20ne
i woke up on a sunny morning of 21st November to see a sea of birthday wishes flooding my Facebook wall; a sight so rare it happens only once a year, i decided it is only fair if i take the time to drown myself in them for a start.
To my brother whom writes me the 3 magic words “i love you”, my lecturer Michael who wishes for my dreams to come true (AND MORE), friends i’ve lost touch with because they are sporadically sprinkled across the globe but still remembers me and this special date . . . Each and every one of you who took the effort to scribble “Happy Birthday” on my wall, thank you. It might seem like a “small” gesture, but remember that some could not even take 30 seconds of their time on this day to send me a wish! What can we say about that? That, is to say your effort COUNTS.
The eve of my birthday kicked off to a very good start, hence i decided to record my journey of this very special day as it came along. Of course, on any other day i would not be able to do so or if i do, very inefficiently doing so by:
1. Typing in the notepad of my Blackberry.
2. Email it to myself.
3. Transfer it back again to WordPress using my MacBook.
. . . . . . . . . .
Life of a dedicated blogger, what can i say?
i believe a good writer is constantly aware of every moment that passes through her daily life, simply because a priceless moment uncapture is a moment passed; easily forgotten no matter how incredibly beautiful they are, and like treasures from a sunken ship; tough to be searched for again. Moments cannot be recreated and that’s what makes them so priceless. Therefore to be a (good) blogger, or may i also refer to as writer, such effort should be dedicated throughout one’s day to be allocated for recording moments people are too busy to see on paper in a blog post.
Having all that said is actually to draw across a story that occurred on the night of my birthday eve. i was out for dinner with an ol’ friend at Sassorosso and somehow decided to visit the washroom at 11.55 p.m., to magically emerge as the clock strikes midnight to a scene where a not-too-cheesy birthday song float across the room; instantly filling the space with love, warmth, and everything fuzzy, followed by a perfectly drenched classic Italian tiramisu lit up with 3 candles (i get to make 3 wishes :razz:) plus the clinking glasses of our champagne; which accompany a suave move by the ‘surpriser’ to present me:
After a mixture of red wine, champagne and a shot of limoncello, i woke up the next day, obviously tipsy, to search for the priceless card that came with the ribboned grey box. It is the kind you would wanna keep for years till your hair turns silver to reread it again for good ol’ times sake, simply to retrace back a smile once carved back in November 2012. A card that can ONLY be written by a person who knows you so well just because he takes the sincere effort to. A card written from the heart with all the right words, sans the “i love you”. A card that makes me wanna cry.
As i reached out to read it for the second time, i noticed my right hand somehow placed across my heart as if fear of it jumping out from my body and across the floor pumping there due to whatever could be labeled as “over touched”. Unfortunately i won’t be sharing the content of the card with you, but to make the first quarter of this post appear more relevant, the mystery gift is an:
Simply because according to the giver,
1. It fell off a lorry.
2. A blogger without a pad is like a fish without water.
3. It is the perfect gift for Tey Cindy.
4. It would be a great toy during a long distance light to Germany (i’m going there this X’mas!) even though i love books a lot.
5. “I don’t want to see you at Espressamente with your old heavy MacBook anymore!“
Trust me, there are many people who claimed they know me well, but no one i know could explain effortlessly yet exactly “Why Tey Cindy needs an iPad” the way Leo did. So if there was one thing that touches the core of my heart, it would be this moment i am recording down here, with my new gadget.
The second gift is from my mother; which upon tearing wrapping papers unveiling the gift box, find me whispering “oh my god . . .“
Under this cover is a picture i can not snap, but for your mental visual, 50 and 100 notes that sum up to a thousand dollars. Best gift on earth, mummy! Cold hard cash wrapped with warm gentle love in the contrary. My mum is a genius like that.
Also accompanied by a Chinese tradition: (Home cooked) mee suah noodles as my birthday breakfast for longevity.
Temporary gifts from dad (i never knew such things exist!) while the long awaited iPhone 5 is actually made available.
A superb well thought through gift from both my angel and devil, Eri + Ruby. You taught me that “best” doesn’t always means “one”. Best means you, and “you” doesn’t always have to be a singular pronoun. You’re the most precious gift i could ever have in this World. Thank you for endlessly being my BEST FRIENDS, always.
A (bonus) gift presented by Eri personally, specially for my upcoming Germany trip – a great mixture of love, stories, recipes, and travel (so totally me). Looking forward to muse upon every single page of this second “Eat Pray Love” bible of the new year. You’d be surprise to know that this book is the second gift that actually touched the core of my heart after the iPad; simply because only a person who knows you well ENOUGH can get you the right book, and Miss Eri proves herself right every time.
A daring, fabulous attempt – for fun, and endless exploration for the hidden spiritual side of me; amazingly, first discovered by Heikki.
Fancy lingerie + the loveliest card written by my soul mate, Ai Rene, which actually made me tear upon reading . . . Such is a beauty meant to be kept secret between us, and only us. Period.
i couldn’t think of any other gift besides alcohol from Mr. Shultz. 😀
The cutest chocolates from sweet Lucy.
Sparkling sexc red X’mas cum Birthday tumbler from Darren.
The Unexpected: A belated surprise Italian birthday gift from Chef Andrea.
Tarjetas de cumpleaños de mis amigas españoles nuevas y Kin Wai, muchas gracias!
A Nuffnang trademark: The enveloped birthday card ritual.
Wise words carved on a vintage gift from my hot air stewardess friend, Jackie, now i dedicate back to each one of you with love, thanks, and utmost gratitude. You, are the best gift God could have ever given me. ♡
[…] all the iGadgets you could find, the other with a good book in hand. i actually said sorry to my iPad that i had to leave her behind, as i’ve promised myself to read more whenever i can. Many of […]