My thoughts on your two grammar concerns, Justine:
1. Which one is correct: “Happy birthday to myself” or “Happy birthday to me”?The expressions “Happy birthday to myself” or “Happy birthday to me” are both grammatically and semantically defensible but I think they are facetious—inappropriate joking or jesting or self-deprecating—and, seriously speaking, should only be said in utter disappointment by a birthday celebrator to whose birthday party none of, say, 50 or 100 invited guests who confirmed they would come actually deigned to attend the party.
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2. Somebody told me that there is no such thing as “as per” but only “per.” Is it grammatically right? For example, “As per section 2 of EO-21-A, all minors are advised to stay home during this period of national health emergency.” It should be “Per section 2 of EO-21-A, all minors are advised to stay home during this period of national health emergency.”That somebody who told you that there is no such thing as “as per” but only “per” is impetuously wrong. They have been both used legitimately to mean “according to” for a long, long time. “As per” seems to the vogue especially among lawyers; nonlawyers with not necessarily a pleasant legal mindset also tend to use “as per” to lend a dash or tinge of dubious authority to their claims or arguments. As for me personally, I would avoid the use of both “per” and “as per” as a matter of course and comfortably use “say”/”says” in both formal and informal statements, then use “as per” or “according to” only when I’m feeling waggish or nasty.
