Lol, how come I always wait until I’m nearly half a year older to share about how I celebrated my birthday this year?? Yeah, that’s me: unorganised. XD
But cripes,
I’m officially on the wrong side of thirty now! O_o
Not that
being thirty-six marked any significant change in how I lived my life. Being
horribly physically disabled tends to spoil everything entirely. *sigh*
Still, I’ll
always be indebted to my friend who taught me that your birthday doesn’t only
get celebrated on the day itself; no, rather, you’re allowed to celebrate it
for the ENTIRE MONTH! I thought her assertion was a grand idea and immediately adopted
it. XD Mean mother jeers at me that it’s only coz I want people to take me out
for meals coz I’m a fat greedy pig but I’m like, what’s wrong with that?
Celebrating your birthday over a meal out together sounds like a great plan to
me!
Since I get
one meal out per week (mother used to work half day Thursdays and has organised
for carers to take me out because I reckon she suspects that if left to my
lonesome I’ll burn the house down XD) that’s the five Thursdays in March
covered.
I first
celebrated my birthday with all the other awesome ladies of the third edition
book club at the Logan North library on the second Thursday of the month. I’ll
sheepishly admit I’ve already forgotten which book we read but I felt very
loved to receive two handmade cards and a box of chocolates for my birthday.
This year,
my birthday fell on a Monday. Great, I don’t usually have physio on Mondays. XD
This year, most Mondays mother takes me to Vincent the physio’s place and I see
a Chinese lady for some massage, acupuncture and cupping every now and again. I’ve
had acupuncture and massage for many years, but cupping’s sth new that I only
started this year! Aunty Anna sets these little glass cups on fire and then
sets them all over my back; afterwards, the skin’s quite raised with red marks
but there’s no pain whatsoever. The
first time this happened, I forgot to remind my carer that I’d had it done;
when I went into the bathroom for a shower and removed my shirt, she gasped and
then SCREECHED, “What HAPPENED to your back?!” It took me a second to remember
that I’d just had cupping done; when I hastily reassured her that everything
was fine and that’s what cupping looks like, she was like phew I thought you’d
been ABUSED or sth! XD I enjoy the firm ministrations from Aunty Anna while
mother takes every opportunity to yap ceaselessly at her. I kid you not: her
voice is so soporific I often fall asleep! XD
Something
new I’ve started this year is para table tennis! The only requirement before
you can join the club I’m playing with’s that you have to have some sort of
intellectual disability; I’m the only unlucky sod that has a physical
disability too. Only I thought Christians aren’t meant to believe in luck? Then
I suppose it’s just another thing I hate the cruel and unfaithful God for.
>< *sigh*
But back to
table tennis: the tradition there is that for your birthday, you bring cake to
share with everyone! The last time I enjoyed a cheesecake from the Cheesecake
shop was back when I turned twenty-four; in recent years mother has started
baking cakes herself and refuses to lemme buy a birthday cake from any store
because she claims store-bought cakes are very bad for you since they contain
preservatives and what not. Well, I miss them since I reckon they taste yummier
than what mother produces … although that’s probably because she NEVER follows
the recipe and I suspect she never adds the amount of sugar the recipe
contains. Still, cake is cake, and one of my favourite Facebook post’s this
café blackboard that says: fat people are harder to kidnap. EAT MORE CAKE. XD
I’ve found
online that you can get many free things for your birthday and was hoping to
get as much I could get around to, but mother was mean, saying she’d only lemme
get ONE. >< *sigh* Would anyone have a day of on March the 20th
next year and be free to take me around to more places to get all my birthday
freebies?
On my
birthday day itself, I saw Aunty Anna for some massage and acupuncture (I enjoy
her firm ministrations; mother enjoys the chance to yap ceaselessly at her XD)
after which I got my one birthday deal that mother had allowed me. I thought
Red Rooster offered you a free meal on your birthday but for some reason the
lady behind the counter said that wasn’t offered anymore?! Instead, she asked
me did I have the Red Rooster app on my phone? When I replied yes, she said
open it and see what deals are on offer today. I chose the one that gave you
two pieces of fried chicken for a certain price but can you believe it: she was
awesome and gave me THREE! I thought mother would order her own meal but
instead she nabbed one of the pieces. Never mind, I had the other two. When we
left this same lady was still at the counter; I called my thanks after raising
three fingers into the air (meaning thanks for sneaking me one extra piece). She
just nodded and grinned! Originally, I was thinking about leaving her a
thank-you message on Red Rooster’s Facebook page but mother forbade me from
doing so; apparently they’d fire her if they found out!
