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    How I Celebrated My Birthday

    August 23, 2021

    I celebrated yet another birthday “alone.” Yes, I am once again alone on my birthday. I still can not believe we are under lockdown. I know that for some, celebrating alone might be strange and lonely, but for me, it is a nice experience, despite the fact that my options are quite restricted to staying at home and celebrating alone.

    I was determined to make this year’s celebration even more memorable than the previous year. Apart from the fact that it was my first time celebrating it alone and chronicling it on my blog, there was nothing special or extravagant about last year. Check out my post, How I Celebrated My Birthday.

    Insomnia hit once more, as it always does. I was awake when my phone chimed. My mom sent me a greeting. She either gets up extremely early or waits until 12 m.n. I absolutely love you, Mom!

    My phone chimed again just as I was about to go to sleep. My sister wished me a happy birthday as well.

    Then, I dozed off.

    I woke up early and began preparing for work. I would have requested a personal leave, but I decided against it since I will be working from home. It is OK to get a few things done on my to-do list this week.

    I was expecting a video call from my family before I started working. You know how much I love that my family calls me first thing in the morning on my birthday. Unfortunately, they were unable to contact me in the morning due to an unforeseen power outage in our town. What is going on, Nuvelco?

    Greetings were sent out over Facebook, Messenger, and Viber. It is amazing how messages started pouring in as soon as Janice, my closest friend at work, wished me a happy birthday in our Viber group. Thank you, team! I enjoyed your well wishes.

    I am actually undecided about what to get myself this year. I enjoyed last year’s cake, but it was rather pricey. So I sought another option and discovered that Boulangerie22 was offering a great deal. In addition, I ordered rice and beef bulgogi. I also got myself Army Navy’s famous LiberTea, Salted Caramel and Brown Sugar Milk Tea. The glass mason jar astonished me. I can always reuse it at home for making my own drinks.

    At about 3 p.m., I lit my birthday candle and sang a birthday song. Singing had me a little teary-eyed.

    Happy Birthday, Self!

    After that, I called my family and sent them photos.

    I really had a great time celebrating and eating. Because of the outpouring of greetings, I decided to treat my family and close friends for a low-key meal.

    How do you usually celebrate your birthday? I would like to know.

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    How Are You Today?

    August 19, 2021

    Today, I tried a new way of answering the question “How are you?” I am curious to see how my colleagues react to my response and whether it will spark an interesting conversation.

    I was supposed to answer, “I would say I am a 9.99 out of 10.” to avoid answering follow-up questions. But the silly me typed, “I would say I am an 8.5 out of 10.” instead. 8.5 is pretty good, but not the best.

    I can honestly say that it really started a conversation. Many sent their warm messages. And that alone brightened my day. Hmmm, I love you, guys!

    The pandemic has created a world in which we are unsure of our emotions. I know I am OK but not fine fine. And I do not want to give them the same old, same old boring response: “I am fine, thank you”. It is boring, yet useful when you do not want to engage in a conversation. I would not want that.

    So I made a point of keeping a few more real, funny, and unique responses on hand for the next time they ask.

    1. Somewhere between better and best.
    2. Somewhere between blah and meh.
    3. Navigating the twists and turns of life.
    4. Getting better with every passing minute.
    5. Each day is better than the next.
    6. Living one day at a time.
    7. Sunshine all day long!
    8. Dancing to the rhythm of life.
    9. Taking life one sip at a time.
    10. We age not by years, but by stories.

    Here are some more one-of-a-kind responses.

    1. Medium well.
    2. Under renovation.
    3. Fair to partly cloudy.
    4. 50/50.
    5. Currently on energy-saving mode.
    6. Unplugged.
    7. Fifty shades of tired!

    And these..

    1. Overloaded!
    2. Overworked and underpaid.
    3. Waking up blessed, not stressed. Or other way.
    4. Working on myself, for myself, and by myself.
    5. Excited and intoxicated.
    6. Better days are coming. They are called: Saturday, Sunday, holidays, and payday.
    7. I feel like I’m already tired tomorrow. (me all the time)
    8. I can’t complain! (another me)
    9. I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do. (and me)

    Next question, please.

    So how are you really? I would love to hear from you.

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