At The Beginning With You

Life is a road i wanna keep going
Love is a river i wanna keep flowing

Just finished watching the Game of Thrones Season 6 final episode with him.

Yes, he is my boyfriend, known as Sayang. This is the 2nd time we have a movie/tv date together. It felt great. The time difference and family/job commitments mean we can have little time for such dates together.

I never thought i would have the chance to fall in love and having someone to love me back in return. It still feels like yesterday when i saw a long unknown number +44xxxxxxxxx texted me with a 'Hi'. Soon later, i received another text from my friend informing the confused me that the person is her friend, whom i can seek out help when i go to UK for exam later in the year.

I replied with a polite 'Hi' and carrying out the normal get-to-know-a-new-friend conversation with him. What I didnt know is from that day onwards, the exchange of our texts never end and I will receive at least a text message every day from this guy. 

He becomes an important part of my life.

He is kind, talkative, vibrant, interesting. He was training so hard for his coming run. He has already lost about 16kg that time. He told me he has conquered the highest mountain of the South East Asia region by his sheer determination, despite being the last few of the group he made it to the top. And then i found myself signing up for the gym, going to the gym everyday and sweat it out. I want to prove to him that well i can lose weight too, just that i was too lazy. I have never really tried to lose weight before in my life - a week of restricting my diet was the most that i have ever endured. 

I thought this new friendship will go on like how it always does - initial sparks of interest with many topics followed by period of quiescence before the next conversation restarts after a while. Turn out it didnt. He would always talk to me, checking out on how i am doing. That's a brilliant trick to get me dependent on him. I would be agitated if he didnt text me at all but i always pretended i didnt care. Having no expectations means you are less likely to be hurt. 

Until one day he sent a picture. In the picture i saw many small rocks arranged based on my name. I was thinking shit is this real? Does he really fall for me? After all we are just online friends who have never met. Probably just a couple of phone calls. He would stay up late to give me morning calls. How is it possible to even fall in love with me right? Being a Brit he knows how to flirt and i always reminded myself not to be tricked. 

He asked for video call a month before I flew to UK for my exam. I agreed to it mainly because to let him know how i look like in 3D not in facebook pictures so that he can recognize me and pick me up in the airport. I was still in disbelief or denial that this online fling cant be true. But he has finally asked - can you be my girlfriend? My answer was - until i see u in person and i will decide then. 

I worked hard and managed to shake 10kg off my body before i slowed it down and focused on my exams. I was excited and at the same time worried on what will happen after i see him in person. Will he like me? Will i like him? What if we are not meant to be? It would be so awkward to stay at his place! But i want to try. Does it worth the price? I do trust him so it would be fine i guess. I trust my friends who introduced him to me too. They said it will be fine. So I should be fine ok. These are all the anxiety i had on top of the stress for exams. Didnt know how i went through it still. Why are there so many butterflies in my stomach?

The day finally came. The day im going to fly to UK. My mind was split into half. Half excited and worried to see him and half stressed for exams. I wasnt focused so when the officer asked me to clear the water off my favourite water bottle during the screening check on my carry-on bag, i drank the whole 500ml of water at the check-point. My stomach was bloated from the mixture of McD breakfast and the bulk of water. The flight was so empty that almost every passenger can have a whole row, and i stupidly moved myself to the middle part which has 5 chairs connected as i wanted to lie down for the coming long haul flight. The flight wasnt good with much turbulent. My stomach started to churn at 6 hours into the flight and i threw up for the first time in the toilet. That didnt end of course, as it was only less than half the 13 hours journey to UK. I had 7 more hours to go! Those flight attendants were trying to help by giving me cheese and lemon water, but they refused to give me the medication that i needed saying that i already vomited and it wouldnt work. And guess what? I vomited for 7 times in total while i was on the flight. 

I would imagine a lovely first meeting with the guy i want to impress so much. I would walk up fresh to him, throw out the biggest shiniest smile i have and charm him as much as i could while giving a warm hug. The best first impression that i can give. Or maybe i will run and jump into his arms. However the sad harsh reality is a bitch. I had the worst motion sickness in my life (i was doing fine when i flew to Aussie for 8.5hours). I was so dizzy and worn out. My hair was a sticky mess. My mouth stinks. I was too tired to even pull a smile let alone hugging. The butterflies in my stomach all gone with the vomitus i let out during the flight.

So none of those beautiful things happened. I just remembered i walked and walked trying to look for a familiar face and my eyes met his. I was happy that finally someone can help me carry my luggage i was too weak to carry! No hugs maybe a little dry smile. Poor thing he tried to talk to me in the subway but i was resisting the next wave of vomiting urge i mainly stayed silent all the way. I couldnt hold any longer so during the transit after we got out of the train i finally vomited again, the 8th time. OH MY GOD this must be the worst first impression that i can never imagined myself giving to the guy who said he likes me. Vomitting at the first sight. Not fairy tale of love at first sight. I really wanted so much to dig a hole and hide in there, but i had to get to his house and rest.

In my silence we walked to his house, down the long street where he held out his hand and i grabbed his. It wasnt awkward, it just felt natural like how things supposed to be. He continued to introduce things around him and i just listened in silence. I cant talk much because i might start to vomit again.

I was well taken care of. I had a hot shower, and took his bed. He was actually waiting for me so we can have dinner together but he ended up eating something simple alone because i will vomit if there's any liquid or food in my tummy. Oh such a poor thing sorry :(.  I was well rested, and next morning he cooked me noodles. First time in my life some man other than my dad cooked for me! Luckily i didnt vomit again, i would feel really bad throwing up the food cooked by someone who loves u. There we are, as a couple finally when he asked again.

Our first date out was at a Japanese restaurant. He drove me with his car which has the exact same number with my identity card last four digits number. How is there so much coincidence? The next day when i flew to Edinburgh on my own for the exam, we made it official on Facebook that we are in a relationship.

We spent an amazing week in london after my exam. We held hands in the cold winter street. I wore dress for him in the cold winter night when we went to GEM concert for free. His first concert ever! He said he would never sing as he always sing out of tune but when the song came, he looked into my eyes and sang along the song 'Hei Foon Lei' as we held hands. He guided me through busy subways. We fed each other. I would embrace him from his back when he cooked for me. We fought and we reconciled, getting back together stronger. He mixed well with my friends, i mixed well with his. On the cold winter mornings we would just cuddle away. He introduced me to his family. We went to the eye of London, Big Ben, and Tower Bridge. He told me his stories of growing up in the underground tunnel on the way to his college uni. We kissed at the train station while waiting for train after i made sure no one around. We kissed goodbye at the Heathrow airport before i flew back to Malaysia as i no longer care how others would look at this parting couple. The winter was not so cold with his arms around me. It felt surreal that this is finally happening, the person that i texted day and night for more than 7 months is next to me as my boyfriend. 

He told me to keep a diary as he does. But i dont have so many things to write for every day. I will only write for important memories like this. Our first meeting. It went way too opposite from what i'd imagine. But the love is real. It just flows and we merely follow it. There are many challenges ahead of us. He would always assure me we will go through this together. And i believe in him, believe in our love that is strong enough against all odds. 

I miss you so much Eric Cheung. 

Happy Birthday!!!

So here's the link to your next clue --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG8bXrMBbtk&feature=youtu.be

You are almost there!