We live in a very materialistic world wherein we need a special day to celebrate someone. And shopping stores, restaurants, online stores so on and so forth bank of such days to make a somewhat commercially successful day for themselves. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. Can you imagine, if your parents waited each year for your birthday to raise you? Or your teachers waited each year for ‘Children’s Day’ to teach you something? I personally think, and this is just my opinion, that you don’t need a special day to make someone feel special or to celebrate their existence.

Hell, if my mother waited for my birthday each year to raise me, I’d be a lost cause. I know we all joke and laugh about the time we try to make a joke and we end up getting lectured. It’s happened alright, it’s happened to each and every single one of you. Well, today I am grateful for those lectures. Since moving to a different country, more than ever those lectures make a lot more sense to me than they did at the time I expected a laugh at the delivery of my punch line.

The values and morals that I live by today are a direct result of those lectures. Once you start working in the ‘real world’ it’s all about statuses. Whether it’s to show the promotions one has received, or to show how many assets some one has purchased or maybe it’s even about the finer things in life that one can afford, if you have those, you have ‘friends’ by your side. If you don’t, and there are still people standing by your side, it’s most likely your family and friends. In the corporate world, scratch that, in a lot of (corporate) companies, it’s all about walking over others if you want to climb up the ladder. I was taught one thing, I won’t ever get anywhere in life if I bring someone else down. I strongly believe that and I also strongly believe in karma. It’s not to say that I’m not ambitious. I am. I have goals in life that I want to achieve, job titles and my status in society doesn’t affect or bother me. I know my worth and what I am capable of, and I don't need a third person to reassure that to me. 

There was an instance when I had gone to India, and I was headed out with my father. As we were walking, we came across some ladies who were carrying heavy weight and I stood by and gave them way. That was by far the most scandalous thing I had ever done. The ladies were surprised I let them go first before I proceeded and the all the neighborhood aunties and uncles could not believe their eyes. I’ve also come across a lot of people in New Zealand who try to not openly disclose where they or their parents work. I don’t understand why. It’s a job with an honest pay, whether it be at Burger King or cleaning toilets at the mall or else where. It’s a struggle when parents move to foreign countries at a late age and they struggle to get a decent job and in desperation take the first thing they can get. I think that is commendable! It is a job with an honest pay, and they’re doing it to support their family and to fulfil the desires of their kids. I was brought up and taught to respect everyone equally regardless of who they are.

These are just some glimpses of the person I am today, because of two people – my mom and dad, well mom more ahem. Thank you for raising me up with principles I can be proud of and not have to worry about whether I’m doing the right or the wrong thing. Hope your present has arrived, mommy. See you in two weeks!

Until next time,

MiliG