Daddy's Birthday

We celebrated my Dad's 50th on Sunday, and we realized that he reached the '5' when I reached the '2' - exactly 30 years apart. And I already feel old at 20. I resolved to come home and do my work after meeting Sheryl in Raffles, until my mum called me to get the cake... In the end, I went over to Takashimaya to get a chocolate cake from Gauchy Rive. It was the one Darren bought for Serene's birthday... it did look heavenly, so I decided that it was worth making the trip (and consequently, not studying). Sigh, as usual, I couldn't eat the chocolate and just stared at everyone asking for second helpings.

I didn't get to be in the family photo because I was the camera girl, so I took a picture with my Dad alone after that. Then my mum asked my brother to take a photo for herself, me and my Dad together...

...I think it's something to do with being the only daughter of the family, but taking this photograph reminded me of how very often I feel like an only child. Like when I'm travelling with my mum, or, for instance, the next photo...

me and my Dad in a restaurant in Paris, when my mum and I made a last minute decision to fly over to join him on his work trip (we booked the air tickets 30 hours before flying and subsequently squeezed into my Dad's tiny room.) I remember this night, because it was the only night my Dad had the time to have dinner with my mum and I. So nice to be the only girl. =)

Not knowing what to buy, I randomly picked out rasberry tarts from Marks and Spencers for my Dad, even though he's terribly weight conscious. And I chanced upon the nicest card in Borders, so I wrote him a card. This morning, my Dad sent me back an e-mail which made me cry.

'Parents can only hold their children's hands for awhile, / But they hold their hearts forever.'