Thursday, November 22, 2007

Love is perhaps in the air

There were times that i dont think I'd ever have a requited love. Those were the times that I was feeling inferior for some weird reasons.

And then I found my true potentials, and things just keep going on and on.

My times in Bradford were those of:

  • Knowing that I am an international person with international (middle-east, indian subcontinent and mediterranean) built physique
  • That I knew that I was not actually different, I was just not cut as a typical , far-east small-built people. It wasnt my fault that I was bigger than many of them, its just that i was not exactly appreciating what I am.
  • having friends who patiently trying to open up my eyes of how wonderful it is to be a real woman in our own way
  • finding myself fitting in a more global society easier that I thought and blending well with the locals
  • going around the european countries for a month on the euro-interrail backpacking with my closest friend, and she still is one of my closest friends. One of the most unforgettable challenges was to learn a new language as quickly as possible before reaching a new country with the help of that Thomas Cook phrasebook
  • Met a cute Hungarian man who then became long distance good friend and we still keep in touch
  • made friends over the net with a French lad from Pirey, who then found his love while visiting me there (in bradford) and we are also still friends
  • When i thought I had my first ever proper boyfriend (SH), who then left me just after 3 months we hooked up due to geographical separations and incompatibility
  • Met with another guy while still dating that ex-boyfriend, SH and he fancied me so much. But I left him on the account of loyalty to the ex and on different grounds (that he deserved a girl who truly loves him)
  • Going to the cinema was one of the social activities amongst us undergraduate students. Titanic was the first ever movie i watched in the cinema during winter 1997. I've never been to a cinema even in malaysia before that.
  • Just like that Wannabe-spice girls song and so does my friendship that never ends with most of the chem-engers bradford as well as some of those in the MISG society.
  • It's where I obtained my first degree and my graduation was on the 8th July 1999, one bright, beautiful summer day.
  • Got to know and fell in love with London
  • Had my first kiss in London with SH.


My times in London were that of:

  • Progressing myself in my chemical engineering knowledge
  • Learning about people, about men more and more
  • My first encounter with politics in the department
  • Went out on a date with men of different races, creed and background
  • Moving around the city almost effortlessly doesn't matter by the public transport as well as driving around
  • living on my own
  • had some fallouts with friends
  • Still in touch with many ex-college friends, where some of them are already confidants
  • people perceived me as a local girl
  • living on a more posh lifestyle
  • rubbing shoulder with the movers and shakers and those Hollywood celebrities
  • emancipation and liberation and my own prerogative
  • Growing up and embracing the true me
  • had my taste of the first proper commitment with the bengal dude for almost three years (first half in the UK and remaining time in malaysia)
  • having a sensible gay-radar
  • Found a reluctant soul mate in H
  • Had mugging experience twice, first managed to retrieve my wallet and the second, I had to lodge a police report for a total loss of the wallet (together with my old IC before that mykad, ,driving license, bankcards etc and a 10pounds note).
  • Summer was not a long holiday for me, as I still continued on working on my PhD braving through the sweltering heat and long days.
  • French friend came visiting me from time to time all the way from France till he decided to do his Masters degree in UCL and we got to meet more often. And on his graduation day, he invited me to join in the ceremony.
  • Hungarian friend came all the way from Budapest with his then boyfriend during his gay-switching year. He now switched back to being heterosexual and finally made it to dentistry school in Romania. I love him dearly and I hope he can come visit me here in malaysia one day.
  • Fun years in general. I miss London and it will always be my second home.


I've always prayed that whomsoever will be my future boyfriend, will be better than the previous one otherwise it will not live up to my higher standards. I dunno if i actually found one but deep inside i think i do. And especially on the fateful Tuesday night, 20 November 2007, I think now i have understood what Abang Idham and Kak Ruby have been telling me in my previous entry's comment.



When I watched one of my favourite movies: When Harry Met Sally, there was this moment when Sally cried silly having found out that her ex, Joe got married to a girl whom he knew for a short while. All those promises Joe made to her like flying to Rome the next day, and so on never really took place and this reminded me of my other ex, Bengal dude(BD). Except that I don't feel like crying over the ending of the relationship even though he has declared that he is now going steady with another girl. I used to cry for all the uncertainties I had over the years I spent with him (BD) and trying to deny by convincing myself that things will get better somehow. Deep down, i know that BD does not deserve me and the little pride inside me that I can get any single man I want if I want it. Not a big deal. Because I know I am worth it.



May God ease our efforts to learn to love each other more and more.....And one day I would like to hear him (MJ) telling me he loves me from the bottom of his heart on a really special occasion. I've been in and out of relationships, mostly flings, yet I am still able to fall in love once again. Somehow, i dont think I have someone to call my first love yet I remembered my first date back in 1994 and that i shed a few tears for him. I remembered who was the first man ever to give me a bouquet of roses in 1993. I remembered my first kiss in London. I remembered my first time being totally in love in the end of 1999. I remembered my last crush back in 2003. And man have I kept my memories on so many things ups and downs in my life including this Italian man who gave me Aqua di Gio (one of my favourite perfumes) as a present and a token of friendship in summer 2001. On the other hand, MJ can never forget his first love to a woman from within his immediate families (first cousin or something like that) and she has already married with kids. He told me that he can learn to love a new person in his life even though it will take some time.



