E: Happy Valentine's Day 2011!

Valentine's Day has been known for decades to be intoxicatingly lovely with couples strolling into opportunistic fancy restaurants, and perhaps you’ll see some of stragglers scurrying into crafty gift shops, taking out those Benjamins for heart-melting delights in forms of chocolate (milk, dark, vodka, mint, you name it), teddy bears, cards and condoms? Ain’t it sweet, this ardor celebration bringing out happiness in many, expressing affection to significant others and their sweet darlings.

Well, that would be so, if you’re not at the other end of the stick.

Also known as the Singles' Awareness Day, imagine (if you’re already not) you’re a singleton, this day would be a nagging reminder of the fact that you can’t seem to find the right one, living this day like it’s just another, nothing particularly exciting about it. In fact, prices for eating out become horrendous, worse still, if red or pink ain’t your color, V-day simply sucks bad. But hey, on the bright side, singleton friends associate with you and together, throw a party indoors, eat Papa John’s, downing Bacardi, then laughing and cursing at whim. Sounds fun either way, no?

So, here’s a shout out to my Valentines (yes, it’s plural and no, they’re real humans):

One bites my hands in frustration, a sign of affection,
Two doesn’t give a damn about rules, only direction,
Three’s the bubbliest anime fan, with love for dollars,

Four nags a lot, truly, a living Chinese Han scholar,
Five loves shoes and *inserting* sarcasms, who’s to be blame,
Six hears crickets (no more) and forever a small blood vein,
Seven is my loyal watcher, who adores simple things,
Eight’s falancha makes poking fun much more reinforcing.

Topping it off, my family remains the best of them all,
Friends, my closest buddies, kakilang, you, short and tall,

No tricks, discounts or heart breaks, and forever true I'd stay,

So here's "I Love You" and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Hat's off,

Vonnie S.