This Thing Called Love

As you may already be aware, Valentine's Day is coming. If you're not aware, then you must live on a mountain (with internet access) or in a boat (with internet access). Okay, I don't know what it's like in other countries because I live in a very small world (with internet access) but here in Singapore, Valentine's Day is widely celebrated commercially. A few days ago, I was at a mall and there were all kinds of incredible gifts sold as Valentine's Day gifts. I was totally sold and would have bought myself a bouquet of tiny teddy bears if it weren't so bloody overpriced.

So! I'll be selling my bags at red dot design museum this weekend and seeing how Valentine's Day is Monday which is the day after this weekend, I somehow expected to see some Valentine's Day theme in the MAAD program? Nope, nothing on LOVE. Which brings the topic back to moi. Did I make anything specially for Valentine's Day? Well, yes and no. I didn't want to do a heart applique thingy and all my bags are potential gifts one could buy for a loved one. hehehehe

So, are you one of those people who celebrates Valentine's Day? Well, that is, if you have someone to celebrate with. Do you even care about Valentine's Day? Do you feel horrible on that day if you don't get any LOVE?

Well, I asked me hubs if we're doing Valentine's Day and he said,

But we agreed we wouldn't do it. We agreed.

I guess I must have agreed. So, no. I didn't get any CK underwear for me hubs. Hope I don't get surprised on Monday because I really, really didn't get any CK underwear for me hubs.

All these talk about LOVE might get some of you um...depressed? So here's a little story to cheer you up. A long, long, long time ago, when I was maybe 16? A boy I knew decided to matchmake me with his friend. It was Valentine's Day and I was invited to a community club for something something. Now, you understand that until I was 21, I had very little understanding of the concept of dating or boy-girl thing. I was blur like sotong. If I was invited out for a meal, it meant I got a free meal. If I was invited to a movie, it meant I got a free movie. It never occurred to me it was a date!

So this boy, let's call him Diamond (actually his real name) decided to gift his best friend a date with blur Jane. And Diamond decided the best day to matchmake us was on Valentine's Day on a Saturday night. Except he failed to inform me of his little scheme. So suddenly I found myself the centre of this hulky looking boy's attention. Let's call him Johnny (actually his real name). And we all, I think 6 of us piled into Diamond's dad's car and drove to this community club.

Apparently there was a Valentine's Day thing going on at the club with drinks and food. (free food and drinks)  But the big event was a FREE STYLE DANCE COMPETITION which dear Johnny wanted to participate in.

You dance?

I asked Johnny eyeing his incredibly hulky body. You know the kind where inside is a puny body and he does like a thousand body building exercises every day and it grew to this hulky proportion. Yes, that kind.

Anyhoo, Johnny went to do the registration details and how this competition worked was the DJ would play some random music and call out a number (in sequential order) and the participant would just jump right in the spotlight and dance his butt out.

So it began. Man, it was impressive. The audience stood in a circle and the numbers were called and one by one these really, really incredible dancers dressed up in like in America's Got Talent kind of costume danced these slick moves inside the circle. Me and my surprise Valentine's date Johnny-boy stood side by side to watch. Then came number 9. The DJ called:

Number 9.
Number 9.

This went on for a long, long time. The DJ just kept on calling for number 9 and no one jumped in to dance. Finally I said real loud:

Number 9 chickened out!

Yes, you figured it out. Our Johnny-boy was number 9. He disappeared from the club for a very, very long time. And it didn't occur to me he was number 9 until every number was called and he didn't jump in to dance.

Anyhoo, we all went home later and Johnny-the-brave recovered sufficiently to walk me to my door. Before leaving, he gave me this ginormous Valentine's Day card. Okay, you know how in movies it's often protrayed how when a boy likes a girl the girl is flattered even tho' she's not into him? Well, that's not how it worked with me. If I even get a hint anyone is interested in me and I'm not into that person? I get nauseous. Violently nauseous.

Back to the card. Yes, it was a funny card and at that time, I was crazy about cards and had a huge card collection. So, to me, I got a card.

Days later, I ran into Johnny and Diamond below my flat and of course to me it meant I ran into them. What a coincidence. Then I kept running into them and finally one day Diamond realised I wasn't getting the message about the matchmaking and told me point-blank:

Johnny likes you!

I went completely drama and did this violent vomiting act to demonstrate just how much that repulsed me. Of course I was a complete idiot and did not realise poor Johnny was right behind me awaiting the good news. But at least it put an end to the stalking.

I wish that was the end of the sad story which I'm telling you to help you overcome your depression. A couple of years later, I was going thru' my card collection and I looked at the massive Valentine's Day card and realised that the main card on the front was an insert and had fallen out. That's when I saw the message written at the BACK of the insert.

I love you.

OMG. I seriously felt awful. And violently nauseous.

Now let me introduce you to 3 items I made yesterday.

Something nautical.

Another giant zip organiser.

Lastly, an Earthy Flower-flower One Wooden Ring Shoulder Bag. The fabric is from Kiyohara, now my fave brand.

Have a good weekend.