I am 11 days shy of yet another birthday that brings me closer to Christ’s age. And instead of thinking that I am getting older, I reflect on the matter as me getting wise, more experienced, and better-versed in the ways life presents in front of me. I had this thing for a while (can’t remember exactly when it started). I get something for myself every time there is a birthday, Christmas or something big happening and deserves to be remembered by something. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something big or celebrating with a big bang, but…

To illustrate the whole thing, a few examples go below:

• Birthday 2004 – I got a six-pack of Tsingtao (the best Chinese beer) and shared it with a close friend.
• For Christmas 2006, I got myself a brand new black MacBook upped to the maximum with the works.
• For NYE 2008-2009, I made a resolution to quit my job and pursue an MBA in Instituto de Empresa (the most expensive one ever with the funniest outcome so far)
• Christmas 2009 – no present (every single cent I had, was allocated for my divorce attorney)
• In late March 2010, I managed to graduate Master in Digital Marketing with honours (although, I had a rough start) and celebrate I got myself an Amazon Kindle.

So, as you can see, the range is rather large. There are many other things and moment in between that turned a smile or two. And I still believe that a little boost when that moment for celebration arrives is a must.

So to go back to what is going to happen(in that perspective) in 11 days… The things I wanted to get will wait (hopefully for not long – maybe Christmas 2010). But anyway, here is the list:

• A brand new 15′ Macbook Pro to replace the faithful and falling apart, literally, black MacBook. It is funny how such a great product has a problem like the constant cracks or the machine’s plastic case. One would think that Steve Jobs and company would have taken care of that while designing the laptop.
• The 16 Kindle books I plan to read.
• Celebrate with a group of friends… Ever since I relocated back to Europe, I was learning what the word friendship actually stands for. I thought I had them many & true ones, but going through hard times and divorce, and seeing your phone silent and your mailbox empty kind of makes you think that, with minimal exceptions, no one really gives a damn. So, on the B-day a particular person back in China will get a call with me saying “Thank you!” for caring and standing next to me in dire straights. Here in Plovdiv, two-three more people will be taken out for drinks and shown appreciation for making the day brighter regularly. Oh, and last but not least, dinner with my family – the guys that took me back without question and are showing the greatest support ever.
• Paying off that humongous school loan, I got.  And, actually, getting back that freedom of choice to talk only to people who truly respect me and not because I owe them something or because I have to. Believe it or not, these things are related.
• A new phone that supports TweetDeck,  web browsing and replacing another faithful, but not so long-standing Nokia E71.
• A six-pack of Tsingtao, a double-deck burger with the works and blue cheese and me on the top of a mountain staring at the sun setting off.

Actually, this post turns tоo be a bit too lyrical for my taste. But hey, I am writing it with a smile, and you should read it with one, too. La vita e bella! And one should not forget it.

So remember, that making yourself a present to celebrate an event in your life is a lot more than just a thing.

Photo credit: Pablo by Buffer

Copyright © 2010 Borislav Kiprin. All Rights Reserved.