Today is my birthday and I am passing the birthday night in the Homestay hotel in Cukai Kemaman of Terengganu. I did not have a sumptous meal, but rather had a full papaya that was bought by my wife in KL and brought all the way here. She bought 3 papayas and they are starting to get too ripe and I have to consume them as soon as possible. Like a lot of the earlier birthdays, it is just an ordinary birthday that I go through. I received phone calls from my wife and the 2 children saying " Happy Birthday " to me. This year is a bit unusual and it got me really a big surprise to receive the SMS birthday greetings from my 2 sisters, first time in my life, especially my sister from KL. She happens to have a son that has birthday just one day earlier than me, that might have reminded her of this. This unusual greetings stirred my heart that I am really getting older each day and my siblings are feeling dearer in their hearts towards this big brother as years go by!
Since when I started to celebrate birthday? Frankly when I was kid, we did not celebrate birthdays like what we do now. Only my mum remembered my birthday on the 14th July of the Chinese Calender! That happened to coincide with the starting of the Ghost Festival of the Chinese. According to the Chinese belief, the host of devils or ghosts were set free during that period of time, with special permission from the chief in charge of hell, the hell went loose! And in superstitious Taiwan, no one would want to get married during this particular month!
My mum would cook some eggs for me and that was it, a simple celebration for the birthday! In the traditional Chinese village, every one used to have big family and we did not remember the birthdays of our own siblings and it was not common practice to celebrate birthdays at all. Big birthdays were celebrated only when one reaches the age of 60, 80 etc.
I started to celebrate birthdays only after I married my wife, mainly with the kids! For many years, I worked overseas and celebration was just a phone call. This year as I am away in Kemaman Terengganu, we celebrated a few days earlier when I went back to KL for the weekends to be with my family.
Birthday at our age is not something exciting but rather a ticking clock that constantly reminds us of how many more years to go before we retire! Though I am always young at heart, however this event did reminded me of my real age! I suddenly feel the body parts started to age and the greying of hairs instensifying, a natural process that one could only try to slow down but could not be prevented at all. I want to be gladful and thank God that He holds the key of our life and He has kept me going this far all these years and still continue the going! We all should be glad and joyful in everyday of our life.
Happy Birthday Martin!
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