March 4, 2011

• Twenty-five

  Today I turned twenty-five. That's a quarter of a century. I don't feel any different, and I didn't do anything special today. If anything, it was yesterday that I got to celebrate my birthday.

  I had planned on going to community group in the evening as usual, when I received a text from Andy. He wished me happy birthday and offered to take me out for dinner and drop me off at church afterwards. And so, later that evening I found myself with Andy and David at Wildfish, a dimly lit sushi restaurant with an especially romantic ambiance. As I glanced over the suggestively named maki rolls, I decided not to waste the opportunity.

  "Hey Andy, would you like to share a 'Kiss of Fire'? Or would you prefer a 'Dirty Old Man'?"

  Andy gave a short burst of laughter, his usual response to my wit. In the end I decided to go for the Kiss of Fire, which turned out to be a good choice.

  

  The maki roll came out enveloped in flames. It was a pretty cool sight. It's a shame that I was so stunned with awe that by the time I had recovered enough to take a few hasty pictures, much of the flame had already died down.

  Several weeks ago, I went to the Gorgeia Aquarium with David. During that trip I learned about the blue fin tuna fish, and how it was being relentless overfishing is causing a detrimental environmental affect. None the less, people still fish for the blue fin tuna because of the prized fatty meat, or "toro" sushi. The whole 5-foot fish is worth about $300,000, and by the time it reached sushi form at Wildfire, toro was being sold at $9 a piece. Since I really wanted to try it, I ernestly hoped that Mother Earth and Andy's wallet would forgive me as I ordered two pieces for each of us.

  

  It's the pieces that my chopstick is pointing towards. It was amazing. The only sushi that I like better than salmon, it was melt in your mouth heaven. I felt like I was eating clouds of happiness.

  

  

  All in all, it was a very fun time at the restaurant. We ordered a lot more sushi and I finally got to fulfill my long awaited wish of eating-sushi-at-a-non-sushi-buffet-restaurant-as-if-it-were-a-buffet. When the check arrived, Andy coolly picked it up and glanced at it... and instantly blew his poker face as soon as he saw the bill. Andy was thrown back and his eyes popped, and began to laugh incredulously like a top-of-the-class college applicant who was driven insane after reading a letter of rejection from his backup school. David looked at the check afterwards and managed to do a little better concealing his reaction.

  

  When I finally won the fight to see how much our meal had cost, I immediately understood their reaction. At over $200 for 3 people (and David only eating a $15 meal since he doesn't eat raw fish) it had to be the most expensive meal I've ever been treated to. In the end they settled the bill without letting me pay. David chipped in $60, his max, and Andy picked up the rest, stating that he had no regrets about choosing that place and that it was a good experience. I agree. Needless to say, I have really good friends.

  Anyways, afterwards we went straight to church. Due to leaving late and being lost, by the time I arrived, I only joined the prayer meeting for a few minutes before it ended. The members of my community group came out one by one. Olivia was wearing a cream colored shirt with a pink cardigan that perfectly matched her cheeks and nose. She wished me happy birthday with a smile that had the ability to transform snowy mountains into meadows of wild flowers. Monica also came out and greeted me with her usual 1000 watt smile. When the rest of our group had gathered, we decided to get crepes for dessert. But Lalu had not eaten dinner yet, so we stopped by burger king first.

  

  The crepe place was great. I was glad to spend time with everyone. Although... it felt a little bit awkward. I felt out of sync. I've been feeling that a lot lately... Anyway, when the check came, I asked Peter to had me my wallet since my coat was behind is chair. He made half a movement to do so, and then insisted that I didn't have to pay. I don't think everyone was on board with that, so when everyone had to recalculate in the end and chip in more, I felt really awkward... like I was imposing. It would have been OK for me to pay...

  Afterwards, Olivia offered me a ride to the train station. I remember clearly that on my birthday last year, she had offered me a ride that very night as well. I treasured every minute of it just as much as I did last time. Although... a lot had happened in a year. As I reflected on the things that changed and didn't change in my relationship with her and in life in general, I grew melancholic. I think that there are some things that once changed, it becomes established... and they can never change back to the way they were. Those possibilities and the ways that things could have been will be lost forever. *sigh*

  • 12:59 am
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