There is no other better way to remember this day than to go narrative. If you dislike narrative entries, then i guess this should be just as far as you would want to go.

i share this day today with 3 other people. One of them is my ACS(I) junior. He is actually of the same age as me, meaning we were born on the same day, same month, same year. He ended as my junior because he was an overseas student, an Indonesian Chinese. Another person sharing the day with me is Vince. He was in my first-three-months' class. i remember that class having another 3 separate sets of birthday-sharing people too. Stefni and Ee Chong. Jing Long and Yuhui. Regina and Kok Hsien. Add me and Vince and that would be 4 sets. Incredible, huh? The last of the 3 people who was borned in October 8 is Mr Rene Loh. We got to know each other through the preparation of NJC's Road Run 2005. When i first saw him, he was all so stinky and sweaty from a basketball game. He entered the PE Office and polluted the whole place. Oh well, i must say that this is so darn cool to know 3 other people who shares the same birthday with me. It is a fact (and you know it so darn well) that there are so many deliveries in so many hospitals all over the world. People sharing the same birthday is so darn common. But, how many people who shares the same birthday as you do you actually know ?

The time was 0000. October 8 started off with my primary school classmate, Jonathan Tan, calling me to wish me Happy Birthday. We started off into a pretty long conversation. But because we have only been talking through MSN, the beginning was a little awkward. Thankfully, we shifted to gear 5 very quickly. What came next was really delightful. Jon and i were talking about this ex-classmate of ours, Charlene, whom we used to do conference call very often in the past. i lost contact with her after not talking to her for a long time although she had always been on my MSN contact list. That morning, we did a conference session. It was nostalgia once more.

In the afternoon, it was a bowling session at Mt Faber SAFRA with my aunt and 2 cousins. Pretty much the same old usual score. 130, 149, 140, 119. My score has always been hovering in this range. i need to do something to break through 150. After the game, we went over to a HDB block to be some prediction gurus. i forked out $10 to invest in the England-Austria match to earn some fast cash. i sure do hope my prediction comes out right.

Dinner was over at Turf City. It was steamboat-cum-BBQ. The food was good. Everything was very fresh. But the oil just splattered everywhere, leaving many arms 'badly wounded'. The beef was exceptionally good, i must say. All things else aside, the company i had was the best.

It was the 'cake-cutting ceremony' over at my aunt's place in Clementi. Secret Recipe's Chocolate Banana cake. Heavenly delightful. i really felt a little awkward when they asked me to make a wish over my cake. My past 17 birthdays had gone by with the song-singing followed by the cake-cutting immediately. i was really thrown off rhythm when they asked me to make a wish. i made a few messy wishes and proceeded to cut the cake. As expected, the cake was heavenly and delightful.

My younger brother followed my parents home in my dad's lorry. i went home in my dad's other vehicle with my elder brother in the driver's seat. On the way back, we stopped by at 7-Eleven. i went on to serve my promise to myself to buy some alcohol when i hit 18. Unfortunately, i didnt get all so excited as i thought i'll be. The man over the counter didnt ask for my IC either. Damn! i thought i would look young enough to be below 18. i had so much wanted the cashier to ask for my IC. Well, he didnt and there wasnt anything that i could do.

October 8 2005 went ahead like this. To be honest, it has been the best birthday ever. The gifts and wishes which i received had been greater and better in terms of quantity and quality.

Thank you Samuel and Eileen, for that Bengawan Solo blueberry cake. You two helped gear me up for all the joy and happiness i know i would be feeling on my birthday.

Thank you gor gor and Huixia, for that Nike cap. You two had surely thought it through to get such a practical gift for me. i will definitely be using it next year with my shaved head.

Thank you Jon, for wishing me Happy Birthday on the dot. The conference call which you initiated with Charlene sure did helped bring back old memories, and to bring forth new memories between the 3 of us.

Thank you Yulin for that wonderful blog entry. To say that it is the most wonderful gift i have received in my 18 years of life is definitely no lie. i was really touched after reading the entry. Now i know these are the ways you have remembered me by. i remembered the spiderman movie we caught together. It was almost as if we were on a date. The whole world had gone to watched it already except the two of us. And i sure did remember i was the one who asked you out. i'm really surprised you remembered that day down to the last detail. That i introduced Malibu Dream(not Malibu Sunrise) to you on that day. Yes, from this moment henceforth, i will know that i am 'SOOOO appreciated'. Thank you for your SMS birthday wish too!

Thank you brotherhood. Thank you Gan! Thank you Yaowen! Thank you Daowei! Thank you Ziyang! Thank you J.Low! Thank you Lionel! It sure was amazing to be receiving messages of wishes from you guys one after another in the morning when i was still in bed. The feeling was sensational when the messages flowed in one by one. If i were a girl, i'm sure to tear.

A big thank you to the rest of you who cared by sending me a birthday wish over SMS. YOU include Joceyln, Jun Hao, Mr Rene Loh, Vince, my cousin Joel, Chun Jek, Michelle, Uncle Peter, Shu Jian & Hui Yan. Thank you Daryl, for being the only special one to leave a birthday greeting on my tagboard.

Sad to say, there were a few people whom i received only silence from them. And among these few, there was one person i had really wanted to hear from. i held on to the hope of hearing from this person all the way till the end of the day. But it didnt come.

Oh well. This thing alone wouldnt affect my mood for the day. The day has been concluded in the best way possible. Check out the photographs which were taken at the left sidebar. i am so going to remember this day forever! My 18th birthday. A significant age to have reached. A wonderful day to have experienced.