little. yellow. different. A weblog by Ernie Hsiung

life progress: over >30% complete

I turn 30 years old today. Here is my Amazon wishlist, because lately I’ve been on this “I gotta get mine” kick. If other gay bloggers can have ads of botox and nude gay resorts or the Wonderjock (don’t ask), the least I can do is passive-aggressively ask people I barely know on the Internet to buy me a Playstation 3.

Uhm, if you want to, of course.

I have friends that dread turning 30. Turning thirty, they would argue, means the end of their twenties, the end of days of being carefree, the beginning of responsible living. A lot of my friends from college got married this year. A couple of them had children.

If that’s the case - that turning 30 is supposed to make you all mature and adult-like and shit - I’ve turned 30 a long time ago, dealing with family, with a job that can be stressful, at times dealing with, uhm, issues that would have me laying on my couch, staring at a spot on the ceiling for hours on end. As far as that’s concerned, I don’t think I’m out of the woods yet, but I think the worst of it is over. I have to believe the worst of it is over, just to retain the sanity that I have.

And that’s why being 30 doesn’t suck as much as I thought it would - because I’m on a mental and physical upswing and I lost 25 pounds since the start of the year and I’ve always been relatively financially stable, so even when I thought I had it bad, I haven’t had it too bad so quit your complaining, Ernie.

Here’s to even better days.

Happy birthday! 30 isn’t so bad. Everyone I’ve known as they transition into their 30s seem to only see improvements in their lives. I think you’ll have a good time with it.

Hello, have read your blog for a couple of years. Read your wishlist (Well, the top of it) and I incredibly, heartily recommend Back to Black. It’s really, really, really good, and I understand that this sounds weird, but I’ve been listening to it non-stop for about a week, and was listening to ‘rehab’ while on your site, and I’ve tried recommending it to friends but they WON’T LISTEN. So, really, get it. I’d buy it for you, but $35??? Can’t you get it imported from the UK???

Dan
PS Happy Birthday

Many happy returns fo the day, Ernie. The best IS yet to come!!!

Happy Birthday, Ernie! I’ve been reading you for years and never commented, but I just turned 30 as well (on 11/2), and I wanted to let you know that, 2 weeks in, 30 isn’t so bad.

I liked 30 - it felt grown up but not too grown up. Forty is the one that’s looking mighty daunting now.
Enjoy your day. Happy Birthday, Ernie.

30 was not my best year — kidney stones AND gallstones in the same year. Bleah.

However, 35 was such a blast that I stayed 35 for about 3 years (I just skipped 34 altogether). The biggest, best part of it is coming to sudden realizations (sort of like slamming into a wall and getting wisdom) that this or that piece of crap that used to make you nuts really was pretty stupid and petty, and you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Tada! Free! You won’t even miss it.

This is especially fun when your friends are still stressing over that shit, and you can look at them from a well of relative peace and contenment and think, with complete justification, “Will you grow UP already?”

It’s great.

Happy birthday! I found that the worst part of turning 30 was the anticipation. I was really depressed about it for about 2-3 months beforehand, but I felt much better about it once the birthday was passed.

Congratulations on the weight loss, BTW.

Happy birthday! I enjoyed turned 30. Looking back it wasn’t more of a stand out year than any other but I figured things were reltaively good so might as well embrace it. May the next 30 years only continue getting better.

Happy Birthday. The best is yet to come dont be too bummed out.

Happy Birthday, Ernie!! Hope you have many more years that bring happiness, stability and whatever else your little heart desires.

Don’t sweat age, Ernie. You’re only as old as you feel– and you should feel pretty damned good about yourself, considering.

…And as a gay male, at least *you* don’t have to worry about the Asian pressures of “carrying on the family lineage” by settling down and procreating the next generation of angst-ridden asian over achievers. XD

Yeah, yeah, I know you IT folks. Now you’ll proceed to 90% complete and stay there.

Happy birthday, Ernie.

Welcome to the 30 club, Ernie!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Kisses from the southland,
G

Happy Birthday! You only go uphill from here (and it’ll be easier going uphill with all that weight loss. Congrats!)

Happy birthday again, sweets!

For reals, Ernie is looking super svelte, even finer than he was (if you can believe it).

