Guest post by FM.

Love. Passionately. originated as a pretty bookmark from Borders that FM gave to Jas for three simple reasons:

1. the bookmark was pretty
2. FM wanted to encourage Jas to read more widely, more often
3. the bookmark encapsulated FM’s ideal of love most succinctly

Admittedly, the phrase was not pasted above our mirrors to be read ten times over every morning and night. Nonetheless, on hindsight, I believed that we have lived out our unspoken maxim to the maximum we can.

When planning for the perfect proposal, my cousin Kris suggested including a personalized EZ-Link card from Singapore Mint. As each of my 12 planned gifts carried a specific, unique message of love, the EZ-Link card was themed as a follow-up to the bookmark. The picture chosen was taken in a public park in Philadelphia, and best epitomizes the spirit of the message to Love. Passionately.

(Unfortunately, the ordering process takes two weeks and more due to the holiday season, and was not to be ready in time to be one of the 12 perfect proposal gifts. Too bad. )

Friends often express awe that our relationship survived the long distance, even without any basis or background to begin with. (Three weeks from First Sight to Steady, another three weeks till our long distance separation.) I guess the best answer I can give in reply is the same old maxim: we simply loved. passionately. we can add a lot more adjectives to describe the love: unselfishly, truthfully, expressively, patiently, supportive(ly), unreserved(ly), blah, blah, blah… But sometimes, in the end, too many adjectives add too much pressure to perform up to an artificial standard that no party is comfortable with, for I believe the quality of love is different between every couple.

So, to all the couples in love out there, I leave you my two cents worth. Make light of all the specifics which you’ll likely forget after a few months of dating. Stick to loving your partner with all your heart, and the specifics will all come naturally. Just

Love. Passionately.