Loneliness
Since I came to Melbourne, I'm always amazed at the number of couples who roam about the city streets (Usually the straight ones. The gay ones are usually at South Yarra). And back when I was studying, people would hook up really quickly, especially the international students. This got me thinking...why do these people get attached so quickly? Like within a span of less than a month.
And then it struck me - loneliness. They're all in the same boat - international students, most who come, do not know many people, and have to establish their network all over again. And when you don't know many people, you would tend to feel lonely. So I guess getting together, whether male-male, female-female, or even male-female, is a form of companionship - to feel less lonely.
In the current world, you have China brides, Vietnamese brides, Russian brides, and other exotic countries. I read an article of this man who could not find love in Singapore. Just because of his size, and looks, Singaporean women would shun him. So, he tried to find a bride from Vietnam. When he went to Vietnam, women from all over were queuing up, hoping that he would choose her. In the end, he chose this beautiful lady whom I'm sure other men would go gaga over. The newspaper reported that they were happily married. The number of years that they were married skips my memory. This shows that people will go to great lengths to find a companion.
Some people find companionship in their pets as well. I'm sure everyone has heard of the eccentric old lady who keeps dozens of cats in her house. I guess she does that coz she is lonely, and the pets are her companions. There's also "man's best friend" - who remains loyal and follows her/his master wherever he goes. And movies always show guys with their dogs - when the lady of his dreams gives him the cold shoulder, his dog always comes back to him. Here's my "best friend" back in KL:
I went clubbing last night with a friend of mine. As he stays a bit out of the city and public transport to go back at that time would be wallet-pinching, I offerred to put him up for the night. Note that we did not do anything sexual nor kiss nor even hug. We just slept on the same bed with an invisible barrier dividing us. Somehow, I think that was one of the best sleep that I ever had in a long while. Having someone sleep next to me was comforting. As I prepare to go to bed tonight, I see an empty bed. A bed that I will be sleeping alone tonight, just like any other night. Before I head off to bed in about 5 minutes, I will be wishing - wishing that somehow, sometime in the not-so-distant-future, I would not be sleeping alone - I'll be going to bed with the one that I love, and waking up with him next to me.
