Hint, remember, take it!

"Falling in love, but not Dropping in love, so it takes time.

Make friends, not have friends, so you have to Do something to Make.
We appreciate what you cook (to make) for us, which is much valuable than
things you bought (to have) from the store."

Reading some past e-mails which I cannot read at home (okay, some problems with my MAC and reading Chinese which I'll have to seriously deal with when I get back to Taiwan). Found this in one of my emails. Thought it might be something nice to share with my darling friends.

Been reading "Love is the Killer App" and remembering how I got the book. I suggested it to a friend when I was in Taiwan after I scanned parts of it. He read it, and then he did the one unexpected thing. He went ahead and bought the book (since I at the time didn't have the cash to do it myself just yet) and gave it to me. My initial reaction of course was to not allow him to do that (so I paid him), but now that I reread the book, I understood one thing, I should have let him give me the book instead. Appreciation for a person can be shown in both giving and taking. I have long learned to give help, but have lacked much in accepting help. This in many ways became a form of rejection toward people, and also somewhat, ignorantly, a sign of arrogance. Give and take, that's what it takes to form a true and coherent network.

You fall in love, you accept the other person's being a part of your life, you let them hold their arms to catch you. You don't drop to the ground, you don't throw away everything and give up yourself, you just lean back carefully, and feel the pressure of his arms around you in your moments of need. You depend because you are independent enough to judge the dependency. You fall, because you know you will be safe in this fall.

Make friend, it's friendship in the making. Here now, as an exchange student, this feeling might be greater than anything else. How are we to keep the friendships for the long years after? How do we continue to make and remake our friendships? It takes work, it takes emotional devotions and most of all, it takes love.

How beautiful Helsinki is with these words in my mind. I have fallen in love with this city and its people. It's not love at first sight, but it certainly is intense. I have taken from this city so many things, and one day, I will contribute something to it.