A low-key, yet eventful Birthday weekend

Birthdays are a strange phenomena… other than the physical indication that you're getting older (i.e. a little more white hairs, aching body parts, etc.), you wouldn't realize it was your birthday.  i've come to realize that its letting people know of your birthday that makes it a special day.  It's this day that everyone celebrates your birth, or life.  Without any indication, this day can pass without much hoorah or festivities.  I wasn't sure what I wanted for myself this past Sunday – to have a 'normal' day of rest and relaxation or to make a big deal out of it. 

Usually, I'm pretty low-key so I guess I wanted the same this year… just some time to reflect on the past year and on the upcoming year.   I spent most of the week preparing for a friends wedding so I didn't have much time to think about my own birthday, which was ok with me.   in the end, I think this past weekend was a mix of both low-key and eventful activities with good company – a good combination for a birthday.

 I spent Saturday getting ready for a fellow Canadian's wedding at the Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa… a very nice place for a wedding, alongside the Chao Phraya River. Being that it was my birthday weeknd, I wanted to be around good compnay.  So at the last minute, I was able to convince a friend to come with me to the wedding. And because I didn't know anyone at the wedding, it was nice to have a friend along.  Aside from the one-hour ceremony, we just hung around the resort and chatted about life – a nice way to spend a Sat afternoon. I was going to stay for the reception dinner (most likely with really good Thai food), but decided to go with my friend to a French play (she's french).  By the time we go to the play, I was starving, having not eaten anything since lunch.  Even though the play was all in french (which I barely understood), doing something different for my birthday was a nice change.  Plus I spent most of the day in a suit and tie… and for those of you who know me, that DEFINITELY is different!

Sunday wasn't as eventful, but just as relaxing. Caught a movie and dinner with a friend and just took it pretty easy.  No crazy drunken nights or partying hard for me… Birthdays are less about celebrating and more about reflection and understanding about where I am and where I want to be.

And just to add to last week's post, here's a 45 baht meal I had… that translates into roughly $1.50 Canadian!  Steamed and fried chicken hainan rice, with a big bowl of chicken soup and a pineapple smoothy… mmmmm…. tasty!