the day i turned 33

birthdays are one of the special events in someone’s life. when i was young, i am always excited for that day to come. i thought about party with cake and gifts. and when i am about to turn 18, i thought about a more grandiose event. a party with 18 candles and roses, grand cotillion and of course, the formality of being an adult.

then came my 22nd birthday. it's my first birthday celebrated far away from my family who's in mindanao as i got luckily employed in luzon. being new to the department, it was not anticipated that i will be greeted that warmly and that they will give me a simple celebration. never did i feel nostalgic that much. thanks to my office mates and friends behind it.

the next memorable birthday was when i was 24th. it was my 1st birthday which i celebrated with my special one, the one who helped me nursed my broken heart, the one who made me feel that there is always a rainbow after the storm, and eventually, the only man i vowed before HIM to spend the rest of my life with.

my 29th birthday was for record. i gained a new surname after i married 3 months before my birthday. and my friends in the office, had done all that makes that birthday, one of my memorable birthdays.

when i turned 30, it was an exceptional from the rest of my birthdays. it's the birthday i will always treasure the most. because that was the first birthday wherein i am already a mom of a 2 month old baby girl. and after 9 birthdays, that was also the first birthday that my parents were there to celebrate it with me.

the 31st however was the saddest. its my birthday wherein i am so all alone in the world. it's my 8th month here in taipei.

the 32nd was a bit happier, since a dear friend that i met here, a nigerian, started my day. she surprisingly prepared a breakfast for me in my cubicle and some stuff as accessories. and my housemates who were my office mates as well, bought a cake for me after work.

now, i was 33! i thought it will be another sad birthday, and so i just thought. soon as i woke up, i grabbed my mobile phone. i woke up early so i would have ample time to doll up. soon as i dialed my mom in law's number, the phone rang so soon. then i hear my baby's voice, singing a birthday song for me. that was the most delightful birthday song i have ever heard, the most precious gift i have ever received, and that was the start of a day i ever most wanted it to be.
that song keeps on playing in my ears as i was heading the office, and my hubby's birthday greeting was a plus. my thoughts are wandering, my heart is pounding a little fast, and i am almost teary-eyed thinking that this birthday i hope would be the last birthday i will be away from them, the people i want to celebrate all special events with, the people i always wanted to be close to everyday, the people i will never trade of anything else in this world, the people i called my family.

i have all the reason to be happy today. it's my birthday! i'm 33, with a 3 year old smart and beautiful daughter. and she started my day so well. and when i approached my cubicle, another surprise! for two years now, my beautiful ever nigerian friend, arrange a breakfast on my cubicle. i thought she haven't remembered my day, i thought it was not a big deal to her. and i thought it was nothing to her. and that surprise not ended with that breakfast alone, she treated me to lunch as well. isn't that too sweet of a friend?

it's 3pm, 3 hours before off of work. a long lost friend, pop a message. she said that she wanted to close my day with a dinner, her treat. then we arrange the time and the place, including the curfews.

few minutes before 6pm, my housemate called me, asking me what time i will go home as they(she and the bf, both are godparents of my baby) will treat me too. wow... isn't that great? can i have a birthday again so soon?

that's how enviable a birthday celebrant is. well wishers are never-ending, phone calls and birthday messages are overloading and treats are overflowing. don't you wish your birthday is everyday?

i am on my way to meet my long-lost friend. a friend i gain way back 11 years ago. the last time i saw her was april 2008, she took me to CKS airport for my vacation. she's one of my friends i seldom met. though we both work in taiwan, it seem an ocean away. her demand of work steals that chances of seeing me on weekends.

that meeting with her, that dinner with her was exceptional. because after all we've been through, after all the instances that i thought i was forsaken, the time i needed her the most and she wasn't there, the love for a friend was still there. i thought so i had this grudge, this hatred that i won't be able to forgive her. but the fact alone that i agreed to meet her was enough proof that i can't bear to loose her. but i was still hesitant, i was in denial stage, i hated her, that's what I have in mind.

from afar, i already saw her seating on one the benches, reading a little book, very obvious that she was waiting for quite a long time. and when i wave my hand, she smiled. that smile changed everything. the grudge and hatred in my heart, the evil thoughts and plans in my mind, and the urge for vengeance were no longer there. if i were on a nightmare, somebody woke me up. if i were drunk to death, a very cold water was splashed unto me. if i were daydreaming, somebody knock my head to consciousness.

i just realized how deep our friendship have been carved into our hearts, how far it brought us to this closeness, what's the worth and true meaning and how it bind us that much. i also just realized how i missed her, how i was so excited to talk to her, to get updates. now, i know that whatever trials may test us, whatever problems may come, there is only one word that will draw us back to each other, FRIENDSHIP.

i have few friends but all of them are friends worth keeping, friends worth loving. and me, a blessed individual to have those kind of friends.

to all my friends, thanks a lot for everything. we may not see each other often and much, communication may not always but this love we got as we nurture friendship, is what matters most.

my friends, you know who you are. and as i turned 33, i wanna say, thanks for making it memorable. thanks for the sumptuous dinner, thanks for the yummy cake though it was already passed my birthday, thanks for the one of a kind blog, thanks for all the greetings sincerely from the heart. i don't want to mention their names, they are very few, because they are the chosen ones.

and the day i turned 33, the day i turned double 3, the happiness was 3 by 3 and that brought me to cloud 9.