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Wednesday, October 14, 2009@ 11:51 AM by ♥ Shann Yang ♥

Cleo Magazine Nov'09 issue is out. Pix of mi look a bit weird ya.

Anyway, these are the pix they've shooted.





Please do support ya.. Buy a copy.. xie xie!!


The article



“I got married at 16”
Are couples who marry young making a foolish decision? Shannon Yeo, 29, is living proof that a teenage marriage can be just as healthy and successful as any other marriage.




When Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, aged 17, announced that she planned to marry her 18-year-old boyfriend, it sparked a wave of discussion about how teenage marriages are doomed to fail. While my situation was different from hers (she was pregnant, I wasn’t), I couldn’t help thinking about my own marriage, and the negative assumptions people have about those who choose to tie the knot at a young age.




I met my husband, Jack, when I was 13 and he was 14, at a fast food restaurant where we both worked part-time. We often worked the late shift together and he would send me home afterwards, which touched me as a sweet and caring gesture, and we started dating shortly after. I didn’t have a good relationship with my parents. My family wasn’t doing well financially, which meant that my parents often harangued me for money to pay for the bills and support the household. Jack was aware of my family problems and did his best to comfort me and take care of me. I felt secure and safe when I was with him, and found the security I was missing from my family in him. So while I was initially surprised when he proposed when I was 16, I accepted.




Though our parents weren’t exactly jumping for joy over our decision, they acknowledged that we were old enough to make our own choices and consented to the marriage. My close friends were very supportive of my decision and were happy that I had found The One. However, there were some unkind comments from ex-colleagues or former classmates whom I had lost touch with, about how it was bound to be a “shotgun” marriage, meaning the only reason I got married was because I was pregnant. This was untrue and I was surprised that people would automatically jump to such an assumption. I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by such baseless remarks. Do teenage marriages, or marriages between two young people in their early 20s, really deserve such a bad rep?




Studies paint a gloomy picture for couples who marry young: statistics show that teenage marriages today are two to three times more likely to end in divorce than are marriages between people aged 25 years and older. Many say that teenagers or couples in their early 20s are too immature, and the fact that they’ve decided to get married at a young age is hasty and impulsive. It’s true that young couples don’t have a lot going for them. They’re not earning much (if they’re earning at all), which means that most of them can’t live on their own. Marrying young also means you don’t get to live the carefree life most teenagers and singles in their 20s have. While I do see the sense in these arguments, I think marriage is a decision made between two people, and they’re the only ones who know whether they’re ready for such a big step. Outsiders don’t get the full picture, and I think they should respect a couple’s decision even if they don’t agree with it, instead of passing judgement.




I’ve been married for 13 years, and I’ve never regretted the decision to marry at 16. Sure, Jack and I quarrel like any other couple, but we’ve always managed to overcome any disagreements or obstacles together. He has changed me for the better – in the past, I used to be rather short-tempered, but he’s taught me to be a more patient wife. And when I think back to when I was 16, while it’s true that my family situation did have some influence on my decision to get married young, it was his responsible, caring nature when we were dating that convinced me that I was making the right choice. I knew that to get married simply to get out of a bad family situation was wrong. I was sure he was The One and vice versa, which was why we wanted to tie the knot.




I wouldn’t encourage everyone to marry young – each relationship is different and only the couple will know if they’re marrying for the right reasons. Instead, I would advise anyone who’s planning to get married, regardless of how old they are, to really consider the reasons behind their decision to become man and wife. And if it’s true love, I would give them my blessings. Marrying young might not work out for everyone, but I’m glad Jack and I are the exception to the norm.

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