[18!!!] The Upcoming Adult Presents: My Life in 18 Movies

When you read this, I will be celebrating and hopefully having a great time, and I will be 18 years old. 

I could spend my time talking about life, the lessons I learned, the ups and downs I went through, my plans for the future and other stuff that has been said enough in this world. Some may argue that you can't talk about it often enough, and that people need to continue thinking about it. Life. 

Truth is though, I don't want to analyze life too much anymore. Perhaps I will read some philosophic books - always been wanting to check out Nietzsche - and I will certainly watch some philosophic movies, because you never know when you're going to watch one. But I don't want to... I don't want to think about philosophy too much anymore. I want philosophy to just happen and to let it happen instead of trying to control it and put it into every single part of my life. 

Because life's not only philosophy - it's also survival, reasonless happiness and reasonless sadness. Nothing ever happens the way you planned it - and once you realize that, you're happy. At least that's what I think. And that's what I know from my own 18 years of life. I'm not praising passiveness or just-going-with-the-flow-ness here, not even mainstream - so many people don't have the job they want, don't date the people they want to date and don't watch the movies they want to watch. While some of these things can just kind of happen once in a while, we have the power to change them. You've got to fight for the things you care about - but don't try to control the things you can't control, because it will make you unhappy when they don't turn out like you "planned", because in fact, you never planned them.

Did it again - perhaps I can't let go of philosophy. Nevertheless, perhaps I just want to approach philosophy in a different way - a curious, natural, easy way - instead of trying to account for and explain all the things I do and think. 

I may blog on, I may stop blogging. I may become a journalist, a biologist or an actress - but why ruin my youth trying to figure that out, when there's no point in figuring something out that is just going to happen? If I find that I chose the wrong thing, I can just choose  something else, right? It's never too late for anything I think.

And therefore, let's raise our glasses to a year full of laissez-faire, without pressure or bondages as far as that's possible. Cheers!

So, this is my life. My life in 18 movies.

Zero, 1995: The Tree of Life

The baby scenes in this movie always make me think about the time I was this small. It must be so weird and so wonderful for my parents to think that once I was so small, and now I'm so... grown up!

One, 1996: The Lion King

At this time I probably started crawling and eating and talking... and everything else babies do.

Two, 1997: The Little Mermaid

This was my favourite movie for several years of my childhood. It helped me learn Danish and as I spent my first years on a ship, it was quite relatable. I even used to think I was really a mermaid.

Three, 1998: Heidi

The year my little sister was born. She was a lot of trouble, but in the end she is probably the best friend I will ever have, apart from my best friend. - Although I used to watch the German tv series Heidi all of the time when I was little, I never actually went to Austria or Switzerland or even South Germany, something I want to change this summer.

Four, 1999: Pippi Långstromp

I had a very quiet phase between my 6th and 12th or 13th birthday, but back in the 90s, people tell me, I was just talking constantly. My favourite topic was Pippi, and how I wanted to be just as strong and cool as her.

Five, 2000: Tarzan

Whenever I hear the song "You'll Be in My Heart", I get a little nostalgic. Tarzan was one of the first movies in saw in the cinema. 

Six, 2001: Monsters, Inc.

„YOU HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL!“. No, I actually was very fond of school. Until I found that I was still a lot faster at learning than my schoolmates. So I bored my way through the system until high school, which is much better.

Seven, 2002: Harry Potter

I discovered the series later than most people my age did - but I love them to death. Can't wait to read the books to my grandchildren.

Eight, 2003: Die Wilden Kerle ("The Wild Guys")

I wasn't the most sportive or even active child, but I loved these movies about real cool kids playing football.

Nine, 2004: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Bollywood entered my life. At first, my cinematic knowledge was bad that I believed this movie to be a Hollywood production set in India. Little did I know...

Ten, 2005: Chalte Chalte

The peak of my Bollywood obsession. Never again did I research and learn as much about a film industry than in this year. And I didn't even know or like the real good movies.

Eleven, 2006: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

I discovered the serious (or a more serious) side of Bollywood - I know, the image doesn't really show that.

Twelve, 2007: Titanic

A turning point in my life was definitely when I first saw Titanic. My style was at its worst in 2007, when I entered a new school and had to find new friends and I entered teenage... Titanic changed a lot of my expectations of movies, and had a big influence on my movie taste. It was also a sweet escape from all that finding-yourself trouble.

Thirteen, 2008: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

With 13, I started learning how to fly - how to live. I no longer tried to be like the others all the time, but found people who were like me, and I learned to enjoy life and what I do. From then on I think the years have been the best in my life. I guess I just figured out how to simply "be psychos together", as Sam said in this OMGIWANTTOMARRYIT movie I finally rewatched yesterday.

Fourteen, 2009: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I had a big fashion phase in my earlier teenage years, when I started getting better at, you know, life. So I related to this movie a lot and read all the books. My dream job at that time was to be a fashion editor... and who knows, perhaps some day I will be, if I still (or once again) want to.

Fifteen, 2010: 3 Idiots

As my life changed so much during early teenage, I started loosing interest in old hobbies such as Bollywood. But in 2010 I decided to watch some of the "big" Indian 2009 movies and immediately fell in love with Bollywood again. Both of us had changed, so it was quite perfect.

Sixteen, 2011: The Dreamers

I actually watched The Dreamers for the first time in 2010, but 2011 was the year its impact truly became visible. I started watching many foreign, old and artsy movies and I guess my whole lifestyle - my idea of the good life - was very inspired by The Dreamers. Still is. 

Seventeen, 2012: Fight Club

Fight Club is, first of all, a great movie that works on many levels. But it's also - like The Dreamers - a way of living. It's a way of living that can be discussed, and I'm willing to discuss, but at the moment it's also pretty much my way of living. Filled with the F-word as in F*ck you, What the f*ck and I don't give a f*ck, I agree it's a bit aggressive - but it's also honest and alive. It's not that I'm negative towards things, it's just that I care a lot about myself and about myself being satisfied with the way I live.

Nobody knows what my 18-year old me will be inspired by, what movies, books, songs and other art it will celebrate and praise on this blog or not. But you know, when I look back on my life, I think it's been an amazing journey and I wouldn't have missed any part of it. 

Thank you for being one of those parts.