'Tis the season to get married

Lately, I've come across many engagement/wedding announcements from my peers from secondary school...

It almost feels surreal... I look at the faces of these crazy girls I used to see every day at school years ago (only just a few years ago it seems).

Many of them have been living the ideal Sex and the City girls' life. Partying... Trying out different men as they would try out shoes... Working in high-flying careers... Or ekking out a living doing their dream job... And basically just having a good time...

And one by one... they meet The One. And then it seems almost instantly... we hear wind of another engagement... another wedding... another one of us has gone off to tie the nuptial knot. Then come the photos on Friendster or on their blogs/websites... (I love looking at people's wedding photos... it always gives me a warm mushy feeling inside to see the ear-to-ear smiles on the couple's faces)... Another happily every after is over and done.

I know it's not that simple. The reality is much more complex than that. No marriage will be perfect. No life can be 100% complete uninterrupted bliss.

I've met many Love at First Sight couples. And I'm always sceptical at he beginning. How can a lifelong love develop in such a short space of time. Doesn't love have to take a long time to grow and be nurtured?

But then I realised... although it's true that love needs constant care and feeding to keep the flame burning... doesn't it usually or always start with that initial Spark right at the beginning?

Even in a long friendship-growing-into-love situation... there will come a Moment... when everything suddenly becomes clear... and then you know, that you KNOW, that you KNOW, that you KNOW that this is it!

I like that scene in Yasmin Ahmad's movie Sepet: Orked asks "How long does it take to fall in love?", and Ah Loong replies "A moment".