birthday blessings

If there is one thing I'm embarassed by, it's being sung the happy birthday song on your birthday. What are you supposed to do when people are singing? You can't exactly sing along. The song lasts for a relatively long time. You can't really look down and be ungracious, but actually looking at the people singing is weird.

Maybe I have issues with receiving with no opportunity to reciprocate. (Food for thought). Or perhaps I don't like being the center of attention for something that I don't 'deserve'. (Though it's not really like you deserve a birthday).

So on Friday after weigh-ins and the open competition, we had dinner at Hard Rock with the tBos crew. Gosh, I missed them...brought back such good memories of what it was like to be on a team - my own team. They are still as awesome as ever. I forgot about Hard Rock and their birthday policies, so at the end of dinner when the waitress comes over and makes me come stand in the middle of the room, I was utterly embarassed when she made the whole restaurant sing happy birthday to me.

So I thought I had read that if you get a drink, you get to keep the commemorative glass. Liza asks the waiter if that's true and he says no, sorry, the glass stays.

Liza: "So what if someone didn't know that?" (hint, hint)

waiter: "Well...I'm looking the other way"

Liza: "Sparky, put the glass in your bag"

me: "Um, but...that's STEALING!"

Liza: "Yes, and on your birthday you should do things like that. Faster!"

* * * * *

Tonight jh tried to get ppl from sg together for a birthday dinner, and lo and behold, the unthinking waiter comes over to our table and says "we're going to bring out the cake now, so please clap along!" And I'm thinking - uh, cake? Dangit, that means singing! Uh...clap along to what??

Little did I know...

If you've ever watched a Korean drama when it's someone's birthday in a restaurant...well, that stuff really does happen. I see this waiter coming with a cake and candles (OK I'm starting to get embarassed, but this is standard birthday fare, so expected) - then suddenly from the speakers comes Turbo's techno rendition of "happy happy birthday" (which, coincidentally, I do happen to like because I really liked Turbo back in the mid 90's) and the entire Kunjip staff comes out clapping to the beat (oh my goodness) and encouraging the entire restaurant to clap along. (I think my face was as red as my shirt).

Man...I'm so blessed. Here I thought it was going to be a horrible birthday, while I was cutting weight, stressed about training, and away to boot. The thoughtfulness of many to go so out of their way to help me celebrate and encourage me before the tournament has been so unexpected and amazing. JH took me out last week for fun at D&B's, C and L put together encouragement cards from sg and football (respectively), my 8 year old TKD student wrote me a story about us going to a tournament together and how I'm her favorite instructor, Scottie and JAAC sent me all these inspirational quotes and comments...I've seriously never been so encouraged.

I am undeserving of such love and care, but very grateful for it nonetheless.