Birthday Meals with Family

I had a simple birthday on the 26th of June. Although this is a significant milestone, at 75 years old, I didn’t have a big dinner to celebrate as most Chinese people would have done.

My son had suggested that I return to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate together with my siblings but I demurred. It would have been a hefty expense which I cannot really afford as airfares and taxis from the airport are expensive.

Besides, hosting a multi-course dinner at a restaurant in KL is expensive especially where at least 3 tables would be required to accommodate my relatives. Not all my family members would be present, as my elder daughter doesn’t have anymore leave and she certainly would not be able to fly to KL.  Neither would my son and his family be there. So to me, it would not be meaningful.

Instead, I opted to have a quiet day at home, having lunch with my granddaughter and hubby at a restaurant known for its good food. We ordered the mandatory birthday noodles,

                                                                 sweet and sour pork,

                                                        Hong Kong Kailan with prawn,

                                                     deep-fried chicken with apple sauce.

Then dinner was at another restaurant together with my daughter, granddaughter and hubby. It was raining quite heavily and the traffic was heavy. So, it was quite a while before we reached the restaurant. The simple food turned out to be tasty although the crabs were not up to expectation.

 Deep-fried tofu topped with minced pork & pickled lettuce

                                      Soupy spinach with century egg & Chinese wolfberries

                                                    Crabs cooked with spicy curry paste

                                               Chicken skin stuffed with pork & prawn paste

After dinner, my son and his young children called to wish me happy birthday. Earlier in the morning, he had sent me a video of his children singing Happy Birthday Grandma. They were so cute! I was very touched, listening to their young voices singing to me. That made my day!

Later that night my younger daughter called from KL to wish me too; so did my nephew and nieces. My siblings had called earlier in the day and a few of them whatsapped their greetings.

I ended the day watching a Chinese serial on Astro, reading the subtitles since I’m not familiar with the language. It was a good day. Quiet and ordinary without any fuss.

I can say that I had a very happy 75th birthday with my buddies and friends taking me out and feting me with delicious lunches, spending time with me, not forgetting the many, many friends who wished me on Facebook and on other social media platforms. I am truly blessed and I thank the good Lord for his Love and Favor. God bless my family and friends too.