valentine’s day – Jade Seah

Valentine’s Day Thoughts | Jade Seah 2019

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕

14th February gets a bad rap for being cliché, commercial and lame, but I don’t care, I love it.

I think it’s nice to have a day dedicated to love, and it’s not a day just for lovers; it’s also a chance to express love to your nearest and dearest, like your family and friends.

Perhaps it’s because I was in an all-girls institution for the ten formative years that are primary and secondary school, but I remember Valentine’s to being Friendship Day in school; the crafty ones would weave friendship bands and make trinkets, the more literary would write letters and cards and many would buy sweets and little gifts to give to other girls in school. It was nice. I still have some of those cards, letters and little gifts too!

I honestly remember most of my Valentine’s Days. Some spent with then-boyfriends who really went the extra mile to make the day special. Even though we’ve all long moved on, I’m still thankful to have been blessed with them for that time in my life, and it makes me smile.

Some spent single and ready to mingle. I went out with the girls and I remember laughing at lovey dovey couples and pledging our love for ourselves and for each other.

One spent crying because I had just broken up with someone days before the 14th of February. It was a lesson to treasure and cherish what I have.

One where an unexpected bouquet arrived from a not-so-secret secret admirer. I love floweres, but I really encourage men not to spring for flowers on this day because they’re so much more expensive(!) (sorry, my florist friends Elyn & Yilian! I can’t help that I have an inner practical streak), but it was quite a lovely surprise, and a beautiful bouquet.

Another where flowers arrived so unexpectedly when the husband (then boyfriend) was based in New York. There was a 12 hour time difference and while we spoke twice a day, he never even mentioned remembering the 14th, and then I opened the door to this cheery box of blooms. Way to make my day!

It doesn’t matter whether a fancy candlelit dinner (extra points when the food is stellar and there is a view), Japanese food (here’s the trick, at least a couple of years ago – because Japanese food is not considered “romantic” like Italian or Western cuisine in general, you will not be subject to overpriced set menus, which are a nightmare for picky eaters like yours truly) or a KFC picnic (one of my favourite Valentine’s dates, actually – bonus was the live band and beautiful Valentine’s Day set-up…all for free! Thanks, NParks!), I’ve found that it truly is the company that makes all the difference.

So couples, no need to spring for something fancy if it’s over your budget. Effort and thoughtfulness go a waaaay longer way, and I think I speak for most girls when I say that. Write a letter, make a scrapbook, put together a snack hamper…even fold some hearts.

To the Valentine’s haters – and I know that this has no co-relation to one’s attached status (but sadly, seems to have a co-relation to one’s perceived age) – instead of b**ching about Valentine’s Day and throwing negative vibes around, how about buying a small gift/writing a little note or even just dropping a loved one a text to wish them and let them know you’re thinking of them this day?

This day dedicated to love, it’s only as cliché, commercial and lame as you choose to make it.

And even then, is being basic and cliché every now and then such a bad thing?
We’re way too young to be too cool.
I know I am. 😎

#bringontheflowers
#andcandy
#andchocolate
#andfoldedpaperhearts
#andheartshapedanything
#andorigamistars
#andoopsthatlastoneshowsmyage
#sorrynotsorry
#onlyasoldasyoufeel

Happy Valentine’s! ❤
.
.
.
.
.
Dedicated to my granny in heaven. Still as loved as she always was.

February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 by Jade Categories: StoriesTags: valentine's day, valentine's, love, happy valentine's day, valentines 2019, jade seah valentine's day, valentines jade seahLeave a comment

Why I Love Valentine’s Day

How was your Valentine’s Day? I know this holiday has a bad reputation for being overly commercialized; a time when flowers, chocolates, food and anything remotely ‘romantic’ and ‘gift-like’ is overpriced. While I think the holiday has been somewhat bastardized by clever marketing people/opportunists cashing in on romance, if you sit down and think about it, the idea is a lovely one – a day set aside to let the people you love and care about know that you love and care about them. (I think about songs like ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’ – excuse the sappiness!)

Ironically, typically ‘romantic’ gestures, while sweet, don’t really do it for me. I mean, I like chocolates and love flowers and teddy bears as much as girls are ‘supposed’ too – I think the stereotype is what I find most annoying! I honestly really do love chocolates, flowers and especially, teddies though. I appreciate when a man goes the extra mile to do something ‘romantic’ – in this category are the Hollywood cliches of what those are; running in the rain to look for you (haiyoh, sure to fall ill after); proposing in Paris on or near the Eiffel Tower (together with 899 923 123 123 other people before him); 99 roses (hopefully nicely arranged); a roomful of balloons (hopefully none of them pop). I just have two problems with the whole thing: I think Valentine’s Day should be about showing people you love and care about how much you do, and that surely goes beyond your partner. I think it would be nice if we told our family and friends that too. Also, people complain about how commercial the holiday is, but the demand for overpriced roses/chocolate/teddy bears on the 14th of February is obviously there because people are still buying!

Maybe ladies should take the lead on this and tell your man not to go mad with the ‘romantic’ purchases. While many men do it because they really just want to show their ladies their love on this day, many also do it out of ‘fear’ – there seem to be quite a few demanding ladies, and there is intrinsic pressure on their men to ‘deliver’. To digress slightly; a girl once told me her man got her friends and family together so he could propose in front of them, which I thought was sweet. She however expressed some disappointment that he didn’t propose atop the Eiffel Tower – her definition of how a ‘romantic’ proposal should be.

My man was overseas last year and he surprised me with a flower delivery because he couldn’t be around, which I do admit, really brightened my day (although I am sure they were massively overpriced!). This year, I told him to please not spend money on flowers as I can now arrange my own. This is the arrangement I did for my mum, who loved it!

I had to work on Valentine’s, which suited me just fine. Met the ladies from Wing Tai to talk work over tea at TWG, and they were so sweet, and so thoughtful – gave me a Valentine’s Day gift when they really didn’t have to. It was so unexpected and sweet! To me at least, the best gifts are unexpected.

Had a simple but meaningful dinner at home with my man, before heading out to host an event later that night.

Let me know how you spent yours! And remember that it’s never too late to let your loved ones know you love them.

“If Tomorrow Never Comes”
Sometimes late at night
I lie awake and watch her sleeping
She’s lost in peaceful dreams
So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark
And the thought crosses my mind
If I never wake up in the morning
Would she ever doubt the way I feel
About her in my heart

If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she’s my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face this world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes

‘Cause I’ve lost loved ones in my life
Who never knew how much I loved them
Now I live with the regret
That my true feelings for them never were revealed
So I made a promise to myself
To say each day how much she means to me
And avoid that circumstance
Where there’s no second chance to tell her how I feel

So tell that someone that you love
Just what you’re thinking of
If tomorrow never comes

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014 by Jade Categories: StoriesTags: valentine's day, vday, v-day, valentine's, romantic, flowersLeave a comment