"So...got boyfriend already ah?"

Things cannot be any more hilarious. Three weeks of being back home and I have had not one, not two, but a string of people asking me, "So, got boyfriend already ah?". If I had satu ringgit for each time someone makes an enquiry about my relationship status, I would be hogging so so many pairs of new shoes by now.

The pressure continues to mount as I met up with old friends, most of whom are already in serious relationships. "All of your cousins have partners sudah," Mae remarked recently, in a post-balik kampung gossip session. There was a slight hint of "I-wonder-what's-wrong-my-children" there, which I perfectly understand as both of my bros and I have yet to invite anyone to meet our parents. As I went on reassuring Mae of my preference to have relationships with dresses and shoes, I could not help pondering, for women in our supposedly open society today, does settling down still matter more than anything?