Its another Friday afternoon, the fourth since i reached Phoenix. Lunch will be ready soon. I've decided to get back to blogging(i guess i am really hungry)....not that i was an avid one..but more of being a .. regular one..people say i have interesting stuff to talk about so ..ha ha..here i go again.

Since, my birthday is coming soon, i wanted to talk about Birthday parties. Ha ha..! seems kiddish, but there was a time, my idea of a birthday was cutting a cake, with my friends and family singing" Happy birthday Jude". Almost like my birthday wasn't official till the cake was cut.

Of course i loved the presents i got, when i was much younger, i would get Lego toys, remote controlled cars, make it yourself kits..and yes a boring shirt (there's only so much fun you get out a wearing a shirt).

Times changed and most of the presents i got were in the form of cash put in an envelope and tucked into my hand!! The uncle or aunt(or Godparent) giving it would repeat the now classic lines of "oh you're growing..we didn't know what would fit you or what interests you so we just thought of cash" and yes...a boring shirt or trouser(however the shirt didn't seem so mundane in light of other gifts i got...

The parties grew lesser...it was then only between close family and friends..and then going out to some restaurant for dinner...times changed..i was growing and didn't want the parties where everybody from the neighbors sister-in-law to the guy who sits 3 desks behind my dad showed up for my party...nope i wanted something more private and cordial....

In all this of course, my parents would always get me something ..a shirt(), jewelery..so the tradition of gifts remained..however my idea of a birthday matured.

It was moving to Bombay , where the biggest change happened, i was no longer with my parents...just close family and some friends..and my birthday would always be in between some exam(or two if i was lucky)..which didn't leave much time for celebrating..

But now..here i am in the US...and although i had a lot of friends...the birthdays have always been outside LA..so yeah while the rest of America celebrates with me(which is a privilege) i haven't been able to celebrate with the closest of my friends.....

However, i did have a blast last year with people at work(BBQ and fireworks while watching the world cup)...and I've come to realize( at the risk of sounding preachy)....that i have always have had happy and blessed days on my birthdays..and it's all about being thankful for what i do have. Things pop up which unsettle me..but I'm thankful what i have..and i really have a lot around me..and pray God blesses me and gives me strength for the next year.....i guess my birthday has begun..and not just when i cut the cake.

P.S.-Say a prayer for me.