When It Starts To Hit Me

To date, long-distance relationships (LDR) are nothing new in this world, what not with the presence of the internet. While it may seem unconvincing for some to work, there are many others which are grappled by the hope of the best to work out in time to come.

Personally, I'd never thought of myself going through the exact situation. Until my partner was posted to work in KL three months ago.

And personally, I'd appreciate it if people stop telling me, "KL is so near, not so bad what..."

Well, you can try being in my situation.

Even in the saddest case scenario, I found myself joking that he's now my part-time lover. One whom I'd date 12 times a year.

12 times in 365 days. 21 times in 21 more months to go.

Doing the maths has never gotten more demoralising than this.

For three months, I've been contented with irregular internet chats, being unable to Skype (due to some security reasons on his side), lagging video chats on Yahoo, 5-minute phonecalls every 2-3 days or so and even lesser smses.

For three months, I've been spending my free time mostly at home, sending CVs, watching Korean shows online, saving up my money and occasionally going out with the few friends I have whom I feel lucky enough if they were to have the time to meet me.

And during these three months, I have learnt some things on how to cope with LDRs:

1) Having a personal blog for each other. Decorating the blog with one's own pictures would be a bonus, although that would not exactly be viable if the couple have not taken enough pictures, or rather, could not be bothered to. Anyway, this personal blog would be a private channel of emotions between the parties, hence the link to connect each other through this portal. And a blog isn't enough actually. Sending e-mails constantly would help too.

2) Attributing an album for the partner on public websites like Facebook. Even though I like the idea of privacy for photos (no, stop thinking Edison Chen), uploading these pictures of some moments with him would somehow portray my crying out loud as to how much I badly miss him.

3) No matter how bad the connection is, having video-conferencing takes a partial load off missing the other party. I admit, I do not have to deal with time-difference, but since its so difficult for him to get online, its like a battle won when I got to see his face on the screen once every week.

4) Being busy would help a lot. So I'd hope to land a time-consuming job soon to get me not to be too absorbed in missing him too much.

5) Telling myself constantly, writing it everywhere such that I face the words all the time, everything would be for the better of the both of us in time to come, hence, carrying the hope of delayed gratification.

There are definitely other ways on how to cope with this LDR, but so far, these have been all that I've been relying on to cope with his absence. I was reading on tips online that they provide to cope with LDRs and there are definitely some which are worth trying out.

Like, having a shared moment everyday (having both parties to do the same thing at the same time that remind both of each other) and as simple as having a framed picture of us (as much as I can be a camera whore, I do not like the idea of displaying pictures of me and boyfriend, so I have to start embracing this idea).

Well, its not only I who have to stay strong, but he himself too.

So, for all those couples in an LDR now, hopefully, we'll get by it in no time.

"And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." -- Kahlil Gibran