Quote 16
It was beginning to look like something. (24.11)
And she doesn't mean beginning to look a lot like Christmas either. She's talking about finding her personal style, which is very important as a teenager. Marjane spends a lot of time crafting her unique look, and the fact that her character stands out on every page shows that she succeeded.
Quote 17
I decided to take this little problem as a sign. It was time to finish with the past and to look forward to the future. (29.32)
Marjane returns home to her room, including a too-small desk and punk rock posters she's not into anymore. When she looks for her tapes, she can't find them—turns out her mom gave them away. Marjane decides to throw away all the stuff from her childhood and move on. We think this might mark the last step on her journey to adulthood. She's found her identity, and she doesn't need things around that symbolize her struggle for it anymore. Or maybe she just had to make room for a Marky Mark poster.
Quote 18
In 1994, the year of my marriage, Iraq attacked Kuwait. (37.1)
It's pretty morbid to remember the year of your marriage by thinking about what war happened then, but in Iran, there's always a war happening. So it might be morbid, but it's not unusual for an Iranian to do this. Especially since this war in the Middle East will likely directly impact Marjane's life in Iran.