POST OF THANKS


Cough is gone, and so is the horrible, throbbing headache. I'm so glad! And of late, I've been hibernating like a bear preparing for winter. So, totally rested!


Anyway, last Tuesday morning, I was awakened by a phone call. It's from Mummy. Grrr!!! I hate it. She has a tendency to call me at 7.30am, when my lessons start at 10am! Today's no exception, and I was irritated.

"Girl, you awake liao not? What time you need to reach campus today?" She asked.

"10am lah." I replied groggily and impatiently. I'M SICK. MY HEAD AND THROAT ARE RIOTING AGAINST ME! AND I WANT GET AS MUCH SLEEP AS I CAN BEFORE GOING FOR LESSONS! AHHH!!!

"Oh, ok. Then you later wake up by yourself, ok?" She continued.

"Ya, ya. I know." I tsked.

"And... Happy Birthday." She said.


It woke me up. Something in me softened. Instantly, I felt embarrassing guilt. Hearing a Happy Birthday directly is totally different from seeing it written in birthday cards and SMSes. And my family is the traditional, Chinese family. Words and touch are not incorporated into our daily lives. From the very day I'm able to walk stably on my feet, I don't recall being patted on the head or being hugged ever since. And I don't remember being asked how my day has been, or who is/are my best friend(s) in school. Thus, at that very instant, I know how much it takes to say that simple words of Happy Birthday. I was touched; and instantly felt guilty for the lousy attitude earlier.


Lessons ended at 4pm as usual that day. Just when I was waiting for the bus home, a phone call for a dinner invitation came in. Thus, instead of going home to rest as planned, I ended up at Kuishin Bo Japanese Restaurant at Suntec City for a buffet dinner with a friend. We arrived at 6.30pm, and ate until 9.30am. I was bursting at the seams! The service was great, the food was wonderful; but above all, the company was awesome.

We left the restaurant at 9.30am, and adjourned to The Coffee Bean at Suntec City Level 1. I was nursing a horrible throat, and thus settled for a comfortable cup of Swedish Raspberry Tea. At 10.30pm, RY finally arrived; and together, he drove us down to the Kopitiam near my house for supper. I only reached home after 12am.


And lo and behold! When I entered my bedroom, this is what I saw on the laptop on the desk. Courtesy of Daddy.




And it made my day. Totally.






Anyway, of all the congratulatory SMSes, 2 of them particularly stand out due to its uniqueness and hilarity. One is from my Si Gui Lao Gong (no prizes for guessing correctly who), and the other is from Daddy.

I don't think they would mind if I post out the originial contents of the SMSes here in its totality, right?


"SI GUI LAO PO! HAPPY HAPPY **TH BIRTHDAY! hahaha i know you want it to be 8teen. may you enjoy today & receive lots of mushrooms & kimchis! HAHAHA. (: loveloves."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY today u are 22 months liao =) remember 22 months ago 2day ah ma born u at 1 or 2 pm ley.. Born a little girl girl now still a little girl girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY."

These 2 SMSes; I can't help smiling while reading.
And Dad, I'm born at 1440hours, weighing a hefty 3110grams!



Anyway, last but not least:

Thanks for the book. I bet it'll be such a good read. The bad thing is, it's such a BIG distraction! I can only read it some weeks later, due to overloading school assignments! ARGGHHH! And thanks for the thumbdrive. It's what I need, and it really comes in handy! Even though I always says I'll get it on my own, I never did because my heart aches painfully from the $$$ involved; and thus, the purchase of a thumby always get procrastinated.

Thanks for the scrumptious dinner. The sushi and sashimi was wonderful; the tempura was awesome, the teppanyaki was mouth-watering, the Wagyu Beef and Dory was tender and fantastic; but honestly, it's the company that ultimately matters. It's not about the food, it's about the people. Okay, I just lied. It's still somewhat about the food. But then again, I can be dining in Ritz Carlton with Osama bin Laden, but would rather have bread crumbs and tap water in the company of yours.

Thanks for the unexpected "door gift" of bear and the bouquet of roses. The awesome wrapping totally floored me; and the colour combination is simply fantastic! I love it! The bright, sunshine colours make one brightens up totally. When you asked what would I be doing on that day, I replied that birthdays are just any other normal days. This is what I've always honestly thought. But I never expected you to take that simple MSN conversation to heart. Nevertheless, you made that Tuesday special.
And yes, you may be surprised by this, but I still remember that box of Ferrero Rocher years ago. You've done much. During the years of secondary school, we've certainly had our rough times. Mutual friends of ours certainly didn't make things better. In fact, they did more harm than good. There were times of misunderstanding, awkwardness, and avoidance. But throughout the many years since secondary school, I'm glad we came through, and have a friendship to speak of.

Thanks, also, for the 1month supply of Calbee Hot and Spicy potato chips, and Vitasoy Soya Milk. These food; I just can't resist!

Lastly, for the many other greetings, SMSes, calls, private messages and comments in Facebook, Friendster, MSN, and tagboard; thanks! And to those whom I've otherwise left out unintentionally, yes, thank you, too.