How come I always forget to blog about how I celebrated my birthMONTH (since Microsoft Word understands birthday it should really understand birthmonth too! XD) until the day I turn HALF a YEAR OLDER?? Yeah, that’s me: unorganised. XD But I’m forever grateful to my Facebook friend who taught me that you’re allowed to celebrate your birthday not only for just that day; you’re allowed to celebrate your birthday for the whole MONTH! I thought that a grand idea and immediately adopted it. XD
There’s a
huge number of free/discounted things available for you to get during your
birthday month. Unsure why mother was mean and only allowed me to choose *one* free
thing, but if anyone is free come 20th March 2025, will you please
take me around and collect all my free things with me?? Obviously, I’ll share
them with you!
The one free
offer I accepted was from Gloria Jeans: a free drink! Mother had some carer
take me to Sunnybank Plaza to get my free drink after I’d showered and although
there was some confusion over me redeeming
the offer even though I showed them the email I’d been sent offering me the free drink I’d just
sat down (not good with just standing anymore, see) and tapped away at my
smartphone until I’d successfully reset my password and logged into my account
before showing the dude behind the counter my free birthday drink, which comes
with a barcode that requires scanning! I’d tried asking could I please get my
drink with cream and sprinkles on the top? The fellow behind the counter had
roared with laughter before saying sure I’ll give you cream but sorry,
unfortunately we’ve not got any sprinkles. However, I’ve got some chocolate
powder; how about I sprinkle that on for you? Deal!
Unfortunately,
March means the onset of colder months and shorter days, since the Sun doesn’t
rise until much later. I have a bedside lamp that I can flip on during the night
to see the time on the wall; nature often calls around 2/3am but one morning
when I needed to relieve myself and ‘twas still pitch-black outside, I flipped
on the switch to see the time and was astounded to see that ‘twas already 5:50am!
During my
birthday month, I was invited to a friend’s 40TH birthday party! Jo’s
in the same special table tennis group/club as me; she’s a very
high-functioning Down’s Syndrome chubby girl that independently catches a taxi
to and from our table tennis sessions and is married! Sometimes that makes me
wonder will I have a husband too before I’m forty but what with unkind mother
often jeering @ me that nobody’s ever gonna wanna married someone as disabled
bas I am, I’m content with being Aunty Em to the next generation of littlelies~
Jo’s
birthday party was in some fancy hotel several stories up! She’d invited most
of our table tennis club members and there was a table spread with assorted
finger food that I had for dinner (e.g mini sausage rolls, mini meat pies, mini
quiches and that stuff Mrs. Dent my Australia godmother likes; what’s it
called, bruschetta? There were also thin yellow noodles but after one mouthful I
went eww, curry so thankfully Bree ate them for me. XD) Then yay for cake! Remember
to eat more cake because fat people are harder to kidnap. XD My carer Bree (from memory she’s
twenty-eight this year, studying nursing @ uni and says silly rhyming things
like sure thing chicken wing XD) drove me; we sat outside on the balcony with Jo,
her mum Mrs. Sue and Kim our table tennis coach.
Back at the
beginning of the year, the parents and I all managed to get sick and we all
missed one week of church. Mother and I got better with time but somehow
dearest dad … didn’t? That culminated with one day Uncle Slam driving dad
(mother accompanied him) to hospital. Anna kept me company and we called Uber
Eats for dinner, from Hungry Jack’s! For
some reason, the parents refuse to tell me about dad’s condition because mother
for some reason believes that I’ll blab EVERYTHING over Facebook? Well, the
only reason I know what’s going on with dad’s because one night, the parents
and I had been invited to a church couple’s house for dinner and afterwards,
mother had passed me my mobile to play with. Since I seemed fully absorbed
playing with my mobile, she deemed it safe to yap about my dearest dad’s
condition, believing I was too immersed playing with my mobile to hear her. Yet
she forgot that I’m like the best hearer there is; since I can only block one
ear with my one more/less functioning arm, unless I’m YELLING at you just when
you’re speaking to me to drown out your voice, I’m gonna hear you! XD So, yeah:
I know what’s up with my dearest dad and just ask everyone to please keep him
in your prayers for his continued health and wellbeing, okies? Many thanks~
Like previous
years, my birthday celebrations officially started on the second Thursday of
the month, when the 3rd edition book club of the Logan North library
met for our once-monthly meeting. Usually, we meet in the meeting room of the
library but since we were celebrating my birthday, instead of attending the
library we all met up for dinner at the Chinese restaurant in Springwood Tower
Hotel! I ordered Hokkien fried rice (minus the prawns), someone shouted me a
crunchy spring roll and the owner/waitress lady poured fragrant jasmine tea for
us!
