Am I a present hog?

Had to go into university today and so decided to be efficient, and fit in a movie with Alan and Sittha, but it was not to be. The movie began at two-thirty, and at that time, I was running from Chula to Siam Paragon. My teacher was busy explaining to me the process of obtaining a visa (still don't get it) and it took her forever. I ran all the way, but I was still late. So I could only hang with them an hour, and it made me feel so bad because it was really my fault, and they were so nice and brought me presents and Sittha was sick. I hope they don't think I'm some kind of present hog! I don't normally tell anyone when my birthday is; I always feel it's a little like you're fishing for gifts. None of my grad school friends had any idea and I liked it that way. But Alan had asked me and he told me he'd told Sittha, and though I kinda tried to tell Sittha, all in all, gifts are not big with me. Believe me, I like gifts, who doesn't? But I'd much rather get a card or a nice letter. Alan bought me two little figurines of cats, but what I really liked was the origami bird he folded me with a card he'd partially written (I think I recognize the first part from Much Ado About Nothing) stuck in its tail. That was sweet. The downside was Sittha. I felt horrid when I saw him, all flushed and bundled up in a bulky gray sweater. Poor thing; Alan said he got sick from too much sun. If I had known, I would've made him stay home, but last night, I got mad at him and didn't want to talk to him, and so I didn't find out he was sick until he'd already shown up. If he were my neighbor, I'd make him chicken noodle soup. No one can stay sick long if you've got chicken noodle soup. I felt soooooooo guilty, dragging an ill man from his bed and then showing up late and only having enough time to consume disgusting amounts of chocolate at the Vanilla Brasserie (hmmmm, ironic). Oops, cell phone's ringing, let me get it. Okay, just hung up with Sittha, who has made a miraculous recovery. Sittha is a nice guy and all, but he has the worst telephone manner of anyone I've ever known. He has three stock phrases he'll utilize in each and every phone conversation; they're not even phrases really - "Okay," "Uh-huh", "Huh?" - and that's the extent of his side of the talk. You could say something like, "What movie would you like to watch?" and he'll reply, "Okay", which, yes, is the most utilized word in the English language, but not appropriate for certain kinds of questions, Wh-questions being one sort. It gets me so mad sometimes, and another thing, he only ever half-listens to you, even when he's the one calling! Yes, yes, yes, everyone has their faults and I should be feeling sorry for him because he's sick (although apparently, he's all fine and dandy now), but I have a very low tolerance for ambiguity and making plans with him is like talking to a rock sometimes. Still, he did buy me a cute gift - a stuffed pink monkey. I named him "Cotton Candy" and introduced him to my teddy bear (yeah, I know, twenty-three and still sleeps with a teddy bear? It's a thing) Starlight. I'm not sure if Starlight likes him yet, but I put in a good word for ole CC. Hehehe.

Final thought: Excerpt from Alan's card - "Under the sky, a star danced and you were born. Under the same sky each year, you are not getting older, but better." Isn't that sweet? He's such a good friend.