Friday, April 13, 2007

Playing it by the year

I've never insulted my birthdays by referring to any of them as "yet another birthday". They've always been full of elation and excitement. I have always grinned from year to year. Strangely, this is the first time in my life that I am experiencing mixed feelings on my birthday. Random things are crossing my mind today:

  • Today is Friday, the 13th.
  • My last four birthdays were celebrated in the same office. I miss that.
  • My last blog post was hijacked by commentators and transformed into a discussion about Adnan Sami's weight. And now people are wishing me there. High time I had a legitimate birthday post. :)
  • Many people on Orkut, upon getting notification of your birthday, tend to wish you whenever they feel like it. Chirpy "Happy birthday, Sayesha!" messages on Orkut sent a week before my birthday really annoy the hell out of me. :/
  • The older we grow, the more depressing birthdays get. Not because we're getting older, but because birthdays stop being a big deal.
  • Generally I don't hint about what I want for my birthday, because whatever I want, I buy it for myself. But when you desperately want something like the Indian cricket team cap which you can't find in Singapore, you gotta hint. And how I hinted. Not just about what I want, but how what I want can be obtained. Sigh. Now I don't even want it anymore. :(
  • Sometimes I feel that after a certain age, you don't age by years, you age by bands. Your age is expressed in terms like early twenties and late twenties, and that kinda age lasts a while, definitely a few years at least. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one.
  • Viv gifts me a cool new mobile phone and goes off to work, while I - the manual-hater - struggle to use the unfamiliar UI to reply to the gazillions of 'Happy birthday' messages from people. Those who are wondering about the blank messages they've received from me need to wait till end of the day for me to figure this phone out. And oh, if you need receive a non-blank message from me and wondered why it was so emotionless, I'm still figuring out the emoticons on this phone. :)
  • I like it when my friends find out about what I want, and get me that instead of random vouchers or money on my birthday. I guess I'm more of a gifts person. Unless the gifts turn out to be boring books, or ugly vases or photo frames or Ferrero Rocher chocolate (bleah)! But sometimes a little green note can make your day! Thanks to my Dad in law, I can afford that expensive dress I saw in Vivocity the other day. I was gonna gift it to myself, but I already gave myself a sexy pair of black shoes, in spite of promising myself that I'd buy shoes only after joining a new job. But now I feel less guilty cos he's buying me that dress. And I think that green note also has allowance for two more pairs of shoes too! :P
  • Ever felt like you just wanna get away from everything and be by yourself on your birthday? Ever felt like you can't answer another "Happy birthday, so what's the plan for today?" telephone call?
  • Viv's uncle calls and says, "Happy birthday, Bhai! Aaj kisi ko supari leke tapkaane ka nahin hai kya?" It's so great not to have to be a prim and proper bahu before my in-laws. I reply with a "Bhai ka budday hai, marne wale ko bhi discount milega!" Gosh he's so awesomely adorable! :)
  • When I was a kid, Mom used to make chaawal ki kheer on my birthday. Early in the morning, I'd wake up to the smells of the birthday puja, which in spite of not being religious, I used to look forward to. I know the recipe to make chaawal ki kheer, but I won't make it. Cos Mom must have made it already. She does every year. But she doesn't let Dad have too much of it, because he has diabetes. :(
  • What do you do when you see a 'Happy birthday' sms from an unknown number? Do you send them a generic thanks or insult the person who remembered your birthday by asking them who the hell they are?
  • How do you react when a dear one puts you through emotional hell, tramples on your self-respect, and then gives you a very nice birthday gift? Is that supposed to be an apology?
  • I don't know what is sadder - the fact that some people forget your birthday or the fact that it stops mattering whether they remember or not.
  • I miss my friend and colleague Bananapen. She's the kind of person who can transform a drab birthday into a "special event". She'd plan everything so well, put so much effort into the surprise, the gift, the card, the cake. Ah the cake. As long as she was around, I knew there would be no mistake with the cake. She knew me so well. I'm not too fond of cakes, except for cheesecake, but then I have never seen a cheesecake being used as a birthday cake (wouldn't that be great?). But this awesomely yummy chocolate cake with a crunchy base used to feature in almost all of my birthdays in my old company, and I never got tired of it. Thanks, Bananapen! Cocoa exoctica, was it?
    ps: Freaky Friday! Just as I typed this paragraph out, she sent me a message saying she's dropping by, armed with a cheesecake! Yeay! :D
    pps: Yes, she was a victim of one of my 'blank replies' too. :P

