I have been with my boyfriend for two years. We had plans of getting married but I never thought it would end this way.

My boyfriend’s business ventures failed, I had to work a few jobs to help with his debts

It all started when my boyfriend’s business ventures failed and he was left with no money to pay his debts. I decided to take up multiple jobs to help him out.

I worked all night shifts, took up tutoring jobs and even started selling whatever I could to make the extra bucks to help him. I was determined to help him pay off his debts and make sure that he could get back on his feet.

But then things started to get worse. No matter how hard I worked, the money I earned was never enough to cover the cost of his debts. I had to take out loans and borrow money from friends just to make sure that he could pay his bills.

Realised that we had no money for our wedding, called if off and broke up after

After months of struggling, I realized that we had no money left for the wedding. I was devastated, I had worked so hard and sacrificed so much of my time to help my boyfriend, but it had all been for nothing.

We had no money left to even plan a wedding.

My boyfriend was also feeling the pressure of not being able to provide for us. He felt guilty that I had to take up multiple jobs just to help him out. He started to withdraw from me as he felt like a failure.

I tried to remain optimistic and told him that everything would be alright. I tried to encourage him to start looking for new business ventures again, but he did not want to put himself out there again.

He was too scared of failing and disappointing me again.

So, we ended up not getting married. We stayed together for some time, but soon after our relationship started to deteriorate. We just could not make it work anymore.

I still think about what could have been if we had just saved up enough money for the wedding.

I learned the hard way that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things just don’t work out.

I had a relationship with my cousin. Growing up, we had been close and I had always been attracted to her. We always talked about how much we enjoyed each other’s company, and we even started flirting when we got older.

When we were both in our twenties, I decided to take a chance and ask her out. She said yes, and we started dating. We kept our relationship a secret, as our families were not supportive of us being together.

She was adopted by my aunt, so we were not blood related

She had been adopted by my aunt, and our families considered us still related even though she was not blood-related to me or my aunt or even anyone in my family.

Despite all of the risks, we continued to date in secret. We had a lot of fun together, and I felt like I was in love with her. It felt like nothing else mattered but us. We were happy together and felt like we were invincible.

Unfortunately, our relationship was not meant to last. Eventually, our families found out about us and were furious.

They couldn’t believe that we had been together and that I had put myself in a position to be with someone who even though was not related to me by blood, had a ‘cousin’ relationship with me.

They thought that we had violated some kind of unwritten rule of the family, and our relationship was immediately condemned.

We got forced to end our relationship

The worst part was that our families felt so strongly about it, that they put pressure on us to end our relationship.

We had no choice but to break up, and it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I was devastated, and I felt like I was lost without her.

We tried to pretend like nothing happened and that we were still family like what it was previously, but it was too hard. We had to act and pretend for a bit, but we both knew that things had changed.

I still loved her, but I also knew that our relationship was over. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through.

I still think about her sometimes and how things could have been different if our families had been more supportive.

I will always remember her and the love that we had, but sadly, our relationship was not meant to be.

I’ve been driving for more than ten years and I had a pretty clean record. I never got any tickets or had any issues with the law, until three years back when I got my license revoked due to a drink-driving incident.

Got my license revoked for two years

I was stopped by the police at a road block and failed the breathalyser test. After that, my license was taken away from me for two years and I had to start the process of getting it back.

I knew that I had messed up when I drank and drove previously and I was worried that I would never be able to get my license back. I knew that I deserved the punishment, but I also knew that it would be a long and difficult road back.

Reapplied for my license after the ban, felt that the testers were stricter

When it came time to apply for my license again, I went through the motions of getting my license back. I had to go through the BTT and FTT again and had to hire a instructor to go through the practical driving lessons again.

While driving for ten years brought to me muscle memory of driving, I was still afraid that I would fail the test because I have always heard that the testers are stricter to those who had their license revoked before.

I passed both the BTT and FTT with almost full marks, but the driving test was a different story. I was so nervous and I felt like I was being judged harshly. I was constantly scared that I would make a mistake and that I would fail.

I was finally able to pass the test after taking it twice, but it was an exhausting experience. I was relieved when it was over and I was able to get my license back.

Getting my license back was a huge relief, but it also showed me that it is much harder to get it back after it has been revoked due to a drink-driving incident.

I felt that the testers were really more strict and they seemed to be looking for any mistakes I might make.

I understand why they are more strict and why they need to be, but it was still a difficult experience.

I had just finished a day of work and was preparing to go home when a colleague of mine dropped by my cubicle to have a friendly chat with me.

