untuk Z

It was Z's birthday 8 days ago. Called him in the morning and sang him the song. He laughed heartily and said that I had just made his day. He felt good and so did I. Later that day we chatted thru gtalk. He wanted to know whether I had bought him his birthday gift! Selamba je kan? Hehe... But, the truth is I did not plan to buy him anything. So, I asked him. 'kena bagi ke?' Then he went on and on about how when he was young he seldom got birthday presents, (huh? ke situ pulak?) and it would mean a lot to him if friends showered him with gifts. He did this (begging for gifts) for 3 consecutive days, boleh? I wonder, why didn't he ask from his girlfriend je? But, being a woman, yang lembut hati pulak (che wah!), I dragged sheeda to JJ to help me finding him the perfect gift.

Day 1 - surveying all the possibilities. I did not have a big budget, I mean, he's not my boyfriend, so tak payah la nak spend banyak sangat kan? hehe.. Gosh, buying things for men is a difficult task! Men don't wear a lot of accessories, so the scope is quite limited. I went back home with zero idea!

Day 2 - after about an hour of surveying, I settled on this table lamp. It was funky and different but certainly not new arrival. I didn't know why I bought it in the first place. Yes, he just moved in to a new house, so the lamp would be perfect.. but... eee... tak best! tak best!

Day 3 - went back to JJ. The table lamp will be a gift to another friend je lah... Stress giler cari hadiah untuk mamat ni. I wanted it to be different - something that he wouldn't think of! Then, sheeda came up with an idea. We went to the household section. I bought him a japenese plate with a matching bowl, a spoon, a pair of chopsticks and a mug. Then I spotted a matching tray which fit everything nicely. I then bought a plastic container that can be used as a drainer as well as to keep the set securely. He lives alone and seldom cooks. He always 'tapau' his food even at the office. Thus, this individual dining set is just perfect to be used and kept in his office! Mission accomplished! I hoped he would like it and most importantly appreciate the time and energy I had spent in finding him his birthday gift.

2 days ago - He came to my hometown. We had brunch together with a good friend of ours. I presented him the gift. Nope, not the set. Not yet. I gave him a copy of exam paper which I set for my students. It was dedicated to him because it got his name in there and an article about the origin of the 'Happy Birthday' song. He laughed and was pleased to see his name printed on the paper.. hehe.. Tak lah hebat sangat tapi, agak sweet la kan? ;D After we had our meal then only I gave him the actual gift. He was sincerely happy. He laughed goodheartedly, blushed deeply and seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenyum memanjang! As he was unwrapping the set one by one, I explained to him why I got him those stuff. And of course I had to let him know how stressful I was in finding him a birthday gift! He was touched la.... And I was glad he liked it.

Hadiah tu sememangnya tak mahal, tak de brand, tak lah sehebat mana... But at least it was different than what he had anticipated (u know stuff like shirt, tie, tie pins etc). And... I put in 100% effort to get him the present. That's the most important thing and I hope he realised that!

Happy Birthday Z!