1800-h2h

Love feels like a paradox of never-ending questions - the more we love, the more queries it demands - Men's Folio enlisted the help of siblings, a couple, and a wedded pair to deepen the understanding of what it means to simply, love.

- Yan Joon Wing & Asha Farisha

While “love conquers all” is a signifier for being strong enough to overcome any obstacles beyond ourselves, what happens when love conquers you instead? While mainstream media tend to focus on one’s own feelings, selfless love is rarely addressed. How then does one approach love in its most tender stages, do parts of us apply the same love we know from before? Or does it get unworn by the threads of those who now hold our hearts? CyiiCheng and Sean, a couple with two distinct interests and careers, see their differences as ways to better each other.

Has your understanding of love changed from being together?

CC: I’ve always perceived love as patience and empathy, and that remains unchanged because I find these qualities abundantly in Sean.

Have you noticed any significant changes since falling in love?

S: Yes! I give my girlfriend credit for helping me dress better. My closet is much bigger now. [Laughs] But on a serious note, she’s also taught me to be more assertive and set healthy boundaries for myself.

CC: I don’t feel like I’ve deviated drastically from who I was before him, but my boyfriend helped me recognise areas where I could grow — some unknowingly. Isn’t that the essence of every relationship? Love often brings out a side of ourselves we never knew existed.

Sibling relationships often remain undefined. When Alicia Amin and her two brothers Raja Imran and Raja Adam - are asked about their bond, they simply described it as bittersweet. Interestingly, when they were asked to describe each other, they all replied with "annoying" in unison and burst into laughter.