  • The last few weeks have been kinda depressing in a strange unexplainable kind of way. The only thing that cheers me up is when my sister and I switch on our webcams and I watch baby Aish do bharatnatyam on her keyboard. It's amazing how much joy an exclusive baby Aish wallpaper designed for your birthday by your blog buddies can bring you. Thanks, gal pals!
  • When he called to wish me, my brother-in-law said, "Aish wishes you 'Dhatinda'!" Apparently, she can't say "Mummy" or "Daddy" but the only thing she says that sounds remotely close to a word is "Dhatinda". See, I wasn't kidding about the bharatnatyam bit.
  • What do you say when your closest buddy poses a question like "So do you want a surprise for your birthday or you don't want it?" Where's a hockey stick when you really need it? :/
I think I need to make up for this rather weird birthday.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me a year.



51 comments:

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

Happy Birthday :-)

Neihal said...

happy Birthday:)))))

Neihal said...

Silver:D
I agree with a lot of wht you say. But Buddays are always special.
Many happy returns of the day and Hope this proves to be the best year of your life, and then each year does so. :P

Neihal said...

okay, I read it again, and I cant and wont( :P )lend you a year :D
I will like to give you a BIG HUG :).

Birthday is not just a day, its about the ending of a year and begining of another (you know that already, koi baat nahi, phir bhi suno), so do the 'dancing and jumping' that I do (yeah!) or sit and introspect, or do both or do none....whatever!...but do enjoy.

I love buddays, celebrate two each year, diligently, without fail and with much fuss. :D
:)

Happy Birthday once again :)

Anusha said...

Aww, I know what it feels like to be strangely depressed on your birthday, so you have my full sympathy.

I guess as you grow older, the only thing to do is to start thinking of birthdays as "just another day in the year". That way, when something special does happen, it comes as a nice, pleasant surprise. I try doing that, but somehow always fail to keep from getting excited when my birthday draws close. And then on my birthday itself, I get these strange mood swings that confuse the hell out of my friends. Ah, we are a strange bunch, we humans. ;)

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's wishing you a very, very, very, very happy birthday. *biiiig hug* :)

t said...

Many many happy returns of the day! Write a list of what all you got for your b'day; it'll be a fun list I'm sure! :)

Jina said...

hehe..
happy birthday sayesha..:)..

U r one of the most endearing and encouraging persons i have ever seen in blogsphere..phew...;)..[btw i meant it ok]..

i dont have any gifts to give..but i am sending u a huge basket of good wishes along ur way...and my prayers..

have a blast killer gal..

Prya said...

Am a silent reader of ur blogs but am a great fan too.. Have read all ur archive and have been recommending it to all my pals.
Just love ur writing style.

So how can I not comment today?
Happy Birthday, Sayesha.
Have an awesome day..
I expect a rocking post about how u managed to turn a spooky Friday the 13th into another lovely day.. :)

-Priya

BP said...

Hehehe sorry about the rushed B'day meet and greet! Hope you like the cheesecake 'tho I must confess it has a teeny little bit of nuts in it ;P

Happy birthday again and may all yr wishes come true! :)

Sayesha said...

#Kroopz,
Thanks babe! :)

#Neihal,
Thanks (again)!! :)
And dubbal thanks for the BEEG HUGG! Bhai ka budday hai, taali bajao! :D :D

#Clueless,
Thanks!! :))

#T,
Hehehe... yeah I should do that! :)

#Ursjina,
Thanks for the compliment and the basket of good wishes, received 'em in good condition! :)

#Piyu,
Thanks for coming out of hiding, dear, and here's a formal welcome to the bar! :) Thanks for your wishes! :)

#Bananapen,
Your dropping by was such an awesome surprise! It felt like you brought back a little element of all my grand birthdays in the last few years :) Thanks a ton! :)
ps: Don't worry about the nuts, I'll have the cheese, Viv can have the nuts. Muahahaha! :D

PizzaDude said...

Many many Happy returns of the day!! I can very well relate to wanting to be by yourself on your birthday!

I so totally enjoy Cheesecake as birthday cakes. Infact, even got a yummy one for my last birthday. Courtesy - Shub :D

BP said...

You're welcome! But the teeny bit of (v little I promise) nuts are in the cheese...
Do give me yr honest feedback after you've tasted it! :)

Unknown said...

:)))

LOL @ Dhatinda.

I think we should all get two two buddays in a year.

Bivas said...

