I had a pleasant chat with someone a week ago and added him to my friends list. But when I tried to message him a couple of days later, I couldn't find our previous messages or his earliest nudge in Mail, nor could I find him in the My Friends box. I could still locate his page by searching his ID and message him. What's happened here?

I've been on Mingle2 for a week.

I'm listening to I Do It for You, one of the great songs my ex boyfriend, now my friend, sang for me in a karaoke room four years ago. At that time, I thought he really meant it when he crooned, "Everything I do, I do it for you." At that moment, I thought I was the happiest (and luckiest) woman in the world.

I still have to admit I was lucky. He acted nobly in our two-year relationship. When he left, I shed tons of tears. We both did. But those were not tears of hatred. They were of love.

Indeed, I'm a lucky dog. In one third of my life I have had a profusion of love from the most unlikely sources. My parents are one such source I often take for granted. Then there is love from my girlfriend whom I've known since her high school, from the client who treats me like I am a queen, from David, the Canadian who "watched" me grow, from Ben, the husband of my dear "Grandma" Mary on the other side of the Pacific, from Tim the great philosopher and thinker I can personally keep contact with across the ocean, and from all other people who have inspired me in one way or another. And I love them, too.

No roses, chocolates, or kisses were exchanged under my name today. But love is still there. I can feel it in this tiny study, my hideaway resort for recollection and reflection.

Tomorrow is another day. Let's make it more livable and lovable, shall we?

It feels strange to call myself beauty, but at least it gives you an idea how narcissistic I can be. I get comfort in this thought. :D

Okay, enough joking, let's bear down to some serious business here. I live in the city farthest from the sea. It's a Chinese capital city called Urumqi. I began to teach myself English at age 16 and now I work as a freelance translator.

This dating site is the best I've been to, Great interface. Robust forums. Handsome guys. Best of all, everything is free if you are not that desperate. I have recommended to all my English-speaking friends who are single and who would love to find a significant other.