Thinking about birthday present

*act's like he didn't just read this blog and goes to awsk a present from his parents*

lol that's very deep and all, but being the greedy bastard that i am, i will continue asking for presents ^^

Actually, I was planning to ask my mom for GeForce 9600 too lol, what is it I'm called? A hypocrite or something? Anyway, remembering this I'm backed down a bit, my sister bought me a $60 watch for my birthday present, although my initial plan was to get a 9600 as a present from EVERYONE....


Well, it can't be helped, I gotta try and ask my mom if I can credit the 9600 via her? $20 a month might do.....

[quote name='Raestloz' post='1621929' date='Dec 10 2008, 05:27 PM']For more than 100 years, people's been celebrating birthdays, that is, the very day and month when someone's born (of course, the yare is different for obvious reason)

For more tha n 100 years, billions of parents, that is, mommy and daddy, give their children present, as well as other relatives and friends that were invited to the party, and that someone will be happy (again, for obvious reason)

But then, a friend of mine said something to me:

"On that very day, your mom's struggling with pain, to give you life
On that very day, your dad's working to his finger to pay the fee for your birth
Yet, on that very day, you expect them to give you a present
Shouldn't it be the opposite?"

"Shouldn't it be on that very day you give a present to your mommy and daddy?
For letting you grow in her womb
For paying all your life's need
And for making it possible to you to stand here, talking to me"

I been wondering and this guy's hit the mark actually

Will you ask your parents a present for your birthday?[/quote]


Allow me to interject.

That is why epidurals exist for those that want them
That is why the NHS exists*
Do I really? If so news to me.
Won't somebody think of the orphans?

What if they are unpleasant?
Alas to my knowledge artificial ones have not been made yet but what about surrogates?
See *five fingered discount*
They might have had a hand but I blame physics for my existence.

Probably not as I gift myself when I so please.

*disregard if you have to actually pay for medicine or can deal without it.

All this being said if you would pick an arbitrary day to do something it could be a lot worse. I have yet to figure out what was supposed to happen on those days though that enabled me to legally* do what I could not but a few hours prior

*we all know the general consensus on the law and how much respect to afford it around here.

[quote name='FAST6191' post='1621966' date='Dec 11 2008, 12:42 AM']Allow me to interject.

That is why epidurals exist for those that want them
That is why the NHS exists*
Do I really? If so news to me.
Won't somebody think of the orphans?
Erm.. isn't epidural some form of anaesthesia? And does NHS means National Health Service? What does this part mean?

What if they are unpleasant?
Alas to my knowledge artificial ones have not been made yet but what about surrogates?
See *five fingered discount*
They might have had a hand but I blame physics for my existence.
Urm.. is it surrogate as in "surrogate pregnancy?" also what is "five fingered discount"? Is it a regular discount as in lowered prices or is it a gesture?

Probably not as I gift myself when I so please.

*disregard if you have to actually pay for medicine or can deal without it.

All this being said if you would pick an arbitrary day to do something it could be a lot worse. I have yet to figure out what was supposed to happen on those days though that enabled me to legally* do what I could not but a few hours prior

*we all know the general consensus on the law and how much respect to afford it around here.
Well, I'm an Indonesian, and I can't search wikipedia about a consensus I don't know anything about. Also, what do you mean by "do something"?[/quote]
To be frank, I can't decipher your post. Well, I can translate it but I can't extract the real meaning

May I ask you to tell me in terms I can understand? I'm interested

@Raestloz: "Five Finger Discount" is a euphemism for shoplifting. Even though, I don't see how it applies to this post.

Wow, I never thought of it this way. Very insightful! My birthday is in 10 days from now, maybe if I have time I'll get my parents something lol. But my dad's is in a week... so do I get him nothing?

Now that I think about it, what should we do abut our parents' birthday?

Well, I think it applies only to our parents. See, it's our mom who gave birth to us, its our dad who paid the fees, so people other than that should still be able to give us presents eh?

Hmm... what should I get for mom and dad? Almost evrything is out of my reach... (well, my walley's reach at least)

Apologies, that was cryptic even by my standards. Each "line" was a direct counterpoint to the lines in your "poem".

Epidural: a common procedure during birthing (in the US anyhow) where more or less the entire lower half of the body is anaesthetised to feel little pain- no real pain by the mother.

NHS: the government pays most medical bill to an extent so the image of the father working his fingers to the bone was somewhat moot in this case.

"surrogate as in "surrogate pregnancy?""
Indeed it is, my mother could well have done nothing towards the pregnancy part other than give up a couple of eggs.

"five fingered discount" - my apologies, it was slang which I should know better than in this case. Can I suggest http://www.urbandictionary.com/ as I find it quite useful for such things.
As was mentioned it is a slang term for stealing and it was a jab at "For paying all your life's need" by saying it need not be the case, it is unfortunate I guess but I have met more than a few very capable seven year olds.

That's what my friend told me many years ago. She learned that from her mom as well. So ever since, she's been giving her parents presents instead. I don't expect anything from my parents on my birthday. Instead, they take me and my brother out and I pay for dinner.

LoL so that's what you mean. Well, this applies to most but not all people on earth, I don't think Eskimos or poor childs have the time or idea about birthday present

Still, your points are good, and I learn a few things about surrogate and epidural (I was curious about surrogate, since my PC got "COM surrogate" thing, whatever the hell it is)

I gave my mother and my grand mother presents on my birthday this year about a month or so ago. For my mom I said while handing her the gift "Happy mothers day" and for my grandma I said " Happy anniversary".

