Birthday baby? Me…:-)

It is March 30th, 2007….My birthday day…The day I came to this lovely..not so lovely…world..Years passed by so fast…Age too…equally wisdom…too…..ememhhhh!!! I could hear that ..It is ok…too hard to take , is it?....It is a special day….yes…

I hardly celebrate my birthday’s in my childhood…I mean the “cutting of birthday cake”….I hardly remember any event like this…except in films…..I remember those black and white days of the last century…early 80’s…My adorable amma stitches new skirts and blouse…home stitched ones…she is a fairly good home dress tailor, I believe….I don’t remember how perfect fit it was for me…It will be the usual annual exam days..So I get lost in studies and undergoing tension of writing the exams well…My amma takes me to the nearest temple…offers some archana on my nakshataram.......lunch …. a full fledged sadhya kind of menu….with semiya payasam/pal payasam…yummy..yummy…She will make me sit down on the mat on the floor with a vellakku lit and a banana leaf laid before me …with rice and a colourful spread of thorans, avyial, and sambar, rasam…and ending with a gulp of payasam…..burp..…unable to get up from the place with filled stomach..”Amma, vayaru pottuna polley thoon-nunu? ..madhi ammey” (Feels like my stomach is going to burst..enough amma)….She gives that beautiful satisfying smile….I realize now the meaning of "that" smile after becoming a mother myself…As moms, we make sure that our children eat full till their stomach tears apart…there is some more space here giving a small tickle in their small tummy….here also…..only then moms are satisfied…;-)…Those where the good old days……….very much in front of my eyes...photographed.....

After I joined work, the whole project celebrates my birthday…making wish before you blow the candle…..”birthday cake cutting”…claps …and birthday song…”HB to you, HB to you, HB dear S***, HB to you..”…Recently we went to my children’s class mates birthday….These small kids continued their unsystematically rythmatic song …”May the good Lord bless you…May the good lord bless you, dear ***, HB to you”…then balloons bursting behind you…Then cutting cake..then offering to your best dear collegue-cum-friend-next seat neighbour..Then some pals will give a nice facial with creams all over the face or only on the nose or cheeks…”..what not?......then snaps..cheezzzz….it goes on as slideshows in desktop screen saver for the next few days…A birthday card wished and signed by all team members…...Good memories…

I feel entirely different today…may be the thought that I’ve grown old or …these celebrations are only for kids…I was feeling out of my usual self…more towards me....It was embarrassing for me to stand in front of the whole crowd of team members..many pairs of eyes eagerly waiting for their share of cake.. …birthday cake cutting ceremony…May be becoz I’m the object in focus….whatever…Let me get this over…..the usual process…this time I’m happy in a way that I’ve my lovely ladies crowd around me….my stress busters....big mouth ladies ..my lunch team where we feel that we are that “seethe saatha”.. humans and not machines/ programs with the if..else..endif ..…..

It is of course an unforgettable page which I save in a book titled “My life”…

Last but not the least, my best birthday gift for the day is lots ..tonnes of kiss on both my cheeks by my children….The moment my dear hubby informed them on opening their sleepy eyes in the morning..”Vava, you know today is amma’s birthday…and he leaned towards me and gave a sweet kiss on my cheeks..My eyes filled with a film of moisture…a kiss from my hubby in front of the kids…I was blushing…to cover it up..I gave a pose to my daughter that I’m embarrassed to receive a kiss on my cheeks…with a tip of my nail bitting between my teeth...She immediately joining the race of hugging me with both hands..and pouring kisses..umma umma..My son followed his turn……. I am totally flattered.......

Last, my priceless gift is my hubby’s kiss on my cheeks…………which I rarely get these days……
Oops!!!! Hahahahahahha ;-)