Friendscino Restaurant and Bar

My 24th Birthday | Episode One: The family & colleagues!

July 30, 2013 by thejessicat

Remember when I said I was going to celebrate my birthday during the entire month of July?

Well I wasn't joking. I actually did.

But this year's celebrations will be slightly different. In fact, very different. I didn't want to throw a huge party and get drop dead drunk with my mates like I do every year. If you've been following me, you'll probably remember my mentioning that I have my personal reasons for why and that I will only announce it two years later from now.

Trust me, you'll be in for a shock as to why, when I finally reveal the reason. Haha!

Anyway, here's the cake I was surprised with the weekend right before my birthday!

Such a beautifully decorated cake, no?

Thanks for the effort and the thoughts, mother dearest

A Chinese-style lunch with mom and dad at Foong Yean Chinese restaurant @ Jalan Tengah, Penang.

★★★★★

It was delightful! I haven't had good Chinese food in a while. This certainly quenches my cravings!

Here's what we had. I definitely recommend this humble, no-frills Chinese restaurant for small, family dinners!

Seaweed and egg soup

Stir fried tofu, mushrooms, chicken chunks and prawn

Soy steamed fish

Scallops with brocolli, corn, mushroom and carrots

Aubergine and prawns

Celebrations with la famille didn't stop just yet.

The very next day, mom took me to my favorite Japanese buffet place – TAO Japanese Cuisine in Penang Times Square @ Georgetown!

Mom and I with our plates and plates of food!

I was clearly a happy birthday girl that afternoon.

Gosh those barbequed prawns were mighty yum!

Only some of the food we had. We ate like there was no tomorrow LOL.

I'm not embarassed to admit. Hey, cut me some slack. Birthdays only come once a year, don't they?

When we were done eating, laughing, chatting, taking photos and having fun, a loud birthday song blasted from the speakers. I was a tad confused as to who TAO was playing that birthday song for.

Surely they didn't know it was my birthday; mom and I didn't breathe a word!

TAO not only played me a song but also surprised me with a tiny cake!

It was so thoughtful of them! They didn't have to!

With my tiny surprise cake. Thank you for your graciousness in making me feel special on my birthday. I sure did!

But above all, credit goes to mother for taking me out this weekend.

I had a splendid time with her not only celebrating my birthday but also catching up on all things mother-daughter and girly conversations.

Thanks a bunch, mom!

Much love.

While my weekend of a be-early/pre-birthday celebration in Penang went perfectly well, I wasn't at all excited nor counting the minutes to my actual birthday on the 1st of July when I was back in Kuala Lumpur.

Ironically, I was busy doing some work when the clock struck midnight Like clockwork, the overwhelming surge of birthday wishes via calls, texts and social media swept me by storm

And that's when the excitement began to grow on me.

Waking up the next morning with more than 70 people sending me their birthday greetings!

What a wonderful thing to wake up to. Love you guys, thank you

Reached the office and the post man came just in time as I walked through the door.

It was a birthday card full of cats! Thank you so much, you know who you are

I spent my birthday in office doing work LOL. The 1st of July 2013 happened to fall on a weekday – a Monday, even more so!

Didn't look like I had much of a choice, but I didn't mind going to work and spending my birthday with my workmates anyway. They're a fun bunch!

I had expected the Monday to pass just like any other regular day, but my boss and colleagues took the time to take me out for lunch at Friendscino Restaurant and Bar.