happy birthday to me!


When I logged in this morning, this lovely image greeted me on my Google search page. While some people may be uncomfortable with how their personal information gets used online, I was delighted at the personal touch provided by the coders at Google. Mmm, cake.

Even though my birthday is no longer celebrated with all of the kids at school singing to me, I am more excited about my birthday these days than I ever was as a child. This may have something to do with not having parents who tell me that I need to clean the house and complete all of my chores even if it is my big day. I left the breakfast dishes in the sink this morning and I'll wash them later tonight when I'm good and ready because today is my day. 

To be fair, my parents did not make a big deal over my birthday because my sister had a July birthday and summer birthdays meant that many friends had gone home for an extended holiday. My sister usually only had family around for her celebrations so to make things even, my birthdays were low key affairs despite the availability of celebrants. I only resented this slightly. After a while I started dreading my birthday because some well meaning auntie would ask me if I was having a party. By my teens, my birthday stopped being any different from any other day of the week. Things changed when I transferred into my aunt and uncle's custody. This first year that I lived with them, they took me to a restaurant for a celebration dinner and the staff came out singing and carrying a big cake. I was mortified and almost burst into tears but I also was very touched. By the next year I had made a lot of friends and had a party, albeit without the singing. 

This morning I woke up in a chipper mood despite the fact that no one in the room remembered my birthday. My hints must have been too subtle for SB to pick up on because that muppet had a comical look of panic when I woke him up and told him it was my birthday. Apparently "I can't wait to see how you top last year's gift, unless you give me another doggy," wasn't strong enough. As I type this, I imagine him racing around aimlessly in Causeway Bay, desperately trying to find a present for me that sadly, isn't another dog.

I have enjoyed all of the well wishes that have been popping up on my social media accounts. I even suffered through the annoying musical accompaniments of several e-cards. The sun is shining (at least it seems bright outside behind all of the haze) and birds are chirping and it's a wonderful day to be alive. Happy birthday to me!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oh, that kind of doggy. I envisioned something else entirely as your birthday gift! :-)
ulaca said…
Smoggie, you have no, um, style...
architart said…
How did I know that you would be right behind him?