My Birthday

Have you heard about how the human body can replace itself in its entirety over your lifetime. Basically everything that you were born with will not be the original article when you die. For some things this is expected, for example red blood cells have a lifecycle of 120 days and so they are continually replaced, in order to keep up with the body’s demand. The skin (upper epidermis) is replaced every 2 weeks or so as the dead skin cells are sloughed off and replaced by the newer ones pushing through from the bottom. The liver takes about 300 to 500 days to renew itself and in fact the entire human skeleton is completely replaced every 10 years... which sounds great except that the replacements are aged versions rather than brand new ones – sort of like second hand bones so to speak lol. Weirdly there are over 500 different bacterial cells (some are good, some are bad) compared to human cells; that’s approximately10x more than human cells. For some reason, that last fact about bacterial cells reminds me of parasites, as in the kind of people that leach off you over your lifetime. Ok, I am aware of how harsh and random that sounds, lol. Anyway the point is the human body is a funny old thing isn’t it?

All this biological change makes me wonder if I have changed. I know have aged biologically, but have I changed on the inside as well? Is there certain period in our lives where we shed our old self and develop a new you. I often think of it like those Russian dolls, where each layer is removed to reveal a different version of the doll… a different version of you. As we grow older, we shed those layers over time. Some get recycled and reused whilst others get discarded as they are not longer any use to us.

I always find it weird, how many of the dolls don't exactly have the most cheerful expressions on their faces... these blue dolls being the exception of course.

In my mind, I know that change is inevitable, but I’d like to think that my core is still intact and hopefully something that will not change. My core layer is linked to the beliefs, morals and values that my parents have instilled in me. The next layer up is where I retain the good qualities and discard the not so good ones i.e. anger, hate etc. Sometimes this particular layer may go unchecked and build up to such an extent that the core layer gets a bit diluted. Yet I’m still optimistic that in an ideal world, the core will hopefully manage to pull through and remain strong. The outer layers are linked to everyday occurrences and experiences that colour my moods and daily outlook in the short term. These outer layers wax and wane as time goes on and the years get added on.

As I approach the completion of the quarter of my life next year (this is me assuming I’ll live to 100 years old!), I often find myself reflecting on my birthdays. With my weird OCD kicking in, I find myself making lists of what I’d like to achieve by a certain age. Currently I’m making my ‘things-I’d-like-to-do-before-I’m-25’ list. Some things I’ve done, some I’m doing, some are in the works and close to the horizon and some I feel like are nowhere as close as they should be. At times I think I’m exactly where I want to be and other times I feel a bit disillusioned and wonder where I’m heading. I wonder if you guys ever have doubts like me or are you totally control of everything. Do have different layers or are you the same through and through – sort of like a stick of rock, lol.

Anyway the point of this post… 25th February; my birthday!!! (Yes I still get excited by it... well a little bit). Also I discovered I share my birthday with Shahid Kapoor (I’m 5 years his junior!)... and the 12 yr old me just fainted! :P

I love how the different online services wish me happy birthday every year... in rather unique ways. Just when you think they’re wondering off their usual agenda , they get back to the ‘Oh and have you tired our latest product/service?’ lol

My baby brother can be really sweet at times. Though I’m pretty sure that my mum has chose half of the gifts… hmmm.

How beautifully wrapped is that? I snuck a picture when Saba wasn't looking :P

Dr Who box set – this is one of the many reasons why I love my cousins Saba and Sara! They love fuelling my obsessions. And no, I haven’t opened it yet, as I’m waiting till I get the bulk of my work done and watch it when I’m a bit more relaxed.

I can safely say none of the other packages has this name on them. Thank you Imran bhai ;)

My birthday was excellent! I had a lot of fun and thank you to everyone for their lovely messages and presents :) The birthday party is sort of delayed at the moment, due to other family stuff going on and what not, but I’m pretty sure there will be some sort of family get together at some point in the future – it’s not like we need much of an excuse :)