just minishorts.

When I was 15 years old, I wasn't allowed to go out with guys at all. Valentine's Day was off limits, mind you. Even if I received a card from a secret admirer, I'd got to keep it underwraps… (I don't know about you, but my mum was pretty much anal about this.)

It's funny that I now recall this conversation that happened a little bit after Form 4. We had just got our PMR results, and Mum was telling me how important it is for me to focus on my studies.

'You must remember hoh, you cannot fall in love.'
'Huh?'
'All those guy friends you have, friend friend only okay. Cannot do funny things.'

Something in that vein. All the conversations I had with Mum would be steered towards THAT direction. As if I would do funny things with the guy-friends I had lah.

So even when I celebrated birthdays and the closer, platonic pals shared some dosh to give me a book, Mum would raise an eyebrow and ask me weird questions like, 'How come he gave you a book?'

'Errr… cos it's my birthday?'
'Yeah, and so?'
'So he gave me a book-lah.'
'You sure he's just a friend?'

Fast forward two years later, a bit after Form 5, when many of my girl-friends were dating guys already. Now I was still living in the no-boys zone, and Mum gave me a serious prep talk after I got my Form 5 results.

'Now let me tell you one thing. You're going into Form 6, and it's not a joke.'
'Yes Ma.'
'I know a lot of your friends are dating now, but I don't want that to happen to you.'
'All right.'
'Stop nodding like that.'
'What do you want me to do?'
'Promise me.'
'You think wanna date that means can date izzit?'

So what happened was this. No dates. Nada. I made friends of course, and hell. It's easy NOT to get a date when you look like I did. Ask Nick. He'd vouch for me that kind of nerd I was in high-school. All right, maybe if I can find some old photos I'll upload them in another post. Later.

Fast forward another two years, I got out of Form 6, and WAS SECRETLY dating someone. SERIOUSLY. I had to do it in secret, because a bit after the STPM, my mum gave me another prep talk. And then also, I was a wee bit of a desperate babe-wannabe, suddenly somebody finds me attractive enough to want to date me, so mah date date and see lah.

'Look I need you to know something.'
'Yes Ma.'
'You're out of school.'
'Yes.'
'And I don't want you in a relationship until you're 22.'
'WHAT?'
'You heard me.'
'But 22!!'
'I AM YOUR MOTHER AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME.'

So obviously I didn't listen. I, err, went on my very first official Valentine's Date, by telling Mum I was going out with friends. And the friends helped, of course. It wasn't until half a year later that I told her I was going out with someone seriously. She didn't exactly blow up. After that I was free to go dating I guess, and she'd be very very nosey about the guys I go out with.

…

Fast forward many, many years later, I'm in my … err…third relationship, I think. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.) Mum's so different now. She actually reminded me last week, that I had better get to buying that gift for Eric.

'It's Valentine's Day, dear. Have you bought your boyfriend his gift?'

How times have changed, no?

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