Glorious Time in the Dark.

I and Byboon, my 6 years old best friend!

As you may have noticed, I grew a year older yesterday. If you are wondering about the feeling of being 22, it sucks. The number 22 has no magic, flavor, or even bad luck associated with it. It's such a plain number!

Yesterday, two of my aunts families came over for my b'day. It aint much of a b'day party, as much as a get together. (I really refuse to call it a b'day party, as I feel I am too old for a b'day party.) It has been the tradition for a few years now to get together with my aunt's family for either one of us kids' b'day. (this is actually my first aunt, mom's sister. The second aunt is actually my mom's aunt, but she is only a few years older than her and my cousins are our age. So, we are close.) It was special yesterday, because MOST of us kids were present, even one of my cousins, Anas, who I have not seen in years. (When I was a kid he was the teenager cousin to always play with me and kind of spoil me!)

From top to bottom: Mohammad, Anas, (my cousins)

Anyhow, preparation for the festivities started the night before, as my sister spent the evening preparing delicious desserts for the "event." In the same day, my mom baked some delicious mo'ajanat. (it's bread with specific fillings, like meat or cheese or whatever, all prepared at home from scratch.) Also, I picked a special ordered cake. Not to mention that Byboon insisted on her dad to buy me a cake. Not only that, she draw all over the box. The box went into my collections! Then, one of my cousin proved being stubborn and brought another cake despite my mom telling her not to. So, in conclusion, there was enough food for a village!


I could tell , from the beginning, that it is going to be a night hard to forget. Sure enough, you can't forget how you celebrated your b'day without electricity in the whole neighborhood.

Everyone started coming over around 7.30-8. Around 8.30 everyone was present. Five minutes later, the electricity went out in the whole neighborhood! My mom said, "Ammar, this is the first time this happen in two years!" Now, that made the night hard to forget. Me and my cousin Moh'd went to a close by store and bought lotsa candles. Though, at dark it was perfect to sneak into the kitchen and eat from the mo'ajanat!

Our single source of light during the blackout!

The power was out for a while, but that did not stop us from putting all the cakes on the table and blowing the candles. Funny enough, once we blew all the candles, finished singing, and started giving out plates, the lights came back on!! Which was another perfect timing, at least from my cousins perspective. I was under the foam attack. They had four cans of that weird foam to spray on me. They didn't do their math right. I fought back, and took over one of their cans, and SPRAYED back!

Trying to run away from the spray.

Thas what happens to whomever sprays me!

After that, we got busy eating. The food was delicious, and my sister deserves all props. Lucky me and all my friends, she is visiting me in January, and promised to show off her skills while visiting!

The night lived for hours after that with laughter and conversations. This gathering was the best b'day present I would ever ask for, and one I will cherish forever.

That's how they greeted me!!! I don't have to say that I ended on the floor!