Love

Love.

A word that means many things, to so many people.

I love pasta. I love video games.

I love how candy store operators give out free candy to kids who they find to be cute and amusing.

I love seeing my cat stretch itself after it wakes up from a deep slumber.

I love watching the sun go down after a long, hard day at work.

These are all just different connotations of love. And how one perceives it to be, given the situation.

Of the many different connotations and emotions associated with this four letter word, there's act of love which is held in a higher, how shall we say...regard?

The act of falling in love.

After being in and out of love multiple times in the course of my life, I have finally come to realize the absolute difference between falling for someone and having a crush on someone.

The latter involves intense planning and determination.

The former just happens without you knowing it. It’s like being hit by a runaway train – in a good way of course.

Falling in love, is something that happens out of the blue.

Like walking into a local 7-11 and realizing that the girl behind the counter (which you have undoubtedly seen before, just never really noticed her) suddenly becomes that little bit special. Maybe she smiled in a way that made your heart skip a beat.

That’s just it. It happens without you realizing it.

But do something about it. Say something. Ask her name, the weather, how many cats does she have, whatever. Just make a conversation. You might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

But remember, always be a gentleman. Don’t be overzealous and never, ever be pushy. If she doesn’t respond well to you, more often than not, it’s not that she’s not interested; there are other factors to consider...

Your tone could’ve been condescending, she might be having a bad hair day, she just found out that she was gay... etc…

If you fail, try, try again.

Just because that person works in a sundry shop or takes the bus to work/college, doesn’t mean she’s not worth your time. Falling in love isn’t a conscious act. You do not CHOOSE to fall for someone, it just happens. So if you’re over there contemplating what she drives or who she knows or what she at for dinner, you’re thinking too much, therefore it might just be a crush, or a bad case of heartburn. Move on people.

And don’t fool yourself into thinking that the next guy/girl who passes you by and asks you out is the ‘next best thing’ either. Because if you don’t feel the chemistry the first time you’ve sat and talked to him/her, it’s not going to happen.

Given the time, it might happen, but that’s probably due to compromise. Which isn’t all too bad, it’s just that, compromise happens during the course of a relationship, not the courting period.

Butterflies are almost instantaneous. But butterflies only start to flutter about when you have actually fallen for that person, not when you’re desperately pining for that somebody, and stalking her from a distance. If the butterflies aren’t there, don’t let that turn you off either, cause when they do come (and they will if you’re in love), they bring their whole family along.

I almost threw up when my jitters and flutters came.

When it comes to love, the best option is to just wait.

You never know who you might meet given the respectful amount of time. But don’t be too picky either. People will know if you’re picky, and words will spread like wildfire.

Choose carefully, Yes, but don’t shoot everyone down like you’re Rambo on ecstasy.

Sometimes, when you’re lonely – and desperate – you do things which you’ll regret later on in life. I know of some people who are embarrassed to eat alone at lunch, or go to the gym alone, or watch a movie alone. Alright True Believers, do listen..

Everyone does it once in a while. We’ve all done the dating game. I’ve been hearing ‘Table for one, sir?’ for the past few months, and I’ve never once been ashamed to say, “Yes, I’ll have a table for one, but I’ll definately have friends over later.”

When you’re lonely, never, ever forget that you have friends who are always there to give you support. Go watch that movie alone. You never know who you might meet while you’re sobbing over Kung Fu Hustle.

Love happens when you’re least expecting it.

It happened to me.
And it can very well happen to you.

Remember, almost everyone has low self esteem. So don’t let that be the excuse.

I agree with Will Smith when he said that,
"Everyone wakes up in the morning hoping to be swept of their feet".

Maybe today is your lucky day. Go get that broom.

Cheers. :)





Edit: July 24th 2005. Three months later. Here's a posting of the last picture we'll (hopefully!) ever have together. To the best and greatest liar the world has ever known. Three Cheers. And a huge fuck you. :)