24 on the 24th

Feb 25, 2010 by Chubs    3 Comments    Posted under: Featured Articles, Project:Carlos, Realizations, The Daily Grind

A day after everything started to return back to normal, I write my obligatory birthday post. After all the thank you’s have been said, replied, sms’ed, and typed, the belated greetings are now starting to pour in. Just like an earthquake after the initial quake, the aftershock of things that have been are actually reverberating throughout the day, and maybe even the week.

This year’s birthday was a bittersweet birthday. It was bitter because of all the memories and underlying feelings of loss and emptiness it brings due to recent events. I used to use my birthday as a time to spend it with the person I loved the most and for the past 2 years I have. The first one being the day I first said “I love you” and the second when I woke up to someone special in my life. Just like life, the latter phase was full of sadness. Thinking about how happy I was before, the sadness was inevitable, somewhat expected I suppose. No one can live happily ever after. Those are just reserved for movies and fairytales. The very lucky few that do experience that happily ever after are the few blessed individuals. Just like how some people are incredibly smart or good at math or a musically gifted, some are blessed to have their own happily ever after.

Strawberry Shortcake

But oddly enough, the most unexpected sweetness arose from the entire situation. Due to the loss I experienced, I saw the simplest gestures from some friends as both opportunities to re-evaluate my life and what it means to be a friend. My was pretty much an ordinary day. From talking to someone till 12am just so she could greet me happy birthday, to walking into starbucks and having the baristas sing happy birthday, and finally, my co-workers whisking me away for a lunch despite my vehement cries of being busy, and preparing a small surprise for me, the day was actually served as a venue for me to actually feel, even if it was just in a small way, what it was to be special.

Strawberry Shortcake

As I had my cake (and I ate it as well!), I was uber grateful for the friends I had around me. I may not have a shit load of friends, but the quality of people I keep around me speaks volumes for the kind of person I am. I may not have been a good friend for the past 2-3 years, but look at these people going unexpectedly out of their way to actually plan something and take time to think about it. With every strawberry I swallowed, (I had strawberry shortcake as my bday cake), it was both bitter and sweet and I thought, “how apt that it was the cake they chose for me.”

Nuffies Lunch

Friends asking me what my wish was!

Conti's for my Bday!

I will thank people in order of the surprises they actually gave me.

Jan thanks for that late night pick me upper during my bday.

Danes thanks for the incredibly embarrasing gift. I will not be going back to that place anytime soon.

Patty thanks for making me kulit to go to lunch. I know you told me already that you guys were going to treat me to lunch but you didn’t have to and despite my enormous amount of work, you made me take a break even if for a little while on my birthday.

Judd, Marcelle, Anne, Mikey and Alex, Maki, thanks for sharing my day with me. You guys are really awesome. To the nuffnang team, thank you for bearing with the growing pains of our company as well as bearing with me trying to get everything done in the best way I know how. The molave peeps, Mikey and Alex, you guys didn’t have to, but you were there. I know Jenny would have wanted to be there as well. I’ve grown to look past what we do and see you guys for the people you really are and I like what I see. Maki we haven’t known each other for a long time, and yet I feel like we’re one of the closest friends. I enjoy taking time to teach you and build your confidence back to how it was before. I enjoy seeing you grow and learn both as a manager as well as a person and friend. I will always be here if you need help both for work or life.

MY Nuffies!

Thanks to MY and SG Nuffies. You guys are awesome. Nuffnang is indeed more than a company, it is a family. Thanks to Tim for the MY Celebration of my Birthday! Grabing the BB pic you took from twitter!

To everyone who greeted me whether via SMS, E-mail, or Facebook. A big big thank you to you guys. I may have not received the one greeting I was looking for but all you guys greeting me more than made up for it. Again thank you very much!

Beef Salpicao

I ended the day on a happy note and yet I do not see the end of feb 24 as the end of my day, but rather the start of a new year; a new me. So raise your glasses, here’s to moving forward. To becoming a better person and a new year, a new me. Hello 2010. 24 years ago, we ousted a dictator who threatened to run our country into ruin. 24 year later, I have decided to pick up the pieces, and from the ashes of my failure, will rise a monument of my success.

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