Mark CF, I love you, but go away :P

November 29, 2007 6:58 PM

What are some good (preferably experience-based) birthday gifts for a 21-year-old Australian programming geek who thinks he's Danish?

My boyfriend's (whom you all so nicely wished Happy Birthday to in code) 21st birthday is coming up in February. It's going to be a big birthday for him so I want to make it special.

One thing he loves about me is that I'm always doing interesting things and that I often involve him in them - I've dragged him to the Gold Coast to help me stage manage a show, and I've brought him to damn near every multicultural festival that exists in Brisbane. We spent a weekend away in Redcliffe a few months ago and it was awesome. I would like to gift him with another awesome experience-style gift, but I'm at a loss for what to get him.

Some facts about him:

* White Australian male; I'm the most exotic thing about him
* favourite motto is "You can't be young forever but you can be immature indefinitely!" (to him it means he doesn't have to be boring and serious all the time)
* Obsessed with Magic: The Gathering
* Studying IT (Web Services) in uni; currently in 1-year work experience with a performing arts company managing their Web stuff. Often programs stuff in Javascript as a hobby.
* Went to Denmark for a year on exchange and now thinks he's half-Danish. Can speak Danish reasonably fluently. He yearns for opportunities to speak with Danish people and re-experience Denmark. I think he's saving up for a trip to Denmark in a year or so.
* Likes pandas a lot and has assorted panda paraphernalia. (I tried adopting a panda from WWF for him but their web form broke.)
* Enjoys cycling a lot. Also somewhat sporty, but he often needs an excuse (like a school sports team) to play
* Introverted and shy, but quite open and friendly to people he's familiar with
* Says he misses going out drinking; hasn't been to a bar in about a year or so. Doesn't drink much however.
* Likes Indian food; sometimes is more Asian than I am
* Likes to read, especially crime thrillers; Harry Potter fan

I've looked at sites like RedBalloon but nothing there seems to fit. While he is techy, I don't want to get him an iPod or other presents of that nature because I think other relatives will cover that for him. He knows I'm coming so I can't surprise him like I did this year!

I also don't have a lot of money (otherwise I would have bought him a plane ticket) but I could try talking to his mum (whom I'm close to) to see if we can work together on something.

Thanks folks!

posted by divabat to grab bag (12 comments total)

Carlsberg beer?

Danish is extremely difficult to pronounce intelligible for foreigners, so I'm quite impressed he has learned to speak it. What about Denmark interests him? That would help making better suggestions.
posted by flif at 7:19 PM on November 29, 2007

Haha, he drinks Corona mostly.

He loves EVERYTHING about Denmark. Seriously. There's no way to pin it down. The thing he misses most is conversation, though - there aren't many Danish people around for him to talk to.
posted by divabat at 7:39 PM on November 29, 2007

Can you cook at all? Because you could make him a Danish meal. There's also a Danish club in Brisbane, so maybe you could find out more about that... there might be people there who would be happy to speak Danish with him. One never knows.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:52 PM on November 29, 2007

Perhaps get him something from think geek or something from the Mozilla Firefox stall.

Or the best keyboard in the world, his colleagues will think him a god

Failing that, perhaps some back editions of New Idea featuring Princess Mary.

But boy, programmer, and as a boy programmer, I'd go for something from think geek.
posted by mattoxic at 9:42 PM on November 29, 2007

totally not helpful...... but i wish wish wish i had a gf that did that for me.... I hope you make his day :)
posted by boyinmiami at 10:13 PM on November 29, 2007

Balloon ride in Ipswich $295.
Skydiving at Toogoolawah $295
Steam train from Roma Street $15.40.
Winery tours various prices
posted by b33j at 10:24 PM on November 29, 2007

Perhaps a keyboard with the Danish/Norwegian characters æ, ø and å?
posted by iviken at 1:37 AM on November 30, 2007

FYI, pretty sure you can make a regular keyboard type Danish characters in International mode. I have used it to type in German and Arabic before, and I just looked... there's a Danish setting too.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:10 AM on November 30, 2007

Along the same lines as b33j, you could explore GoDo for random inspiration.
posted by d-no at 3:43 PM on November 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

mattoxic: that keyboard would drive him crazy. And yeah, he's memorized how to type the characters for Danish.

I should really contact the Danish club!! Maybe they could throw him a birthday supper with tons of flags or something.

Looking at GoDo now...thanks people.
posted by divabat at 7:14 PM on December 20, 2007

Ha! Five seconds after I post that comment, I read on the Brisbane Danish club that they'll be celebrating Fastelavn the day before his birthday. Perfect.
posted by divabat at 7:19 PM on December 20, 2007

Cool! :)
posted by miss lynnster at 8:02 PM on December 20, 2007