Last week was my birthday and it was surprisingly one of my favorite moments in life. To be honest, I was initially nervous about my forthcoming birthday. Turning 30 threw me for a loss. The age felt very grown-up; it’s as if it was time for me to have everything figured out and finally be able to stand on stable grounds without much wobbling. Reasonably, I should be wiser too. When I asked my older friends about surpassing that (scary) age, they simply said, “It happens…and you just go through it.” That’s wise. It’s just a number after all.
Knowing how nervous I was, my best girl S surprised me with a wonderful early birthday dinner at a Japanese eatery the night before my Cambodian trip. We continued the celebration at her girlfriend’s home with their adorable dogs. I had a tiny cake-in-a-jar with a candle on top. Her baby poodle Puru, which means “chubby cheeks” in Japanese, joined in while they sang the birthday tune. It was cute and touching at the time. My heart swelled as the pups yipped and yapped during the song. All of a sudden, 30 didn’t seem like a bad number.
The past Monday evening, upon reaching Phnom Penh, my old college friend V bought a delicious tiramisu cake and threw me a small party at a bar he frequents. He was so thoughtful that he placed six random candles to “conceal” my real age. V got that night’s performers to dedicate a groovy version of the birthday song to me and later, shared the cake with the other bar-hoppers. We used to be drinking mates back when we were studying so naturally, he was generous with the sparkling champagne. In fact, we spent the next few nights in the sleepy Cambodian capital just doing what we did best in college— clinking those glasses and cheering, “Santé!” It certainly felt like old times when we were hanging out in the flesh after so many years of living apart in different countries.
Celebrating your birthday the traditional way, with the cake and song and the company, is downright fantastic. As a child, you might take this gesture for granted because you expect it to happen. But once you’re reached adulthood, the story is altogether different. Either you’re too busy to remember your own birthday, or you try your best to forget that you’re aging. But it’s always great once your good friends remind you that everything is going to be OK. Just sing that song, blow those candles, have that cake and laugh.
