St. Valentine

It's going to be V-Day in a few days time and that explains this post. People say it is a day to celebrate love with your other half. A time to appreciate and cherish the relationship, as some may say. But, what exactly is this day for and who is this Valentine? Well, maybe a walk back to history might trace its origin.

Actually there are a few versions regarding the true story behind Valentine.One of them is that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in ancient Rome. Then Emperor Claudius II decided that single men were better soldiers than married men with wives. Thus he placed a ban, disallowing young men to get married. Valentine felt no justification with the emperor's actions. He secretly carried out marriages for young lovers. Eventually Valentine's actions were discovered and was put to death by Emperor Claudius II.

Another story suggests that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

An alternative version was that Valentine met his lover when he was in jail. His lover was the prison guard's daughter. Before he was sent for execution, he wrote her a letter and ended with, ' From your Valentine ', an expression still used today.

There are other legends about St. Valentine if you google his name. But in general, Valentine is seen as a heroic, sympathetic and most importantly, romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, he was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Today's celebration of Valentine's Day is indeed rather extravagent and commercialized. From the inflated prices of roses to the countless promotions by restuarants, all trying to entice potential customers. Just by browsing through the newspapers, we can see all kinds of advertisements-2 handphones for the price of 1 deals, jewellary adverts, candlelght dinners for 2 and many others. Even in my school, students are out to make quick money. They set up booths to sell those cute teddy bears with 'I love U!' imprinted on them and of course, not forgetting bouquets of flowers. There is even a service which delivers the gifts to the hostel rooms.

I guess it is a romantic experience to go through. To be able to spend this special day with your loved one is a great feeling. However, it is quite obvious that people are out to expoloit potential couples on this day to gain extra financial benefits. I am not saying we should not celebrate this day. Even for at least a day, a couple can relish this moment of being fated to be together and cherish every second of it.

But isn't the other 364 days more important.

i don't care if you don't care!

It's amazing how some things so simple can get so complicated. Maybe this is what people call a chain reaction. Can a person really do what she likes and not care about what other people think? Maybe to a certain extent, but for most of the time, every little action has its own repercussions and consequences. It can affect the surrounding people mentally and emotionally, regardless of whether the doer likes it or not.

Of course it can be a good thing when the person has a mind of his own and does whatever he desires. This is a liberated world, no one can stop another person from doing something.

But having said that, is it also ok to not do anything and ignore the actions of another person. This, has its own repecussions too. I feel that ignoring a person is the worst behavior ever, regardless the reason. Either this person got an attitude problem or simply 'bo chap'. At least, just give a response.

'I don't care if you don't care!' is a song by Green Day. And the entire song is repeated by the exact same lines. It simply means that if you don't give a damn, why should i. In every kind of relationship, there should be a level of reciprocation, regardless of big or small.

This is how mankind survives-they talk to each other. Communication is a powerful tool which helps ensure continuity of life. It helps people to understand one another better and at the same time, maintains relationships longer.

Sometimes, i wonder how something as simple and innocent as a friendship can get so messy and screwed up. A friendship is supposed to be forgiving and accomodating. Being able to accept one's mistake and simply complement each other. Maybe different personalities can cause disagreements which lead to major conflicts. I suppose the only solution is to complement each other, compromising to each other's faults and negative points. Cynics might say if you are so miserable and uncomfortable, just stop the relationship. But i say these people are just running away from the problem. This doesn't solve the problem at all. Maybe it does, if you are not going to see each other again. But in your heart, you might just feel a tinge of regret that you did not do enough to salvage the relationship and simply letting it go.