As expected, the 19th of February left me feeling bleh. I always hated the feeling of imposed happiness. And I have to say sorry if I didn’t burst out of so much joy yesterday. Because as jaded as it sounds, I’ve always believed that birthday celebrations are for the illusioned.
I hate how modernity diverted gratefulness away from the basics. Everyday we wake up, get out of our beds, do the things we are expected of, go home tired (and hungry), and sleep (even if one is still hungry). The next day, we do everything all over again without even realizing that that’s something to be grateful for.
Some people wake up, do the things that they’re expected of, go home tired, and on their way home they die due to some cosmic fuck up. For us, we get the chance to do everything all over again. We get another day to correct mistakes, to be better, or be someone new. And that’s something to be grateful for.
In this case, birthdays are nothing but ordinary days.
February 19 is just a day to mark another year of existence. It just means that probably I was strong enough to get it through 12 months to reach yesterday. It could also mean that I was lucky enough to be spared from anything that could have killed me. Or, it could also mean that my Creator still believes in my utility and that I need to continue doing the things that I do – for Him and for others. It could be a plethora of reasons.
That is why while I believe that February 19, or any birthday for that matter, is something to be grateful for, I also believe that we should stop over-glorifying it. But yes, I still value what this date does to other people, the feelings they reap from it – may it be disgust, hate, anger, excitement, or even joy.
I just think that happiness should be natural. It shouldn’t be dictated by any date or any circumstance. It will happen in its own time. In retrospect, there are days before the 19th when I was happier. I value those days more because no one made me feel that I needed to be happy. It just happened and that’s the brand of happiness that I’m more thankful for.
Yet, there are those like the girls of the STC debate team. To Sab, Bea, Roch, Pam, Micah (?), Chiara, Miyuki-belles, and to the rest, thank you. And if it’s really true that the mall played that birthday song for me, I really, really THANK YOU. I still don't know what I did to deserve all of it, but girls, you rock! I appreciated everything.
To Trix, Nica, Mikee, Tina, Chaysea, Migs, Ayze, and Pearl, thank you too. Remember that we need to love and understand each other because that’s what friends do. Char.
To my beloved Epistaxis, you know who you are, thank you.
Kath and Lean, salamat.
To rest of those who remembered, stay awesome. I love y’all.
And to those who forgot, it’s okay – just rot in hell. Kidding. LOLerz.
I hate how modernity diverted gratefulness away from the basics. Everyday we wake up, get out of our beds, do the things we are expected of, go home tired (and hungry), and sleep (even if one is still hungry). The next day, we do everything all over again without even realizing that that’s something to be grateful for.
Some people wake up, do the things that they’re expected of, go home tired, and on their way home they die due to some cosmic fuck up. For us, we get the chance to do everything all over again. We get another day to correct mistakes, to be better, or be someone new. And that’s something to be grateful for.
In this case, birthdays are nothing but ordinary days.
February 19 is just a day to mark another year of existence. It just means that probably I was strong enough to get it through 12 months to reach yesterday. It could also mean that I was lucky enough to be spared from anything that could have killed me. Or, it could also mean that my Creator still believes in my utility and that I need to continue doing the things that I do – for Him and for others. It could be a plethora of reasons.
That is why while I believe that February 19, or any birthday for that matter, is something to be grateful for, I also believe that we should stop over-glorifying it. But yes, I still value what this date does to other people, the feelings they reap from it – may it be disgust, hate, anger, excitement, or even joy.
I just think that happiness should be natural. It shouldn’t be dictated by any date or any circumstance. It will happen in its own time. In retrospect, there are days before the 19th when I was happier. I value those days more because no one made me feel that I needed to be happy. It just happened and that’s the brand of happiness that I’m more thankful for.
Yet, there are those like the girls of the STC debate team. To Sab, Bea, Roch, Pam, Micah (?), Chiara, Miyuki-belles, and to the rest, thank you. And if it’s really true that the mall played that birthday song for me, I really, really THANK YOU. I still don't know what I did to deserve all of it, but girls, you rock! I appreciated everything.
To Trix, Nica, Mikee, Tina, Chaysea, Migs, Ayze, and Pearl, thank you too. Remember that we need to love and understand each other because that’s what friends do. Char.
To my beloved Epistaxis, you know who you are, thank you.
Kath and Lean, salamat.
To rest of those who remembered, stay awesome. I love y’all.
And to those who forgot, it’s okay – just rot in hell. Kidding. LOLerz.
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