Only a handful of people know how X-T and I actually met. I’d promised to share our story today as we celebrate our first year together.

It was back in early May 2006, while I was recovering from a really bad heartbreak. My friends used to call me late in the evening to join them for late night drinks and to hang out with the single guys for supper. Since I’m quite a homely lady, I turn down most of their offer and would rather stay at home and just be alone. A close friend of mine even invited me to attend some match making sessions and I thought those are just pure nonsense. I told her, “Men!…they come in all shapes and sizes but deep inside them, they’re all the same....all filled with empty sweet promises.” So, at that point, I would rather be alone.

In actual fact, I am not a loner and I am quite chatty. I reactivate my ICQ chat program (I-seek-you) so that I can hang out with some online friends to pass my time away in the evenings. After 9 years of not logging into my ICQ account, most of my college year's ICQ buddies were no longer an active ICQ user now. Of course I met quite a few new chat buddies but I was a little skeptical that these people are real! I was even doubtful if the girls there a well....really girls! Ask Pinky's Enscribar!

I went out with groupies and sometimes dinner dates and movie sessions with a few single-no-girlfriend guys but well, as I mentioned earlier…the minute I sensed they’re trying to get closer to me, I ran and even stop picking up their calls! I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was just too scared to even think of having another man in my life. Soon, I stopped going out with anybody and only with the girls. Su, Ja and Jo was the three I hang out with soon after. I believe my mom must be worried sick I’m turning into a nun ;)

One evening, since I've no other plans…I log in to ICQ again just to chat with dear Pinky. Suddenly, X-T popped out from nowhere and said ‘Hi’. [Later, I was told by him that he was actually doing an ICQ search and he RANDOMLY found me!].

I can’t remember the exact sentences we exchange but somehow, I felt that there’s so much to share with this new stranger. Soon, we added each other in our buddy list.

We remain as Internet buddies until one day he called me out to watch a movie. I delayed his invitation for a week just to think over it and seek my parent’s consent ;p. I was wondering what if he’s a rapist? A drug pusher? Or maybe a serial killer? Who knows right?!

Surprisingly, my parents were supportive over my decision to meet up with X-T.

I took the courage to meet up with X-T. I went out with him just for a movie and coffee. X-T went out with me out of curiosity and I’m going out with him because of the Superman movie!. Now this is really silly. We even show each other our IDENTITY CARDS and DRIVING LICENSES just to be sure that we are who we claimed we are. I even asked for his business card just to be doubly sure!

We enjoyed our outings very much as X-T had so much to share but deep inside my heart, I can’t really trust him fully because after all, he’s just someone I got to know over the Internet.

One day, as Ja and I was on a girl’s night out at the mall. She asked me how’s life. I told her all about X-T, how we met and how caring he was to me. I remembered sharing to her how nice our outings were but still I can’t fully trust an Internet stranger. She patiently listens and by the way I described X-T, she thought of someone similar. She asked me about X-T’s family, their names and asked if his mother bakes the best pineapple cookies. She reconfirms the car X-T’s driving and his home address. Both of us we shocked to discover that X-T was actually her high school friend’s brother. In fact, I’ve heard about X-T way before we even met over the Internet through Ja and in the other hand, X-T knew about my existence and my past through his sister. Such a small… small world huh??

Being the playful me, I thought of keeping the secret from X-T for a few days but my friend Ja got a little too excited and spilled the beans. She told X-T’s sister and soon the family knows…including X-T! Well, lo and behold after that discovery, our level of trust has gained to another level. We actually knew each other way before we even met online. I felt comfortable hanging out and talking endlessly with him. I assumed we were just buddies, enjoying each other’s company. Dang, I was just too naive, he was actually courting me!

The night before I left for England for a short trip in September 2006, he drove to my house to say goodbye and somehow I felt that he acted weird that night. Thought it was just a short trip away from him, I was surprised to find out that I actually miss him a ‘little’. He stood at my door for quite a while, looking into my eyes as I stared at him. He gathered his courage and told me that he actually had feelings for me. I stood in front of him speechless with nothing much to say. I told him I need some time away just to check if I’m ready to be with him. I don’t want him to be my space filler just because I’m lonely.

Words cannot describe how I feel the moment I saw his face at the arrival hall the day I return from England. I guess it wasn't until he wasn't by my side, I realized that I was falling for him.

From that day onwards, X-T never failed to reassure, to love and to comfort me. It’s never easy to love me, a woman whom once betrayed so badly. I’ve learned to let go of my past. I believe all things works together for good because he has been such a blessing. If my past did not happen in such a way, I wouldn’t have found someone like him. A man who shows love by his actions rather than just talking nonsense. It was truly a blessing in disguise! *smiles*