when i was younger, people would ask me what my "type" was and i remember telling them, 'oh, as long as we can talk really well, i think that's my type'. then my friends would scoff and say that's too general cos then, you would fall for any guy that way. but i'd say, no!! it's not easy to have good conversation with someone.

when i grew older and people asked me the same question, i'd tell them, 'he has to be kind'. then people would scoff yet again and say, 'oh c'mon. let's be real...' and i would say 'no, i mean it, he has to be kind, that's the first priority.' then they'd say 'what constitutes kindness? anybody can be kind!'. but i'd say, no... not everyone is kind and when someone is kind, you can feel his generosity, thoughtfulness and care for people around him. that's what kindness is.

while i was in bhutan, my dad told me that my mom was worried i'd be lonely. i said i'll be fine, i'll be sure to find someone not to worry. then my dad said, "as long as you are comfortable with the guy, and both of you can talk well together, it doesn't matter if he is rich or poor, chinese, malay or indian. it doesn't matter, as long as you're both happy."

with that, i now can say that my type is someone who is both kind and someone i can talk to about anything under the sun.