frocked up

It was love at first sight, but you belonged to someone else. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. I didn’t even know your name.

Twelve years later, I finally have you in my arms.

This is the story of how I met my favourite dress.

When a friend purchases an item that you also like, you must resist and practise good retail etiquette by waiting, as it is impolite to copy. You need to give it some time before quietly acquiring the same piece.

Sadly, I waited too long, and my dream dress was sold out. Years flew by; Review rebranded from their vintage green labels to the pastel pink tags, and even after thousands of releases and styles, that classic dress never left my mind. There were other garments that I adored, but none could capture my heart the same way. I never got over that elegant gown; it totally frocked me up, and I thought I would never see it again.

Until one fateful night, we reunited on the wonderful World Wide Web - a magical place called eBay.

nine

Sometimes I question why we hung on when it would have been so easy to scratch us off as a bad bet, an unlikely pair, and a doomed romance. When breaking up was a feasible, or even a desirable option, under the green exit light with a 'not meant to be' neon sign.

It still baffles me as to why you stayed when my immaturity and pettiness spiralled out of control and stabbed you without mercy. When I wore attitude and irrationality that weaved like ribbons in my hair, threatening to strangle you before you could respond. When I pressed and punched your buttons, yanked and pulled your tolerance chain like a raging pit bull. When I pushed your patience to new levels and showed no trace of godliness. When my craziness almost drowned us, you persevered and lifted me up for air.

By God’s sovereignty and strength, He sustained and carried us through every good and bad fight we ever had, every speed bump, every pang of jealousy, insecurity, or moment of doubt that came our way. By God’s grace, we got a glimpse of our future instead of just wondering what we could have been. Maybe wondering is like looking a gift horse in the mouth. My gift is you, make no mistake. You are my true north, voice of reason, leader, and best friend. You’re the Han to my Leia, Marshall to my Lily, mate to my soul, and the happily ever after to my ending.

Thank you for pursuing me daily and for always chasing my heart. I might be hard to love at times, and being married to me is probably not easy, but it’s certainly fun.

Happy 9th wedding anniversary, RD!

life's a beach

My childhood beach trips involved dozens of loud relatives, an old minivan with ripped leather seats, soggy pork rolls, homemade sticky rice, cold roast duck, an ugly second-hand op-shop swimsuit, a communal wet towel, more freckles, dirty public toilets, and sand everywhere... Needless to say, those were not fond memories, and I disliked the beach because it was chaotic and messy.

As I grew up, I held a grudge and sulked in the car while my friends made pit stops at different beach spots during our road trips. I wasn’t completely against the whole beach idea, since I enjoyed walking along the seashore at night when it was empty, clean, and peaceful, with only the sound of the ocean waves crashing.

Now, my children love the beach, so how could I possibly hate something that makes my family so incredibly happy?

talking to the moon

My earliest memory of missing someone was when I was fifteen. It was my first boyfriend (I use the title loosely, since we only went out on one memorable date and saw each other three times during our forty-four days as a couple). So, of course, I missed him terribly when my family camped on Fraser Island during the school holidays. 

While everyone snored rhythmically in their tents, I lay outside on the sand, stargazing. The single lopsided moon distracted me from the hundreds of stars twinkling in the vast, infinite sky. The sad thing about stars is that, to the untrained eye, they’re identical and only beautiful in a cluster. The moon, however, is special - it stands in solitude and looks over those who are equally lonely. It was then that I realised we could be anywhere in the world and still be looking at the same moon.

As a nostalgic person, I often reminisce and miss certain people. During those quiet moments, I wonder if they’re also gazing at the melancholy moon.