Age ain't nothing but a number

I've existed on this planet for 32 years.

the female species usually prefer to keep their age a secret and that's something i can never comprehend. perhaps some ladies love to weave an air of mystery around them, and that notches up their appeal factor. honestly, i wouldn't know and i'm quite sure some of them would scorn at me for being so flippantly candid about my age. anyway, i am baffled by these women (the feeling is probably mutual) but i respect their privacy policy.

so yes, i turned 32 on monday. it was also the first day at my new job - a coincidence as i hadn't asked for it and truthfully, i would have very much liked to spend the day with my girls. it was an activity-packed day as i was whisked off to attend a training course for newbie lecturers. even though i have 5 years of teaching experience under my belt, they weren't formalised. in other words, i still have to slug it out for 90 hours of training to be completed in a year - will have assignments to submit and will also be subjected to teaching observations by the seasoned academics. so far i've attended 4 days straight and it's been a brain drain...but i think i did acquire some essential knowledge to get me started on the right foot when term resumes next week.

i didn't breathe a word to anyone at the new place that it was my birthday on monday as i've no wish to ruin my reputation from the start. (shy la. what would they think??? tsk tsk tsk. the attention seeker? want to keep a low profile for now. especially since i intend to retire here, maybe even receive a long service award...)

after work, i went over to the hub's office, hoping to catch up over dinner. the busy man was engaged with several important clients and was only released from his responsibilities at 10pm. i was disappointed but realised it wasn't easy being in his shoes. he had to juggle his professional and personal commitments, and his final decision meant the possible risk that the missus might bear a grudge for cancelling a rare "2 only" dinner appointment. brave man indeed.

but i should have guessed by now that i should never underestimate the man i married. you see, although he couldn't spare the time to buy my a birthday pressie and cake, he got his colleague to do it. (i suppose this is applicable only when you hold a senior position in the company.) predictably, he didn't even know what she bought for me until i opened the plastic bag: a black shawl-like cardigan of sorts, an article of clothing which i wouldn't have gotten because i don't know how to use it! also, the appointed pressie-buyer wasn't sure how many candles to ask for when she purchased the chocolate cake, so she got one. (notice the picture? yep, only one candle). perhaps she was afraid that i would be extra sensitive and offended about revealing my age, as many other women are...so the single candle was just to represent the total number of years i've been living.

i did mention i'm now 32 right? methinks age is creeping up. starting to forget the little details.

there wasn't an elaborate celebration and neither was i expecting anything extra. (we did go out for a simple peranakan dinner with MIL and FIL on sunday.) and since i'm the one in the family who's usually in charge of birthday presents, cakes and treats, it would be awfully silly for me to plan my own birthday bash. (for one thing, there wouldn't be the all-important element of surprise.) however, i was touched by MIL who gave me a red packet. admittedly, that sweet gesture caught me off guard.

the other treasured moment was when i was flanked by my girls during the birthday song sing-a-long and the usual cake-cutting routine. you may have heard/read this ad nauseam, but being with the kids really flushed out the negative aura and i made peace with the raging beast within me. and i can truly say, at that point, i was ecstatic about celebrating my life with the 2 lives i co-created and delivered into this world.

simply put, i did have a happy birthday after all.