It Takes A Long Time To Grow Young

This year’s birthday was a somewhat more quiet affair, yet it’s probably gonna be one of those that I’ll remember forever :)

To Joseph, I read what you wrote on your blog. That was really nice of you :) Thanks so much.

To Nicholas and Lucas, thank you so much for calling, that was very thoughtful :)

To Arul and Weilin from NCDCC, I got your SMSes, thanks :)

To all the people who wrote on my Facebook Wall, thanks for all of the birthday wishes :) I read every single one.

Uhh... I broke my “tradition” of having chocolate cake every year by having a coffee ice-cream cake this year :) Usually every year we have this big family dinner thingy, where we invite my cousin’s family, and all the other relatives if they are in Singapore. This year, some renovation was happening, and the whole place was noisy and dusty, so that didn’t happen this year.

I had my birthday this year on the fresco of the Au Petit Salut french restaurant on Dempsey Hill. We celebrated it a day earlier, yesterday. Just me, my bro, my mum, my dad. I liked it :) Probably the first time in a million years we have actually spent time together properly.

Today I went to Novena Square together with Daryl to study. We talked about a lot of stuff. I felt really happy on the way home. Its been so long since I’ve spent time together with a friend properly, without this or that interrupting. Thanks so much Daryl :)

Remember that friend that I lost touch with and found again? If not, read that post entitled “Life is startling, unpredictable. Amazing“. Sitting down with my bro and mum on Sunday, flipping though the yellowed pages of some ancient photo album of me and my bro as little kids, my mum found a photo of me and that friend at a previous birthday party.

That was 6 September 1997. Twelve years ago. I was three, he was five.

That night after everyone else had gone to sleep, alone by the light of the table lamp, I sat there looking at that photograph for a long time.

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, the big parties, the big events, nor great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, those fleeting moments shared with special people.

Like your amused expression when I was screaming excitedly in front of that birthday cake all those years ago. Like catching your grin and grinning back, frantically keeping kayaks in the pouring rain, not so many months ago.

Our lives are measured by these kind of moments.

Right now, I’m counting the days to the first Friday when school starts so I can look for you and show you that photograph :)

I watched the movie Up recently. I think the whole thing was about how you don’t need to go to otherworldly and exotic places to search for adventure, because life itself and all its little moments is already an adventure.

So I guess on this day I would like to thank my friends, each one of you, for making mine so amazing.