No doubt, all couples have to go through their fair share of both sweet and bitter moments. But in the first place, isn't it wonderful to be able to find someone whom you could potentially spent the rest of your life with? I mean, what are the chances of finding reciprocal love and friendship? We should be grateful if we ever find it. So why don't we celebrate such blessings further by doing something memorable together? It would be really sweet to chat about it 20 years down the road. Here are the things that my hubby and I have done or is considering to do as a couple.
CLIMB A MOUNTAIN
Well, the highest 'mountain' in Singapore is our 163 metres tall Bukit Timah Hill. We will climb it once in a while. We'll egg each other on and stop to rest or have a drink if one of us need to. 'Conquering' a summit together just brings us closer and strengthens our camaraderie.
CYCLE AROUND TOWN
When we were younger, in our 20s (I'm in my 30s and he's hit 40 already), we could spend our weekend mornings cycling leisurely around town, stopping by makeshift stalls selling whatnots and visiting quaint shops. We even learnt little things about each other that could've been left unknown. Like he used to collect certain things and that I am a more agile cyclist than him.
EXPLORE THE NATURE
Visit local nature reserves, parks, rivers, gardens, forest, or take a boat ride to an off-shore island [e.g. St. John, Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island]. Priceless memories. I didn't know I can be so scared of large spiders and that hubby loves being near a river. In fact, he is now an avid nature photographer.
GO FREE AND EASY
If you are done with somewhat artificially-molded and time-fixed vacation with group tours, why not go for a free and easy tour and plan the itinerary yourself? You know you wouldn't want to visit another tea plantation or an uninteresting jewellery factory. And at certain places, you just want to stay longer or even want to leave earlier but unfortunately, it is necessary to wait for the whole tour group to get ready to move on. And sometimes, you simply just want to go back to the hotel to freshen up or catch a catnap.
With free and easy vacation, you will indeed have the freedom to do anything as and when you desire. For example, you can spend the whole morning at one place, relaxing and soaking in the local culture and atmosphere. You can even plan a little surprise for that anniversary or birthday. For a change, be a traveller, not a tourist.
BUY A NICHE TOGETHER
I mean those niches in columbarium where your urns will be stored after you pass away. Creepily romantic but, hey, everyone has to die one day right? There's really nothing to be afraid of. Natural death just means that your body has reached its expiry date (through wear and tear) and it's time to get a new one (reborn). And there's a saying that if your ashes are placed together, there's a higher chance that you'll meet each other again. Sounds superstitious, but no harm trying.
HIT THE BEACH ON NEW YEAR'S EVE NIGHT
When the clock strikes 12 on a New Year's Day, the ships out in the sea will release their SOS flare to mark the New Year. In Singapore, you'll see the sea lighting up in gentle red flares fired by the ships parked along the East Coast Beach. It'll be a much more lovely way to welcome the New Year as compared to the thundering fireworks with ear-splitting music. [think: a relaxing, quiet time sitting along the peaceful beach looking out into the night sea nibbling pastries and sipping hot chocolate]. But we may see less and less of this as it is unlawful to fire distress flares (expired ones) other than to call for real help.
GO CLUBBING TOGETHER
At least once, hit the disco pubs together and watch each other's dance moves. Get ready to either fall in love again if he's got the moves or totally laugh out loud if he dances comically. It'll be an unforgettable night.
EAT OUT
Radar for restaurants that serve special cuisine and try them out together (e.g. South Indian, Arab, Vegetarian). Have joy in finding out each other's likes and dislikes in terms of taste.
WRITE DOWN LISTS TOGETHER
Write down a dream list together, side-by-side, on a piece of paper. Go through them, talk about them and fulfil them together. Or you can write down what both of you like about each other and talk about your feelings with each other. That day, I found the dream list that we wrote 5 years ago and we had an intimate time ticking off the list, planning which ones we should drop and how to go about the unfulfilled ones. One of the dreams is to have a child. And we did it!
CYCLE AROUND TOWN
When we were younger, in our 20s (I'm in my 30s and he's hit 40 already), we could spend our weekend mornings cycling leisurely around town, stopping by makeshift stalls selling whatnots and visiting quaint shops. We even learnt little things about each other that could've been left unknown. Like he used to collect certain things and that I am a more agile cyclist than him.
EXPLORE YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD OR NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
If you have limited time for an extended vacation but still crying out for one, consider going nearby areas. For Singaporeans, if you live in the west, you can visit the northern or eastern part of the Singapore island. A pleasant surprise may be lurking in somewhere for you. Or you can have a short getaway in the neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Hubby and I used to travel to many parts of Malaysia by car. Having survived the sight of each other for about 10 hours car ride [to Cameron Highlands] is a testament that our marriage can go far. It meant that we are willing, as a couple, to resolve our differences - subtle or large.EXPLORE THE NATURE
Visit local nature reserves, parks, rivers, gardens, forest, or take a boat ride to an off-shore island [e.g. St. John, Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island]. Priceless memories. I didn't know I can be so scared of large spiders and that hubby loves being near a river. In fact, he is now an avid nature photographer.
GO FREE AND EASY
If you are done with somewhat artificially-molded and time-fixed vacation with group tours, why not go for a free and easy tour and plan the itinerary yourself? You know you wouldn't want to visit another tea plantation or an uninteresting jewellery factory. And at certain places, you just want to stay longer or even want to leave earlier but unfortunately, it is necessary to wait for the whole tour group to get ready to move on. And sometimes, you simply just want to go back to the hotel to freshen up or catch a catnap.
With free and easy vacation, you will indeed have the freedom to do anything as and when you desire. For example, you can spend the whole morning at one place, relaxing and soaking in the local culture and atmosphere. You can even plan a little surprise for that anniversary or birthday. For a change, be a traveller, not a tourist.
BUY A NICHE TOGETHER
I mean those niches in columbarium where your urns will be stored after you pass away. Creepily romantic but, hey, everyone has to die one day right? There's really nothing to be afraid of. Natural death just means that your body has reached its expiry date (through wear and tear) and it's time to get a new one (reborn). And there's a saying that if your ashes are placed together, there's a higher chance that you'll meet each other again. Sounds superstitious, but no harm trying.
HIT THE BEACH ON NEW YEAR'S EVE NIGHT
When the clock strikes 12 on a New Year's Day, the ships out in the sea will release their SOS flare to mark the New Year. In Singapore, you'll see the sea lighting up in gentle red flares fired by the ships parked along the East Coast Beach. It'll be a much more lovely way to welcome the New Year as compared to the thundering fireworks with ear-splitting music. [think: a relaxing, quiet time sitting along the peaceful beach looking out into the night sea nibbling pastries and sipping hot chocolate]. But we may see less and less of this as it is unlawful to fire distress flares (expired ones) other than to call for real help.
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| Ship's flare released on New Year's Day. Sorry for the blur image but it was a really romantic night. |
GO CLUBBING TOGETHER
At least once, hit the disco pubs together and watch each other's dance moves. Get ready to either fall in love again if he's got the moves or totally laugh out loud if he dances comically. It'll be an unforgettable night.
EAT OUT
Radar for restaurants that serve special cuisine and try them out together (e.g. South Indian, Arab, Vegetarian). Have joy in finding out each other's likes and dislikes in terms of taste.
WRITE DOWN LISTS TOGETHER
Write down a dream list together, side-by-side, on a piece of paper. Go through them, talk about them and fulfil them together. Or you can write down what both of you like about each other and talk about your feelings with each other. That day, I found the dream list that we wrote 5 years ago and we had an intimate time ticking off the list, planning which ones we should drop and how to go about the unfulfilled ones. One of the dreams is to have a child. And we did it!