MELANIE LIM:

I like talking to young people. I like listening to their thoughts. I like looking at how they live their lives because often, when they live like there is no tomorrow, they remind me so much of my young self— so fearlessly intrepid and invincible. I remember my youth. And when I do, I smile. I don’t know how my parents survived. (They’re still having a difficult time.) My advice to young people? Get out of the house. Have fun. You are young only once. And I mean every word when I say, do it now, not tomorrow. This time will not come again. You can be young and unworried only once.

The other night, my sister and I, together with a friend, were at the mall having dinner. On the way out, I saw hordes of young people aimlessly milling about. “Look at all these young people,” I tell my sister. “If we were their age, we’d be doing the same thing.”

“Ah,” my sister tells me, “I have no energy for this.” “Oh yeah,” I tell her, “me too. “Our friend chimes in, “Me too.”

I like talking to young people. I like listening to their thoughts. I like looking at how they live their lives because often, when they live like there is no tomorrow, they remind me so much of my young self-so fearlessly intrepid and invincible.

I remember my youth. And when I do, I smile. I don’t know how my parents survived. (They’re still having a difficult time.)

My advice to young people? Get out of the house. Have fun. You are young only once. And I mean every word when I say, do it now, not tomorrow. This time will not come again. You can be young and unworried only once.

But I always include caveat. Have fun. But be responsible. Know the consequences of your actions. And never, ever put yourself in a desperate situation—because that’s when you are likely to make a wrong decision.

At the end of the day, life, at any age, must be a balance. Don’t abandon your responsibilities but don’t overdose on duty. Because doing so will burn you out, make you bitter and seriously hamper your ability to be happy.

Do what you must. Take that leap of faith. Walk the road less traveled. Don’t leave room for remorse and regret. You don’t’ want to look back one day and wonder what might have been.

But whatever you decide to do—do it with integrity, whether you choose to be a hungry corporate raider or an impoverished artist. Take control of your life. And whatever you decide to do with it— own it—all the choices you make, sound or stupid.

And there’s one thing I think young people should learn to do too—set boundaries. In this world of immense choices, young people are sometimes misled into thinking that unbridled freedom is their God-given right.

I do not subscribe to the idea that freedom is absolute. While we must always fight for our right to express ourselves freely, we must also, at all times, learn to edit, filter and calibrate what we say or do. Because the ability to abstain is what separates us, human beings, from the rest of nature.

It never hurts to be prudent—to choose our words, to curb our emotions, to contain our reactions. While we should hail spontaneity, we should also honor restraint when it is necessary. It also doesn’t hurt to think before we say or do.

“Auntie, you’re dressing like a Tita now,” my niece tells me. Really? Well, I’m flattered because, in fact, I’m not even a Tita anymore. I’m a Lola now. Sigh. Stay sober, kids. And keep a cool head. That’s the best advice Tita can give you.

Don’t leave room for a remorse or regret. You don’t want to look back one day and wonder what might have been