I had thought about doing an experiment whether people actually remembered my birthday. Nowadays, people have a habit of relying on facebook to tell them that it is, in fact, someone's birthday. Well, I'm not exactly one to talk. In times, I do check facebook for whoever is celebrating his/her birthdays, but most of the time really, I don't. I have my phone's calendar for that.
I really had a mind of going on about removing my birthday from my profile, so people won't actually see it. They just had to know it was that day, my nameday! But I thought about how people might really not remember, and don't really greet at all and how it might get me down.
Not telling people was not going well when I was having a celebration a few days my actual birthday. Saturday evening, I had my party and invited a few of my friends over. They would ask what occasion there was, I would respond that there just was. Some people got the hint that it was me celebrating my birthday. Sadly, knowing I don't dole out invitations to eat somewhere on a daily basis, some people didn't get it.
My mother and I had posted some pictures of the event, and some people who saw it actually thought that my birthday was on that day. So, some people posted on my timeline (for ancient users, "wall") on facebook and mentioned me on twitter, and I replied that it wasn't yet. It was just the party that was advanced, family members didn't greet me on that day which was right. Well, one did start greeting me on the sixth. And again on the seventh.
The time had come! January 9th had come! My 20th nameday! On the strike of midnight, I tweeted, "0 to 20." This meant the end of my countdown, which to some became pretty obvious what I was counting down to. Two friends greeted since the ninth started, and I haven't even slept yet. On facebook, two again posted on my timeline, one my dad and the other, the same person who texted me, he greeted again on twitter. Then I slept, but it took awhile before I got to it.
The morning of the ninth, I wasn't expecting much. Living in the day and age of technology, memory could easily be erased from storage, or in the case of the brain, hidden under many layers of other memories. Family greetings are almost always the first to come, they should know when you were born. It's like a requirement for their living, and the same responsibility is bestowed upon you.
When I had gotten to school, the same people who went to my party were the first to greet me. And this was in front of the class, so naturally, classmates started greeting. And non-classmates chimed in as well, when mutual friends told one another. Such is the word of mouth, a very powerful tool indeed.
People have a way of thinking that something is missing, or ought to be happening, that "oh yeah" moment when you realize that you know what it really is. When older friends got to that moment, they texted me. Text messages varied on the time of day. Some greeted in the morning and in the evening, but most really were in the afternoon. I was glad to know my high school friends remembered even without the notification on facebook.
Nothing noteworthy really happened on my birthday, but it's nice to get recognition for being born; even if it's social media that makes it happen. When I got home a number of people had posted on my timeline, I could literally count how many.
It's kind of sad how I want people to greet me on facebook for my birthday, but truthfully it's a nice feeling when they do, even if they barely know you. Or if you've since grown apart by time or location.
To all my friends who greeted me, in person or in any social media site I'm on, thank you. Really. To those who just forgot, were busy, or had something else on their mind, I hope you see I had my notification on again. Greet me nao! ;)
Now, I'm just giving out thank yous like a whore.
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Highlights of my day today:
- Went back to the gym
- Controversial test got null and void. #dueprocess
- Bought myself a new pair of shoes (for the gym)
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