HAPPPPPY BUDDAY Sash...Bole tu Janmdin ki Shubhkamnayen! :D

//When I was a kid, Mom used to make chaawal ki kheer on my birthday. Early in the morning, I'd wake up to the smells of the birthday puja, which in spite of not being religious, I used to look forward to.
Yeh likh ke to bilkul senti kar diya re...now I miss my budday kheer so much :-(...

My last blog post was hijacked by commentators and transformed into a discussion about Adnan Sami's weight.
Kya tu bhi...mushkil se 4 comments (out of 31 so far) hain Adnan ko dedicated...dats just 13% of the total comments aur itna nautanki abt hijacking n all ;-)...yeh to soch...kitna mehnat kiya to get that percentage upto 13...aakhir tera budday date hai!!! :D

Unknown said...

So, Bananapen is dropping by? Thats cooooooool :D
Have another piece on my behalf now and yeah yeah, you can have some extra workout on my behalf too :P
Talk about nostalgic buddays! Step back Sash, I emerge an un-contended winner! Since past 8 years, I've been spending my budday in nostalgia, Whether or not someone was a part of it!

Anyways, its your budday Sash bhai! No sad-sad today. Ab toh Aish ne bhi wish kar diya :)
Enjoyyyy yourself bacha and dont forget to hogg on the cake on my behalf, you know how much I louuuu cakes :D

Happy Birthday, yet again dear. Glad our effort managed to surprise you & make you smile :)

Namrata said...

Happy b'day.. :))

Kais said...

Happy Birthday!! :)

Cheers
Kais

Prasanth said...

Happy Birthday !!

Unknown said...

yeah i was also wondering where all those adnan sami weight comments were. anyways- lets talk about it here now- he has lost a lot of weight, hasn't he?? what was he on?

HaRi pRaSaD said...

hmm..well..birthdays have never been something very memorable for me till date (except for last year when my roomies got a huge cake to cut on the stroke of 12)

I think one has to be a girl to be pampered with a lot of phone calls, wishes,gifts,bday cards,cakes,chocolates,dresses...
and if ur a boy...hmm..be happy if she remembers it to care for an sms!!

:) Ok that was just subjective...!

HaPpY BiRtH DaY SaYeShA!

HaRi pRaSaD said...

Ohw and ur were born on the 13th!! Check this out...
http://thunderthrob.blogspot.com/2006/11/drooldrooldrool.html

manju said...

Happy Birthday, Sash !

Unknown said...

happy budday once again! :D enjaai the day sash bhai, drama aur rona dhona mat karo atleast on this day!! itna sochneka nahin buddays pe, bas let hair down, put on new dress and shoes, and ...
P-A-R-T-A-Y!!! :D

jane

satish said...

sayesha, janamdin kee dher sari subhkamnoyein.

srsly, jyada socho mat. happy raho.

Prya said...

Thank you Sayesha. And please do post pics of u cutting the cake.. Just your pretty hand, I mean.. ;)
After all, you have so many hand fans here...
Sheeshhh.. Now that was a bad one..
I apologize... :D

~Priya

Smi said...

Sayesha,

Someone said "There's no cure for the common birthday"!:)
So, here's hoping u get rid of the weird feeling soon and have a total blast!

God Bless!

S-H-A-D-O-W said...

Happy Birtday & Great weekend !

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Sayesha! i am one of the fans or rather AC of ur blogs :-)

Thisisme said...

Happy Budday once more and many more times as well :D:D:D
and aajke din bilkul bindaas hoke maja karne ka!! bole toh..fultoo fun :) yeh sochna n all that ke liye baaki 364 days hai na! m sure , ur near n dear ones have made today a spcl day for u :)))))

n btw..hum sab ki treat kahan hai?? at least..orange juice??

n also btw..adnan has srsly lost weight yaar :P:P..kal se mein uski fotu hi dekh rahi hu!! cant get him outta my head!! :)):))

Bivas said...

lagta hai this is me ko Samiana (sami+mania) ho gaya hai ;-)
okie dat surely was a bad one I gess...proves dat one shudn't work too much on a friday!

Unknown said...

heyy..so this is lik da 'official' budday post n all so Happy Birthday once again!!!
n yes,v want da cake too!!!!

lol..heheh..so indirectly, it was me who started da whole adnan thingy?? heheheh.. ok..i wont mention him here again :P

Sakshi said...

@TGFI- may be he is on Trim Spa!!

@Sayesha - Happy Birthday.
And no, I did not find it on Orkut :/ Though now I know you lurk there, I will find you .. Muhahhaa.
It is for bhai to find out how I know...

Unknown said...

oh tejal started the adnan sami thing, is it? and @ sakshi, trim spa? woh kya hota hai? whatever it is, very effective.

