Another milestone gone by

Yesterday was my birthday. It started off as usual with hanging
out the laundry in the back garden. Then I got ready to go to the
test centre to administer the tests for that morning. Just then the
phone rang. It was my sister Janet calling from Melbourne to
wish me a happy day. She was also having a birthday party in her
home for her daughter-in-law Brooke whose birthday coincided
with mine. So I got to speak to Brooke and wished her a happy
birthday too. Then Marc her husband extended his wishes and
so did Carolyn, his sister. I could hear Trevor, my brother-in-law,
shouting " Happy Butter Day Peg!!" and the little ones chortling
in the background.

After a quick breakfast my spouse drove me to the test centre and after the tests were done, I walked across the road to the shopping complex to look for my sisters and my daughter Grace who had been tasked with looking after her aunts while I was busy. We met up for lunch, after which we browsed in the shops. They had bought blouses earlier on and commented that the pricing was reasonable. Although many shops were having sales with good discounts, we didn't find anything interesting enough to make purchases. Throughout the afternoon I received telephone calls from my son Peter and from my brothers wishing me a happy birthday as well as SMSes from Sunita and my friends. Lalitha sent her wishes via Facebook, as did my cousin Posy and my dear friend Evelyn from Switzerland.

Soon it was time to fetch the grandchildren home from school. We were caught in a very bad traffic jam and by the time we reached the school, it was already out and the children were waiting and wondering what had happened to their grandma who is usually waiting for them when school dismisses. I spotted them and grabbed their hands and we rushed down to the car which was still in queue along the road. We jumped in, made a U-turn and got back home a short while later.

By then Grace had organised the plates and brought out

the birthday cake. The presents were also laid out on the

table and the candles were lit. Everyone sang the birthday

song and I cut the cake. Sharon had bought a Black Forest

Cake and it was scrumptious.

My sister Ellie helped me to
cut the cake and Doris handed everyone a plate with a

generous slice, full of chocolate and cream. It was rather

sweet for me but since this was my birthday I threw caution

to the winds and tucked heartily into the cake. Diabetes, take

a bow and go backstage!!!

Then it was time to open the presents. Wow...... it was exciting

to tear open the wrappings and find out what was inside. Ellie

gave me a lovely silk bag with an angpow (red packet containing

a sum of money) because it is believed that one must not give

anempty bag. There should be a sum of money inside it. Her

children Sunita and Lalitha gave me an angpow too. Doris gave

me a chic blouse with a mandarin collar and a lovely pair of

earrings while myyoungest sister who was unable to come to

Kota Kinabalu gave me a knee guard. ( For the future, I guess....

although I hope that it will not come to that stage.)

My grandchildren Stephen and

Chloe gave me a dragonfly bookmark. They know I love to read.

My three children, Sharon, Grace and Peter combined and gave

me a set of bed linen complete with doona covers. Peter's girlfriend

Siew Min gave me a book. My dear old friend Yu Ling gave me a

lovely bouquet of roses. All in all I was very happy to feel so loved.

My sisters and Grace flying into Kota Kinabalu to share the day

with me was in itself the best birthday present. I loved having

them here. Their surprise appearance has made it one of the best

birthdays I've had.

In the evening we drove to the restaurant where Sharon had

booked a table and we were given a room all to ourselves so that

we could have complete privacy as we enjoyed dinner. We ordered

fish maw & crabmeat soup, crispy skin chicken, sweet and sour pork,

steamed sweet and sour fish and a local vegetable ( Sabah Choi )

sauteed with prawn paste ( belacan ). The vegetable stems were

ery tender and crunchy. Dessert was on the house and it was

coconut cream jelly which Stephen loved.

Dinner was very filling as the portions were large even though

we ordered medium-sized plates. It was really a wonderful day

for me and I shall cherish the happy moments for a lifetime.

Thank you my loved ones for the lovely day and I look forward to many more celebrations with my family and siblings.