Ramblings About My Life..

My 19th Birthday!

What an interesting birthday - I reached 19 years of age in completely foreign country, with a group of friends completely different from those I have back home and in a way nothing like how my birthdays used to be celebrated all these years! Since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, there were no plans of celebrating at all until all my lectures were over - there was a medics' social at a club called Reflex that night. Privately, I thought that I would see out my birthday in a club, drinking a pint of beer and reflecting on things to come in a relatively quiet corner of the aforesaid club. After that, I planned to curl up on my bed, listen to some nice music and read Moore and Dalley's Clinically Orientated Anatomy - sad, I know, but I didn't really have any other books to read. My idea of a good time is to listen to music that I like and drink steaming hot green tea whilst reading a nice book on my bed - yes, I sound like an old geezer...haha!

Events deviated from my ideas on how to spend my birthday roughly an hour before dinner. Tommy sent me a message via MSN asking me if I was going to a Hong Kong Society social - I had totally forgotten about it! I signed up for the HKSoc because I was subjected to psychological influences (read - insistent cajoling) from Lisa, Ben, Nessa and the rest of the HKSoc crew who were recruiting members. My feeble excuse of "B-b-but I'm not a Hong Kongese!" was discarded by them even before the sentence completely left my mouth, but it was the pictures of dim sum that did me in. Now, this is something that should be outlawed by the University. It is proven that the promises of good food invariably lures people into a society, no matter what the society is for. Heck, it could be a Society For The Sacrificing Of Virgin Squirrels, but if they promised to bring me to somewhere nice to eat one in a while, I'd join without a moment's hesistation.

After deliberating for a while on whether I should go for the HKSoc social, I finally decided that I would go. Firstly, the membership cards were ready for collection and I was rather curious as to how my picture turned out - I generally look weird in pictures! Secondly, they were providing potato crisps and drinks - must-haves for any self-respecting society's social. Thirdly, they were having games and karaoke. Whee. My favourite activities...yearrite. Having decided, I went down for dinner. At first, dinner seemed like the mundane affair it always is - take food, put food on tray, walk to cashier, sit down and begin to chomp. However, halfway through my meal, the rest of the gang (Mark, Wei Jin, Tommy, James, Jun Xue, Rexanna, Noemi, Li Ching, Brandy) suddenly shoved their desserts (chocolate cake, if I remember correctly) in front of me and began singing "Happy Birthday!". Hahaha! It was a pleasant surprise - but it was embarrassing being at the centre of attention - we were in the Hall's dining room and everybody were looking over!

After that, someone suggested that everyone should meet in my room at 11pm for a small "birthday bash". The rest agreed, and now I had an impromptu party to plan! Well, to be honest, there wasn't much planning to do, really. The rest had already bought a cake and all we needed were drinks. Since Mark, Tommy and myself were going to the HKSoc social, our plan was to buy two bottles of wine at Somerfield's after the social and head back before 11pm - I didn't feel like going to the medics' social anymore! After dinner, we then headed to the HKSoc, where I collected my membership card (true to form, my picture looks weird - but acceptable nonetheless), ate tonnes of potato crips, swigged tonnes of pop and joined in a quiz. However, while I was there, Lisa managed to persuade me to go to the medics' social for a while. I duly left the responsibilities of procuring the wine to my good mates Mark and Tommy, experts in choosing good liqour. We then left for the medics' social after meeting up with Suresh, Max and Jessica and finally reached Reflex after picking up Sohan and gang from Victoria Hall.

Once at the club, Suresh and Sohan bought me drinks since it was my birthday, despite my efforts to tell them that I'm quitting my old habits of drinking huge amounts of alcohol in one night. Hahaha... I think my liver probably won't last through my time in medical school if I keep on doing that, so now my policy on drinking is one pint per night or two or three small glasses of wine. Anyway, thanks for the drinks, guys! The music and atmosphere at the club wasn't bad - the music wasn't techno or house that all clubs love to play, but normal pop and songs from the 80's. I ended up spending around an hour there, until I had to leave in order to make it back in time for my "room party". Jessica and Lisa followed me back as well, although Suresh would be joining us later. On the way, Jessica and Lisa bought potato crisps for the party. We rushed back and reached my room 15 minutes late! Hahaha!

When we reached my room, no one was there - no big surprise, since I reached my room 15 minutes late! I went to Mark's room and he sent out the summons to the rest. And before I knew it, my room was filled with people. My room isn't the largest of rooms to begin with, and with about 15 people in it, everyone was packed like sardines! There wasn't enough seating, so many people just stood and talked. When Hsin Yu and Su-Ann came, they had the brilliant idea of smearing Mark's shaving cream liberally on my face as a birthday "present"! I'm not complaining, this beats having whipped cream on one's face or getting the crap beaten out of you in a typical Johorian 3-4! Haha! We served cake on tissue paper since we had no plates. We then ended up talking until the wee hours of the night - until someone came to complain about our noise level! Haha! Everyone left at around 1.15am, and I promptly took a bath and collapsed on my bed. What a night...hahaha!


Hsin Yu prepares to help me shave. I was very, very frightened indeed. Someone suggested that she shave off my eyebrows - luckily it never happened, or else I'd hide in my room until they regrew!


The cake and I. A chocolate overdose was imminent - I had chocolate cake for dessert and now, chocolate cake again?!


Some of the people who made my birthday truly special. Thanks everyone, those in the photo and those not captured on film (you know who you guys are)!

Many thanks to:

1. My family - thanks for all your birthday wishes!
2. Rexanna, Noemi and Ah Wong for your birthday cards!
3. Mark and Tommy for choosing the two bottles of excellent wine - you guys rock in your tastes in wine!
4. Suresh and Sohan for the beer - no wonder it's hard for me to stop drinking!
5. Jessica and Lisa for buying the crisps and coming all the way to my room from Reflex to celebrate my birthday!
6. All those who celebrated my birthday with me and made it a special day!
Last but not least...
7. My friends back in Malaysia or overseas (ex-EC, ex-TCSJ) who wished me a happy birthday!

posted by yong chen @ 4:09 PM