To drink, to not to drink

I know I've been complaining about the legal drinking age in the United States of America.

For some reason, the one thing(let me rephrase that) Among the many things which I take pride in Malaysia, is the drinking age.

I felt that being able to have a glass of wine or two to accompany an Italian meal or at a fine dining restaurant, makes the whole experience... simply exquisite!!!

I've always thought that the reason to why a lot of American teenagers have drinking problems or even a high fatality rate when it comes to drinking was the restriction on them. IEven though I have no evidence/study to back this up, just an observation/opinion.

Many argued, "I'm expected to die for my country by the age of 18 and I can't even drink?" "This is ridiculous!!" There are the very words I've heard from a number of my college mates.

I would think a country where the freedom of choice is one of the things they take so much pride in, and the power of education and information, would at least have the decency to leave this choice up to the teeenagers.

I stumbled upon an article in the NYTimes which I find interesting and sort of addressed this issue.

I was raised in a family where everyone drinks at festive occasions like the Chinese New Year, Grandma's Birthday, wedding anniversaries, basically anything worth celebrating.

But it has always been my parent's policy that it's OK to drink in their presence. I can understand where they're coming from. They don't see drinking as an "oh-so-evil thing". But rather, something to be enjoyed, especially in the presence of people you care.

I remember the nights when my dad and I would just drink a beer or two with peanuts and/or barbequed wings. *Drroools..*

I remember the meals I had with my girlfriends at my favorite Italian Restaurant, Italia Mia in my hometown, Ipoh, accompanied by a glass of wine, or my alternate choice for top restaurants in Ipoh, Citrus, where I have shots(sips rather) of Grand Marnier. **Ddrrooolllllsssss**

I may have gone overboard on several occasion, but I believe that drinking is one of the many guilty pleassures in life, just like anything else.

White Chocolate
Eating Ice-cream straight from the tub
Watching "Friends""Nip/Tuck""Grey's Anatomy" 72 hours straight
Hopping on a plane to Europe even though you know you're broke and probably gonna starve(that will be me this summer-wish me luck!!!)
Sleeping for 18 hours and roll around the bed for another 5
Sitting in front of the computer for hours doing your "research paper" when you're actually on Facebook half the time
Sending anonymous hate mail to someone you think deserves it
Shop online until you realize there's only $13.57 left in your bank account


Which all of the above, in my opinion, should be done in moderation, if you want to live THE LIFE.