We do not get to choose our families, but we do get to choose our friends. You have been closer than family to me. I wish you every happiness and blessing on this day of your birth. Congratulations! You grew up one more year. Soon, you'll be 25, then 30, then 35, then 40 and so on. And, if things go right for you, then, in the meantime, you'll be achieving your goals, getting married, having kids, seeing your kids getting married and having grandchildren. And, if you are lucky enough, you'll be seeing your grandchildren marry as well. And then, eventually, you'll die.

But mind you, these will only happen if things go right for you. Things might go wrong for you, and maybe some night, you might get highly drunk and jump off the terrace of a building thinking it's a swimming pool down there and die pitifully. No matter what, eventually, you're going to die.

And today, you are officially one year closer to your death. Being a friend of yours, I would like to express my condolence upon your death. But maybe, by the time you die, we might not be in contact with one another. So today, in the name of your oncoming death, I wholeheartedly express my grief in advance...