First time celebrating my own birthday abroad, alone, anonymously... I consider myself a sentimental person. Easily touched and grateful but could be sensitive have strong "self-awareness" at times. Dad ask me to invite friends for lunch, but is kind of awkward when you ask them to have lunch together and the reason behind is "Today is my birthday!" "Oh really?!! Happy Birthday!". It feels weird.... and my friend might feels bad about not knowing it or thinks that I am too random or even thinks that we are not that close until the extent that she knows/cares about my birthday...
Is Mondy! Treat myself a GOOD lunch for the day and also to start up the week. Went to the mini shopping centre near uni, and spent the most expensive lunch (in a normal restaurant) ever since I arrived. Ordered 咸酥雞飯盒/ Salted Chicken Rice Bento with a dessert, and complimentary/top-on desserts always come in smaller size. *speechless* After the meal, treated myself Chatime, my first drink from the shop since arrival... and the taste is really different from what I had back home... Too different....yacks! I thought it might be the skills of making it is poor from that branch, but after trying it at another branch, the rationale could be due to different ingredients...
Stayed in the shopping center for the whole day to save the hassle of going back and forth, just because of a meeting in the evening. Deep down in my heart, I really hope that someone from the meeting group remember will wish me, as they are the group of people that I am closer with out of the classroom. And thanks to KT, at least I felt warmth that day... She baked a moist chocolate cake with Elmo on it! Haha. Why Elmo? Is a long story... Second thing that made my day is from a really unexpected handmade card(?) from my housemate, Phyllis! She hang it in front of my door *sniff sniff* It has been such a long time I have received handmade item! and 2 chocolates from my other housemate when we met at the kitchen. And another lil small gift is from a girl, who coincidentally baked a banana cake on my birthday, and passed it to me for sampling LOL
Thats all from my uni mates...
Another bits that I would love to dedicated to are:
Hazel, who called me just to wish me (despite busying with her upcoming exam);
YiLin, the first one who wished me (due to the time zone in NZ) and her adorable present (portrait of me! Haha, now I have my own digital version portrait, hand drawn!!!);
WanTeng, who seriously waited until 12am MY time just to wish me;
Amily, who wished me and whatsapped with me although we suppose to zzzz;
and the rest who text me and wish me through FB :)
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Some thoughts after the day...
Years ago, when we were young, we took everyone's (esp close friends) birthday so seriously that we will make the birthday cards together, decorate it together and on that day, we will surprise him/her by putting the cards between her/his books or in the drawer or sometimes even mail it to his/her house!
2 years later, we are so busy with our studies that we have no more additional time to hand craft the birthday cards (esp the birthdays fall on exam period - like me XD). So at least we will either share the cost of buying a present or the huge version greeting cards with lots of others signature on it.
A year later, everyone of us has mobile phone, we customized or occasionally customized the forwarded version of meaningful birthday wishes to him/her at 12am D-day...
Last year, when everyone has Facebook account, not many of us will specifically remembered your friends birthday, but rather depending on the FB reminder on the top right corner. We now send wishes through FB wall to almost everyone in our friend list.
Today, most of us have hundreds and maybe thousands of friends in the friend lists, and we realized that not everyone is that close to us and now we selectively wishes them through FB.
In person, I felt pretty bad for such "evolution" of birthday wishes. Because from the way people wishes me, somehow I could feel that which person sincerely wishes you, some just post it for the sake of posting and some just post it to maintain that thin line of relationship through posting. Yet I am grateful for those posts, regardless what kind of reason, because to me, at least they have the 'heart' to wish me and I am not forgotten or being a stranger to them. So I personally like every single wishes and replied personally and dedicated to each of them with the hope of reconnect with them (foster a better distant relationship) rather than a vague 'Thank you' or a 'thumbs up'. And until today, I am still really really really really really touched by the wishes sent through text messages and calls because to me, these are the least indication that someone who appreciated your friendship and took the additional effort to wish you...
