You complete or complement me?

I will always remember Dr. Goh Chee Leong’s class on his advice about relationship. “You are only ready for a relationship when you are a fully developed person. Only when you are a complete as a person, you will flourish in a relationship.” That piece of advice influenced me till this very day. As opposed to many popular belief, people find a partner to complete them. To fill in the void where their weakness are. But this not true. YOU are responsible to making yourself complete and be better. If you depend on your other half to fill in your void, when will you grow? What happens when he/she leaves you? This is where some people end up 要生要死 because their other half left. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean you shouldn’t have feelings when your other half left, but you should not think it is the end of the world without your other half. Now the logic becomes easier if you are a fully functioning and complete person when you meet your other half. So it doesn’t matter with or without the other, you are still a capable person – able to live life to your fullest potential.

So ask yourself, are you complete as a person? What are your weakness? Do you constantly need someone to validate you, to brush your insecure self-esteem. Is there a part of you that you think you need to improve? Maybe you want to be a better leader, maybe you want to be more happy, maybe you want to be more confident. I can tell you this, nobody can do it for you – except yourself. Some roads are meant to be walked on your own feet. If you expect someone else to do it for you, you will forever be dependent on the other. Then, when will you grow? Even if the other half don’t mind doing all these for you – what if, along the way some tragedy brings him away from you, will you be able to survive? Never depend your happiness upon others. Your happiness should not be completed by others.

Now the question comes, “Then why do you need a relationship when you are a fully functioning person?” This is the part where I mean finding someone who complement you. Recently I came across an article. It says when you are a complete person, you are like a person who walks on a street. You could walk without a walking stick, you are capable too if you want to run, and you are comfortable walking alone. Yet, if you have a partner, you could do more. Perhaps you dare to run faster, and take chances. Because if anything fails, you know someone will be there for you. Perhaps he is your cheerleader when you in doubt, he is your caretaker when you fall sick and perhaps a confidant to listen to you as you walk on the lonely nights. Therefore, your other half, is that icing on the cupcake, sauce for your sushi, which complement you. With or without, you are a completed piece of meal. If this person never appear or left, you still able to live to your fullest like everyone else.

Take charge of your life, live to your fullest potential and most importantly – be happy.

Lessons about Money & Relationship

Cantonese people have a saying, money hurts relationship. This can be never more true. You can be the best power couple, but when we disagreement about money matters arise, it could turn pretty ugly. Either in separation or worst still divorced. Some couples fight over ways of spending (some feel that they should save more in future, some think they should spend it more, while some can give all hard earn money to family member when in trouble), some couple fight over who contributed more in the relationship (ex wife have bigger salary, so should contribute more in the household or have bigger say about ways of spending) and etc.

I remember when I was with my ex, there’s few things I did and did not address it over when it comes to money. Here’s my thoughts:-

  • Who should pay for the meal

I’m a strong believer the guy should pay for the meal, unless we were only normal friends, then I don’t even mind treating you. In my opinion, if you can’t even buy me a basic meal, then how do I expect you to take care of me in future? I remember telling him that dating shouldn’t be expensive, and we could date frugally and yet, be happy. Therefore, whenever he asks me where to eat, I say the kopitiam near his house also can. BUT, he on the other hand, once a while when I told him I will treat him out of my good will, devil horns will grow out and only eat best of the best. My mom say this type of people, 自己出钱就吃出眼泪,被人出钱就吃出大汗。I felt this is bad etiquette and even ungentlemanly for a guy. But before I could tell to him, he already left. I hope he don’t do that in future. So in my next relationship, I will still tell my partner the same thing, you are definitely going to pay for our dates, but let’s spend within our means and yet, be happy

  • Should he pay for your lifestyle too?

As for other expenditures which doesn’t overlap each other doing together such as your clothes, makeup items, toiletries, your gadgets, sneakers, then I think it is optional for him to pay for it but not a MUST. I mean, the girl should also be financially independent to be able pay off some some of her lifestyle expenditure. You can’t expect the man to pay off your debts and lifestyle. Like, spend how you would spend before you meet him. Again, girl should also live within her means and not be a parasite for the guy to pay for JUST EVERYTHING. Then, it is easy, people to see you as gold digger. If you expect your date to pay for your lifestyle also, then you should look for a sugar daddy, not a life partner.

  • Should we interfere in how we spend our money?

This question depends at what stage you both are in the relationship. If you are in a dating stage, where you both are not togather paying some loans, investment togather (even so, if your partner have been religiously paying his share of the loan), I think neither should interfere on how they spend their hard earn money. But if you both are married, and spending life togather under a shared income for the sake of your children, then I feel both need to sit down and discuss how they would contribute to the marriage. Ideally, I do not want a partner to be so petty with me where he should trust how I manage both our money together. But this level of trust comes from how you perform when you were togather. Are you a impulsive buyer, do you spend your money carelessly, etc. And, I feel both should never justify their power in the relationship based on their earning power. I believe both have equal say in how they spend despite the difference. That is because rationality is independent of earning status. When you earn more, doesn’t mean you make better decisions. Trump make stupid decisions too.

