Seventeen :)

I'd always loved those little frilly frocks meant for 3-5 year old girls, and wished for one in my size. It came true this time. Last-minute shopping is so my thing, and I went out to look for my birthday dress on the 29th of January. Good luck is so my thing, and I found the perfect light pink frilly frock meant for 3-5 year old girls, in my size. Plus, Sidhu Bhaiya, the shop-guy, actually 'gifted' me a shirt, and I think that was utterly sweet of him. I guess, that marked the beginning of not-just-another-day.

Near midnight, Mom insisted on making me do some work for her, and when I told her that I'll just bring my cell phone from the room, and then do what she wants me to do, she played tyrant. Later, of course, I entered this somewhat decorated room with a soft toy (Yay!!) and a cake and candles. 

I had special duty at school. Big coincidence - of all the 30-something days that I could have had that, I had it on my birthday. There's hardly anything special about special duty. You have to go to school early and welcome every person. Welcome, in this case, refers to correcting their uniforms, and making them go upstairs in lines. Everyone seemed to know it was my birthday! Plus, this class 8 girl, Yagnaseni, handed me a card in a pink envelope and a chocolate, and that made it obvious. Lots of 'Happy birthday's, lots of 'Thank you's, and lots of hugs when I was supposed to be on duty. Embarrassing.

School was fine. Shripriya gifted me a photo frame with my pictures in it, and Bournville, and gave me a card. Someone stole a lot of my cake. I gave Yagnaseni some of what was left, and a chocolate, which was the least I could do. (Thank you, Yagz!) Rohini and Aditi gave me chocolates, and the rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

I went home by bus. There was a treasure hunt of x clues, where x = number of letters in 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' + 1, at the end of which I got Twilight. Di had done this whole thing, and put the first clue in the 8th floor, the second in the 7th floor, the third in the 8th, and so on. All the exhaustion led to a book which I'd already read. I actually wanted the series - New Moon, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse, but I got the book. But it was such a sweet thing, that it didn't matter, and anyway I love Twilight enough to re-read it. (Thank you, Di!)

Chandni wasn't well, so the plan for coffee was put off for another day. I did nothing all day but to take calls and reply to messages. We had dinner with Manasi Di (who, by the way, also celebrates her birthday on the 30th of January), and I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but it was a happy kind of tired. 

Some people surprised me, some disappointed me. Anyway, it was a pretty nice day. 

This looks like a newspaper report or a formal school essay. It hardly does justice to such a nice day, but I really have to get back to the textile-file thing, and wrote this today lest I forget later. The belated-happy-birthday wishes are still coming in. I wish people realized that if wishes can be accepted as 'belated', gifts can be, too. :P

Thank you for making my day so special. You'll know if this was meant for you. :)