Clovers & Roses

I will be updating my blog with recent birthday celebrations. Two to be exact. The first was over a month ago and the second was this just passed weekend. I will blog about birthday #1 for today.

My birthday was on the end of July and as always, I was too busy with my job at that time as well as studying for my resit paper to blog about it immediately after my celebrations.

This year's birthday is a special one because I officially entered a brand new decade in my life! :) I cannot believe how far I have come. I remember being 3 years old and going to kindergarten for the first time like it was yesterday. And here I am now, at the big 2-0. 

I know many have this dread when they reach this point of their life. I hear everyone complaining that they are old because the first digit of their age is now a 2. I on the other hand have no feelings of that sort. I am actually pretty happy that I am entering this new decade. It's like I'm embracing the adulthood that is around the corner. Of course everyone is entitled to their own feelings regarding this matter so no judgment from me okay? :)

Because my birthday was on a Monday, I returned home during the weekend for a pre-birthday celebration. I always go home during my birthday because I feel that birthdays should be celebrated with family and then friends. I don't think I've ever not celebrate with my family for my birthday. I am definitely a blessed child because my family, immediate and extended, always celebrates my birthday with me albeit a small celebration.

This year, I celebrated with my mum's side of the family. It was not a huge celebration. We went out for dinner at Wok & Pan in Melaka Raya. 

Wok & Pan is quite a famous restaurant in Malacca. On weekends, the place is crowded with patrons and you might even have to wait for a seat. In the above picture, I've marked the location of Wok & Pan as A. This is their new shop located on Jalan Melaka Raya 23. Previously, they were located in Plaza Mahkota. The new shop is bigger and has more tables both on the ground floor as well as the first floor. 

We had a table on the first floor and I much prefer the first floor layout rather than the ground floor. Several tables on the first floor are separated by dividers so it gives patrons some level of privacy while dining. This is especially useful if you're dining with your family on a special occasion. The ground floor tables are neatly arranged in rows but provide less privacy and noise levels could also be a problem when it's a full house. 

Food wise, IT IS AMAZING! I am seriously not kidding when I say this. There are tonnes of places in Malacca serving up Western and Eastern cuisine but not many do Western food up to par. Wok & Pan is one of the few that does Western food superbly. And their price range is also worth your money considering the portions that they come in which is just enough for a person if not more. Sadly, this place does serve pork so it's not Halal. 

I only managed to take two pictures of our food because everyone was super hungry by the time our orders arrived so I didn't want to keep them from their food any longer. 

I ordered the 100% beef burger and it was good. The beef patty was juicy and everything was just spot on tasty. I know some will say why order a beef burger when I can go for ribs or steak. Well, my answer? I just wanted a burger that night :P

The pork ribs was my brother's order. What a man he is becoming. Ordering ribs and polishing it all off clean and neatly. LOL

The ribs are really good from what I heard (I didn't eat it because I don't eat pork. I know it's weird and all but I just don't like the taste of pork meat). And from what I observed while my brother ate, the meat just falls so easily from the bone. He barely even needed the knife that they provided because he could just use his fingers to eat the succulent meat. The barbecue sauce that they served with the ribs was to-die-for! So so good! I even had my server bring me another bowl of the barbecue sauce because it's that good. Definitely a must try for those who have not tried it! :)

Dinner with my family was great. The talking and laughing over dinner and just bonding was simply amazing. Even if it was an early birthday celebration I loved every minute of it. The only downside was my sister's absence because she had her posting and could not make it back. 

Now for my usual vain pictures of myself. Hahaha

This concludes my pre-birthday celebration with the family.

***

I headed back to KL on Sunday aka the day before my birthday because I had work the next day. 

The night before my birthday I was hanging out with A and playing Plants vs. Zombies which is really addictive btw. I was really into my war with the zombies that I barely paid any attention to my surroundings. The next thing I knew, A came in with this 2 hours before midnight:

I laughed when I saw this because it was 2 hours before midnight (A's explanation: Because I said I feel hungry. Lol) but it was still a really nice gesture. So I blew off the candle and made my birthday wish (advanced since it's still the day before). While I was reviewing the pictures that I took of the cake and Instagram-ing it, A went out and came back in with this:

I was really surprised to find another cake being presented to me. And one of my favorites too! :) I figured that each cake marks a decade so it was only fitting to have two slices since I'm turning 20. Blew off the candle on the second cake and made another advanced birthday wish. To be honest, I don't know if the birthday wish/wishes actually works this way. Do I get more than one wish on my birthday if I'm presented with two slices of cake with candles? Lol

I was a happy kid with my two slices of super chocolate-y cake and I gobbled them up almost immediately sharing some with A of course. I am renowned for my crazy love for chocolate so it's not surprising why I was so delighted to be presented with chocolate cakes. After the cakes, I went back to playing games until the clock struck 12.

Almost immediately my phone rang with wishes from every possible social network. Friends and family from everywhere wished me a blessed birthday and for me to have fun. I even had 3 dedications on Instagram which totally surprised me because I was not expecting any.

Even with all that great surprises, the best was yet to come. While I was busy thanking everyone for their wishes, A walked in again. This time bearing these: 

I dropped everything and laughed and smiled as widely as I could. A walked in with these and my eyes just teared up immediately. I have had birthday surprises back in high school but this was something totally different because it was from A. I mean how can I not be moved and touched and feel super loved when I get cakes on the dot on my birthday? *melts all over again*

The saying goes, "blow your socks off". 

Well, mine was definitely blown far far away with this sweet gesture.

And I'm a sucker for sweet/romantic gestures :D

So once again, I blew off another three candles and made my birthday wish on my birthday. I could not stop smiling the whole time. I truly felt like I am the luckiest girl alive. 

That night, I went out for dinner and had it at this new Italian restaurant called Salute/Pommes Frites Bistro. It's located in SS15, the same row as Starbucks. 

I love the ambiance of the place. It's not too formal and it's not drab either. I liked the fact that they used orange lighting instead of the typical white lights. I especially loved this small detail they added to the tables:

I am not sure if it's a permanent decor or it was just on that day that I went. Either way, I loved it because like I said, I'm a sucker for romantic things so this was a win for me :) 

They also have a pretty unique menu. 

Their menus come in photo frames of various sizes. The red and green ones are A4 sized and the dark brown one is possibly THE HUGEST MENU I have ever held in my hands. 

There is a wide selection of pasta and other Italian cuisines here. I ended up ordering baked pasta for dinner. 

This is super yums! I forgot how much this costs but it was, in my opinion, delicious. I will definitely eat this again or try the other items in their menu. Their Belgian fries are also amazing if you're like me, a fries lover.



Now, even after over a month past this birthday celebration, I am still really grateful for everything. For having my family who loves and cares for me. For having the best person in this planet, A, who would do such sweet things for me. It makes me feel special. I'll say it again, I feel like the luckiest girl alive. Having friends who remember my birthday and took the time to wish me. I cannot begin to describe how thankful I feel towards each and everyone who wished me and made my twentieth birthday so much more than what I expected.



THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING.