Are you in that person’s shoes? Do you know what the person is going through? Do you know what it means to have depressive disorder (or any other major illness, for that matter)? Do you know how it feels to be subject to something that is totally beyond your control?

Do you know how it’s like to experience the anger, the frustration, the hurt and dejection as you continuously crawl your way back to normalcy but keep falling?

You don’t? Then shut up.

It’s so easy to simply stand out there and watch, blame and accuse. This is what the human race has degenerated into – a bunch of cold-blooded people with a complete lack of empathy.

I’m extremely relieved you’re still alive, Elaine.

And please stay alive. People love you.

I received my first comment in November 2001 and it made me shout aloud with glee. It was the “wow, there are people listening to me?!” kind of feeling, and it just spurred me on to write more.

So, write more I did. I started writing about my day in full detail, emphasizing on the funny and interesting bits. The number of comments and readership grew. Soon, I began to spot a few familiar names appearing over and over again in my comments. Out of curiosity, I checked out their sites and was hooked.

We became blogging pals, familiar to one another on the web but still strangers offline. Some were based in Singapore and some, overseas. They knew almost every bit of information about me (thanks to my blog entries). Likewise, so did I.

One thing for sure, I didn’t expect back then that we’d actually meet in real life.

Dayna, Cherlynn, Terry and I meet regularly now. And just last weekend, Chien Yee from Brunei happened to be in Singapore and we all decided to meet up.

First stop, Chinatown. Terry, Chien Yee, Dayna and I.

If I remember correctly, Chien Yee started reading my blog in end-2005, back when I was a wee university freshman. My entries back then were plagued with angst and a whole load of indecisiveness. But she stuck with reading my blog anyway, which is really awesome.

Second stop, Singapore Flyer. Supposedly to check out a flea market that never was.

Dayna is easily the longest-standing reader among the four. The very first comment she posted on my site was “Hi Brenda, Have a happy new year and may your new year be filled with joy and happiness… Cheers! =D”. This was soon followed by her second comment, “That was a bad day, but cheer up. Things are going to get better when we look on the bright side of life. =)”.

This was way back in late-2004. Fresh out of Junior College and also, very very angsty. Like Chien Yee, she overlooked all that and still stood by me and my blog through the good times and the bad. Dayna and I only officially met up for the first time in end-2009 … five full years after our first contact online.

At the Marina reservoir overlooking Marina Bay Sands and the city.

I only started reading Terry’s blog sometime early last year, a recommendation through Dayna. During my very first visit, something in his blog header jumped right out at me, and it was his (now) distinctive trademark quote, “No, I am not a teddy bear.” Well, it definitely stuck. So many times, I was (almost) on the verge of calling him ‘Teddy’. I’m glad I’m past that stage now and am getting his name right. :P

Terry is very much like me. Very, VERY quirky. Just check out the photo below to get what I mean.

Terry photobombing Dayna’s profile shot.

There was none of the usual awkward silences as when two strangers first meet up. Our background of being fellow bloggers for so many years helped, and we were into the happy chitty chatty moments stage within seconds.

Dayna and Chien Yee enjoying a Titanic moment.

Chien Yee and I enjoying an I-don’t-know-what moment.

Now, we’re out almost every weekend. Throgging flea markets and shopping like there’s no tomorrow (Dayna), singing out in public like we’re the only people in the world (Cherlynn) and talking and laughing just about anything (Terry).

Sitting by the Kallang river, waiting for Cherlynn to arrive.

Cherlynn is another Singapore-based blogger whom I got to know through Dayna and Terry. Prior to meeting her, I’ve never read her blog before and so meeting her for the first time was like going on a blind date. Well, it definitely was a good date.

Now, the vocal prowess of Cherlynn and I combined will never fail to drive Dayna crazy, because we are always demonstrating it at all the wrong times, and at the wrong places.

Cherlynn finally arrives for a group photo.

It’s amazing, ain’t it? Five different people from totally different walks of life … initially strangers, but brought together through blogging. Our paths would never have met otherwise.

I’ve absolutely no idea what they were doing. But a great photo, nonetheless.

And I’ve realized that whatever I’m writing now bears no relevance to the photos I’m posting. I haven’t made any mention of how that group outing with Chien Yee went. But I’m pretty sure the photos say it all.

Well, I have loads of things to thank blogging for. It helped me write better, think and express myself more coherently. But one thing for sure, it brought me together with awesome people like you guys. And when I say ‘you guys’, I mean every single one of you out there reading this.

Closing the say with a snapshot in the toilet. (Well, humans need to pee after all.)

I am still oh so amazed at how our paths crossed. And Chien Yee, I hope you’ve had a great day out with us and see you again in December!

My last haircut was about a month ago – where I decided to retained my short (extremely layered), slightly tomboyish crop. It’s grown out quite a fair bit now and once again, I’m undecided.

Mum and I was at Parkway Parade this evening. While strolling along, I was eyeing my reflection in the glass door next to me – particularly my hair.

“Hmm, should I cut my hair again?” I wondered aloud.

Mum just stared at me – I knew very well how she felt about me having short hair in general, so I didn’t really need an answer.

We walked on.

And when we walked past the food counter at Yoshinoya (a Japanese rice set fast-food joint), one of the guys behind the counter – in a fit of over-enthusiasm (because the joint was empty at that moment), decided to yell out.

“Hello maam! Hello sir!”

I looked around. There was no one else in the vicinity except for my mum and me.

“Sir?! What the fuck?!” was my outburst, directed at no one in particular.

The fellow behind the counter at least had the grace to look sheepish. Mum on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing for quite a while.

As for the answer to the question, “should I cut my hair shorter?” Well, it’s quite obvious that I’ve gotten my answer. No.