janet ng called me yesterday afternoon. so sweet of her. said that she wanted to check that i was alright. yeahh. after screwing up my social studies paper, it seemed like i only found true comfort in what she said to me. i mean, of all the people who comforted me, it was only after listening to her that i felt that what the others said were of no importance anymore. urgh. i don't know what i'm typing. nevermind.

anyway, she told me some really shocking stuff. yah. but that was after she tried comforting me. and yep. she succeeded though. [= anyway, i felt really weak and faint when i heard what she told me. as she was talking, i raced back against time, flipping. flipping. tearing through the pages of history, trying to locate the day in which she was teaching us social studies in the history room. flipping flipping. trying desperately hard to find that particular memory in 8th October 2004, my birthday. just. couldn't. find it. urgh. then i realised that she wasn't even part of my memory during 8th October. why? cause she wasn't even in school. i remembered asking tyl to help me pass her a chocolate cause i couldn't find her in the staff room. why of course, that was why she wasn't even in school in the first place. stupid me. but it seemed difficult. it was hard to recall something so badly while someone was talking to you you know.

i wanted badly to tell her that 8th October was my birthday. but i thought that it was rude if i just interrupted her. so i restrained myself.

melissa left the room.

she continued. i remembered myself going umm and oh ocassionally. slowly, i felt the shock in me begin thawing like ice in water. then she ended. just so suddenly. after encouraging me, and telling me to take care, she hung up. after that, i felt stupid. like really stupid. the effect of the whole story was washing over me and i realised that i was a really bad listener throughout the whole conversation. apart from answering her questions every now and then, i remained quiet throughout the rest of the time. i didn't even even tell her that 8th October was my birthday, and i didn't even give her my response to her story. by the way, the story is a true story ok.

honk. mom's here.

as i was busy packing my things, my brain, still numbed, finally felt the result of her story and what the ending meant.

i smiled to myself. melissa was chattering away to herself for that moment.

and then i suddenly knew what was the best, the most precious and perfect birthday present that God had given me for my birthday present this year. actually He could have just prepared a horrible shock for me, but He changed it at the nick of time to something really pleasant. for me. oh i forgot. for them too.