Happy Birthday

Although I feel a great importance to search out any and every opportunity to celebrate in this life, and although a birthday is one of those occasions, for certain reasons my last two B-days have been . . . well . . . unique.
Last year, Xiaoyu and KT had to dance practice for the Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert. Mom had to go to a Young Women's activity . . . where she broke her ankle and basically stole the spotlight from your's truly! (yeah, she's sneaky like that). I think Dad was on the computer doing some work. And I was locked up alone in the attic where I sang "I have a castle on a cloud" basically for the majority of the night.
This year was a lot better though. This year I got to do what I had always dreamed of doing for my birthday ever since I was a little kid: complete a 2,500 character (Chinese that is) long essay on the complications found within China's social strata that were brought about by the last 20 years of economic reform. Again, like last year, Xiaoyu wasn't able to be with me, although she made sure to call me numerous times and make sure I was having a good time . . . writing my essay. Actually she gave me the best possible gift I could have asked for that night, when she helped me correct my paper. She told me once that it was my birthday so I had to go buy a little cake and a candle. But the thought of me sitting in some little bread shop or in my room singing happy birthday to myself and blowing out a candle sounded basically like the most depressing thing I could think of. So I didn't.
Actually, although it sounds like I am really down about that fact that my last two birthdays have been very "special," I really have nothing to complain about. When I think about it, I have been given way more than I ever could have wanted. I could tell that Xiaoyu felt bad she couldn't be there with me, and was a little worried about me being sad during my birthday. However, even though of course I would love to be surrounded by family and friends during such an occasion, how could I be sad when I know that any separation during this life I experience with my family is only temporary. When all is said and done, the time will come that Xiaoyu and I will never have to be apart, neither will we have to be apart from the ones we love. No gift could be greater than that (no Fernando, not even that blender you've always wanted). So how could a birthday alone affect my attitude?! The thought of it is kind of ridiculous if you think about it.
That being said, I'm predicting that my B-day next year is going to be PANDA-MONIUM! Until then . . . happy birthday to me.