A socially embarassing situation...

I went to meet K. for dinner last night at Clarke Quay. I had intended to dine with her before she flies off to HK for work. It was a surprise when she led me to a table for ten...My surprise was compounded when some young ladies came over to join us. I was wondering what the occasion was when it dawned upon me-

It was her birthday.

And I had clean forgotten about it.

K.'s friends took turns to present her birthday gifts. I was frantically fishing in my pocket, hoping that there would be a bracelet or some other female paraphenelia that one of my female acquaintances had accidentally left. Unfortunately, the only thing I found was a calcified STARBUCKS serviette that had survived a couple of washes in my jeans. I looked around, desperately thinking of a way to save myself from the impending ignominy...All this time, K. was raving about her new GUESS bag and DKNY watch. The serviette was certainly not in that class, although I believe that it could pass off as a paper machie rose...If you squint really, really hard, that is.

Needless to say, I was struggling to keep a low profile the whole evening. Thankfully, nobody pointed out that I was the only person who did not bring a gift. I was pretty certain that everyone noticed, but at least they were kind enough to keep quiet about it. Anyway, I was utterly sullen throughout dinner. Most of my time at the table was spent chasing my mango pudding around the plate with my fork...

Worse, I had assumed that dinner was gonna be real casual, so I was completely bo chup about my appearance last night...just a pair of over-sized jeans and a simple white long-sleeved shirt. A total mismatch, but at least it was comfy. My hair was in a complete mess as well...not the funky kind of mess...the Tim Burton or Jack Black kind of mess.

Tragically, the lady sitting by my side was a babe. Training to be an SQ girl.

It was one of those awkward American Pie situations. A non partisan third party observer might find it mildly amusing. However, I vowed never to leave the house without making sure that my hair was sensibly groomed. There is a limit to how confident you can appear to be in front of chicks when your hair looks like a vulture's nest!

The chit chat between the babe and I was banal, trite and inane. I must have come across as a boring dullard whose sole recreation in his black-and-white life is collecting stamps. Actually, I don't even collect stamps. I think that collecting stamps requires too much effort and commitment. I prefer to spend my free time lazing in bed.

After dinner, we adjourned to a nearby watering hole for drinks. We were herded into a plush VIP corner with a TV screening ESPN sports news. Unfortunately, the place was quite stuffy and hot. I was grateful to have a cold tangy Cosmo in my hand. At last, I had found a spot to relax! I exhaled and lay back as the house band massacred Yellow, Runaway Train and High And Dry...

N.'s phone call woke me up from my little reverie. For the uninformed, N. is a presence that has been hanging around in my life since a a few weeks ago. Close friends who know about our shared history call her Poison Ivy. I think that she's essentially a sweet and impressionable young person who sees in me the elder brother she never had. It's all very Freudian, really. I just wish she'd cut down on asking "How's your day?".

I don't think much would have changed in my life in the 8 hour intervals between her calls.

Shortly after, I said bye bye to everyone else. I was persuaded to linger a little longer, but I wanted to catch the last train before the taxi uncle had the chance to bleed me dry. As I left, I could not help but feel that the night ended quite well. The food was not bad, the drinks were quite good, and the company was great. It would have been fun if there were a few more guys...After awhile, shopping, slimming tips and Italian men become pretty stale topics. Especially if repeated ad nauseum.

To all my friends out there, please let me know if it's your birthday BEFORE we go for dinner or drinks. I don't wanna get caught forgetting birthday presents again! It's really embarassing.

On a high note, I'll be having dinner with her again. Yes, the Senior Counsel. That's definitely something to look forward to:)