Rich Boyfriend, Poor Boyfriend

It was not until my "god-brother" (a 17 years old kiddo whom I'd bullied since young) came to me and asked for gift ideas for his girlfriend then I realized how different is kids nowadays compare to us last time.

"Hey, tell me what kind of gifts should I get for my girlfriend?", asked the 17 years old young lad who just had his O' level result and now waiting for his 6th form enrollment.

"Dinner, flowers, chocolates, gifts.. the usual old school stuffs lor. You got money meh?"

"Money you don't have to worry for me. CNY coming sure got angpao one. Actually I already bought a white gold necklace but it is for our anniversary. So I don't know what to get for Valentine's day."

*jaw dropped for 5 seconds but yet had to pretend like its no big deal and continue chatting with him*

Omaigouda! Someone tell me how can a 17 years old afford a white gold necklace that cost few hundred bucks? Well... you don't have to tell me actually, I had already guess the answer.

1. Savings from their angpaos accumulated for years.

2. Tell parents they need $50 for reference books/ tuition fees/ misc and actually the amount needed is $20. Save the $30 balance for personal entertainment fee.

3. For smart kids, scholarship given from those business chamber association, Hakka association, Cantonese association and bla-bla-bla association.

4. Sell off their belongings maybe? Like Magic cards or I don't know, mp3 players or mobile phones?

5. Those born with silver spoon.... No need to say liao lar.

Ish. Kids nowadays...

A baaaaaa... Sour grape ba can or not?

How could I be so easily pleased with a stupid key chain and a Pizza Hut $5 meal just like that when I was 17? Why didn't it come to my mind that I should have "fish" a slightly wealthier person, or someone who's willing to be a robber just for me. Wah seh, like no romantic and noble... NOT! 

My first Valentine's Day was celebrated pathetically with a $10+ per head tacky dinner with a supplementary rose. Ya, that's how I got my very first flower, sekuntum, from the waiter somemore. 

Yet, I felt that I had the biggest smile and thought I was the luckiest woman girl because he got me a Panda plushie and drove all the way down from BSB to celebrate with me.

Silly girl.

(Bang head against wall and cried out loud)

I'm not trying to sound materialistic because I am not, at least I think so. Over the years, I'm still easily satisfied by a handmade card from a poor undergraduate. I told myself that it was his character and personality that make him a wealthy person and who he is that make me fell in love. 

Of course, I'm surrounded by a bunch of fairy-tale-like-princesses along with their not-so-charming-princes with stories that made me go "Wuuuu!" and "Waaaa!", showering them with expensive gifts and dinners who eventually turned out to be their chauffeur cum ATM machine cum  servant sum lover. Envious leh. 

Then I'll turned to the boyfriend and told him the thriller (for him it is, for me I called it romance) and followed by a million dollar question, "So when are you going to buy me expensive gifts like that har?"

Now I sound like a scary witch don't I?

I know I know. Everyone told me that I shouldn't compare because it was unfair to him and reminded (along with curses and swears) how lucky I was for having a boyfriend who would spent hours or days in making cards and gifts instead of buying the usual stuffs. 

"Hah, you think he'll still make you cards after he starts working? I don't think so. You better cherish all the (handmade) gifts given by him before you received none in the future."

. . . *speechless*

Girls, answer me honestly...

How many of you will prefer a handmade card to a genuine branded watch?

or,

Which one will melt your heart more? The moment when your boyfriend takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and read you a poem written by himself as a marriage proposal (Roses are red, violets are blue. Please marry me because I love you so), or when he takes out the pretty turquoise box with beberapa carat diamond ring inside?

Come to think of it, I doubt that I'll like it if my boyfriend buys and pays for everything. Make me feel damn useless. There are couples with an ego boyfriend who insists on footing all the bills, also couples who still prefer to go dutch every time they go out for a date. 

We belong to the later. 

Sometimes I'll buy him lunch and he'll be paying for the movie tickets. 

Sometimes we split our bills. 

Sometimes he'll buy me ice cream when I start getting grouchy.

We even made a deal, "No expensive gifts before he starts working."

I planned to buy him a mobile phone for his birthday because 70% of dinosaur egg's paint had fallen off and the keypad already cacat. 

Ya, his first generation of colour screen with polyphonic tone with no bluetooth, no camera, no mp3 player mobile phone is called Dinosaur Egg. What a lovely name isn't it. Of course, he declined the idea. Silly me for asking him whether he prefer a slide phone or flip phone.

The foundation of relationship shouldn't be built on money but love, respect and trust, which I don't see it often nowadays. Maybe that's one of the reason why the term on/off relationship exists.  

The super classic Chinese slang, 

"Money is not everything. But without money, there is nothing" .

True that a token of love, aka gifts, can add bonus points to a relationship but I guess that is not everything. But without it, relationship can gone stale and boring too.

Note to my fat guy, this post is not to pressurize you or anything ya. I hope you won't feel disturbed by it and I just want to tell you, I love you even if you buy me a fake rose or LV bag.

Wait... save your money if you gonna buy me any bogus stuffs, just get me the double chocolate gelato you know I'll love.