Happy Valentines Day

Maybe because I never really had a wonderful valentines experience. Nobody really swept me off my feet with a grand bouquet of roses. Nobody gave me diabetes-inducing chocolates. There were no sight of huggable, gigantic, white bears, dogs, cats, elephants, and all sorts of stuffed animals to greet me in this love-filled day. My valentines so far has been bereft of sweet nothings, spine-tingling quotes and other charming stuff.

I find no joy looking at the number of people who busy themselves with preparations for this highly commercialized event. Just like how some of my pals feel, I see this kind of celebration too cliched and highly lacking in sense especially in the time of adversity.

But I don’t blame Pinoys’ psyche for going gaga over this kind of celebration. We are never called innate romantics for nothing. And Filipino men are never so loved and swooned over for no basis at all.
The thing is , I never lived a life like the "crush ng bayan", the natural charmers, the beauty queen materials or the simply fortunate ones who have somebody who likes them come valentines day. I’d probably say I’ve been used to love-less valentines, except for the love of family and relatives and close friends, that I was inured, apathetic and even averse to the celebration of the day of hearts. And so I confess that if I had been one of those who intensely fall for valentines tricks, I wouldn’t be this "bitter", if you want to call it that. I wouldn’t be critical at the sight of red roses and the fact that restaurants, which were not usually occupied now, have waiting lists for last minute dinner arrangements.

There would have been more room for understanding to people who labor for creative ways of expressing their love to their special significant other. But I haven’t had any of those for quite sometime. Yes, I must admit, I did have my share of the valentine’s fever. But they were unfortunately short of my expectation. The first was when I was in Grade 4 with a Grade 6 classmate of my sister. I was too overwhelmed and red with embarrassment then because my teachers and classmates never stopped their banter. Plus I was so afraid that my parents would find out of the early love strain or should I say, infatuation that befall on me. The second one happened when I was fully conscious of the event. I think there were no classes that day, so he came over at our place and with him were three red roses in a box neatly wrapped by ribbons. Both feel short of what my ideal valentines should be. After which, I resigned that my ideal valentines would never happen in the next few years in my reality.

I am never close to the idea that my ideal valentines would happen in this lifetime. It might come knocking on my door tomorrow. Maybe not just on the 14th of February. For what it’s worth, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! everybody.