One day at a time: Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Every year when it comes to KS birthday, he gets paranoid and worried that someone will play a prank and surprise him. And he DOES have reason for this and I believe it is because he started traditions of “surprising” people during their birthdays but that's another story altogether.

Let me share with you the pranks and surprises done on him that I remember most recently.

Birthday #1
There was one year his ex-colleagues arranged to meet us at a Chilli’s in KLCC without him knowing. We arrived at KLCC but I was warned that since Chilli’s do not do reservations and do not seat a group unless the entire group is present, I had to stall him while the group cajoled and negotiated to the maitre d’ to let them have a table. Pulling him suddenly into an electrical shop nearby, I declared I urgently needed to see kitchen hoods (or some kitchen appliance), much to his bewilderment.

Upon getting the signal that everything was ready, I guided him confidently past the maitre d’ and the crowd of waiting to be seated guests, to his slight surprise. His friends had the menus covering their faces and giggles so it was only upon reaching the table when he realized they were there with the first thought, “Wow! What are you guys doing here? What a coincidence!” before it dawned upon him. Of course there was the birthday song sung publicly.

Birthday #2
Church friends booked an entire restaurant in Uptown so I had to just tell him someone recommended this new place to eat, that it was quite cozy and it would be just the two of us. Unfortunately, I let it slip when I called to warn them by pretending to say I was confirming our reservations without stating my name. By the time he entered the restaurant, he was ready for the volley of shouts and fanfare.

Birthday #3 - 2010
With every passing year, KS gets more and more suspicious and paranoid so for this birthday, his colleagues roped in his boss the day before the actual birthday. The secretary asked him to go see the boss who "was in a foul mood" in the morning. KS was worried but went anyway. Upon reaching his room, the boss flung a report on his table and started shouting about not being happy with the publicity they didn’t get. KS was getting angrier, redder and more confused by the minute as he couldn’t get a word in.

When the team marched in with a birthday cake singing, it took him a few moments before he realized what just happened. His boss just laughed along with the rest. Such a cool boss!

Birthday #4 - 2011
This is this year’s birthday. Now that the main planner of his birthday surprises, Michelle, joined another company so she couldn’t plan with his bosses and colleagues anymore. And since she has visited our new house, she thought, instead of bringing him somewhere, they would all turn up at our house to surprise him, three days earlier, knowing he would be more suspicious as his birthday approaches.

So after careful planning and last minute surprises (like he wanted to go jogging and would definitely see their gathered cars nearby), they gathered in front of our gate, equipped with all the party gear (helium balloons, whistles and all sorts of noisemakers) and cupcakes, and rang the bell.

He had just returned from his evening jogging and was resting before he took his shower. From upstairs, I asked innocently, “Who’s that?” to which he replied cautiously, “I don’t know”. It was too dark for him to see and he thought it was the guards coming to ask for our monthly contribution. He walked out to give them a scolding for we have already paid. Only when he was approaching the gate did he notice there were an unusually large amount of people.

With a resounding blast, they made so much noise and sang happy birthday that the neighbour came out in surprise to see what the commotion was all about.