A birthday without birthday cake

But simply just cakes.

Though cakes are all cakes, there always seems to be some difference between “birthday cake” and other cakes we might eat every day, such as “cupcakes”. I don’t know why but this year I didn’t have the impulse to have a significant birthday celebration. So I decided to celebrate a birthday as an ordinary happy day.

I always wanted to try all different kinds of cakes in the supermarket, and I finally have the chance now. I heard that the tiramisu in Whole Foods had changed recipes, and it’s probably true; it’s not as good as I had it last time, two years ago. I used to love the fruit tarts from Whole Foods, though I usually have the bigger one, the small one tastes different and not as good, I don’t know if the recipes vary with the size or they also changed it. It appears that the chocolate mouse turns out to be the best, followed by the pecan tart.

I went to class as I did and should do every day, I went to the supermarket after courses, which is my favorite place I like to go and brings me a good mood, and I cook myself dinner. I made “chang shou mian”, which is a traditional noodle people used to eat for birthday. It’s actually nothing special but just a bowl of noodle with egg, and they named it “long live” so it represent good wishes.

‘Can tell I’m not very good at cooking eggs.

And have to mention one of my favorite things, buying flowers. These are the most special roses I found in Trader Joe’s.

I guess the most valuable thing I did on my birthday was write a letter for myself after four years, which is the time I probably graduated from college.

I thought about it a lot. Not only about birthdays but also about growing up.

I said happy birthday to my mom, I told her that nineteen years ago, yesterday was the day when she had done the magnificent thing which is giving me birth. It suddenly feels so unreal that it was nineteen years ago.

I realize that growing up is about noticing that one day, everyone will turn old. I suddenly realize the reason why children look forward to birthday that much is because it seems so rare to them, such as when a kid is one year old, the celebration of birthday is one in a life time. However, when people are twenty years old, thirty years old, and so on, they’ve celebrated so many birthday that it took so much proportion of life that people don’t want to pay extra attention to it. I guess I won’t be nervous or do preparation work anymore when I’m meeting a friend for the twentieth time.

Anyway, meeting myself for the nineteenth year, happy birthday.