I’d asked
somebody/anybody please to bring cake (again: eat more cake since fat people
are harder to kidnap XD) and lovely Di ended up baking Minion-themed cupcakes
for everyone! Well, they were just plain chocolate cupcakes but then she’d
spread yellow icing over each one and then printed out Minion pictures and
attached each one onto the cupcake with a toothpick!
The shift
was meant to have ended (i.e. Catherine to have dropped me home) by 8pm but at
7:45pm I asked Di was there any chance she could take me home instead? See, I can’t
help but eating slowly and unless I start shoving spoonfuls down my gob and don’t
chew before swallowing I seriously doubt I’ll finish on time … Di said ring
your carer and lemme talk to her but Catherine didn’t pick up!
Meaning I didn’t
arrive home until at least 8:30pm and I even got presents! Can’t remember: are
you allowed to open your birthday presents once you get them/wait until your
birthday itself before opening them?
Unsurprisingly
I had physio on my birthday but before that I attended writers’ group! It’s a tradition
to bring cake on your birthday to share and mother had baked a chocolate cake
for me; everyone enjoyed a slice of seconds but there was still enough of the
cake left to bring out and give to the librarians, telling them please enjoy!
Oh, another
freebie offered to me was from The Glen Hotel; they offered me a free donut! A carer
drove me down to the Glen Hotel (I literally live at the top of the street
where it is) and I walked to the front counter, showed someone the email I’d
been sent and asked for my free donut? ‘Twas like mid-afternoon then; to my
shock the guy tells me the café that sells the donuts have now closed; it’s
only open during the morning! I’m about to wail but what about my free donut
when the guy behind the counter says they usually send the excess donuts back
here; follow me and I’ll see if I can get you some. I follow him and my carer
follows me deeper into the premises; sure enough, the guy appears bearing a box
of like SIX donuts, which he offers to me! “Um, I thought you were only giving
me one donut?” I query, accepting the box but he laughs and replies, “Lots
leftover today. Happy birthday!” Back in the car, my carer and I both munch one
before I take the other four home. Like how most things are shared in our house,
my dearest dad enjoys two for himself while mother and I have one each. Delicious!
Yes, I have a nut allergy but there are three nuts I can safely eat without
exploding: NUTmeg, cocoNUT and my favourite?
DoNUT. XD Mostly I just got cranky with dad for wanting to steal a bite
of my birthday donut; I’d already gifted him one! >< But should The Glen
Hotel offer me another free birthday donut next year, I’ll make sure to come claim
it during the morning!
Since mother
has some weird necessity to keep me socially isolated, she only lets me contact
one friend out for a meal to celebrate my birthday with. Annie’s six years my
junior and was studying nursing but now she’s become a phlebotomist!
Annie picked
some place around Sunny Park for our lunch together. Since we’ve both got
excellent tastebuds (great minds obviously think alike XD) we both ordered some
teppanyaki chicken spaghetti dish and shared a little air fryer of fried
chicken. After we both visited the bathroom once, we had dessert at Excellent
Cup. She ordered a bowl of tofu flower
while I went with shaved ice and then we just shared~
One thing
that happened during my birthday month was that we went to the local primary
school to vote! Not being very politically minded and knowing basically nothing
about politics, I usually just vote for the first politician that has the
initiative to send me a flyer promoting themselves first. XD Just pity it wasn’t
raining because I remember one election ‘twas bucketing down and so the parents
lemme use Sparkless3 (my manual wheelchair) to go vote.
