BIENVENUE: 19th Birthday Bash

19th already!

Heeyyhooo!
What's up, guys? I hope you have a great night ;)
Tonight, I have something to share with you. I'm gonna tell you about my just-passed-birthday celebration.

On the end of January -the 26th day to be exact- I celebrated my birthday. It was my 19th birthday. This definitely will be my last year before I turn 20. I remember, it was on Saturday morning when my friends knocked at my door and gave me the beautiful red cake which I really love -yep! It's red velvet cake from The Harvest :9- Well, that day was such a special yet hectic day. I turned 19 on that day. On the same day, I had to come to Apres band audition and at night I went to studio for radio broadcasting. Hffttt what a busy day..

I didn't go back to Jakarta on that weekend because it was obvious that I had so many things on my to-do list. Foretunately, I had a chance to went home the next weekend. I got on a car with my friends who all were heading the same direction; to the capital city of Jakarta. We departed from Bandung at 5AM on Saturday morning (February 2nd).

That day was also a busy day. My family and I were invited to my cousin's marriage. The ceremony was held at St.Antonius Curch (if I'm not mistaken) at 8AM, and the wedding feast was held at 7PM at Angke Restaurant. So, I got few hours (after the ceremony and before the feast) to do my own thing. And what is it??

I planned to have a birthday celebration at an orphanage in East Jakarta. People might be asking why I did so; why didn't I chose to celebrate my birthday at another fancy place like restaurant or any place like that.. Well, the answer is because I feel like I haven't done anything valueable for other people. So, on this opportunity, I want to do something that is useful for others even it's a small thing..

Don't you realize how many words of 'I', 'me', 'my', or 'mine' that you use everyday? These four words refer to the same exact subject which is yourself! It shows how people put their ego in such a high level. So where is compassion and concern?

Clearly, people never feel they have enough. Most of the time, we always look at the things above and ignore the things below. It is good when we have a high orientation or craving for a better achievement, but in the same time we also have to look down. By that, we can finally be grateful for what we have. Yep! Simply this is why I choose to celebrate my 19th birthday with the orphan.

This orphanage is named Panti Asuhan Kasih Immanuel. The road to reach it wasn't a smooth one. This orphanage located in an alley. The road was kinda rough with potholes and puddles. We have to take the back road to reach the place. It passed the small river and even harder to pass this road. The width of the road was only fit for one car.

In a nutshell, we finally arrived there. They have such a hall for them to do the devotion. The orphanage owner said that the hall was already renovated. We started by having lunch together, and continued by the devotion. We prayed, we sang, and listened to the pastor. After that the MC called me to the front to blow the candel and cut the cake. Finally, it was over after we gave the parcel for the kids. It was a pretty simple birthday celebration.

Most of the time, the ones who inspire me a lot is people with modesty and simplicity. For me, being rich or famous or even smart are definitely not everything. Your wealth and all you have are God's give. Don't be stubborn by saying that the great things you own in your life is because of your work only. Dude, God didn't create you to be such a haughty person. Moreover, at the end we all are going to be dead and all we have will be waste. All that remains is your good deed.

At last, hands up is better then hands down. When you give is when you get. And the the life lessons that you get will give you such a joy. I might not be a good virtue, but let us do the small acts of kindness :)