Standing beside Miss Papayabanana as she found out about her failed attempt to surprise me on my birthday – again – was not a good experience, at all. It was an awesome plan, I’d say. I was supposed to stop by her place in Malacca to get something from her before she rushed to K.L. to the mall I planned to meet DC at just to pop out from nowhere and watch me puzzled with surprise and shock. But it failed, thanks to DC’s inability to keep a secret and the lack of determination to surprise me, probably due to the fact that he hadn’t gotten any surprise from us on his birthday, hence the probable hasrat dengki.

Knowing I was about to be surprised, I planned to surprise Miss Papayabanana instead. We hid behind the emergency exit at the mall and waited for about fifteen minutes before spotting the girl who tried her best to look normal in heels and lipstick and mascara for my birthday surprise. We sneaked up on her and stood behind her as she whispered to the waitress at Italiannies, “Do you have a lighter? I want to light up –” Then, we tapped on her shoulders as I paced myself beside her and smiled. SURPRISE RIGHT BACK AT YOU!!!

And she hit me like there was no tomorrow while the family of ten at the adjacent table stared with amusement. Thanks to DC’s plan to sneak up on her at the restaurant, she failed to surprise me with the cupcakes from Delectable as well, since we overheard her conversation with the waitress despite her attempt to whisper to the waitress as though she knew we were near. Yeah, we were. Very.

That was another unsuccessful attempt to surprise me but it never failed to make me feel thankful to have people who cared enough to make me smile on my birthday despite my bitchiness throughout the year.