Earlier this
year, mother had booked me in to see Aunty Anna for some massage and
acupuncture. She also does cupping; the first time I’d returned home after
coming and the afternoon carer had arrived to supervise my shower, I’d headed
into the bathroom and started getting ready. After I’d peeled off my tee my
carer suddenly SCREECHED, What HAPPENED to your back?!?!” I’d taken a couple of
seconds to remember I’d just had cupping done and that my back had raised
circle welts all over but I’d immediately reassured my carer that everything was
okay. She’d laughed before replying phew, at first glance, I thought you’d been
ABUSED/something! XD
Anyways, on
the week of my birthday, when I went to see Aunty Anna for some acupuncture and
massage, upon arrival, she immediately gave me a box of fancy chocolate! Hmm,
must ask mother did she gobble all my chocolate up; don’t think I’ve seen any
for the last six months? XD Actually now I’m just grumpy since mother has ‘forgotten’
where she placed my chocolate! >< Hell hath no fury like a female denied
her chocolate … XD
Another cake
was also enjoyed at table tennis; the tradition is you bring cake to share,
everyone else signs a birthday card for you and then after playing table tennis
everyone heads upstairs to share cake! One of the coaches there, Andrea, for
some reason LOVED the chocolate cake mother made for me last year and said if
you can get her to bake you another one for this year, I’ll buy you a donut in any
flavour you want! Upon my arrival to table tennis that Wednesday, Andrea had
immediately rushed up to me, asking did your mum bake her cake?? Since she hadn’t
bothered to say hi, I just cheekily countered with did you bring my cookies and
cream donut?? Ooh, good afternoon, BTW. Andrea had roared with laughter before
producing a paper bag from behind her and waving it in my face; I’d responded, “Phew.
Yes, mother baked the cake you like; my carer’s just putting it into the kitchen
now.”
I’d actually
started my birthday on the best possible note: my first awesome night’s sleep
(when I bid my teddy sweet dreams, fall asleep and don’t wake again to relieve
myself until after the Sun has risen enough for me to make out the time on the
clock on the wall) in three days. Another reason why my birthday was awesome
this year: I didn’t haveta endure any blasted physio that day! Yes, it’s like
the bane of my existence … >< XD Kim asked Jo to gimme my birthday card
and when everyone sang me the happy birthday song, Kim herself did the hip hips!
Actually, I’d
hoped that your BIRTHDAY was good enough reason to enjoy a meal out but mother
had forbidden it, saying dad was ‘too unwell’ to take us out? Instead, she had
invited Uncle Slam and Anna over for dinner. Also, as in years previous; she’d
not lemme buy a birthday cake because apparently store-bought cakes are filled
with preservatives and are all very bad for you? But they look nice, taste
great and are actually sweet! Sometimes I can’t help but suspect that mother never
lets me buy a birthday cake because if she makes one for me herself, all the
other church aunties will praise her for being such a ‘good’ mum … XD Unsure why
mother won’t follow exact measurements for sweet things like sugar, but hey. XD
I felt loved
when the carer who helped me up one morning bought the ALDI version of a Kit
Kat for me as my birthday present!
Another birthday
celebration was when I met Fiona Mok for lunch @ Woka Warrigal; we even went
next door for bubble tea and croffles as dessert afterwards! C2’s (her son’s)
birthday is only two days after mine!
After my
birthday lunch with Fiona, I came home and waited for the arrival of Grace the
OT to give my demented left hand a session of unfunctional exercises but felt
very loved when she arrived since she bought me a birthday chocolate milk tea
with pearl bubble tea for my birthday present!
I’d also
begun the first day of being one whole year older with another awesome sleep~
The great thing about being allowed to celebrate your birthday for the whole MONTH’S
that after the special day itself happens, I’ve still got another eleven days
to keep celebrating!
One odd
thing I’ve been doing since I was ten is wash each body part and brush teeth
each side the number of years I’m old. After release from the insane asylum
(more commonly known to everyone else as the Brain Injuries Rehab Unit of the Princess
Alexandra hospital XD) mother took me to see some psychologist and told her I that
I’m abnormal since I wash that way. When the psychologist asked me about that, I
told her I’d stop once I turned twenty-five else can you imagine how expensive
my water bill would be were I to still shower that way when I was
seventy-five?! Sure enough, even though I’m thirty-seven now I only wash each
part twenty-five times. The only three days when I’ll take a long shower (as
long as I’m old) are the day before my birthday, the first day I’m one year
older and Christmas.
But today
marks the day I turn 37.5 meaning that next year, I’ll officially be in my late
thirties, yikes! This year, I think I can get away with saying mid-late
thirties? XD
Next post
here … maybe a movie review? I’ve still not written one about Despicable Me4
yet but today I went and saw the new Transformers movie!
Anyways,
until then~
Em. ^^
