It was my husband's birthday yesterday. And as usual, we make it a point to have a family dinner outside. So we had iftar cum birthday dinner at this restaurant: Deen Seafood Restaurant, located at 8 1/2 mile (or something like that) of Jalan Gombak. Very near to the International Islamic University (UIA).


We had tomyam poktek aka white tomyam. I was told that some times they add a little bit of coconut milk or milk to make the soup thicker. So I was a bit skeptical at first . Sedap ke?? But surprisingly, I liked it. There was an assortment of seafood inside the soup: Prawns, squids, crabs, fish and mussels.




And fried prawns dipped in batter, tumeric fried chicken, fried kailan as well as complimentary dates.



To wash all that, I had a watermelon lychee drink.



Yummy...

Apart from the dinner, I also got a birthday present for hubby. And getting a present for him has been a yearly dilemma for me.

I've known my husband since I was 18 years old. I met him during matriculation (pre-U) and even though we have never been in the same class, I guess the attraction was very strong. Chewaahhh... But true, kalau dah jodoh, duduk lain2 benua sure bertemu juga . 

Since we were 19 we have started exchanging birthday gifts. I have given him lots of things for his birthday since then. From T-shirt to sweater to watch to perfume to pen to pen holder to remote control heli etc... Once, on his 21st birthday, I even gave him 21 things. Small, inexpensive things like pencil, ruler, eraser and all sorts of things. Each one wrapped individually. I'm sure he was as thrilled to open up each one of those little presents as I was thrilled in wrapping them up. Kalau tak thrill pun, dia penat sebab banyak nak bukak balut hadiah tu .

Anyhow, years passed by. We have been married almost 12 years. And each year, the question of what to buy for his birthday will haunt me. I'm out of ideas. I know of his passion for techie/gadgety things such as laptops, notebook, handphones but then for those kind of things, I'll just leave it to him to buy. For he will know the specs and the details and the comparisons. On the contrary, if I were to buy one of those things, I will surely simply go and buy out of the shelf. And yes, most probably, not something that he wanted at all.

It won't be any good asking him what he wants either. He will simply said, he wants nothing. Well, I guess, we have reached the stage that it does not matter anymore. Any gift is special. 

So this year, again, I was at a loss. Well, I did bought something eventually and wrapped it and put it in this box. I'm not sure whether he likes the gift or not. (too late kalau tak suka, dah bagi dah pun...) Or whether the gift is expensive enough. But each step that I made to the store to buy the gift is bouncing with love. Each word that I wrote on the card is composed out of love. Each minute and second that I spent wrapping the gift is filled with love. And the gift of love is by far superior to what's inside, I hope.

Well, the box can even be empty, right? After all, it's the thought that counts .

Happy birthday, Abang .