this birthday

My birthday comes and goes quietly each year, just the way I wish it to be. A couple of friends would unfailingly arrange to meet up, but quite apart from that, it usually passes by with nary a pause or disruption to my everyday routine. I don't throw parties, nor do I treat myself to something indulgent. If anything, I merely turn older, and boy, here's another reason to lament/whine/laugh at how we are surely getting old.

This year however, I have been blessed by gestures and gifts that friends showed towards me. The earliest took me by surprise completely. SP gave me an absolutely elegant-looking MP3 player which, try as he convinced otherwise, did not come cheaply. I had not suspected anything when he asked me whether I had any MP3 player (on the pretext of wanting to get one himself). He's one sly fellow, I must say.

Then on the eve of my birthday, Ad and L drove down to my place (without my knowledge), only to learn that at 11plus pm, I was still on the train going home from office. (Ad could be heard groaning in the phone when L called me!) This time I suspected something was amiss when L called me earlier to ask if I were leaving office soon. By pure coincidence, it was exactly midnight when they picked me up at the train station. We proceeded to the void deck of my block where we had beer and chatted for an hour or so. This despite that Ad was visibly dead tired and L had work the next morning. It was a gesture I appreciated deeply. Nothing beats meeting up with good friends over drinks and a chat.

Later in the night/day I recieved an sms from 10, all the way from Alaska. Enough said.

I also received a birthday card via snail mail from Josh, who belongs to the rare breed of friends who still sends Christmas cards by post every year. It came a few days late, and his cheap excuse was that he was undecided on which card to use. The card was a simple gesture and no matter its late arrival, a card via post is to me a simple but unmistakable gesture of thoughtful sincerity.

Coming at the end of K's three-week long birthday celebrations (haha!), I also met him and Jon for dinner earlier in the week before my birthday. As always, our conversations are riddled with jokes and irreverent comments (mostly from Jon).

All in all, a birthday is an occasion where one is reminded of friendships that one is blessed with. As someone who has always been comfortable with giving more than receiving (for to give more than to receive is to be blessed and content), I am humbled by the generosity of my friends.