Rebecca
minded me from 4pm-6pm and then for my birthday dinner we went out to
Impressive Dumplings for dinner with Aunty A before coming back home for
birthday cake!
Lol, I’ve
not had much luck with birthday cake for the past half decade or so. Back for
my 30th birthday six years ago, I’d asked mother can I please get a
birthday cake? Imagine how distressed I was when she immediately snapped no,
since she didn’t get any cake for her birthday last year, why should you get
any cake for your birthday this year?!
But mother,
this isn’t just any birthday, this is my special DECADE birthday; you can’t jolly
well deny me cake!! ><
In the end,
mother lemme buy one little *slice* of cake. Sheesh, if it were not for friends
who understood the importance of special decade birthdays and the need for
birthday cake, I’d have gone without! o_O ><
The next
year, after ensuring mother had birthday cake for her last birthday, did I try
again asking politely for permission to buy birthday cake. For whatever reason
that so pleases her, mother again refused; this time, she said she’d MAKE me a
birthday cake! Oh, that’s right. During the past half-decade or so, mother has
taken up cake baking as a hobby. Well, I’m not picky. Cake’s still cake. Will
you please make me a cheesecake, mother? I like cheesecakes.
So, on the night
on/before my 31st birthday, we’re all seated around the dining
table. Mother produces the cake; we all pose for obligatory photos and then
small slices are served. We’re all munching away until I speak up. “Thanks mum,
the cake’s nice, but just curious … how come it’s SALTY?! Aren’t cheesecakes
meant to be sweet??”
Mother looks
caught out and terribly embarrassed for a split second, before she doubles over
and howls her laughter. “Oh, I was hoping with your inferior taste buds you
wouldn’t realise, but you caught me out! See, I’d already tucked you into bed
before I started baking your birthday cake; it was late and I was tired. The
recipe said to use unsalted butter but I didn’t notice and used salted butter.
I was hoping you wouldn’t find out, bahaha!”
Lol, you’d
think after that mother would learn her lesson and just lemme buy a cake but
she persistently refuses; apparently store-bought cakes are very unhealthy for
you because they contain all these preservatives and other bad things? Well,
I’ve never come to any harm after eating store-bought cake and can’t help but
think mother demands to make my cake so that others will praise her and say
what a ‘good’ mum she is. XD
Since I
celebrate my birthday for the entire MONTH, one event I’m counting as a
celebration’s when the NAB students from UQ set me this treasure hunting
activity to do at Garbo! I ended up hiking from the downstairs Coles to the
upstairs food court but Mrs. Hoppie (not how her surname’s spelt but it’s how
you pronounce it) the clinical educator was a sport and shouted me arvo tea: a
serve of Chinese egg waffles and a pearl milk tea! The most exciting thing’s that
she dropped me back home after the excursion. She drives a convertible; since
the weather was lovely that day, she took the roof down and I excitedly waved
my right arm out of the car before apologising and saying, “Sorry, it’s illegal
to hang body parts outta the car, isn’t it? I’d better stop lest the police
pull you over and fine you.” She laughed and replied I think it’s only illegal
if you hang like half your body out, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure sticking your
arms up and outta the car’s fine. In that case, I flung both arms wide open and
out, calling, “Woo hoo!” XD
I’m pretty
sure my entire church family of BCAC knows of my total obsession with the
yellow, jellybean-shaped, incredibly stupid minions of Despicable Me. On the
weekend before/after my birthday, after church service, the chairperson
suddenly says Em, someone’s made you Minion cupcakes for your birthday! Once
service ends, I head out of the hall, everyone sings me the happy birthday song
and Minion cupcakes are passed around! Lana Banana’s such a talented baker: I
made sure I thanked her profusely for the treat after I got home and plopped
online that Sunday!
During
morning tea after church, dear Granny Wan comes to sit beside me; when I
excitedly burble to her that it’s my birthday very soon, she asks me how old
are you? Since I’ve no idea do Cantonese people have the phrase ‘forever
twenty-one’, I just told her my real age. Granny Wan blinks in surprise, leans
closer and exclaims, “Are you THAT old already?!” XD
But yeah.
Since I’m on the wrong side of my thirties now I suppose I’d better get used to
being an old hag. XD Still, I had fun celebrating my birthday this year!
Next post
here … maybe I’ll write one about our two trips to Sydney this year? Anyways,
until then~
