I grew up not liking my own birthdays much. I appreciated the kind regards I received from friends but I never liked receiving gifts or being in the center of attention … or being consistently reminded that I was one year older than I was yesterday. Now, as I’m comfortably settled into my age and where I am in my life, I can smile and thank them genuinely for their warm wishes … but my birthdays are still usually spend quietly with my close friends and family. I still can’t decide if I’m anti-social or just shy … but for my sake, let’s hope it’s the latter! 😆

My sister, on the other hand, has always cherished birthdays. She’s a real social butterfly and undoubtedly the fun one in the family. Her birthday celebration usually lasts for a week, if not longer, with dinner, parties, and cocktails. I must admit that I love it because this gives me an excuse to enjoy a weeklong fun (usually accompanied by good eats) and get to meet many of her wonderful friends who come together to partake in the festivity!

Tonight, 20 or so of her friends got together at Wakasanachi in Westwood to kick-start the birthday bash over great Omakase dinner and sake. My sister is very blessed to have such wonderful friends around her who are generous, kind, and just fun to be around!

The course started out with spinach ohitashi and assorted sashimi (not pictured as I was too busy eating, as usual), and continued on with tofu with sea urchin and shiso leaf …

fish cake soup with daikon …

grilled salmon and anago sushi …

shabu shabu (how cool is this?) …

fried shrimps crusted with potatoes, tempura bamboo, and shishito …

… and salmon roe with sea urchin and wasabi, and steam rice!

And this adorable mini creme burlee for dessert!

While to some, these food seemed like something that would appear on Fear Factor, everyone seems to have enjoyed each other’s company, even if there weren’t able to pronounce the food they just sampled.

Happy birthday, Saori, and may this year be the best year! I love you so much! 🙂  (And looking forward to Day #2 of the birthday soiree with family dinner tomorrow night.)