Everybody has that special day where it finally marks another amazing year had just passed them by. To some, it may be a joyous occasion as they see themselves maturing along the years. To others, it may just be a simple day where they are reminded of their growing age. For my dad, he was more like stuck in the middle of those two. My father was a simple and practical man; he saw no need in throwing money into huge, grandeur celebrations. He is practically married to simplicity. He did tell my family once that it was alright even if they took his birthday as another passing day, with no parties, no cake, nothing. Of course it did not sit well with my family because we felt that if something is worth celebrating, it should be done! So my mother told us to prepare just a simple surprise suited for his taste.

It was nearing 9pm at night and nobody mentioned anything about celebrating my dad's birthday; and of course I was rushing home after a long's day work of tutoring. I quickly bought his birthday cake and literally ran back home with my bf. He knew how important this event was so much so that he also ran, and bear in mind ... my bf does not run. No he does not. By the time we reached home, my mother was already half-asleep but when she heard me entering through the front door, she burst out of her room and quickly set up the candles for the cake. My father was in his room working, and my two brothers were as usual, on the computer. We quickly gathered the whole family and I dimmed the lights while my mother called my father out. He was stunned. And just as he recovered from the shock, a huge smile drew across his face. We all could tell just how excited my dad was and this instantly brought smiles on all our faces.



Well I couldn't find a chocolate cake which was my dad's favourite, but somehow he seemed to like coffee as well(:









Here is my maid lighting up the candles for us; whenever we had celebrations such as this, we make it such as she will not miss out. Afterall, she is family too!(:



Jo-jo being retarded as usual.



My mother letting my dad hold the cake to pose for a picture.



Since young, I've always seen my dad as someone really strict and one who hardly smiles. So when he smiled for this picture, I felt really glad that he was feeling genuinely happy(:







My dad made a joke saying that he could blow out all the candles with one blow was a sign that he was still young. Well, I can't argue with that fact since he is afterall young at heart.

" You have always been the pillar of support for the entire family, working hard to supply for everybody's needs. You made sure that all of us had a bright future ahead, lighting this candle of hope in all our hearts. No matter how screwed up we were, you still helped us get through our difficulties and hardships. Even though you are a man with little words, your actions alone is sufficient to tell us how much you loved your family. And here is our turn to say that we love you too daddy, and Happy Birthday! "

" you were a sister in my eyes, and will always be in my heart ... "

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

She has been a true close friend and a very dear sister to me since young. The both of us practically grew up together; and being of the same age, we faced many trials together in our lives. I still remembered back then when we had to sit for Abacus classes and suffered through those long and tedious hours in there. I also do recall us taking the same phonics lessons, as we learnt how to speak and read fluently. In primary school, where they engaged some Buddy-System where one senior is allocated one primary one child to teach him/her how to buy food etc: guess what? Her buddy and my buddy became best friends because of us. How amazing is that? We even mugged through many sleepless nights studying for our Olevels and she taught me Chemistry and History!(:

Many years had passed and now as we are progressing with our lives, this special someone is inevitably leaving Singapore to further pursue her passion abroad. My dearest cousin Glorianne, is that someone. It seems all so soon, that we were just in primary school yesterday and as of now, she is leaving for Colorado. She came by my house one day and we just sat down and talked and talked and talked. Hours felt like seconds whizzing by and she had to leave. Even though our schedule did not fit like two puzzle pieces, resulting in us not spending much time with each other, I still felt this connection with her as we talked. I knew it was an unbreakable bond which had been forged since we were children. She was definitely more than just a cousin to me: she is indeed my sister.

" Dear Glorianne, you have always been an inspiration, a motivation, a true role-model to me. Even though I am the older one and supposedly the more matured one, I believe I have learnt from you more than I can ever teach you. You taught me to smile even when facing tribulations, and that it can brighten up everybody's day when gloom is near. You taught me that fear does not stop you from pursuing your dream; and your independence is what a woman need to have. You taught me that life is never what they seem and if something does not go your way, it does not mean it is the end. My past few years spent knowing you, learning from you, have been a true joy. I know that you will definitely succeed much in life, and I wish you the best in your years abroad. Have fun and remember to take pictures of hot guys there for me! Hahaha. I love you and I will absolutely miss you to bits(: "