These three songs are like describing what I feel, somehow, someway:


Song #1: Dealova by Once (on-che):





Song#2 : One of my all time favourite love songs: All my life , by K-Ci and Jojo:






Song#3 :Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack: When I fall in love, by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin:





Good thing my works, research and so on kept me away from being angau (hopelessly thinking) of him except in a good way, like a muse to me. And strange enough, I have found some strength not to utter those "i love you" words to him too. Perhaps i was being careful not to hurt myself with melodramatic, hopefulness moments. What is it to expect anymore? Hope can be tiring but i rather put it into a more positive perspective. Somehow I tend to compare MJ/his situation with those men I would call my old flames and it only made me taking some precautions not to repeat any silly mistakes i have done. I was just being analytical. After all, I am a natural researcher.

14 comments:

Makji Esah said...

hamboi manal....memori daun pisang nampak?

ManaL said...

a ah la Makji ...

sekali skala layan blues....itu macam laa.... :-P

The Pisces Man said...

Hmmm... your ex SH tu from which geographical location laa..?

Find it hard to imagine how you define improper boyfriend? hahaha..

You rubbing shoulder with Hollywood celebrities? which ones?

Mel Ija said...

LOVE is a very simple word, but no one really understands what it means. Those who know the meaning of LOVE, congratulations to you for discovering the meaning. To those who have not, don't despair. The meaning of LOVE will eventually come... one day...

hazlindakim said...

I cannot resist commenting about the mother-daughter relationship because like you, I'm suffering it too myself. Some days it bothers me that I am not close enough with Mom but I'm beginning to realize that if it is going to happen, it will happen and forced bonding between us is not going to work.

Hope you have better luck!

RoZy said...

Fancy a coffee session one of these days?
- Id -

ManaL said...

The Pisces fella,

U really wanna know? try NW postcode in london, zone 3, north jubilee line and not very far from the wembley stadium.


Boyfriend? It can be as improper as it may be. Take for example a guy who only wanna hook up with a sexy, brilliant girl for a clean shag.


The list are endless,but it cudve been more than that given the time!

ManaL said...

Ija,

L.O , L.O., L.O, L.O. V.E....(ashlee simpson's version of how to spell l.o.v.e)

U r right, it aint that easy to love a person forever regardless of any shortcomings, come rain or shine, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer....Nevertheless, it is one of the most wonderful things bestowed by God to all humans. When we love God unconditionally, we will find in our heart the meaning of true love, i reckon so.

It aint all rosy, it hurts like hell, but it also cheer us up in a blink of an eye so to speak.

ManaL said...

Linda ,

By the way, can I call u linda?

The thing is we DO love our mother to bits. Perhaps its about time for them to be more sensitive with our feelings too. If u have watched the movie:"Joy Luck Club", more often than not, mothers tend to justify whatever they say as some sort of a motivation to push their daughters to be better. Niat diorang baik but if it invoked some humiliation for no apparent reason wotsoeva, i think mothers need to be able to shut themselves up too lest they are looking for more dramas. Tapi, ape2 pon, I love my mother so much despite what had happened between us. She only needs to remind herself that she aint talking to a teenager.

ManaL said...

Rozy,

Hmmm...sounds uncannily familiar...where did i hear that from?

Yeah, why not....

Unknown said...

Hi Manal,

It is wonderful to be in love.

BUT please understand this dear girl..ha ha..I'm playing big sister here! When one really gets into true love then only, one will realise the truth of 'Love and Sacrifice is synonymous'.

Being in love is not what we see in movies (ada lah sikit2 ha ha)..it is more than that. It is quite a package of the good the bad and the ugly.

Love can only stand the test of time with that understanding.

Unknown said...

Oh Manal thanks for the mention. I pray things will work out insy.

ManaL said...

kak Ruby,

Sentimental at heart gitu, kak ruby bila tengok some movies and listening to some songs that invoked a certain kind of feelings...

Am I in love yet? kak ruby, i dont think so laa...it's this phase i would call it: suai-kenal :-D . Sounds sooo like in the beginning of hostel life kan?

Speaking of a certain philosophies in relationship, i was bemused when MJ told me last night that a relationship is based on "completing each other". It began with a little argument on when should we see each other and after i've told him of what i felt regarding the little misunderstanding, he went silent in the middle of our dinner. Not wanting to prolong the silent treatment, i prodded him to speak. It was then that he said that it was better to wait until I cooled down first so as to avoid any unnecessary rebuttal and that one of us should remain calm.

For once, i admired his maturity. And there goes another suai-kenal phase of ours which ended up in peace.

I am very grateful for your advices. It sort of acted like a "gentle" reminder to me that even though we do know how to handle suc things, sometimes emotions overrule our mind.

Somehow, this feelings of knowing someone cares for us makes us feel younger?

ManaL said...

Kak Ruby,

That "completing each other" has always been my sort of an ideal concept of a relationship, and when he mentioned that, I actually find it rather sweet (more like relieved) knowing that I have never discussed about this to him before. It's like knowing that we understood each other and read each other's mind without the need to spell it out.