Whoops I’m turning half a year OLDER TODAY and I’ve only realised I’ve forgotten to share about how I celebrated my birthday MONTH yet! >< Yup, that’s me: unorganized. XD
Forever grateful
to the friend who taught me that you’re allowed to celebrate your birthday for
the ENTIRE MONTH and not just the day itself; I thought it a smashing idea and
immediately adopted it! Just ignore mother who sneers at me that I only want to
contact people and eat meals out with them; how the heck can I do that when the
parents have FORBIDDEN me from contacting people and asking them are they free to
celebrate my birthday together with a meal out? *sigh*
But my
birthday MONTH this year:
I started
with my 3rd consecutive awesome sleep last night; yes, I’m odd and
like to note down when I can score a solid sleep and don’t wake until the next
morning when the Sun has risen sufficiently enough for me to see the time from my
clock on the wall. XD
That Monday
I see my long-lost cousin Ray (his surname’s ChEn and mine’s ChAn; surely
bazillions of years ago our cousins were siblings?? XD) for some acupuncture
and massage, followed by grocery shopping, lunch at home and then a trip to the
orthotist to try and get my boot fixed. That’s a long and boring story; you’ll
prolly hear more about it when I pen (well, type XD) my Xmas Greetings this
December. XD
Apparently,
you can collect many birthday freebies during your birthday month? Unsure why
mother’s mean and will only lemme redeem ONE birthday freebie a year but this
year I got a free iced dirty chai from the Gloria Jean’s @ Moorooka and how cool:
they do drive-thru! Next year … anybody please free to take me to collect more
birthday freebies? I’ll share them with you if they’re shareable, obviously!
Obviously,
I’ve been unable to drive since suffering the blasted brain injury. I held my
driver’s license and technically still remember how to drive (right pedal
accelerate and left pedal brake; I only drove automatic so never had to learn
the third pedal. Tick down to indicate right and tick up to indicate left but
unless you’re expecting mass casualties you prolly shouldn’t stick me behind
the wheel of any car! XD) so in the past it’s been my dearest dad who gave me a
lift to GG and I’d find someone to please drop me home afterwards. Only
suddenly mother decides for my dearest dad that he’s ‘too tired’ to be driving
me somewhere at night? Originally, I’d feared that she’d found yet another
nefarious way to keep me socially isolated from my peers but they were awesome and
organized a lift roster for me, meaning I can join GG hopefully every second
week.
Unfortunately,
the first week of my birthday MONTH ended without a single proper meal out (our
once-weekly family dinners out don’t count as proper meals out since dad only
orders two meals for three people; he eats one meal for his dinner and takes
the second meal home for his lunch the next day then leaves the third meal for
mother and I to share – and you can guess who gets the ‘bigger’ half? Obviously
not me! ><”) but I held hopes for better luck during the second week!
When I was originally
released from the insane asylum (more commonly known to everyone else as the
Brain Injuries Rehab Unit of the Princess Alexandra hospital XD) I had to
return every six months for an MRI to check that the stupid brain tumour sitting
on my brain (and thus clogging up precious brain space ><) hadn’t done
anything stupid like hit a growth spurt. After I had several six month
all-clears, the hospital said come once a year for an MRI instead. Following
several more one year all clears, the hospital decided that I would only need
an MRI once every two years instead, meaning last year I very happily didn’t
need to undergo one. After my MRI this year, when I went for the follow-up and
got the all clear, I expected to be told come back the year after next but
instead, my next MRI isn’t scheduled until another FIVE YEARS later! The
parents just laughed and reckoned it’s because public hospitals don’t have
enough money. XD Me, I’m clueless: how much does having a brain MRI scan cost,
anyway?
After my dearest
dad dropped mother and me off @ the P.A. for my MRI, he went to Macca’s to
collect our free burgers; see, the night before my MRI night dad had taken me
to watch the Broncos play and since
more than nineteen points were scored, every ticket redeemed a free burger! Perhaps I’ve
remembered wrong (sh*tty memory post brain injury ><) but I thought the
tickets used to redeem Broncos burgers but now they’re only Big Macs? Who
cares; a free burger’s a free burger! XD
Unfortunately,
this year was also a lonely birthday month; usually for book club we all head
out for dinner after the March book club to celebrate my birthday but I’d
missed March’s book club coz a friend suddenly offered dad and I tickets to
watch the Broncos play @ Suncorp Stadium, and Mr. Hall used to contact me every
year for dinner at the Glen Hotel before we returned to my place for birthday
cake but obviously that’s not gonna happen since he moved up into heaven last
year. Then there’s the thing where the parents don’t allow me to contact
*anyone* to see if they’re free for a catchup to celebrate my birthday. I dunno, but what gives?? >< Next year,
I’m tempted to ask EVERYONE about catching up during my birthday month come
March the 1st before the parents ban me from doing so! >< *sigh*
I was
delighted to receive a surprise birthday present from my grade eight history
teacher, Mrs. Burvill-Shaw (well, back when she taught me history in grade eight,
she was just Ms. Shaw). We’d lost touch after
I graduated Canterbury College and reconnected through Facebook; turns out
she’d suffered a brain injury just like me! Thankfully, she’s not got my
mobility issues~
Happily, I
continued scoring awesome sleeps (when I bid my teddy good night, fall asleep
then don’t wake to relieve myself until the Sun has risen sufficiently for me
to see the time on the clock on the wall) and enjoyed one on the day before my
birthday. Apparently, Christians aren’t meant to believe in omens? Doesn’t
matter, I took that as a good omen for my birthday the next day!
