I was reading through my old diary entries recently, and realized two things:
ONE: I was such a DORK!!
TWO: Every single diary entry had something to do with boys
I would blab on about my “crush” in each entry, and I somehow managed to constantly find new boys to ‘crush’ on and write about.
I was 11 years old when I had my first crush. He was an American boy who came to visit for a while. I was completely smitten and sent him a love poem when he left, only to get back a ‘let’s be friends’ note. I was heartbroken, but I got over it pretty quickly when I met my second crush at the age of 12.
Crush #2 was the first guy who ever rang me. Back then we were still using home phones. We would arrange a time for him to call every day, and I would wait by the phone at that exact time. If someone else (like my grandma) happened to pick up the phone, he would hang up and keep calling again until I was the one who answered. I still remember my family discussing a ‘prank caller’ who kept calling at 6 pm. Oops.
We hardly got to meet because I was too young to go out on my own (according to my parents). After a short period, it became difficult to sustain a ‘relationship’ only through phone calls, and even more difficult for both of us to be free at the same time everyday. So things started to fade. Also possibly because I met my new crush.
From ages 13-15, I had a series of crushes. One of them had dimples. One was tall and played basketball. Another was someone I met in an online chat room. My diary entries were a roller coaster of emotions from “yay, he talked to me today!”, to “he hates me.. I want to die :(“
When I was 16, I finally had my first real date. I remember we went to the movies, and this guy who was 4 years older than me had “forgotten” his wallet. I paid for his ticket and mine. Halfway through the movie, he turned to kiss me. It was my first kiss and unlike what I saw in movies, there were no fireworks, no sparks, no butterflies, no nothing. It was just awkward and sloppy and unromantic. I remember feeling horrible as though my first kiss had been “stolen”.
That relationship only lasted for two months. We got together on Valentine’s Day, and broke up on April fools day :D
After him, I met a guy who would become my first ever infatuation and obsession. He was also older than me. We went on a few dates and spoke on the phone, but he wasn’t looking for something serious – which at that time I didn’t understand. I spent the next few years making it my “mission” to win him over.
Until I met someone else at the age of 19. He was my first real boyfriend, and we were together until I was 24.
After we broke up, I had a couple of rebounds, and one of them became my second obsession. Let’s call him frenchie. Many of my blog posts are about him: Of Side Orders and Casual Relationships, Of Unavailable Fries and Men, and Of ‘Limited Time’ Fries And Men, to name a few.
When I turned 25, I decided I need to get over frenchie, and so I got myself into possibly the worst relationship of my life. I wrote about him in Of Fries and Trusing Your Instincts and Of Fries And Hope.
At age 26, I got back to my obsession with frenchie, and it was an on and off thing for about a year.
Last year I was 27, and I had gone through a series of relationships I knew weren’t going anywhere.
I turned 28 yesterday, and it dawned on me that I haven’t been free of men for nearly two decades! It’s no wonder I started a blog about men.
I tried to think of the reason behind this.
Is it an act of rebellion? I grew up in a strict household and it was clear from the day I was born that the guy you date is the guy you marry. It seems like I was rebelling, but then I was writing my first name with these guys’ last names, so I must have been thinking about marriage to some degree?
Is it a way to escape? I wasn’t happy with the way things were at home, and maybe being obsessed with these guys gave me something to ‘escape’ to / daydream about?
Is it low self esteem and constant need to be liked?
Maybe it’s all of the above and more, I don’t know. All I know is after having discovered this pattern in my life, I am more determined than ever to break the pattern. I will no longer allow myself to become distracted or obsessed over men, or caught up in unnecessary drama that drains my time and energy. That’s my resolution for 2015 and the years to come. The other resolution is to cut down on my other obsession: fries.
You must be wondering what would become of this blog if I was cutting down on fries and men. Hah! I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out :)
What about you guys, what patterns have you discovered about yourself and your love life?
