The journey of my 21st birthday celebration


I once thought that it was a dream but after many years, it is still a dream. Not only does that belong to part of my childhood and teenage life but also an impossible one too.

A few months ago, I was brainstorming some ideas for my 21st birthday which would remain something memorable and unforgettable for the rest of my life even when I became an old lady. For some reason, I thought that a photoshoot for my 21st will be a good idea because I would be reminded that I was this pretty (consider so when you are already fifty years old) and youthful. So, in late November 2009, I started looking out for photo studios as I had zero contacts so it was rather hard for me in the beginning. Finally, I saw some on my bus rides to my work place.

In early December 2009, I asked Alex to accompany me to all the three shops I found. We had a lot of walking because I thought that the shops were not too far apart so was reluctant to waste unnecessary money on transport – my apology if I was not being thoughtful to you. Along the way, I was grouchy due to the walking and humid weather but Alex still remained very good companion to me. Anyway, after some discussion, we decided to choose Kelly Cakes due to its samples, service provided and affordable pricing. This was still part one because I still had to ask my parents and sis to participate as I meant it as a family shot. Well, obviously, it was not totally successfully but I still went ahead with my plan. =)

A weeks after the payment, I realized that I had to work for half day on the agreed day to do the photoshoot. I was lost. The worse was, none of my colleagues could work on that day so I had no one to change with. Unsurprisingly, I started tearing like something serious took place– can you imagine the state of my make up? To me, it was serious as it was a few hundred dollars – my hard-earned money! I was obviously being thoughtless as it seemed to make my manager feel bad but I swear that I never blamed her at all. Then, my colleagues told me that I am the customer so I have the right to change the shooting date. Of course it was successful in the end.

This is my 21st birthday so how can it be all? Another brainstorming to do! After much much much thought, I decided to invite some friends (Alex, Cedrick, Ming En, Sis & our mutual friend, Sharon) to a dinner at a restaurant. Actually, I was a little worried that they were reluctant to go but they agreed right away. Next, I did research on some restaurants which I could hold my birthday dinner at. After which, I sent a mass email to all of them to choose and rank the restaurant they liked. Surprisingly, the respond was not too good because Cedrick was reluctant to reply and Alex was lazy to reply. I nearly wanted to drop this idea because of this but I thought that it was too silly. Anyway, this time round, sis was the one who accompanied me to the list of restaurants I came out with. We went all the way to Clarke Quay but to realize that one of the restaurants was closed so we were quite disappointed and I got scolding from sis for not checking properly before going. Then, we wanted to choose the one near to our home but it would not be convenient for us to travel to Timbre, Clarke Quay – our after dinner activity – so we decided to try two other restaurants at City Hall. In the end, I chose Sapore Italiano, an Italian restaurant with nice ambience, allows us to make advance reservation and most importantly, it is near to Clarke Quay as well. How can a birthday go without a cake? So, sis and I went to a shop at Takashimaya to make reservation for a birthday cake. Sis said that it is very delicious. By the way, the cake is quite small which we thought that is just nice for the six of us after a heavy dinner. Anyway, sis and Sharon shared the cost of my cake. =) Thanks!


By the way, with regards to my dream, I was referring to me wanting to be a model but I never made a step closer to fulfill it. However, I was able to get a taste of it on my photoshoot day. The night before the shoot was hell because there was quite a bit of packing to be done and I was quite tired on that day. On the day of photoshoot, we nearly did not have enough time for our breakfast because I took too long to prepare. Anyway, we managed to eat something and reach there on time. =) The make up artist helped me with the make up first whereas the coordinator helped sis with the hair. It was my first time with the fake eyelashes but it felt better than what I thought. In my opinion, the make up had a makeover effect because it made us look different. The weather was on our side because it was a sunny day but a little too hot. Tell you a secret, my photographer was quite good looking. =p At first, we were quite unnatural. Gradually, sis got better and I was still very tensed up and shy and lost my focus very easily. They kept telling me to look at a certain direction or smile showing the teeth or not to smile. Roar. The weather and lack of sleep made it tougher for me. Overall, it was quite a good experience. =)



On the day before my dinner, sis sent a message to Sharon to remind her about the dinner. Only to find out that she thought that the dinner was on the 31st instead of 30th. Therefore, there was one headcount down. To be frank, I was a little upset about it. Anyway, we still had fun and ordered more dessert than the main course. I was thinking that all my hard work – runs – must have gone to waste. =( I promise to start running again this week or so. We were too full to have the cake so we brought it to the Timbre to have it. Alex missed out the good cake. Ha. I must be thankful that Ming En brought his friend, Malcolm along as he really lifted the mood of all of us. I think most people would have known that I was celebrating my birthday as he sang REALLY LOUDLY! Ha ha ha.

Oh well. I never regretted planning all these even though sometimes I felt like giving up. I had lots of fun. Most importantly, I received many lovely messages, wishes & gifts from people. Every little thing counts. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.