A Birthday Reunion Surprise

I never forget all the birthday surprises. Wendy did it in 2005, Juliana in 2007, Duuk in 2008, SuperRace Teams in 2010, Chester and Auntie Amy in 2012, Sister & family in 2013 and mum and Auntie Amy did it again in 2014! Really, no matter how many times I went through these surprises every birthday, I am always deeply touched by the effort and presence of my loved ones. It never fails to put a smile on my face.

This year, the surprise arrived in the most unexpected way. My wife collaborated and instigated with Tracy and Chowpo. Knowing my meeting schedules, they planted a surprise right outside my client’s office!

Chowpo and I just finished a meeting at IFC and I wanted to go to the loo. I had 2 more meetings at the office and I wanted to finish the day early so I can spend some time with my boy at home. Just when I was walking towards the toilet, in that spilt-second, I thought I saw Elkan ran around a corner. I didn’t see Felicia around and I was wondering why my boy was alone at IFC. Just when I was about to chase after my boy, I saw Auntie Amy standing right there in my path! It was one of those twisted moments when my mind was fighting furiously against my logic to register the sudden reality. Shocked, surprised and extremely delighted, it took me a couple of seconds to register what’s going on. My eyes roved back to Chowpo and I knew instantly she was one of the accomplices. Then, I saw Felicia and Elkan holding 2 travel trolleys. They tricked me that Cousin Chester was hiding outside the mall. I went out and got my second and biggest surprise! It was my dear mum who was hiding behind the column! Double surprises!

I never expect to see them here in Hong Kong! I am very grateful to Auntie Amy and my sister for getting my mum to Hong Kong. (Auntie Amy was here for the past 3 birthdays!) Thanks to their well-deployed plan, I never expect to see them right outside my client’s doorstep! Superb timing and acting!

This was the best weekend ever! The timing was perfect! I have just finished a 8-week work marathon and this was the first weekend when I did not need to work! On Saturday, I decided to bring the family to Macau to watch the House of Dancing Water, and visited a couple of new casinos. On Sunday, I arranged a small birthday-cum-father-day brunch at Soho and invited Cousin Mike along. Dinner was at a scenic Chinese restaurant at iSquare building with 2 other lovely Hong Kong relatives. Auntie Amy and mum were a lot more active this trip. They were bold to explore the streets around Central by themselves! Despite the hot stuffy weather, they shopped tirelessly and bought many things! Mum even played an Augmented Reality Robot Fighting Game with Elkan at the Transformers Exhibition! (Wow, my mum is so high-tech now!)

This was a very short trip for both of them. Mum has to fly back to take care of the grandchildren. I tried to extend their stay for one more week but mum was unable to. This afternoon, Chowpo specially drove all of us to the airport and arranged a sumptuous dim-sum farewell lunch for Auntie Amy and mum.

When it was time to say goodbye at the departure gate, mum’s eyes were teary as she hugged us goodbye. This was the first time I saw mum weeping at the airport. My heart was broken. Her tears infected all of us. I saw Auntie Amy walked away with teary eyes. It was indeed a very blissful and eventful weekend! I miss their presence so much and I wish they can stay a day or two longer. Guess Elkan and I inherited mum’s genes, we are sentimental. Putting on a brave front, I went to give her a big warm hug and pat her on her head. I told her to take care and come back soon, hopefully during the next school vacations in Sept and Nov.

Thank you Auntie Amy and mum for making my birthday weekend so special and memorable. Please come back soon and do stay a little longer. Big hugs and smiles!