free. I'm an introverted pessimist who had to virtually be pushed out of the door. She likes fashion, art, design, music festivals and the sunny Sydney social scene. I like books, geeky TV shows and movies, 'I don't go to concerts, baby' and the insane yet endlessly fascinating cultures of the internet.
And yet none of this matters. Oh, sure, our interests sometimes converge: we both love cheesy 90s pop, house music, good food, hanging out in cafes, and if one of us thinks something is funny (Flight of the Conchords, The Chaser, the Marx Brothers, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, 90s teen movies) chances are the other one will too.
But all these likes and dislikes are irrelevant. We GET one another on a level that goes beyond television preferences, personality types or an appreciation of fashion. We almost have our own language, so filled with internal references and allusions as to be almost incomprehensible to others. And we have 21 years of shared experiences which I would like to think have done a great deal in shaping us into the people we are today. I'd like to think that we both make one another's horizons wider and lives richer.
One thing that became apparent when tracking down photos for this entry was how loved Mimi is by everyone around her. All the photos show her out and about with friends and family, smiling, talking, dancing, laughing and celebrating. She's the sort of person who comes back from every party, every music festival and every holiday claiming it was the 'best time of her life'. And although I am the eldest, I have learned so much from her. She is the one who taught me to grab life with both hands, to celebrate and be cheerful simply because it is wonderful to be alive and surrounded by friends, and to be brave and less pessimistic about people's opinions. I am eternally grateful, and eternally proud to be her sister. Of all the people I miss back home, she is the one I miss the most.
Happy 21st birthday, Mimi. The future is yours.
