What Birthday Gift for that Special Someone

Oh My God, I have only been my spouse's partner for 226 days, and already I'm terrific at it. I mean terrific. The wifey thing, I mean. I couldn't even figure out what to get for his birthday. The love of my life, who is the only one I cook for amazingly(aspire to) and all of that. You would think I know what to get the guy.

Nope. Not a clue.

My hairstylist says the only appropriate thing to get for a guy you have been officially married to for less than a year is a SHIRT. I love you Singapore. But ah, romance! Zilch. Nada. I mean, that is so unromantic. That is what I would get my Dad-- six years ago, if he wasnt in need of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and being very careerdriven.

But my HUBBY?

I was blown off at the suggestion, as my hairstylist is the residing/leading Agony Aunt/life expert types. But she stands by what she says, as she has continued giving her steady stream of advice to the (similarly)steady little faithful customer stream that comes to her, and it really works. The rules go this way:

Duration of Marriage Appropriate Gift

1 Year Shirt

2 Years Cologne

3 Years Cigarette lighter

(For a nonsmoker, a swiss penknife or a steady stream of alcohol through the night. Whatever. Like I would go out with a smoker or actually forcefeed him scotch. Oooooh, perfect birthday!)

Still. This present giving thing is a pain. Everybody says something different. Like I called my friend here and asked her what would be good. She said silk boxers.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish she would hurry up and give birth to her baby already, so she would stop acting all hormonish.

Out of desperation, I asked my mom. Now. My mom is the creative type. Artistic and Thoughtful. She asked me to make him something. Mom makes Tanjore Paintings and everything. But I am not my mom. I am no good. Oh MY GOD. I AM NO GOOD!

My dad was next. He said, give him a break and don't torture him with your PJs and cook properly for him and be affectionate!

Whatever Dad. Like anyone uses PJs anymore. I'm no chef, but I'm decent. And no sadist. I CAN be quite nice.

Am I the only person in my family with a teensy-weensy bit of romance in me?

There was no other go. I had to ask my man. Of course if I was the Jenifer Lopez type I would have gotten him THE PERFECT GIFT. Like a Porsche or a house. Forget all COEs and VOEs. I'm in fantasy.

But I'm desperate. I am not J Lo. There is this whole thing about how he is saddled with a normal girl instead of a Bips who can be adventurous and dance and pout and can be self confident without getting zits on the face. I have to surpass every single achievement in my past to make him/do something that he forgets I'm nothing but a fingernailbiting homemaker who happened to do some freelancing.

Of course he said he doesnt want anything, that I am the only thing he needs(if only I could believe this!!!!!). Nuhhhhhhhhhhh. What's a girl to do, I ask you?

I'll tell you what I did. A personalized birthday. Not all big, but what I could do.

And you know what the result was, after tossing in a personalized Coffee Mug, a Harley Davidson Bad Boy (miniature) model (not J Lo. Atleast, not YET!), a Billet-Doux inside a huge Hugs Box alongside the cake cutting ceremony by the twilight?

Divya-Prabandham, they call it..

:P

Credits

Many Thanks to Murugar Perumal at Jurong East for giving me the POWER, the INSPIRATION!

Divya Pattabiraman for sheer existence

Shruti Omprakash for awesomeness

Ashwin Ramanan, Shwetha Ravi for unconditional support(materially and morally)

My hairstylist(who prefers not to be named)

Viswanathan Sankaranarayanan for patience and godly anger management lessons