He was good-looking and was nice guy and I especially enjoyed chatting with him. Sometimes in our conversations, we would add a little bit of flirting but it was all good and harmless.

He asked if he could see my cat

As we were chatting, he suddenly said, “Hey, I heard you have a cat. Can I see it?”

My initial reaction was to say yes and invite him to come over to my house so he could see my cat. But something inside me told me to be careful.

I had a feeling that he was implying something else by his request. I felt like he was implying he wanted to see more than just my cat, but the ‘cat’ in my dress.

I mistook it for the ‘cat’ inside my dress, and slapped him

I was taken aback by this suggestion and before I knew it, I had slapped him across the face. I was shocked by my reaction, but I was also relieved that I had reacted quickly and had not allowed him to take advantage of me.

The man seemed equally shocked by my reaction and quickly apologized. He said he had meant no harm and had only asked to see my pet cat as he was a cat lover.

I was still angry and told him to leave before I report him to HR for harrassment.

He apologized again and quickly walked away. I was still shaking from the incident and it took me a few minutes to calm down.

Once I had calmed down, I realized that my reaction had been a bit extreme. I had jumped to conclusions about the man’s intentions and had reacted too harshly.

But I was also glad that I had stood up for myself and had not allowed the man to have any opportunities to take advantage of me.

Growing up, I was used to being called “Sir” by everyone around me. It was something I was so used to that I didn’t even think twice about it.

Those who were in my dad’s payroll at home addressed me as ‘Sir’

My dad had hired several people who worked for our home like our chauffeur and they would always address me as “Sir”.

Even my domestic helper, who I was particularly close to, used to call me “Sir” even though I was much younger than her. I was used to being respected and having people treat me like someone important.

Went to the army and had to call people ‘Sir’, not used to it

However, when I joined the army I quickly realized that this was not going to be the case here. I was no longer “Sir”, I was just “Private”.

Everyone around me was a higher rank than me and that meant that I no longer enjoyed the same respect. I was used to people listening to me and addressing me with respect, but in the army that was not the case.

At first, I found it difficult to adjust to this new reality. I felt like I was no longer important and I was not used to being treated like a regular soldier.

I had to learn to accept orders from people who were higher ranking than me who is literally almost everyone and I had to learn to take criticism from people who were more experienced than me. It was a difficult transition, but I eventually got used to it.

The other thing that I had to adjust to was the fact that I no longer enjoyed the same level of respect. People in the army had to be addressed in a more formal manner and there were strict rules about how I should address my superiors.

I had to learn to address them as “Sir” or “Ma’am” and I had to learn to show respect to people who were my superiors.

At first, I found this difficult as I was used to being addressed as “Sir” all my life. I was used to people listening to me and treating me with respect, but in the army I was just another soldier. It took me some time to adjust to this new reality, but eventually I did.

Learnt to get used to it eventually

The army has taught me a lot of valuable lessons. It has taught me that respect is earned and it has taught me how to address people in a more formal manner.

It has also taught me that I am not always the most important person in the room and that I should show respect to those who are more experienced than me.

I may not be “Sir” in the army, but I will always be proud of the way I served my country.

Image source: Carousell, Facebook/Singapore Army

I went to Taiwan recently with a friend and we were out to party and drink. So we decided to bar hop separately to find the best bar in one of the popular areas. We said only 1 beer a place until we find a good one.

So he was across the street and I was on the other side. While I was about to go to the next bar, I heard a noice.

It is the sound of a girl screaming at the top of her lungs. I look out the window, and I see a drunk-looking girl standing in the middle of the street, screaming and pointing at a man who is lying on the ground.

The girl is shouting something about him having taken advantage of her and she is demanding justice. I immediately recognize him as my friend, and I rush out to help him.

The girl is shouting at him, and he is barely conscious. He is obviously too drunk to stand, and I can tell that he is in no condition to argue with her. I try to calm her down and tell her that he was just too drunk and did not take advantage of her.

She is still angry and yelling, but I am able to get her to leave.

Once the girl is gone, I help my friend to his feet and take him with me back. After he became soberer, He tells me that he had been walking around the streets and had met this girl. She had enticed him to join her for a drink and before he knew it she had plied him with alcohol.

I can see the effects of the alcohol on him, and I know that he is not capable of taking care of himself.

The next morning I check on him, and he is still asleep. I am relieved to see that he is safe and sound. I try to wake him up, but he is still too drunk to move.

The experience of sleeping on the streets of Taipei after being made drunk by a girl was an eye-opening experience for me.

Most importantly, it made me appreciate the importance of taking care of those who are vulnerable and in need of help. I will never forget that night, and I will always be grateful to the kind people who helped me and my friend out.