Sakshi said...

@TGFI- Trim Spa was the drug that Anna Nicole took to slim down. And now lets hijack this post to talk about Anna Nicole and her weight loss ;)

qsg said...

Happy Budday Sash! :) Have a great day! Mmmmm...the day is probably over! But, I am sure it was great!

Cheers!

Dreamcatcher said...

Happy Birthday :)

Persona non gratis said...

Happy Birthday Sayesha, Birthdays are always great. You have fun on yours.

Deepali said...

Happy B'day :)

Jeevan Baretto said...

Happy birthday.. before it's too late..!!

Ramkumar said...

Happy birthday

Iday said...

Birthday wishes in the birthday post, though i remembered to wish u @ 12 in the night Singapore time :)

Well, I guess i was abt 15 mins late - adjust kiya kar :D

Manchus said...

Happy B'day to you! I have been reading your blogs for past couple of months.

The best thing about April 13th is you share the b'day with my little one :)

sd said...

Bhai,

Apun ko aapka blog bahut jhakas lagta hain. Aapko janam-din ka bahut sara mubarak. Hope you had a bash!

ps: I have come to your blog before - however commenting for the first time.

P said...

Absofuckinglutely Happy Birthday dood!!!

Shekhar said...

Happy Birthday Sayesha !!! Rock on !! ~background music: 'Here I am, rock you like a hurricane~

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Garam Bheja Fry said...

haippee buddday sayesha *hick* b'day ke din bar khula tha naa???

Sayesha said...

#Pizzadude,
Thanks! :) I should ask Shub to get me a cheesecake too! :P

#BP,
It was yum-yum-yummy! I loved the choc swirls too! And didn't really find the nuts too annoying :)

#Ipanema Girl,
//I think we should all get two two buddays in a year.

Not if they were as depressing as mine this year :(

#Bivas,
Egg-jactly. Even tho I'm not a fan of kheer, but the ritual itself held so much meaning. Sigh! :(

13% of the comments on Adnan! Aur kitna chahiye?? :/

#Rebellion,
Thanks :)

#Senti Indian,
Thanks! :)

#Kais,
Thanks! :)

#Prasanth,
Thanks! :)

#Ipanema Gal,
Ufff! X-(

#Hari,
Hahaha! You're almost right there! ;)
ps: Did you notice that the post you pointed me to has 13 comments and that all were posted on the 13th? Haha! :D

#Manju,
Thanks! :)

#Aath/Jane,
Thanks! :)

#Satish,
Thanks! :)

#Piyu,
Hahaha! There was only one hand fan yaar! And he's a bit lost in someone's eyes right now! ;)

#Smi,
Thanks! :)

#S-H-A-D-O-W,
Thanks! :)

#Pallavi,
Haha! Thanks, my AC! :)

#Thisisme,
OJ ka toh hamesha free flow rehta hai bar mein! :) Just stop talking about Adnan warna my bouncer who's just as big as Adnan will throw you out! :D

#Bivas,
Hey bhagwaan tum sab toh mere se bure jokes maar rahe ho! :D

#Tejal,
Thanks! :)
Bouncer, is Tejal ko bhi baahar pheko zara! :D

#Sakshi,
Oye, if you find me, scrap me ok? Don't be a silent lurker! :D

#Ipanema Girl,
*rolling eyes*

#Sakshi,
Nahiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! Et tu?? :'(

#QSG,
Thanks! :)

#Dreamcatcher,
Thanks! :)

#Shreemoyee,
Thanks! :)

#Deepali,
Thanks! :)

#Jeevan,
Thanks! :)

#Ram,
Thanks! :)

#Iday,
Thanks! :)

#Manchus,
Thanks! :) And happy budday to your little one too! :)

#SD,
Welcome to Sayeshaz and thanks! :)

#Priya,
Thanks! :)
ps: Another SATC fan, eh? ;)

#Shekhar,
Thanks! For the wishes and the toofani song too! :)

#Garam Bheja Fry,
Thanks! :)
Bar hamesha khullaich rehta hai re! :D

Unknown said...

Happy belated birthday Sash, tsk tsk, I'm so out of the scene I missed it when it came by. Hope you had a great day and all your dreams come true for the coming years!

Unknown said...

belated happy birthday

Unknown said...

Happy belated Birthday Sayesha!Great that you have got some wonderful gifts on your birthday. Just like you, I like getting gifts on my birthday, rather than some cash vouchers. And I feel birthdays are never complete without a luscious and elaborate chocolate cake!