What I Did On My Birthday
I turned 23 last October 18. Since that day, people have been asking me what productive activity I did during my birthday. I guess they were expecting me to give an answer like, "I spent the day with friends and loved ones by my side, as I looked back on the past 365 days of my life with them. After which, I had a sumptuous dinner with my family to put a cap on a very special and memorable day." When I tell them that I hid from the world on my birthday, and that it was by choice, they get worried, even to the point of asking if i'm depressed.
Well no, I'm not depressed at all. In fact, I feel positively rejuvenated. I guess taking a 1-day sabbatical (if you can call it that) from society, especially on your birthday can do wonders for one's soul. Although I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Being alone during one's birthday requires strong resolve.
So yes, I was alone on my "special" day for most of the day, and the only form of communication I had with the people I know consisted of texting the phrase "Thanks ____(your name here)!" whenever someone sent a greeting. But that didn't mean my day wasn't productive. I'm going to answer the question people have been asking me for the past couple of days. Here's what I did on my birthday.
1. I was able to renew my driver's license - I spent my morning at the nearest LTO office going through the motions of having my driver's license renewed. I don't know who's bright idea it was from the LTO to have the expiry date of your license to fall on the date of your birth. This errand forced me to put my self-imposed exile on hold for about 2 hours as I filled out forms, peed into a cup, posed for a headshot, and parted with my cash, all for the sake of being allowed to drive on the streets of Manila.
2. I practiced my cooking - I had the nerve to tell my mom that I would take care of fixing my own lunch and not bother the household help. Already being an expert in preparing my favorite dish - beef salpicao, I sucked up the courage to experiment in the kitchen and apply the same recipe to a more delicate meat...fish. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my cooking efforts. My bangus salpicao actually tasted good! Although I had a minor mishap early on while sauteing garlic. My adventurous side got the better of me as I decided to pour a dollop of honey over frying garlic. Man, i've never seen garlic burn, turn black, and make smoke that fast.
3. I caught up with my DVD-Watching - I was able to watch a couple of movies as well as a number of episodes of the TV series i'm currently addicted to. I saw Black Hawk Down, a number of episodes of the Office, and (Gasp!) The Little Mermaid on DVD. Reminds me of the days when I didn't have to worry about going to work...simply because I had none.
I turned 23 last October 18. Since that day, people have been asking me what productive activity I did during my birthday. I guess they were expecting me to give an answer like, "I spent the day with friends and loved ones by my side, as I looked back on the past 365 days of my life with them. After which, I had a sumptuous dinner with my family to put a cap on a very special and memorable day." When I tell them that I hid from the world on my birthday, and that it was by choice, they get worried, even to the point of asking if i'm depressed.
Well no, I'm not depressed at all. In fact, I feel positively rejuvenated. I guess taking a 1-day sabbatical (if you can call it that) from society, especially on your birthday can do wonders for one's soul. Although I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Being alone during one's birthday requires strong resolve.
So yes, I was alone on my "special" day for most of the day, and the only form of communication I had with the people I know consisted of texting the phrase "Thanks ____(your name here)!" whenever someone sent a greeting. But that didn't mean my day wasn't productive. I'm going to answer the question people have been asking me for the past couple of days. Here's what I did on my birthday.
1. I was able to renew my driver's license - I spent my morning at the nearest LTO office going through the motions of having my driver's license renewed. I don't know who's bright idea it was from the LTO to have the expiry date of your license to fall on the date of your birth. This errand forced me to put my self-imposed exile on hold for about 2 hours as I filled out forms, peed into a cup, posed for a headshot, and parted with my cash, all for the sake of being allowed to drive on the streets of Manila.
2. I practiced my cooking - I had the nerve to tell my mom that I would take care of fixing my own lunch and not bother the household help. Already being an expert in preparing my favorite dish - beef salpicao, I sucked up the courage to experiment in the kitchen and apply the same recipe to a more delicate meat...fish. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my cooking efforts. My bangus salpicao actually tasted good! Although I had a minor mishap early on while sauteing garlic. My adventurous side got the better of me as I decided to pour a dollop of honey over frying garlic. Man, i've never seen garlic burn, turn black, and make smoke that fast.
3. I caught up with my DVD-Watching - I was able to watch a couple of movies as well as a number of episodes of the TV series i'm currently addicted to. I saw Black Hawk Down, a number of episodes of the Office, and (Gasp!) The Little Mermaid on DVD. Reminds me of the days when I didn't have to worry about going to work...simply because I had none.
4. Was able to start reading again - I started browsing up on one of my favorite books, for the simple reason that I'm planning to try it out in the office sometime and see if it actually works. The title? 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. A must for would-be future power-grabbers and power-hungry individuals.
So you see, my birthday wasn't all that bad. In fact, I think I spent it wisely. Depending on the type of social creature you are, spending your birthday this way may either depress or rejuvenate you. I'm glad the latter happened to me. I hope this answered the questions people have been asking me all week. And no, I'm not depressed.
3 comments:
Oh you're not depressed. Just unusual. And smart. You know what makes you happy. Stay that way and you'll always have happy birthdays. Happy birthday, Angas!
happy to hear you had a happy birthday!
Hold on! I thought you never had a copy of the 48 Laws? Hmmm...some devil must've given it to you as a gift or the devil in you simply showed up (AGAIN)!
Mike
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