Yesterday we went to pick up our fruit pavlova. The lady from a certain The Cheesecake Shop didn’t accept my $5 voucher, claiming “any full cake” meant “large cakes only.” I let go of my tenacity for the moment and acquiesced. Back home, my mum couldn’t resist so I spent a great deal of Sunday morning being photographed in the freezing cold, fortunately without getting sick.

Like on every birthday for the past few years, Mum bought me a watch. But, no, it was not any ordinary watch. You cannot even read the time from it. Well…not unless you open it up. There were also other presents, such as a personalised collage mug, a lidded mug with a cute design of Chinese dolls, Zensu shoes and clothing items from Myer and a Minnie Mouse T-shirt.

I made a booking for four people at Wagaya. The touchscreen ordering was the highlight of the dining experience, while the little dishes prepared were more interesting than remarkable.

My friends gave me the best present I have ever received, the Sony Ericsson W395, a Hello Kitty limited edition one that is pink all over.

Before Chemistry Thomas gave me an A4 page vis-à-vis my future and qualities. It was rather unexpected, considering how the HSC brings out the selfishness in all of us. Without being self-important, I appreciate the nice, albeit slightly strange, letter, but feel guilty for having not remembered his birthday (!).

This week we had a party based around food from the Neopets. It was a frivolously childish idea that I persistently objected to, but maybe it is because I cannot cook as well as the six of them. This was my rendition of Delicious Negg Slices: Next up would be Van’s eighteenth birthday on the twenty-ninth and Jessica’s seventeenth on the first of June. So please remember to wish each a very Happy Birthday on those days.

Nowadays I only exercise and “groom” myself on weekends in fear of procrastination.

But I suppose I have more time now, since I recently dropped Mathematics Extension 2 (which was a bit difficult to get into in the first place). Why? I’m doubtful about compulsory English (Advanced), so I reverted to English Extension 1. (English (Advanced) is a 2-unit course while English Extension 1 is a 1-unit course.) And remember, at least the top two units of English are counted, so it makes sense to have Extension 1 as my backup.

At least now I don’t have to go to school early for 8:05 a.m. Tuesday lessons and stay back until 4:30 on Thursdays for 4-unit Maths!

The lobster was priced at around $63 per kilo while the stint bed of crispy egg noodles was $10. I must admit that I do not like expensive seafood (abalone, shark fin, lobster, v.v…), but I understand why this is Yummy Seafood Restaurant’s specialty. When we finished this plate we were already satiated. But of course there was the hotpot. It was mediocre (perhaps because of our full stomachs) but reasonably priced at $18. I was admonished against requesting a takeaway container, so my frugality caused an overdose.

Complimentary dessert was mung beans and a small fruit platter of rockmelon and grapes. Parsimony struck at me again…I had trouble walking out the door. Since that night I have learnt a valuable lesson that $4 worth of rice or fearing embarrassment is not worth it. Next time I’ll ask for a takeaway container and for the size of the lobster (if my parents somehow convince me to eat it again).

Wednesday–Friday

Year 11 camp was a memorable experience. I am sure everyone could find something he or she was glad or proud about. For the trivia night I completed an acrobatesque challenge that involved twisting my body around…a broomstick. Every time I undertook a harness activity I would think of a low mark, say a C for English, which would override my fears. But the best fun we had was on commando night.

If the peers we had to rescue were hostages, then the teachers must’ve been kidnappers. They scurried through the bush with bright torches. Our mission was to save the hostages while avoiding the teachers kidnappers. It was pitch black (save for the twinkling stars and occasional jeapordisers shining their torches, trying to hamper our rescue efforts) so the five of us held hands to avoid getting lost. The way we warned each other of a log or pond ahead was through passing down the squeezing or raising of hands. With wit we managed to save a hostage!

Saturday

The night before my birthday we went to Chinatown for dinner. Super Bowl is famous for its rice congee so the seafood congee was beautiful. The steaming hot congee was accompanied with the delectable crispiness of you char kway (Chinese crullers). The other dishes, however, were a little disappointing. (After all, nobody captures the crunchiness of Chinese broccoli quite like Supper Inn in the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown.) All up it was under $30 per person.

Sunday (my birthday)

We spent an hour taking birthday photographs. I received a Parker pen, mug, bowl with chopsticks and a Ripcurl watch. That’s right, every year I get a new watch.

Stephanie made my day. She spontaneously called to wish me a happy birthday. I can’t believe she remembered.

Monday–Tuesday

Van baked me a cute floral birthday cake. The next day I received a gargantuan Mashimaro from my friends which I know not of where to put it. (I think Van bought it on behalf of everyone, so my kudos goes to her.)