When something works so well it’s worthwhile repeating it. As such my NYE/NYD combination followed the exact same formula as last year – a Couchsurfing NYE party and an afternoon NYD/birthday brunch with close friends. In fact the CS party was hosted by the same person again, as a last party before she takes off to Ireland for a year, and I’m glad she did it because the party was a lot of fun. This was evidenced by my leaving the party around 3:30 am and arriving home and in bed by 5 am on NYD.

The time between leaving the party and crawling into bed was passed with a friend as we walked together to her place (which is a few blocks from mine) and then sitting and chatting on her front steps before I slowly tippy-toed my way home to prevent myself from slipping and sliding all over the ice-covered pavement. Despite the icy road it was actually a really nice morning.

Around 10am my iPhone alarm went off and I ever so slowly forced myself to stand up (hangover was in full effect) and sober up with nothing but H-2-O before driving the van to pick up Michelle who was in town and sweet enough to share my birthday with me.

Initially slated to begin at 2pm people didn’t start to appear until well after 3pm and that was quite fine. We all had slow starts due to a big night before or being under the (cold) weather, or a combination of both. Soon the brunch was in full swing with great people, smiles, hugs and super delicious food. Everybody brought something to share. Maria cooked up some culinary delights and still on the potato bake kick (and with the help of my friend Sylvia) I whipped up my third one in a week. I received a couple of thumbs up for it too which was just grand.

I have to mention that Neesa baked some mini croissants for the brunch. This is important because she recently baked some cookies for another brunch we went to and I’ve never known her to do anything that involved being in the kitchen, except for eating the food! Not that I’m complaining, it just makes me smile to see the turnaround

As if I couldn’t feel any more special Maria made a super vegan cake with Ganache icing for me. I love that woman!

After the last of the guests had left Michelle and I spent some time together connecting, sharing and laughing as we famously do. She also showed me how to play eXperience THE GAME™, something she introduced me to ages ago but I never really understood. As described on the website it’s “more than a game, it is a communications process, relationship building tool and social networking interface, designed to bring people together on personal, interpersonal and global levels“. I can definitely back that up and I encourage you to try it out. It’s free to register and play.

You can even play the game offline as Michelle discovered recently when she was in San Diego where she found herself one day in a space with total strangers (other than the two friends who took her there) and from the way that she described it to me it was really something worthwhile experiencing. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a chance to try that or even host something like that one day.

For my bday gift Michelle gave me a copy of The Way of the Superior Man, a book written by her fave guru of the moment David Deida. I’ve started reading it and I am very fascinated by Deida’s thoughts on masculine and feminine energy, how we identify with each and how it affects our relationships both in terms of sexual desire and in how we present ourselves in our day to day lives. If this topic interests you I suggest downloading the audio on his website and having a listen.

Michelle also gave me Wayne Dyer’s Manifest Your Destiny audio cd. Dr Dyer is one of my favourite spiritual heroes and I met him in Maui last February. I embarrassingly admit that I was too star struck to say or ask anything meaningful to him when he posed for a photo with me.

I also received a lovely watch from Farhad and a planner from Neesa. Interesting how both gifts relate to time. What are you saying to me universe?

The best gift that I received on January 1st was the opportunity to spend time with those that are dear to me here in Toronto, and to have Michelle spend a day with me before she took off on a four-month journey of self discovery in India (she left this morning) was a real blessing and it meant a lot to me.

I was in for a surprise the following day too when two of my Montreal posse Lydia and Gabrielle, accompanied by their housemate Nico, came to Toronto to hang with me and my house mates. They’re such wicked people and I missed hanging out with them (and Sandita, Natalia and Marie-France) in Montreal!

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own.” -Benjamin Disraeli

These people certainly do reveal to me how wealthy I am.

As I posted on my facebook status update on Jan 2 I could not have asked for a better way to start 2010… my heart and feet are dancing with the joy and gratitude of life, love and friendship ♥

Here are some snappy snaps from my bday:

Related posts:

1. Montreal love affair
2. Wine & Dine
3. Happy Bday Anita!
4. hanami in high park
5. cherry blossom hunt