My idea of a birthday celebration is blowing some candles on a birthday cake… that’s about all a disorganised and uninspired mother can manage. I just don’t get extravagant children’s birthday party, partly because I am scared of being in the same room with many kids. So yeah, I am not in contention for Mother of The Year award and I’ll learn to live with that.

My mother and sisters (who live four hours away) though have other ideas when it comes to my daughter’s birthday party – they just hijack it. Year after year, they make plans to celebrate my daughter’s birthday – nothing as elaborate as a theme party or a hired clown or cordoning off a section of McDonalds, but they make sure they commemorate the occasion.

This year, my mother, sisters and nieces drove down to KL to spend the weekend with us for her birthday. In the car boot was the makings of a birthday party; done my mother’s way. The menu is similar to that of all our birthday parties growing up – red eggs, fried beehoon, chicken curry, fried chicken, and lorbak (meat rolls). And of course a birthday cake (which I bought).

I love the fried chicken, and the fried beehoon with the chilli and garlic sauce, and the curry chicken, and of course the lor bak, but what is always special is the red-dyed eggs. It’s just plain hard-boiled eggs, but the red dye somehow transform them and elevate them – when there are red eggs, it’s a special occasion – birthdays, full moon, weddings. We get two red eggs on the mornings of our birthdays, even when there is no party, along with a plate of mi sua noodles with a drumstick. And an ang pow for good luck and wishes.

And the children love the red eggs too… and their red-dyed fingers from peeling the eggs.