Oh, when I went
to collect my new book club novel (usually the book for next month’s handed out
@ the previous meeting but I’d missed it) mother had given me some coins to buy
a new library card since my old one’s broken/frayed/whatever. Only turns out
that library cards have gone digital now! I still remember my very first
library card I got back in primary school (more than a quarter-CENTURY ago; yes,
I’m old XD); it was light blue and started 15/…!
Oh, one
birthday freebie I scored was my free Boost Juice; when I was younger my favourite
was the Mango Magic but there’s now a COOKIES AND CREAM one!! <3 Actually,
Jane had originally taken me to Sunnybank Plaza to get my free Boost Juice but
only after walking from the top till nearly Kmart did, I realise Boost Juice
had gone! >< I was so upset Jane immediately shouted me a bubble tea from
a nearby store; think she thought I was gonna have a meltdown. XD
For my
BIRTHDAY, mother had prepared a special breakfast for me: Milo cereal, but
SPECIAL MILO cereal; some limited edition that came with PINK pieces! Yay also for
my 8th consecutive awesome sleep; I didn’t wake until the noisy
garbage truck THUNDERED down the road and started tipping bins~
Unfortunately,
I couldn’t get away from blasted physio even on my BIRTHDAY. By now, it’s
become a necessary evil. >< *sigh*
That
afternoon Ari the OT student came and gave my demented left hand a session of
unfunctional exercises; lol, I had a good laugh when I found out she thought I
was only turning TWENTY-NINE, not thirty-nine! XD
My birthday
dinner was @ Yum Cha And Co with Aunty A and the Slams; it’s a higher-end
Chinese restaurant @ Garbo and not just your local HK-style café. Dad lemme
chose my favourite Peking Duck and afterwards we all came home and ate the
cheesecake mother had baked me for my birthday. When I arrived home, either parent
turned on the TV and we found out that the Broncos were losing, but once I sat
down and added my vocal support, we
regained the lead and hung on to WIN! :D
Every 2nd
and 4th Thursdays of the month I attend GCCW @ the Garbo library. Either
morning, I’d just entered the library and was hiking to the meeting room when
Bob passes me with his walker and says “Hey Em; race ya?” Then he’s off! I
stagger after him, screeching “Oi, no fair, you’re on wheels and you didn’t
gimme a head start; besides, it’s ladies first!” Aww but isn’t Bob a
sweetheart? After reaching the door he waited for me to catchup then even gestured
me to enter first, meaning I won. XD
Oh, one
birthday freebie I got was from Zarraffas; you get a complimentary drink for
your birthday! I chose a dirty chai but stuck with two shots of expresso and
not three when given the choice since I was wary of getting on a caffeine high then
bouncing off all the walls/ceiling. Perhaps if this offer appears again next year,
I can try three shots? XD
Some
Wednesday during the month, Jane took me to table tennis and gave
me a HILARIOUS birthday card! The newest version of the Happy Birthday
song: "Happy Birthday to you... Squashed tomatoes
The Tuesday after my birthday I had a belated birthday lunch
with the vet for my two fluffy unicorns and we finished with bubble tea~
One more birthday deal I took advantage of: Red Rooster gave
me a three-dollar voucher, so I ordered and enjoyed one piece of fried chicken!
Lol, luckily Jacinta lemme munch it while she drove me home; after she’d pulled
up in the driveway, dad immediately rushed out, yanked open my car door and
said did you save any for me?? XD
One birthday meal I enjoyed out was with Annie!
I’d first met her as my carer but she’s since become a phlebotomist and
even popped out a baby! Rhys is super-cute and after a birthday lunch at
Pinelands Plaza we went and enjoyed Shaved Ice from Excellent Cup~ Originally,
we were gonna eat @ Yang Mama only to find out they were CLOSED every Tuesday
so instead we tried somewhere new called Singapore Fast Wok! Actually, I had
the shaved ice takeaway and then mother nabbed like SEVEN spoonfuls! ><
I like my tea white and two. Lots of milk with two
teaspoonfuls of sugar, please. Only mother has taken to HIDING the sweetener,
so obsessed she is with restricting me to herbal tea? *sigh* One of my carers
cleverly managed to find where sneaky mother hid the sweetener and I once again
enjoyed white tea with two teaspoonfuls of sugar/one spoonful of honey for a
while but then mother found out, rehid the sweetener and then banned my carer from
finding it again! >< One hilarious time: my carer had made herself a cup of
white tea while mother had given me a cup of some herbal tea. For some reason,
she’d sat with us awhile, yapping at my carer.
When she eventually got up and left (went upstairs), my carer
immediately went and tipped her tea out! “Don’t you like English breakfast tea
anymore?” I asked, to which she screeched “I thought that was sugar but it was
actually SALT; EWW!” I’d burst into laughter before congratulating her on
hiding her expression very well and inviting her to instead have a cup of
herbal tea with me instead. XD
But that was all half a YEAR ago and cripes, next year I’m
turning FORTY! Your thirties are called your dirty thirties; what are your
forties called? Fantastic forties? Flabby forties?? XD
Anyhow, ‘twas a lovely (if quiet) birthday celebration month
for me~
Next post here … a movie review? My Xmas Wishlist for 2026?
Who knows! Until then~
Cheers,
Em. ^^
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