| 3:50p |
The 31st Birthday
In typical Che fashion, my birthday started off with drama. But all’s well that ends well. If anything, it made me realize that alcohol just isn’t worth it. It can ruin friendships and relationships. So with that being said, I promised Leah to quit drinking. Last year, I quit smoking on my birthday. I’m giving up vices left and right…that confirms it…I am getting old! Soon I’ll be like Anna sitting in a housedress, drinking herbal tea and knitting. Hehehehe.
Still, I had one hell of a birthday. I told Leah it was one of the best birthdays of my life. She didn’t take me seriously at first until I started crying. I know…I know…I can be so sentimental sometimes. It’s the sentimental sap in me. Once in a while, it just pops out. But anyway, it was such a great birthday because we did absolutely nothing. Seriously.
In the morning of my birthday, I felt like a kid trying to get a glimpse of my presents. I was even trying to wake Leah up accidentally-on-purpose so I could open my gifts. When I was finally able to create enough of a disturbance to stir her awake without it being too obvious, she was surprised to see me wide-eyed with a grin on my face pointing eagerly to where my presents were located.
And what can I tell you? I loved my gifts. I think that was when I started crying. I told her that the gifts she bought were stuff I wanted for myself but couldn’t bring myself to buy (particularly because when it comes to shopping for myself, I’m a cheapskate). She got me three pairs of shoes (which means a lot when you learn that I only have two pairs of shoes and one of them is broken beyond repair), a moleskin notebook (which I’ve always wanted but always found too impractical to buy) and a bottle of my favorite scent.
After I’ve worn all the shoes at least once, jumped around the room a little bit, sprayed Leah with perfume, smelled my moleskin notebook, hugged and kissed Leah countless times, cried some more, laughed even harder, I bought us both lunch. We ate in the condo, shawarma rice, Aysee’s sisig and mineral water. After lunch, we had plans to go swimming but ended up sleeping instead. I woke up after thirty minutes but didn’t have the heart to wake Leah up since I know she’s been having problems sleeping for over a week. So I opted to lie down next to her and read my new book (The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer). Four hours later, Leah woke up and it was time for dinner.
We decided to eat at Seafood Island because they have these gigantic seafood meals that are good for three to four people. It was nice to see that despite Leah’s appetite being lacking lately, she managed to eat quite a bit (because it’s my birthday, thank you love). Of course, I ate a lot.
After dinner, we went back to the condo where we wanted to talk and hang out a bit. Unfortunately, I suddenly got sleepy which could be a reaction to the seafood which I am no longer used to. Although I no longer take antihistamines, I’ve noticed that I get extremely sleepy when I eat large amounts of shellfish. I wonder if this is psychosomatic again.
Anyway, we ended up sleeping before midnight ending a very relaxing and pressure-free day. I really believe birthdays should be like this, especially for someone my age. I just don’t have the energy to party anymore and drink the night away. Lately, I’d rather spend a quiet evening with the one I love. In truth, despite the gifts, enjoying the company of the person I want to spend the rest of my life with for an entire day is probably the greatest present of all.
I’m 31 and really, it isn’t too bad.
And yes, I really quit drinking.
Current Mood: bouncy |