Nobody gifts me quite like I do or perhaps mekie~!

Everytime someone in the family or a friend celebrates a birthday I get stuck with the question of what to gift....When my dad turned 50 two years back, I wrote him out a very special card as he doesnt care much for stuff. And last year when my aunt turned 50, we got her 50 things with a small thought attached to each.

For my mum and grandmum it has to be traditional jewellery or clothing but its quite a challenge to think of something new for my grandfather, who has an opinion about everything. But he is totally pleased when we get an eggless cake for him to cut at 12!! Little bro is easy to please: games, pop music, and throw in an occasional jacket or t-shirt; but I am still making my sister's bday gift - its an album of her 25 years and how I generally upset her scheme of things by entering it two years later.

My friends on the other hand being very polite creatures are very easy to please. But this time, it is my uncle whose bday is looming and I am quite lost. This man doesnt keep anything for himself, he has to donate anything new to his juniors. I thought an Mp3 player would be good as he travels a great deal and rarely watches television, but I am scared that when he has to placate a young junior after berating him about work, he will promptly hand it off.

On the other hand, I have noticed that people seldom get me the right gifts....sigh! I wont complain my dad's gifts of encyclopaedias and quiz books; my aunt and sis too occasionally pick up the sort of clothes that I like. But mum and me like stuff that are on either ends of a spectrum. As my principal supplier of goods, I really wish we saw eye-to-eye. My grandparents knowing me, play it very safe - money, which is unfortunately spent on mobile recharges or autos before I find the right stuff.

Then there is mekie....I dunno if I have got her anything very special but she most certainly has got me some of my best gifts. Once for my bday, it was set of story books from our local used-books salesman. They were gorgeous: Rebecca, Alistair Maclean and some travel and detective writing. The musty smell and fraying book covers just added to the entire reading experience.

I read Rebecca sitting in bangalore at a cousin's wedding. Remember how G.K. Chesterton describes a book and library experience by blue bottles and silverfish?! It was something like that, I absolutely loved it and still treasure all those books.

Then last year, I got a purposely late, brilliant bday gift....Harry Potter-7. My very own, original hardback HP~!! Opening the parcel and running my hand down its spine humbled all the "roadside" copies of HP that I own. She in fact asked me to read it instead of talking to her when we met after a year!! hee, hee.....well, its good to know that someone understands all your idiosyncrasies.

Then there is vini who once simply pulled me to shop my own gift after setting me a budget and later even generously expanded it. We drove t-nagar salesmen mad before I found the right white material for a patiala salwar!

I on my part simply got vini some stick-on stars to add to her newly-painted bedroom. She claims to love it. For meki, its more like whatever I see and think might look nice on her I get. She dutifully puts them on or on her wall and sends me a picture of it.

Lets see if my uncle keeps his Mp3....