My Belated Birthday Cake

Pralinosa – a name as beautiful as it is. Pralinosa in the culinary dictionary means “hazelnut paste” and in my very own dictionary, Pralinosa is my forever and ever no. 1 favourite cake. The only cheese cake where you can’t possibly detect the taste of cheese at all. And it is for the same reason; that a non-cheese eater like me loves it so much.

Frankly, I haven’t eaten this cake for so long that I really couldn’t recall the last time I had it…so long that I can’t even remember the taste. All I can say is that it was so heavenly good and simply out of the world. I know I sounded a bit exaggerated but that’s the truth about this Pralinosa. Sinfully delicious!

Remember earlier I wrote about my friend cum colleague who accidentally forgotten my birthday? Hehehe…..apparently guilt comes with a price and the best part of being guilty is that you will do your very best to kill that shitty feelings in you – like buying the victim her favourite cake, for that matter !

 

Ija came to work this morning with a box in her hand. She then came straight to my desk and handed me the box with a sorry face. A belated birthday cake for me …….yippie !! A blessing in disguise, that is. I just can’t wait for the day to end and savour a bite on this cake since I am fasting today. And one thing I am very sure of is that I won’t be disappointed.

To Ija, thank you so much for taking all the hassles to buy this Pralinosa for me. I hope you will forget my birthday again next year and get me this cake again ! Love you !

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A Quiet Birthday

It was my 44^th birthday yesterday…… a quiet one indeed.

The first to wish me was my darling Marsya, of course, while we were lying on bed waiting to fall asleep on that 25^th night. A birthday wish from a daughter, with a peck on the cheek is all a mummy could have asked for. Thank you so much dear !

 LOL......this is so me !!!

Then just after midnight, a birthday wish from my best friend, Chor whom I’ve known since we were 8. A birthday wish via WhatsApp along with a string of ballons, hailer, cakes, flowers emoticons etc, as if we were having a party in there hahaha. Thank you Chor for all the well wishes & may our dreams for “lelaki kaya dan beriman” will soon came true LOL.

Not so long after Chor’s, came along my next birthday wish from my one & only sis, Aida. Didn’t expect to get it from her that early and it was quite a surprise knowing that she’s still up at that hour. Kesian Aida…..it was her son, Shafiy who doesn’t seem ready to call the day off any earlier. Missed that adorable lil’ nephew of mine…muaaaahhhh.

Then, the next morning while busy juggling my burnt caramelized chicken wings and; cooking Paprik for lunch (I know I am awesome *wink wink* ), my mum called to wish me – thank you mak, love you ! Well, just for the record, I managed to save those chickens wings from suffering a 3^rd degree burnt, and therefore are still edible….phewww.

So, that’s the first 7 hours of my 44^th years on earth…….

As I settled down at my desk in the office, my other BFF, Jamie called. I was so happy to hear her voice that I don’t really care if she called only to ask me about the weather  instead of wishing me on my birthday….but she didn’t. Jamie had been very, very busy for the past two months or so, and to even get her on the phone is impossible, let alone meeting up.  So I was the happiest person that very morning knowing the fact that she remembered and took the effort in the midst of her hectic life, to call and wish me. Terharu akak…

Later that day, were the wishes from my special group of friends and my brother  - both via the WhatsApp group, Jornam and Family respectively. Only one wish on my Facebook page ( just the way I wanna it to be ) from my eldest brother and I am glad he wrote it much, much later in the evening.

Last but not least, at 10:00 pm last night my old friend cum colleague sent me her wishes. Actually, I was waiting for it the whole day we were in the office but I guessed it must have slipped her mind. Anyway, it’s the thought that counts right?

A friend asked how would I celebrate my birthday this year? Where is the cake? The truth is a birthday is just another day for me. The last time I celebrated my birthday was during my 40^th birthday coz it was a special phase in life and because I have amazing frens who threw a luxurious dinner for me.

And for the rest of the birthdays, it was just me and Marsya spending the day like any other days, counting my blessings and feeling grateful that Allah has spared my life this long…..while at the same time hoping for more good things and years to come. Ameen.

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Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d
        ― Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard

A quote from the movie, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind I watched recently. An extraordinary 2004 movie which took 10 years for me to watch it.....but indeed, worth the wait. A movie where romance and sci-fi were combines so flawlessly. Easily among my favorite movies whenever I try to recall any.

If given a chance, would you erase all memories on someone you wished you've never met, so that all those pains can be wiped away? I remembered telling my daughter once that I wish I could erase all memories about a person I once loved so much coz it hurts like crazy every time the thought of him came lingering into my mind.

But all that changed after I watched this movie. ESOTSM is a story of a couple who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but is is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

This is one movie which had that inspiring effect on me. The rarest of all films and a great work of art, that is. One thing I learned from this movie is that erasing any incident, nice or bad from our memories wouldn't do us any good at all. It is from those experienced that we learned to become a stronger person we are today.

Well, would it be an eternal sunshine when the mind is spotless? Are we truly happy if all bad experiences been removed from our mind? Is ignorance a total bliss? Those are the questions that would be running through our minds after watching this movie.

I hesitate to call it a romantic movie as it is more on relationship with a touch of some sci-fi elements. Absolutely brilliant screenplay & unique in its own way. To those who haven't got the chance to watch it, please do so....you won't regret it !

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