First things first, thank you all who took the time to SMS me yesterday. I never stop being so overwhelmed when I consider the friendships that I am privileged to be a part of. The official celebrations (I consider my night out with En a unique birthday treat in itself) more or less began on Saturday night, when the Youth Council of my parish surprised me at dinner with a home-made brownie cake.

It was a double celebration, as we had another friend who will turn 19 next Saturday. Then on Sunday morning I walked into church and was rather amused by the number of people who didn’t realise it was my birthday. But of course, there was those who did, and soon it became hard to avoid (not that I wanted to) the hugs and handshakes I got from those around. We were also selling brownies that morning, to raise funds for our annual youth camp at the end of this year, so it was a good chance to meet as many people as I could.

My family then went out for a buffet lunch - which has become tradition for birthday celebrations. This time around we went to the nearby Paramount Hotel to try Peranakan-style cooking. The food was above average and the prices were relatively low, so we had fun. The family then went automobile window-shopping. It was very ironic that they did this on my birthday because I don’t intend to pick up driving anytime soon. But it was fun to view the different Toyota, Nissan, MB, Mitsubishi and Kia models.

The rest of the day I spent at the home of some newer friends, Bernard and Ying Thio. It was the second follow-up meeting of the August CHOICE weekend particpants, and their camaraderie and enthusiasm never fails to inspire me. These are young adults who have mostly not met each other before the end of last month and yet they’re gelling as a group, as a community so well. It’s very reassuring, especially when you realise that they are not simply superficial friends, but forged together by common experiences.

It was weird celebrating with people I’d known no more than a year (some no more than a month), but who’s complaining?