My 29th Birthday!

Hello friends,

I don’t know what it was about this year but I was so excited about celebrating my birthday. I knew I would be turning 30 minus 1 but I was still excited. A week prior to my birthday, my friend NR asked me to keep my birthday day open and free as she wanted to “surprise” me! So my week passed by rather anxiously as I wondered what NR had up her sleeve. So come Wednesday, the day before my birthday, I sent a message to NR and she said she will call me back. I did not hear back from her the whole evening. I suspected that NR may be ignoring me deliberately and then surprise me at midnight!

MAY 10th
11pm
Watching The Apprentice.

MAY 11th
12am- midnight
My friend AB from Riyadh calls me up with a Happy Birthday greeting.

1am
My mom and dad call me to wish me happy birthday.

10am
Got up, watched tv, American Idol (Chris Daughtry is out) results and then to the mall. I have decided to get myself contact lenses (despite my cornea ulcer episode) and also to get highlights in my hair. Last time I did that I got a lighter shade of brown, but this time I was more daring and went straight for blond! I was shocked at the result, but saw that the shade was perfect to go with my brown hair. Funnily enough, the cab driver asked me on the way back home if I was a Lebanese! I asked him if he ever met a Lebanese who could talk Urdu (because I haven’t!)

630pm
MK calls me up. Am I coming over to her place or not? Yes, I am!

7pm
I get to MK’s house. Her husband is also coming with us. Where are we going, I asked MK. It’s a drive through shawerma place in Jumeira. I knew both MK (and NR) were bluffing, but MK said that it’s a surprise.

730pm
On our way to Dubai from Sharjah there is a flat tire. We go to garage service to get the tire replaced, and then back home to Sharjah to get the other car. NR called several times to find out where we were. Anytime NR called, she would talk to MK and give her directions. They went out of their way to keep the whole thing as secretive as they could.

830pm
We finally get to Madinat Jumeirah. Thank God it’s not the drive through shawerma place. That would have made for a very boring birthday! NR calls me and tells me to get the car parked at the Chicago parking. Chicago? The Broadway play from New York is playing here in Dubai! For a second, I thought maybe we were going to watch the show, since NR was calling over and over to ask what time we would get to the hotel.

9pm
We finally meet up with NR and the rest of the gang. We are not watching the show after all. According to NR it was crap! Instead we walked inside the souk, down to the waterfront avenue. Are we going where I think we are going? We pass through several restaurants, and I finally get it. We were going to have dinner at The Meat Co.--- one of my favorite places in Dubai to have steaks!



1015pm
Dinner finally arrives. Awesome food. Great conversations. A toast from MK. Clinking of glasses. And who can forget our South African waiter Lucky, with whom NR had a jolly conversation about Pakola, the national drink of Pakistan!

1115pm.
We head off to Dubai Marina.

1130pm
Finally get settled in on our table. We play Pictionary. I take sheesha. Then, all of a sudden, the waiter brings a cake and everyone at the table sings out loud! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I blow out the candle, cut the cake and God, the cake was absolutely divine!



1145pm
My brother calls me, but I miss the phone call. My niece leaves the sweetest message, saying Happy Birthday in her British accent!

May12th
12am-midnight
MK and her husband leave us. They were tired. The rest of us stay on and play cards. A lot of laughing went on. I was becoming high on sheesha. I become dizzy and feel like I am in another world. I had so much sheesha I was not able to resist not puffing in. We all move over to the sofas, where some of us put our feet up and relaxed.

130am
Time to go home. It’s getting late. Two people are sleeping. I am still high on sheesha.

215am.
Finally get home. Thought about the whole day, and thanked God for an amazing birthday and even more amazing friends.

3am.
Finally out from all that sheesha!