Twenty

from 20 US dollars note

Two-Zero (20), pronounced as "twen-tee" or in America we pronounce it as "twen-ee". Doesn't matter how you pronounce the number, I know you know that 20 is a number. 

Today is a special day for me because I was born 20 years ago on the same date as today. Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for giving me oxygen to breathe, and a healthy body and mind, so that I am still alive till now. 20 years are equal to two decades. Reflecting on my life for the past 20 years, I could say I'm glad I was born in a very loving and happy family. Thank you ibu, and ayah for raising me up with abundance of happiness. Every second is counted. Thank you for having a high patience dealing with my temper and stubbornness. I love you both very much till the last second of my breath. Thank you also to my sweet and cheerful siblings : abang, baby, eman, and ami for coloring my life with a lot of laughter and happiness. I love all of you very much till the end of my life.

This year's birthday is meaningful because it falls on the first day of Ramadan. So, I get double wishes this year : Happy Birthday, Ramadan Kareem. It's not easy for my birthday to fall on the first day of Ramadan. Maybe it'll happen just once in my whole life. 

This year's birthday is without my family members. I'm in Rochester, NY whereas my family are in Seri Kembangan, Malaysia. There are not many friends staying back in Rochester either. So, I don't expect anything special like last year's celebration to happen again. Plus, my birthday is just another day in one of 365 days a year. Wishes are good enough. 

It's still a long way to go for me. I still haven't achieved a lot of things that I can be proud of. If you were to ask me what good things have I contributed to the world, I can't tell because I don't really contribute anything to the world. Not yet, I guess. But, I do hope I can utilize the brain that Allah has granted, for the benefits of the world. 

Everyone is destined to die one day. It's a no-no if anyone ever say that they're immortal because only our creator, Allah is immortal. I believe when some people say, "Your birthday reminds you that you're approaching death." 

My wishes for this year's birthday would be :

1) I hope to see my family again, everyone of them in a good health when I go back to Malaysia next year.

2) I hope I'll have a better immune system to fight against illnesses.

3) I hope I'll be stronger to face any obstacle in life.

4) I hope I'll have a bountiful wisdom.

Hopefully Allah will grant my wishes. Amin ~

birthday cakes from last year :