Happy 30th, yo. You are now in your *early* 30s instead of *late* 20s. For some reason, that realization has made me relatively OK with the idea of turning 30.

30 rocked (31 not so much - broken ankle, broken wrist, the joys of athleticism and klutziness combined). Happy birthday, and I hope you have a great 30th year.

I’m 22 and 92% of the girls I went to highschool with have 3 children by now, while only 5% are married. My whorish high school peeps so kick you 30 year old college peeps.

Happy belated birthday Ernie.

Ernie - 30 was the hardest for me to look at and “deal” with. 40 was easier and 50 has been the best! It really is how you look at things that makes the difference. Happy B-day and congrats on the weight loss!

I feel sorry for people who think things turn bad at 30. There are exceptions, of course, but in many ways things only start getting good in your 30s and 40s. Enjoy every bit of it!

Oh, and I’ll ask Marc if we can break into the piggy bank and get you a little something for your birthday!

Happy Belated!
Welcome to the 30’s. It’s great. It wasn’t until I turned 30 to have the confidence to tell people, “It’s not me. It’s you!”. So, I totally understand what Sherri was saying.
Enjoy the rest of your 30’s. I look foward to tell you how 40’s feels like when I get there (I will be there first).

Happy (1 day late) birthday, Ernie!

You don’t know me — I don’t even remember now how I found your wonderful blog, but I’ve been reading and enjoying it for a while without commenting. Anyway, just wanted to say I hope you have a wonderful new decade.

Best wishes,
Sarah

Happy Belated 30th!

It was my best b-day. You get rid of the “struggling to establish yourself 20’s” and start on enjoying your “comfortable with yourself 30’s”.

Love your site…i’ve been reading for a few years but never commented. When you talk about your Mom I almost die from laughing.

Have a great year!

Wow, not only are you thirty, but now i’m older than you were when i started reading you. Which, in blog-years makes up both, like, 87.

Anyhow, happy birthday! Here’s to an awesome(r) decade.

aww, look at all us lurkers coming out of the bloggy woodwork to say happy birthday! yes, i’ve been a longtime reader too (via RSS) and i agree that the the thirties rock. i had a pretty awesome twenties, but my first few thirties years have been way better. mostly because you get there and realise: just because you’re sorta more responsible does not at all mean you have to ACT more “adult-like-’n'-shit.” it’s rather liberating. have a truly happy birthday, ernie; you deserve it.

Happy birthday, Ernie! From what I see here, I agree you “passed 30 a long time ago.” Birthday angst is a bit of a luxury; the sort of thing you have to have time and emotional resources for. I admire everything you’re doing for your family. Shrug it off and keep going.

I hear you on the adult stuff, dude. I’ve spent from age 19-28 having to take care of a sick relative, and dealing with the nuttiness of other relatives. 30 may very well be nothing when I get there

Hope the 30’s are a vast improvement from the 20’s!

Happy belated birthday!

happy birthday to you, ernie!!!
you will now be more orgasmic
than ever in your 30’s!!!
wait, i think that only
goes for femmes…

it doesn’t matter, 30 is the
new 20. =D

happy birthday, ernie!

Happy Boirthday!

I turn 30 in a few months, I hope I take it as well as you have

Happy Birthday.

Happy belated birthday, man. I hope your karaoke party was a blast!

25 lbs? Holy shit, where’ s the before/after pix? I could use some inspiration… I’ve gained back about 10 of the 20 that I lost

Anyway: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

happy birthday ! How many playstations did you get you rascal! ?
best
M

A thought about yr school friends having children: either by accident or design several of my gay friends have ‘made’ children - often in their teenage, pre fixed sexual orientation, period. All of them, without exception live this very joyfully especially as they get older. It gives them the strong sense of family needed to survive advancing age!

Happy belated birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday, Ernie! Here’s to life and all the joy it brings!!!

It doesnt stop at thirty,you failing to realize that basically it is the beginning of the human physical decline.Youll only be getting older until you finally die.40 is there,50 is there,60 is there etc….There will never be any being young ever again.30 is the beginning of the,don’t kid yourself with groundless postive thinking.It’s over.

happy birthday Ernie.Don’t forget keep staring at any age u prefare,at the ceiling of your life/30 is beautiful and sad 2./2 B baby is a sad thing 2./U can’t do nothing on your own.kisses!