It is funny what life throws at you.

One moment you could be having the time of your life, and the next, well, you could be sobbing your guts into a teacup.

Five years ago, I told myself that I would never watch another romantic comedy again.

Don't get me wrong. I don't dislike them. In fact, I like them a lot for their entertainment factor and that overdose of saccharine sweetness that you just don't get in real life. 

I always wait to feel the tickle in my heart when the heroine meets her prince, often in the most of unlikely circumstances.

Then, scenes of utter joy are followed by feelings of despair when she finds out that he was cheating on her (which turns out to be a huge misunderstanding in the end).

Finally - and this is the best part yet - the euphoria she feels when they make up and live happily ever after.

What's there not to like about that?

It was the part where I stepped out of the cinema - alone - that I hated. Watching as couples walked by, while I stucked out like a sore thumb because of my single-ness, made me wonder why I did not have what they had.

Engulfed by yet another wave of loneliness, I felt the burden of singlehood keenly.

Where was the guy who would love me the way the movie heroine was loved? Where was my other half?

That was why I decided not to watch another romantic comedy again - feeling lonely was just not fun.

Then I met a guy.

He came in the form of a 73-year-old Canadian Baptist minister whom I met when I was at the bicycle shop getting a second-hand two-wheeler for myself. He was the owner of the bicycle. Our conversation began with the usual small talk, but somehow turned to the topic of love.

I remember sharing with him the reasons why I avoided watching comedies, when he suddenly interrupted.

"Young people nowadays focus too much on romantic love," he remarked with a wry grin. "There are other things out there that are so much more important than love between a man and a woman.

"Look around you. Can you see the green grass rustling and swaying in the wind? And the blue sky above you?

"What about the laughter from your classmates as they share a joke with you? And the kindness from your family? Aren't these on par, or more important than, romantic love?

"Don’t let the fear of loneliness rob you of appreciating life for what it can be."

His words struck a chord in my heart. I was ashamed of the narrow-minded way I looked at life and love. That was two years ago.

Since then, I have come to realise that love is not just limited to romance alone. It extends to friendship, family and accepting a person for the way he or she is.

And running away from romantic comedies is not the solution for a lonely-free life. So maybe this Valentine's day, I will look beyond the hearts and teddy bears.

But that is not to say that I have sworn off romance. I sure hope to find 'The One' (for want of a better word).

And I hope he comes in the form of Daniel Wu. Or at least, someone who looks like him.