Did someone say "Birthday Bonanza" ???

So tomorrow I get another year older and supposedly that means wiser. As my wonderful other 1/2 has suggested, it is my year for a week-long "Birthday Bonanza" and since I have work tomorrow and class in the evening, it all starts tonight...

* Nice meal out for the birthday planned = check!
* Staying up until 12.01am to open my 1st (non-surprise) gift - check check!
* 47 degree day - crossing fingers it doesn't happen!!
* Surprise birthday festivities all week = TBA !!!
** UFC 114 Quinton Rampage Jackson vs Sugar Rashad Evans May 29th - marking Birthday Bonanza Week-eve; it is all a little too perfectly planned if you ask me!

Ok so it won't be an entire week of celebrating my fabulous and miraculous birth (I did technically die on the table and almost kill my mother, so I'm entirely too far off though - cue tiny violins), but supposedly this weekend is all about me. Duma has professed that turning 21 again is extra special this year since my last birthday (also celebrated in Muscat, though we were holidaying at the time) was a low low low-key event....or was it me that kept reminding him for months after that it was so? ;)

It is common back home to bring in a cake when it is your birthday, although I have never understood why this is the case - I have to bake/buy my own cake and share it with others? I have to stand around with (some) people I don't like (and mostly likely vice versa) and make idle chit chat while we awkwardly smile and eat cake??? Bah humbug.

In Oman am I expected to "do the needful" (gotta love that phrase) and bring a cake, chocolates, sweets, lunch etc to work in celebration of my birthday? When people have a baby here - they apparently bring sweets and offer everyone in the office. When Duma's colleague bought a new car - everyone enjoyed chocolates on his behalf that were offered around by the company's fine "Tea Specialist".

So people, what to do...oh what to do?