24

I recently turned 24. 24 sounds so... old. Like you'd be driving yourself around (check - though I need to be supervised), owning your own property (nope), married (does cohabitation count?) with a baby on the way (never!).

Normally, my birthdays tend to be drawn out, week-long affairs. I have different social groups, who don't necessarily get along, so it's usually celebrated over and over again with friends and family. I don't usually receive many presents, which is okay, because I think it's always the thought that counts and I'd rather spend time with people than receive items I usually don't need or want.

This year however, almost none of the people who make my birthday such a special affair are around. I didn't bother getting my hopes up. X is a very pragmatic person (read: not into lavish celebrations and tends to buy drills and car mats as presents if not stopped).

And in the end, it was okay. I received multiple pages of birthday messages on Facebook. I had my entire family text me. Pei arranged to have several of our friends to speak to me over the phone. Sooky gave me a half hour long pep talk on How to not feel like a failure for not having found gainful employment yet, which I desperately needed to hear. I was told I was missed several times. X took me out for Malaysian food (not my idea, his).

The next day, we went to Fortitude Valley, which is the Chinese central of Brisbane and met AG for a lunch of barbequed and roast pork. We wandered about watching some martial arts association perform so-called kung fu. One of the fatties actually kept banging into his colleagues. The neon orange "Shaolin" uniforms, the messy thrusted fists... it was such a degradation of Chinese culture. We then headed to the South Bank markets where I got a very cute starfish necklace from a very abrupt Chinese lady.

B woefully informed me on MSN he did remember my birthday (since we were 17, he's always remembered to call) and in fact got extra prepaid credit to do so, only to realise he didn't have my Australian number.

Then a couple of days later, TF rang up belatedly and took me out for lunch with her American friend, from whom I learnt that the National American Treasure is actually Taco Bell, nevermind it's Mexican.

(Left to right) AG, Mummy, Sooky, X, TF

It didn't turn out so bad after all.