Birthday Season!

Today after a long time I visited my friend's blog when I realised that I too could kill time by writing crap in my own space. And what better way to resume from my long break than in the Birthday season.

Its birthdays all around this November, and mine is just 2 days away. Yea, I am supposed to be really happy, but then when I look around all I see is people grinning at me; the kind of grin that a person sports when he see's his mother-in-law drive off a cliff. They are all out to get me. And the best part is I have known them for like only 2-3 months now and yet they are eager to get their hands on me. Yea, I do tend to leave an everlasting impression on people, *ahem*, and it seems not a very good one.

This time around, 8-9 years back was when I got my first memorable birthday gift. It was from a girl in my school who was my batch mate but in a different section. As usual I walked upto the bus stop in my snow white uniform with an aptly knotted tie. I bet you would have picked me up and kissed me all over, were you there. Atleast I know one girl who would have about whom I may write about someother time.

So, I walk to the bus stop and there Ashwini smiles and says "Happy Birthday, Shalabh" and hands me a card made of notebook paper and some drawings with wool stuck to it to denote the dress/plants and stuff. Man was I taken aback or what! For one she actually remembered my birthday which I had mentioned months ago in a casual convo, but she made me a card!!

I was born on 24th November, 1984, and according to the Chinese calander I am a RAT. Supposedly RATS are very cool people, so I am, and RATS are really cool, which again I am.
And I am told that the most catchy thing about RATS is that they don't give a lot of stuff to others. But at times they tend to give things to people only whom they cherrish. Hmmm so the next time you get something from me, with a little devilish mind you can totally exploit me. yikes!

Now I known that earlier I would have made Ashwini a card or two. Infact I might have made her one, but I don't remember.

I am the creative kind you know.I have lots of things on my mind and tend to be a bit distraught at times.

What I vividly remember is how moved I was when she gave me the card. It was silly(not in a derogatory way) and simple but I was deeply touched by her gesture. It is one of the best moments of my life. I felt the same when I was in my 2nd year engg. I was walking down the road near college when I met my colony friend Chaitra, or Chy as we dearly call him, and out of the blue he wished me! He was the last person on earth I would have expected to remember my birthday. I was seeing him after years. Its these subtleties of life that we look forward to each day. I love being surprised; and I love surprising others like today when I gifted my friend a Simpsons DVD. She was totally thrilled and it felt real nice to see the natural happy look on her face. After all her 'thank yous' which embarrassed me ,I made my way to my cubicle where I surprised my neighbour by giving him an almost nude, lest be it for the cursed leaves, Shakira poster and he and the others around surprised me by giving me birthday bumps, while caliming it to be a practice session...