New millennium you say? Come, let me tell you about it..

First things first..

I apologise that this post has taken so long for me to get out, I injured my finger and it has been bandaged up and typing is very difficult.  It doesn't help that the anti biotics I'm on make me cite both statutes and case law when my brother asks me a question.

By the way, this post has been in draft form since the 2nd and isn't it a coincidence that on the same day I lament about being at school, I see a girl who made my life hell in college? I gave her way down a tight road and she tried to show off with her driving skills and stalled.  Funny how she looked EXACTLY like she did when we left school..I've seen pics of her on Facebook (we have a mutual friend) but I never thought that seeing her would be like going 10 years into the past.

Anywho, I was sorting out some stuff at my parents' house the other day and I came across my diary from Y2K.  Can anyone believe that it's 10 years since we ushered in this "new" millennium? It seems like only a few years ago that I was in Year 11 Science (top set, naturally) taking great pride in writing 9/9/99 in my book.  I had a good old read through it and anyone who reads it will know that I am the person who wrote it..

So, what did I wish the new millennium would bring?

I wanted to have straight hair (how sad!)  You have to understand that back in 1999, straighteners were not as readily available as they are today. Only the rich and famous had pin straight hair (even then those celebs with curly hair struggled, SJP I'm looking at you) whilst the great unwashed muddled through with frizz aplenty.

I wanted to be loved.  I'm not going to call that sad because I don't think it is. I was 15 in 1999 and had never had a proper boyfriend and all I wanted was someone who would treat me right and want to be around me.

I wanted to pass my driving test.  I remember thinking that this was the be all and end all and that it would give me unchartered freedom. I never realised that clutch control was a lot harder than it sounds.

I wanted to attend at least one all night rave. Daytimers were the go-to event when I was younger and you were nobody had you not gone to a daytimer. I think it was a bit different back then for white kids and asian kids. All the white kids I knew were allowed to spend the night out raving but us asian ones weren't. Thus, the guys who used to leaflet the school on Friday at hometime steered clear of us asian kids. Both sets of kids went through their rites of passage, the asian ones at the daytimers and the white kids at good old Pulse. I assume Pulse was only a Hillingdon thing? In west London there were two places which held the best daytimers, Bagleys and Zenith. I know Zenith closed down because of a stabbing. I was at work experience at a law firm and who was defending the defendant and I got to go to the club when it was all taped up. If anyone in the west London district wants to know where Zenith was, it's in Park Royale, you know where the cinema is? There's a Golds Gym there? That used to be Zenith. I don't even know if the Golds Gym is still there either. I don't even know what happened to Bagleys, what I do remember is a guy getting beaten up by the brother of a girl he was fingering...good times!

I wanted to study law, work at a really good firm and be good enough at the law to fire off answers to any question someone asked me about my area of expertise. Atticus Finch takes the blame for this. Despite him being a fictional character, it was the novel in which he featured which convinced me that law was the path I wanted to take.

So, how much of this did I achieve?

Straight hair? Tick that box but only thanks to the GHD which has made my hair (at least) look sexy since 2003. It has died on me twice and has come back to life both times.  I've never tried Japanese permanent straightening because I'd rather have a natural frizz on my head than wear a piece.

Loved? Affirmative, chief. I started Sixth Form in 2000 and that's when I met the Mr. The love took a long time coming (5 years) but my mum says that she knew from the day she saw him that he'd be mine. I won't get too sappy about him here but he makes happier than any amount of makeup/chocolate/clothes/shoes/handbags/books ever could.

Driving? First time pass, baby. Took my first lesson on the day of my 17th birthday and passed by December of the same year.  Been driving ever since.

All night rave? And then some. I moved out for uni and had many an all night rave, I've been to house parties that people at uni had and they were always the same.  The ones we had never ever were and that's why everyone wanted to come to ours.

Study law, work at the decent firm and be a law spitfire? Aye. I studied law at the 4th best place for it, completed my LPC and work for the best firm in the world. As for reeling off the law, I can do it so yay me!

Of course, that doesn't define the decade for me, I've done tonnes more stuff that I never thought I'd do, including fall down the stairs and disable myself for a week, break my wrist, move out after uni, drive a lambo, go in a concorde, fly in a private jet and live with a rather lovely man.

What have you ladies done in the past 10 years and what hopes do you hold for the next 10? I hope the first 10 years of this millennium have been as good to you as they have been to me.