The reason I said happy anniversary was for several reasons. At first she did not understand until she got home and put the CD into a CD player. And what started playing was music in which she was at a concert of while my mom went into labor. Another reason was because on this very day she had her 1 and only ticket in her life. For an illegal u-turn no less. Which is kind of funny because the day I handed her gift she also did a u-turn (this time legal but besides the point)

I give my parents/grandparents presents on their birthday, and on Mother's/Father's Day... So they do have their days too.
And I spend more than they spend on me (on every occasion, including Christmas).
Typically, I just get a "Happy Birthday" and we move on.

But I digress...

Birthdays are intended to celebrate the beginning of your life.
People give you presents because they are happy for your existence.
If a person planned to get you something and needed ideas, it is appropriate to tell them what you want.
However, be reasonable in what you ask. And, you should never ask for more than what you receive because then you're just being greedy.
It is a gift. Meaning, it is something you're getting for free.
There's no room for greediness in freebies.
You get what THEY feel you deserve, not what YOU feel you deserve.

On the other hand, if you want to pay your parents back, and be grateful for all they've done to raise you and give birth to you... It should be done year-round and not on a specific day (although, Mother's/Father's Day, is more or less the appropriate day).
In my opinion, it took more than a day's work to give you a good life, therefore they deserve more than just a day.
Just keep that in mind and treat them well all the time.

That's a very nice thought Raestloz, and I'm sure your parents would appreciate that type of acknowledgement / appreciation.

As a parent, I can't think of anything more joyous than the occasions of my children's births, and I see nothing wrong with celebrating that by giving them presents. I only hope that when they are old enough, they appreciate everything their parents have gone through and sacrificed to make them who they are.

Shamefully, I probably never had enough appreciation for what my parents went through until becoming a parent myself. But rest assured, I now make sure to thank my parents on my birthday. Presents aren't really necessary. Genuine thanks is always a better gift.

@FAST: If you think that getting an epidural means the mother hasn't experienced the pain of giving birth, then you are sadly mistaken. Epidurals are administered during labor to relieve the pain of the contractions. Much of the time, they are administered because the mother's reaction to the pain of labor has become counter-productive to the labor itself. Contractions are most effective when the mother is more relaxed, and not fighting them. Epidurals are also used frequently for mothers whose labor needs to be induced or hastened, resulting in heightened intensity of labor pain.

Epidurals are timed to wear off before the actual birth. The obstetrician needs the mother to feel the pain of birth so she can push correctly. If you have never seen the pain a mother endures during an actual birth, there is no way I can describe it to you. Even mothers who have had an epidural to lessen the pain during labor contractions. Let's just say that the least they deserve on the anniversary of the birth is a heart felt "thank you".

Yeah, I agree the medical basis for the statement was perhaps not as sure as I would like and for what it is worth I have seen people giving birth although the ones I have witnessed were, to abuse a phrase, "quick and painless". This being said I am male and my hand never needed to be squeezed (that privilege seems to be reserved for driving) so I have little basis for this.

I will however say having spoken to those who have given birth on both sides of the pond the stateside approach seems a whole lot more controlled which is generally for the worse from what I hear (few drugs here for pain or time constraints unless truly necessary, no c-section unless for medical reasons (last few years saw a bit of rise in vanity ones) and aside from checks/someone to stand around no medical staff if in hospital at all).

But don't we have mothers/fathers day for thanking our parents?

[quote name='FAST6191' post='1627128' date='Dec 12 2008, 10:49 AM']Yeah, I agree the medical basis for the statement was perhaps not as sure as I would like and for what it is worth I have seen people giving birth although the ones I have witnessed were, to abuse a phrase, "quick and painless". This being said I am male and my hand never needed to be squeezed (that privilege seems to be reserved for driving) so I have little basis for this.[/quote]No worries at all FAST. I just didn't want anyone to think that receiving an epidural equates to a painless birth. Try telling that to a mother who has been through it, and you might end up getting your own lesson in pain.

[quote name='FAST6191' post='1627128' date='Dec 12 2008, 10:49 AM']I will however say having spoken to those who have given birth on both sides of the pond the stateside approach seems a whole lot more controlled which is generally for the worse from what I hear (few drugs here for pain or time constraints unless truly necessary, no c-section unless for medical reasons (last few years saw a bit of rise in vanity ones) and aside from checks/someone to stand around no medical staff if in hospital at all).[/quote]You're probably quite right about that. There's definitely a bit of a movement over here that's pushing back against medically unnecessary procedures and drugs during the childbirth process. It seems to have gotten out of hand, and more and more research is showing that it is to the child's detriment. Doctors (and patients) are far too quick to utilize medication, c-section, epidural, episiotomy, etc., instead of letting nature take its course. I think a lot of that has to do with greed, lazyness, and inherent abuse of the healthcare system. But that's another topic for another day, I suppose.

[quote name='Jasonage' post='1627130' date='Dec 12 2008, 10:51 PM']But don't we have mothers/fathers day for thanking our parents?[/quote]
Here we don't have Fathers day, although we do have Mothers day, however, mothers day is to thank them for caring for us, not for giving life to us.

Thus, actually I think getting them a present in my birthday should be the case

[quote name='Raestloz' post='1631063' date='Dec 14 2008, 06:44 AM'][quote name='Jasonage' post='1627130' date='Dec 12 2008, 10:51 PM']But don't we have mothers/fathers day for thanking our parents?[/quote]
Here we don't have Fathers day, although we do have Mothers day, however, mothers day is to thank them for caring for us, not for giving life to us.

Thus, actually I think getting them a present in my birthday should be the case
[/quote]

Hm. I didn't know they didn't have fathers day in other countries. It would be good if we could exchange presents both ways, just like christmas.