For the longest time, July 15 was a date I always looked forward to with eager anticipation, planning how best to celebrate my beloved Mike’s birthday. A shy person, he preferred intimate celebrations, with family and very close friends. Invariably, it would be a paella and steak dinner, washed down with wine.
Mike loved to sing, retiring to the entertainment room with his friends after dinner for an evening of music. I can’t carry a tune, but loved listening to Mike sing. I would fall in love with him all over again each time he would sing to me.
On the day he turned 40, his staff at AIM gave him a surprise party. I dropped by to say hello to the staff, and got invited to the party. A few weeks later, Mike asked me to marry him.
When he turned 50, I threw him a big surprise party and invited his friends to our house. It was hard keeping Niccolo from spilling the beans, but Bea and Cara gamely kept him quiet.
We spent his 54th birthday visiting his best friend Paul and his wife Hazel in Bangkok. Paul cooked up a storm at their flat, and gave him a Superman doll as a gift. Those two always teased each other endlessly. When Paul and Hazel came to live in our village, we would celebrate Mike’s birthday at their house.
On his 58th birthday, we invited friends to the Alfonso retreat. His steak group was there. And it turned out to be a triple celebration, as we also feted Julia Holz and Mon Jimenez who were also celebrating their birthdays. Poor Mon! We didn’t know it was his birthday, so his name wasn’t on the cake that Julia had brought.
I planned a big party for Mike’s 60th, but he didn’t feel up to it. He had a persistent cough and a fever that wouldn’t go away. Instead, we had a quiet lunch with just his closest friends at Alfonso. Little did I know that a few months later, the big C would knock the wind off our sails.
He would have been 62 today. Too young to say good-bye to this world. How I wish I could wrap my arms around him, give him a kiss and tell him how much I love him! But in my heart of hearts, I know he knows.
Aishiteiru, Mike, forever and a day! Happy birthday in heaven!
Not knowing his condition at the time (December 2012 or January 2013), I sent Mike an SMS asking if I could call him about an idea I had for a software industry conference. He responded within a few minutes with a “Sure!”
So, I called.
We talked enthusiastically for about 15 minutes. He was the first person I talked to about this conference idea. And, it was during that phone conversation that I really became convinced that the idea was a good one. It was the way Mike responded to the idea. It was Mike’s perspective that made me decide to actively pursue the idea.
It was only towards the end of our conversation that I learned Mike was taking my call from a hospital room, and why he was there. I didn’t really give it a second thought, because he kept telling me that he would be happy to help me out. And, I kept telling him that we would have fun working on it.
That was the last time I spoke to Mike.
The idea became a reality later in 2013 as SOFTCON, and spawned another successful conference called SOFTECH in June 2014. We are now gearing up for SOFTCON 2014 on October 9th.
Thanks, Mike!