A birthday to remember!

Today is my birthday! This is one bday which I can never forget(though all bdays are special, this one was extra special). My family and friends gave me so many gifts that my cupboard is overflowing with them. They know that I am in love with books and chocolates and have gifted me enough to last a lifetime( though, I'm sure both commodities wouldn't last even a month, by the speed at which I am going!) And, so many of my classmates, past classmates, juniors, seniors, colony mates and club mates have wished me today. All I've been doing throughout the day is getting all the wishes and replying to each one of them. (My mom finally threatened to throw my cellphone out if I don't stop messaging! But I know she didn't really mean it!)

The first people to wish me were my parents, then came my sister, R my friend and the others one by one. Then came the calls from my granddad, my periamma, periappa, chithi, chithappa and my bro. One of the calls that I cannot forget is from my best friend from school,SK. It was great talking to her in the morning. Thanks, SK.I also got in touch with friends all over the world through mail(special mention to RKM and SG. Their wishes made me glad! U know the reason guys!) and orkut( even those with whom I was in a hi-bye position).

Then came people from the various clubs I am in and I got a load of chocolates from them. I was also wished by friends whom I knew over these four years from other departments and colleges. A pleasant surprise was from my juniors who wished me today. I never knew that they knew my bday at all. Thanks a lot to you all!

What do I feel at the threshold of this birthday? I usually try to take a good look of all things past and let go of the unpleasant things that happened that year. What is the point of having grudges all through your life? Yeah, you can call it a yearly stocktaking :) This time around, as I did that, I suddenly realized the responsibility that I would have to shoulder from this year on. Not everyone would consider me a kid with no cares in the world and would certainly expect me to pull my weight in whatever I do. Only my parents and chithis and periammas would still consider me a kid and would pamper me as they have done till now. Though I am not a person who would shirk work, I do love the flighty feeling that I get when I rebel against anything that I don't like. So far, I needn't give a reason for my behaviour because it came under the usual 'adolescent syndrome'. (My mom is a Ph.D in this and she can quote more than a hundred instances in less than ten minutes! So much for having a mom who is a professor at college and who can find out all that is going on inside me without me saying a word! So, the minute I rebel, she can pinpoint the exact reason as to why and what has irritated me and can solve it in minutes! I love you, amma for that! You've saved me from so many silly things through the years. And, that is another thing that is worrying me to the core.... So far, my mom was there to soothe any of my ruffled feelings and my dad was there to protect me from anything! Though they would still do all that, it is time I learnt to do all this on my own too. How long can I be dependent on my parents? There would come a time when I would be treated as an adult by the society(not that I am not being treated like that now, but I've still got some leeway) and then, all this would be expected out of me.. A good time to start my training ;)) But from now on, I am expected to follow the rules of the adult world and mind my p's and q's :)

Also, this birthday is extra special because this might be the last birthday that I spend in my home city. I've been here from the time I was born and am feeling sad that I would be leaving this lovely city soon. This is one place which is not too cold nor hot, not too rainy nor sunny. It has a pleasant climate all round the year. The climate is one of the main reasons why I want to settle down here after my sojourns throughout the world. Any ways, lets see how it turns out! So, right fromt the time I got up today, I've been enjoying all what I can about my city, its climate, its people and so on. I'm still doing it.

Have I changed from the last birthday I had? One of my friends asked me this question and set me thinking. Have I changed? In some ways, yes and in some ways, no. (a typical Libran answer! ;)) I have grown and met so many new people, learnt so many lessons along the way and have moulded myself to the demanding circumstances of my life in the past year. But, deep down, my value system has not changed. It has only strengthened with the exposure that I have got the past year. I have understood that the value system that my parents imparted in me in my childhood still stands true and that going by that system, I can never land in any sort of trouble or hardship(mental, physical and spiritual). My views of life haven't changed and the world is proving itself again and again regarding this.

The amount of responsibility that comes with freedom of the adult life is scary. But, as I did in my chidhood and teens, I guess I would learn along the way and would turn out alright!(hopefully).This is to all my friends who have been with me through this year: Thanks a lot, yaar! Its been a great experience in the past year. Hope we continue it next year too! Ok, I sounded a lot serious( and a bit melodramatic too in the previous sentences... But that is straight out of my heart!)
Signing off in style,
Alpine path

PS: I had my lab exam too today. Though I had written everything correctly, I couldn't show the output. So, God help me with it! :)