04 December 2013

Birthday Episode II : What Happened



I'm back again only two days after my last blog entry.


My birthday yesterday was definitely unlike any other birthday I'd ever had.



As I discussed, I tried really hard to not have any expectations and just enjoy Happy Tuesday.
It was my first birthday ever while being in a relationship with someone (which means Lyndon had planned to take me to a fancy restaurant for dinner).

Unfortunately, this was not to be.

Early in the morning, Lyndon went to the Emergency Room to try and get some pain relief for these abscesses that had been growing under his right arm. The people at the hospital told him he'd need surgery.


I woke up at 7:30am-ish to texts from Lyndon telling me that he would be getting surgery.
Naturally, I freaked out.

It sounded almost like a joke.

Surgery - on MY BIRTHDAY?!

Surely not!



But unfortunately a phone call from Lyndon confirmed that it was true.

I cried a lot.

I called my parents to ask my Dad about the procedure (he's a GP) and he basically told me that I should cancel all my plans for the day and go to Lyndon in the hospital.


I cried some more. Mostly because I was looking forward to spending time with Lyndon and now he was in the hospital. I wanted to be there for him but at the same time it was my special day and I wanted to spend it doing fun stuff with friends. Many conflicting emotions. More crying.

I ended up having the wonderful cooked breakfast made for me by my lovely flatmates and friends Joella and Xanda. It was delicious!

I then got dressed and ready to go see Lyndon in the hospital. I asked my cousin Emil to come with me and he said he would, so I waited for him to arrive.

Before Emil showed up, Lyndon informed me he was going in for the surgery.

I spent the morning wandering around town with Emil, I bought some dresses, which was fun. And Emil stumbled across a DVD sale at Marbecks so we spent some time looking at DVD's. He also bought me Creme Soda, my favourite drink in the whole world. It made me feel a bit better.


When Lyndon texted me telling me he was out of surgery Emil and I went to see him.


After a little while we went to my birthday lunch at Nando's where Floris, Huei, Xanda, Aimee and Emil all had lunch with me. I had a great time, but all the while I was still feeling quite upset about Lyndon being in the hospital.

Aimee made me a pumpkin pie, so after lunch we dropped it off at my flat and then I went to the hospital again.


I stayed with Lyndon for a while.

Once he had been discharged from hospital I got dropped off back at my flat. I cried some more.

By this time it was obvious Lyndon and I would not get to go out for the dinner I had been so excited about.
The reservation was cancelled.

I texted some friends, hoping that they would hang out with me around dinner time, and thankfully they came through for me.



After lying in the sun with Joella for a bit, she, Emil and I went down to Pita Pit where Dani, Chloe and Tim met us. Kim and James showed up a little while later.

We all got pitas for dinner and sat in the sun and ate them. It was nice.


After dinner I went to see Lyndon again and got my very own birthday cheesecake which was super sugary. I ate it.


Lyndon had made me a photo frame for my birthday, which I initially joked he was making me (If I was a builder I would make people photo frames for presents).


Overall, it wasn't a terrible day.



I really want to genuinely thank all the people that spent time with me.

Joella, Xanda, Emil, Chloe, Dani, Kim, Huei, Floris, James, Aimee and Tim.


My day wouldn't have been any fun without you, and you guys are the reason it wasn't the worst birthday ever.


I also want to thank everyone for their kind words and birthday wishes throughout the day, especially those that were praying for Lyndon to get better. It meant a lot and I really appreciated it.



Another birthday done for the year. Here's hoping your loved ones don't end up in hospital on your special day, but if they do, I hope you can make the most of it like I tried to do.


God bless you guys.



My day in pictures:






02 December 2013

Birthday Pressure




Tomorrow is a big day for me.

At the same time, it is not a big day for me.

For some, it is an important day.

For most, it is just another day.

And for those people who happen to share their date of birth with me, it is meant to be a special day.



But it isn't always special.

And there's nothing in the Rules of the World that say it has to be special.


I've been thinking about it the past few days, and your birthday actually carries a lot of pressure.
At least for me it does.



It's meant to be this momentous occasion where everyone says nice things to you and gives you stuff.

But for someone else, it's just another day.

They don't care that it's your birthday, and that actually isn't a crime.


I know I don't always care when there is a person who I have lost touch with and Facebook tells me it's their birthday. I don't say anything. I'm busy with my own stuff.
For them, it's their special day.
But for me, its just a Thursday, or a Friday, or whatever day it is.


A friend of mine once told me that she often deletes her friends from Facebook on their birthday, based on the fact that if she doesn't want to wish them a happy birthday, they probably shouldn't be on her friends list. I can't say I disagree with her logic and have been guilty of deleting people on their birthdays as well.
Harsh I know, but sometimes it pops up and you're like: "Who the heck is this person?" *delete*.

I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they did the same thing to me.




My birthdays have always been equally the best and worst days of the year.


Their is a lot of EXPECTATION.

As a child, I had too many expectations.

Things never went the way I wanted them to.

People wouldn't wish me a happy birthday and I would feel dejected.

I wouldn't get any presents from anyone.

My mum would go out to a horse show and leave me alone at the house to cook dinner for the family.


There's just so much PRESSURE to have a good day.

Everyone who wishes you a happy birthday also tells you to have a good day.

It's hard to have a good day when no one really cares that it's your birthday - it's just another day.



The change in my perception on birthdays came last year when I turned 22.

I used to be the person that waltzed around telling everyone it was my birthday so they felt forced to notice me and say happy birthday to me. I would tell my brothers that it was MY RIGHT to get all these perks (like choosing what tv show we would watch/food we would eat/which seat in the car I got to sit in) because it was my birthday.

But last year I tried a different tactic. I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday. I just enjoyed the day, dubbing it "Happy Monday" and "Monday Martz Day", because my birthday was on a Monday that year.

Calling it "Happy Monday" relieved it of all the birthday pressure. I had a good day just because it was a good day. I surrounded myself with good friends and just enjoyed their company.
I didn't expect that much.
I took what I got.
I went with the flow of the day.

It was my best birthday ever.





Tomorrow is "Happy Tuesday". I am trying my best not to have too many expectations. On the one hand, it is my special day, but on the other, for many people, it is just a Tuesday and I can't expect them to care.
And that's okay.


I am looking forward to spending time with friends.

Aimee is making me a pumpkin pie, and Lyndon has been building something for me and my curiosity concerning that is in itself a bit of a present.
I don't know what to expect!

But whatever happens, I know that my birthday doesn't have to be the best day of the year.

It's just another day when I get a few more texts than usual and my Facebook wall has a little more activity.

I don't expect presents from anyone, but like I have said before, people are welcome to donate to my new guitar fund if they would like to get me a little somthin' somethin'. But don't feel obliged to at all.




I have enjoyed being 22.

A lot of awesome things happened.

And I'm sure I'll have a good day tomorrow, not just because it's my birthday, but because I have so many awesome people around me who make everyday a good day.








This is me at my 22nd birthday party hosted by my friends Chloe, Heidi, Olivia, Lily and Joe <3