The month of March has got me feeling like woo! for many reasons. Let's touch on the better ones first.
March is essentially the month of celebrations for me. My brother, teeter and I turn a year older this month so we get to celebrate three birthdays in 31 days.
And yes, I have turned yet another year older. And so has the teeter so
to us! /throws confetti
(My brother's birthday is at the end of the month.)
We were all born earlier than our estimated date of birth. I think my brother was born 3 weeks early, my teeter was born 2 weeks early and then I was born a week early. If our estimated dates of birth were accurate, my teeter and I might be the only March babies in the family - and we definitely wouldn't be born a day (and 3 years) apart. My brother would definitely have been an April baby.
But I guess we were overly excited about being born into this world and while we were at it, we thought we might as well all be March babies so Mama and Papa would have to spend a bomb every March and be done with birthdays for the rest of the year. Good job, we.
We were never big on parties. And the only time I made an exception was for my 21st, which still remains a magical moment in my life. But we've made it a point to settle for a simple family meal and, of course, cake-cutting will always be the highlight.
We're running out of ideas for our birthday cakes so we didn't prepare any in advance. In fact, I headed to town on my birthday itself and got us a cake because we couldn't let the day go by without one.
I'm very easily satisfied. Anything chocolate makes me happy and this chocolate banana cake from Awfully Chocolate was no doubt delicious. (I picked the cake based on my own preference and I'm glad the teeter didn't nitpick although she's not a big fan of chocolate. (Sorry teeter but your baby loves chocolate so please bear with chocolate birthday cakes for the next 50 years.)
Traditionally, Mama made the teeter and I celebrate our birthdays together since our birthdays are one day after another. We've managed to uphold the tradition till now, except for when the teeter was completing her Master's programme in Loughborough.
I turned 23 this year and, well, it doesn't feel very much different from when I was 22. Apart from the occasional knee aches and back pains, I feel pretty much the same. Or maybe I just don't feel it yet.
One thing for sure is I'm becoming a lot more sentimental. I mean, I've always been a little bit more maudlin since I was a child. I suppose that's what you learn when you deal with loss all the time. But these days, I get pangs of nostalgia.
From time to time, I'd recall the more carefree days when I donned a school uniform. I miss hanging out with Chew and the rest - hardcore mugging, skipping Chinese lessons, and everything else. I miss my younger self holding Papa's hand, walking to school with the teeter, and later Mama walking me to school because the teeter joined the brother.
Strangely, I miss a lot about my past. I've never considered it the best time of my life but I miss it. And I sometimes want to go back to it.
But life is about moving forward and surely there are some old wounds from the past I don't want to reopen or revisit.
This year marks the end of my four years as a university student. I'm down to the last four weeks of school and then I'd take my final two examinations and be done with school. It's probably the day I looked forward to the most since I was a freshman but now that that day is actually nearing, I don't know how to feel.
Being a student gave me lots of freedom to organise my schedule. I would wake up between 7 to 8 a.m. every morning and if there's no school, my day begins with a workout. I wake my bones and muscles up that way. And then I shower and I get down to work.
Work usually revolves around meeting my deadlines as a freelance writer or completing my readings, Italian homework or final-year project. After which, I get some free time to surf the Internet. And when I feel like it, I'd take a nap.
I'm usually done with everything by 4, latest 5, and I get the rest of the evening to myself. I spend time with Shelty. I read a book. I update my diary. All while waiting for the rest of the family to come home.
It's the ideal lifestyle. And I cannot imagine having to give that all up when I enter the workforce full-time.
I love work-life balance. And that's not something I see in my life as an office lady.
But that's something I'd worry about later.
Seeing how the month of March is swooshing by, I better get my act together. I surely intend to wrap up the semester with a bang.
Oh, and can't wait to celebrate the brother's birthday as well!
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