Celebrations for anniversaries should never follow the stereotype shown on TV.

It was something Az and I agreed about. I mean, no matter how well-planned a date or celebration is, things are bound to go wrong. So, does either party become anal and sulk like a child at a thing unfulfilled? Or should the person who planned the celebration fret till his or her brain explodes?

Neither.

We celebrated our first year together today, spending the whole day together.

He came over in the morning to heat up sauce for the pasta he'd already cooked at home. Cream sauce with herbs mixed with mozerella is brilliant, though the saltiness could have been toned down a wee bit. But it was okay. It was nice seeing him busy himself at the stove again. *grins*

Exchanged our gifts after we finished eating (will post the pictures of them below). Then it was off to watch a show we've eyed since before it came out: Helen the Baby Fox. It was a Japanese production, a very simple show about a young boy who took care of a baby fox which was blind, deaf and mute. He taught Helen how to strive to live, and the show portrayed the importance of leading a fulfilled life. We were both gushing about the show for quite a bit after that.

After lunch, it was off to the Police Cantonment Complex to do some stuff. And then we hung around nowhere to spend time together, before heading to Newton Circus hawker center for our planned seafood dinner.

It was there that things went wrong a bit. We both really wanted to have seafood, and had been planning for quite a lot of months. But when we reached the place, it was barricaded, and we realized that either the renovated hawker center hadn't opened yet, or that the stalls weren't opened because it was a Monday.

Slightly disappointed, we still decided to work around things, and had just as good a time at Coffee Bean, sharing two muffins and drinks, and just reminiscing about old times, and how far we've both come.

The whole point of sharing what we did, is to show that though things might go wrong, the most important thing is not the anniversary nor the celebrations themselves. What is important is that each celebration together reveals a simple beauty in the time spent together, remembering and honoring what both of us went through together, and how we helped each other grow.

It is a joyful thing for any two people in a relationship, if they can one day say, "He or she is both my lover and my best friend."

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His gifts:

A collage of all the pictures we took, and times we spent together, made into a jigsaw. His letter is pasted at the back.


A t-shirt printed with the quote: "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." - Flavia Weedn.


8.1 megapixel Samsung camera. >.<

My gifts:

A dreamcatcher I made. A dreamcatcher was the first gift Az gave to me as a friend.


Sand art spraypainted in silver and decorated with a few plants and a shell. Words on it are: "Two strangers staring, yet each seemed familiar; common grounds formed from pain and fear." Lyrics from the song Az and I wrote.


Compilation of all of The Grey Path's entries until August 12, 2006. Our hand- and footprints were included. =)


My letter to him. Designed with feathers, a plant, and a snakeskin we both found.

Misc.:

Cairnhill Community Club: where we talked and decided to give things a try.


Our dinner. LOL.


Nice macro shot of a muffin by Az.


Dinner done.

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A simple celebration, a beautiful day.

Remembering and honoring...

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Added by Azri on 16th August 2006, 2030.

I honestly wanted to add something to this post, but after reading it again, I find there really isn't anything else to add. All I can say is this.

I think it's easy for one to say that the best things in life are the simple ones. Simple dinners. Simple meals. Simple outings. But what I find unfortunately in some relationships is that they use simplicity as an excuse to be a total cheapskate.

Now, it's not that I'm asking anyone to spend a lot on the other or on the relationship. I think it's a little too much to think that a relationship is dependent on the amount spent. Hell no. I think what people need to really do, is find the real meaning of simplicity.

Yeah I know it's a little too easy to just say it. Truth be told, I'm still finding out the simple things that make us happy. But I can say this:

I was happy that day, just having her around, sharing happy moments. That day, we both smiled in a way that both of us should smile more often.

We were happy. And that's what mattered most. =)

Peace.