Spring chicken!

Just celebrated my 39th birthday! I like my birthdays - it is fun to notice how your friends try to hide the surprise. Sometimes it really works too. I remember my birthday in HCU when my friends very conspicuously made inconspicuous arrangements! [Roy! Remember?] Last year's was really a surprise too. This year -a third time - a birthday with two cakes. In 1999, my friends had arranged one large cake at NCST and another one at Nandina - chocolate and pineapple. After ten days after that I was going to leave Bombay - so the farewell had started earlier. Then last year and again this year. Blessed am I to have such good friends.
They are my family! I really thank God for giving me good friends always - wherever I was/am, be it HCU, NCST, IIIT or PSU. Ooooh my life is full of acronyms! The one with my IIIT students in 2005 is also a memorable one. Btw, the 2000 birthday was also a memorable one - when my whole family forgot to wish me till lunch time. On that day, I was discharged from the hospital and I was coming home with my first newborn baby - my family was busy paying bills, packing, receiving the new baby at home.... When I reminded them, they were soooo embarrassed they showered with me with extra wishes - my evil side enjoys such moments.

This year - a chat with Himani for 4-5 hours, emails, phone calls, e-cards, birthday song on the bus, one exam, 2 cake cuttings, no sleep..... A day of contentment! It was nice to receive wishes from everyone I know.

When I was eight, I thought 20-21 year olds [when one finishes graduation] were old and 40 year olds were very OLD! I wonder what my 8 year old son thinks of me! Bittu thinks I am 18. And what do I think? I felt 28 for a long time and then 32, 36 - I think in leap years - so I already feel comfortable with 40. The best definition about middle-age I feel is this one:

"Middleage is when your age shows in the middle."

Happy times ahead - eating and talking about eating...

So much about the cakes - it is strange but true - I have never baked a cake in my life!!!