Happy anniversary to you and me. Thank you for wishing me. I thought you had forgotten.

Well, the journey to 21 months has not been smooth sailing all the way. I am sure that most of you ladies know that it IS hard work to make a relationship work.

A relationship is not about one person dominating the other. It is, at least to me, a partnership between 2 people who care, love and respect each other as individuals.

When you go into a relationship, you commit yourself to it. Sure, I have heard people say not to give 100% of yourself to your other half cause you just end up being consumed by the relationship and forgetting who you are.

True, to a certain extent, I admit that sometimes I give too much of myself in my relationship. However, with time, I try not to lose myself in the process. The joys of being in a relationship involves me giving myself whole-heartedly to my other half until he really knows me inside out.

At the same time, there are times where a couple just need their OWN personal time; ME time.

Being in a relationship does not mean forsaking your friends for your other half. That is seriously unhealthy. Honestly, having girl-time with your girlfriends is important.

When you have been together for a period of time, the "honeymoon" period starts to fade away. You start getting too comfortable with each other. In some instances, you start getting complacent and you may start taking each other for granted. The lines that you once drew about being respectful to one another sometimes gets blurry as well.

In some instances, you lose sight of what you once had with your other half. Cracks start to appear and you start seeing the other sides of one another. In some instances you may accept their flaws, even love them for it, but in some instances, you just cannot tolerate those flaws.

There are times when you start to drift apart and that's when the communication really breaks down. In some instances, deep down, you know you really love your other half but sometimes, you forget that the relationship needs some romance to keep the spark alive again.

In some instances, once a couple gets too comfortable with each other, they don't believe in romancing their other half. I find it sad if couples think that way.

For me, roamnce is really important. Even buying a little trinket (something romantic) once in awhile shows that you still desire your other half. As a girl, it is important that I feel loved and pampered. Wouldn't you want to feel the same way too?

Any girl who is in a relationship and says that she doesnt need all this is, in my opinion, IN DENIAL.

Any girl would love to be romanced.

It is also important to appreciate one another for the simplest gestures they do. Even fetching you, sending you home, or even buying vitamin pills mean something to me. To show appreciation, I feel it is really important I say "Thank you" to my other half cos it shows that you appreciate what your other half did for you.

In return, they will feel gratified that you don't take them for granted. This is one of the things I find so important in a relationship. Saying "Thank you". How many of us have forgotten to say such a simple phrase? I admit I may have forgotten at times but I try to make it a habit.

Being in a relationship, there are bound to be arguments. Sometimes having arguments are healthy for relationships cause it shows that you care. However, if your fights are too frequent, it could mean something is amiss in the relationship. Don't get me wrong, I am no relationship guru, but I am basing what I say in reference to my relationship with my other half as well as errr... a "person" I used to know with his/her turbulent relationships with the ex-es.

Don't get me wrong, I learned a few things from this person, and for that I have to give my thanks.

Communication is important. Communicating does NOT just mean talking. It also means being able to LISTEN to one another. When your other half says something you may not neccessarily like at first ( I know I don't), it is okay to be upset. However, I realise that sometimes, that yeah, maybe I am behaving in a way that is bad for the relationship. I try and see it from his point of view. If I have upset him in any way, it is important I aoplogise.

Apologising. Many of us don't do it often enough. I am guilty of this as well. When we have arguments and I am in the wrong, I find it hard to say the words, "I'm sorry". So does my other half. Sometimes I think we don't apologise enough to each other.

Knowing when to give and take is essential. Yup, I can be really stubborn at times and want things done my way. There are instances where my other half relents and there are instances where he puts his foot down firmly. The same goes for him. Admittedly, there are outcomes which I don't neccessarily desire, but I eventually get around to accepting it. Oh well, who said realtionship is a bed of roses anyway?? The thorns are there for a reason isn't it?