Thursday, December 05, 2002
Yo people, sorry i've been quiet for so long... exams, projects, boy it was overwhelming since it all came in one big barrage. Right now i'm at home lying on my hammock, drinking ice tea under the shade of my straw hat and the sea breeze blowing in my face with the sashaying comforts of coconut trees swaying and the sea lapping the shore. NOT, i'm stuck with my antiquated 56K connection, frantically channel surfing after AGES of missing my television and all those wonderful channels like HBO, TechTV and of course not forgetting Cartoon Network with Samurai Jack and Dexter's Lab :D
My sis is the usual pain, and surprisingly this year i've got an extra present from my paternal auntie which i've never seen. Birthday presents are such a rarity in my life that getting one from someone new is a very momentous milestone in my life indeed. If u're reading this auntie Serena (i MIGHT've seen u when i was REALLY little, but i have absolutely no recollection of you now, so i'd be grateful if i knew how such a wonderful auntie who remembers my birthday would look like), a BIG thank you for the photo frame, although slightly efeminated with the cute little teddy bears, but i really appreciate your remembering insignificant little me's birthday and taking the effort to buy me a present.
Got a silver ring from my girlfren, THANK YOU! ARIGATO! TERIMA KASIH! Obviously i'm wearing it all the time, BUT of coz on my right 4th finger even tho it'd fit snugly on my left :D I told her i want to feel single and available so i don feel guilty if i flirt or ogle in a school 70% female HAHA :D
I guess its a girl thing to remember birthdays, and totally outside most guys' dictionaries. Correct me if i'm wrong, but studying in a guy school for 4 secondary school years made me barely remember when i was born just because i had to fill in forms that required "date of birth" as a mandatory line. In JC, thankfully there were girls, and a female classmate that i got along very well remembered my birthday and gave me a present back in J1 if i'm not wrong. A BIG BIG BIG thank you Su Mei for that. Its one of THE most memorable presents i've ever recieved, mostly because i didn't expect it from you, much less that it'd be a mug that says "No. 1 Man U Fan". My best cousin (coINCIDENTALLY female) also gives me presents periodically, and of course THE most memorable one was the Man U Organizer. It was memorable not because its man u and all, but because in my opinion something like that would not be easy to find, AND i'd suspect it wouldn't be cheap, so BIG BIG BIG Arigato to Tizi! My Mei Mei in St. Andrews (hopefully rubbing shoulders with royalty by now :D) consistantly gave me a very intricately written chinese mythical creatures version of my name, where my "S" would be this very colourful dragon and so on. It's framed and now hangs on my bedroom door, acting as a useless ward to keep away pesky little sisters. Notice that i'm not giving much thanks for my gf's presents which have amounted less than only my cousin Tizi(because i've known her all my life) and my mum(no points for figuring out why), because THOSE are -ahem- P & C, reserved for her only :D
On the first day of exams, EVERYONE came for this indonesian girl in my hostel's birthday. And i mean EVERYONE. I was so happy for her, because i personally never had such an experience, so seeing everyone turn up to give a friend of mine a half-surprise birthday bash was very heart-warming for me. But on the other hand i was a little jealous of her, and secretly i wished in this instance that i was a girl so that my birthday would perhaps be written in ink rather than easily-erasible pencil in people's minds, but with PMS and the necessity to behave "woman-like", that thought stayed in my head for no more than a split second. That envy arose because my own birthday was only 2 weeks away and no one seemed to remember, and at the same time i knew no one would remember nor bother coz all of these friends would be happily at home with their families enjoying a bigger event, Christmas, the season of giving presents. No, i don't believe birthdays are about giving presents, even though i personally make an effort to get worthy presents for friends, but i feel birthdays are events people should remember because it not only marks a person's coming of age, and it is the only date in a calendar which you can call your OWN.
Me? My birthday's have always been small affairs. On one hand, the timing of it had always been poor, as it had always been in the holidays, but as i grew older and people had more freedom to go out, holidays are times when birthdays got BIGGER and parties even MORE possible, so that excuse to console myself wore out. My dad grew tired of pampering a man-&-bread-winner-to-be, so those birthday dinners at posh western cuisine restaurants ceased too. my mum (thank GOD, thank you God) although influenced by my father never to place too much emphasis on birthdays, had always secretly wanted my birthdays to be at the very least a little happier than a normal day, and had always made sure i received a present, sometimes at the risk of incurring my dad's wrath at spending money unnecessarily. My pride has never allowed me to thank my mum directly, perhaps someday i'll find that superhuman courage to truly appreciate my mother's sacrifices. My God-mother had made it a point to give me presents EVERY birthday, but they've always been clothes, and though i'm really grateful because rather a present than none, tastes are always different( the same way a kid reacts to his grandma's 12th birthday underwear "Oh WOW -mumble mutter- THANKS GRANDMA -mumble curse cough mutter- OH you SHOULDN'T have... )
Which reminds me, i have GOT to go down to get some LONG-overdue presents for some friends.
Dr@n|xX at 1:32 AM
