the first birthday in the office

Unbelievably enough, I'd spent my actual birthday sitting on my office chair to get the daily work done. 

But don't worry, I'd spent the birthday without the boss in the office as something cropped up from her end (though her initial plan was to go to Chiangmai for a breather off work). Without boss, is without government, which means it's relatively peaceful from ringing assignments like forever. 

After experiencing my very first birthday in the office, doing the usual work like a typical Office Lady. Let me make a list of feeling-pointers for you:

1. It is actually just like another day. This is because when you're in the office, the atmosphere changes altogether, and there will be this forced disciplinary vibe to do your work (perhaps this only applies if you've been in the working force for long enough, perhaps two years or more).

2. There will be an increased tendency of getting easily distracted. You will need to exercise more self-control to prevent yourself from slowing down too much on the pace of doing your assignments.

3. You will start getting expectant of colleagues / other people to wish you "Happy Birthday". Examples of occasions are such:

(a) When you have a meeting with your colleagues, you may attend it with full radiance on your face even without yourself noticing. This adrenaline-rushing flush that you feel from inside yourself when you're at your highest spirits that you cannot resist but expressing it out. Mouths of colleagues will definitely start opening and ask, "what's the occasion" or "who are you thinking about". Of course, without further ado, you'd definitely admit that it's your birthday.

(b) When you engage in small talk with your colleagues, local or overseas, you may ask, with full smile (if verbal), or in a hyped up message (if online), on how their weekends are or if they've had their meal. The person / people will give their answer, and when they give their returned concern, you'd definitely start drifting to your big day if you'd had your birthday recently celebrated. And this will drive people to wish you "Happy Birthday".

(c) When you openly express your thanks for the well-wishes on the company messenger platform, and if it arouses the curiosity of anyone on your contact list, he/she will engage in a conversation with you. He/She speculate on incidences that had saddened you and presume it's conveying a sigh of relief, or some good news, like having a promotion. But when you know the answer is not that, you'd want to correct them, and here will come, "No, it's my birthday today."

Of course, I did some of the pointers lah, needless to say. 

But let's go on with the second week of celebration: 

14th January: Celebration with Gary at Ding Tai Fung, Breadtalk iHQ 

Though it may just be a treat from you, but I'm still very thankful for you to drop by the office, just to have an hour's celebratory lunch with me. I really appreciate it and had definitely brought me in full smiles for this great occasion with our usual and never-fail-to-be-boring conversations. Always the same authentic ones. 

&I still remember, the Lemongrass Juice rocks my socks off!

17th January: Celebration for Me & Vivian, with Daphne, Johnny, from Product Development, & Ang Ping, from Branding, at Old Street Bak Kut Teh, Upper Paya Lebar Road 

Well, we kinda had the typical department lunch-out with the closest department team and finally had Bak Kut Teh after a long while. It tasted good though, and had a good intellectual talk. Nothing much, other than a simple lunch, but still cosy and thankful enough :) 

Through the day, I had birthday greetings from friends on Facebook, Whatsapp and phone calls, colleagues through verbal conversation and Microsoft Lync (and one through a phone discussion, after the one on Lync). I really felt all the sincerity within all these greetings. 

Thank you so much one and all (: 

MOST IMPORTANT: I APPRECIATE * TWO