我哭了。。

Recently I have been humming and singing this song 很久以后 by G.E.M, whether I’m idly doing something or in the shower or watering my plants. Without knowing the lyrics, I liked it the moment I heard this song. So I went google about the lyrics, only to realize perhaps the song is projecting what I’m feeling at the moment subconsciously. Here’s the song lyrics:-

也許是不甘心 也許是可惜
也許無法相信 突然身邊再也不是你
能給的都已經給你 能做的都用盡全力
也許遇見你是種幸運 分開卻是天意不是不能面對 又不是十八歲
愛過你的年歲 心裡至少真的不後悔
也許會不捨會落淚 但得不到也許才珍貴
也許再等等就有人會 比我們匹配很久很久很久以後
當我抱著別個他的時候
是否我就能夠 對你笑著揮手
好久不見的朋友 換個角色 對你問候誰還記得我們 曾多奮不顧身
失去你的人生 我像一棵樹被拔了根
如果只能依賴自己 我只能逼自己更獨立
雨再大過了總會天晴 不過時間而已很久很久很久以後
當我抱著別個他的時候
也許我就能夠 對你笑著揮手
也許會釋然分手 是個出口
很久很久很久以後
當你牽著別個她的時候
我們這個傷口 也許不再難受
好久不見的朋友 祝福你們 直到永久只是怕可能 以後愛別人 無法像愛你那麼深
但愛到了盡頭 哭有什麼用 也只能接受
愛情裡一切莫須有很久很久很久以後
時間會把回憶慢慢偷走
此刻承受的痛 會慢慢變得虛構
不過就換了一雙 執子之手
很久很久很久以後
你我都各有所愛的時候
我們這個傷口 再也不會難受
好久不見的朋友 如果再見 微笑點頭

It basically it was a song referring to past love and meeting someone new. There’s one part the song writer express that it felt like a tree uprooted from the ground when the ex left – felt so lost being taken away from comfort and doubt if he/she will ever love as deeply in the next love. The moment I understand the lyrics this morning, I actually cried to it. This is exactly how I felt at the moment.

As my previous post, I have begin to start opening myself up to meeting new people. So far, after the Mr.B ghosted, I was so angry and just wanted to test if I’m really that undesirable in the dating space, so I tried out Facebook dating. It is a simple widget on facebook where they could help up matches for you within certain variable such as basic things like religion, age, height and living place. Pretty much like Tinder, but you could filter out the awkwardness of meeting friends who’s already friend to you on Facebook. Imagine, your colleague found you on Tinder while swiping faces. Akward righttt!You could also make the setting to meet people whom you have no mutual friends at all, but I felt that could put you to meet shady or fake profiles (yes I have 1000+ friends on Facebook, unless you live on top of a tree), very likely I would have some mutual friend with you.

Things aside, I have been chatting quite abit with a few people. Initially, I really prefer meeting people from Kuantan. But seriously, Kuantan man all like uncles or ah boy. Or worst, my school friend older brother. At one point I have to tell this dude to stop texting me politely, by saying we can play badminton together next time, but I can only see you as a friend. He texted me back, but I did not reply back because didn’t want to lead him on by giving clear signal. At least I did better than Mr. B from LA date (ghosted without a sign). Regardless, how lah my matchmaker could find me a potential match. I could only imagine the challenge I’m putting Jessie through. Ok Jessie, I feel you now.

So far, good matches for me are NOT from Kuantan. How lah. Mel, are you seriously looking into another LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP? Kuantan guys, where the heck are you? Kap kap yu lok linggggggg!

My Journey thus far with Lunch Actually

Remember how I said that I have strong feeling that my next relationship will be introduced by someone? So, at the begining of this year, I signed up at Lunch Actually. Considering the social circle I’m currently in, and how Mom’s been not proactively helping me to look for a match (TLDR: there’s this banker guy she think is quite a good guy, but before she could introduce to me, he already has to return to Ipoh), I decided to take things on my own. It’s Covid season, they are giving extra discount since most dates will be only meet thru virtually. Minus the fancy dining, and F2F interview in their center, they are giving me a discount for 3+1 dates for about RM2K.

The first person to contact me from LA was Rene. TBH, I felt comfortable talking to her about my ideal match compared to Dateworks. Also with dating agency’s help, I feel more secure knowing someone as the agency will verify those people who register with them, and most importantly, they get to ask difficult questions which you would not able to otherwise ask in a normal social setting (IE: are you planning to married in the next few years, what’s your income, do you plan to have children, etc). So I did tell Rene that I’m not looking for someone at the moment till say in April / May. And she told me that there is potential suitors from my hometown. That was in early Feb.

But after that, another girl took over from there, Jessie as my matchmaker and Rene the sales coordinator. She gave me a quick call last week and told me she has a match for me. I told her I did inform Rene that I’m not ready to meet someone right now, but she insisted that I should give it a try. So I gave in. Then come to yesterday she called me that she has this guy for me, say he’s friendly, educated, caring, family guy, he is from KL. I did dully inform them that I wanted to meet someone from Kuantan. But still, Jessie urged me to get to know him. So ok lah, I agree. Last last, because we both cannot schedule a time, so Jessie created a group chat for us to chat and that’s it. Then she told me that this wouldn’t be counted as a date, but just to know a friend. Oh, well.

I’m not in hurry to meet someone, but maybe she has KPI to fulfill, or the other party is urgent (but I’m sure there’s more girls than guys in any dating agency), so I really don’t understand what’s the rush here.

So far, no red flags with the guy, well mannered and quite conver-sy; but I’m not sure if Lunch Actually could deliver their promises actually. It is a shame that the person that I bought the program, wasn’t the SAME person who match-make my matches. I hope good things turn up well from there – fingers crossed!

p/s: but I really tired of long distance r/ship! I want to meet someone from the same area and settle down.