NEW YORK — OK, I’m a failure. I admit I’m crap at keeping promises, especially ones made to myself, i.e. lose weight, stop smoking, stop trying to steal dogs, be single for a year. That last one didn’t really work out very well, I must say. I went to Scotland to have Thanksgiving with friends and with John, and to cool things off with John, too. I left NYC as “Single Jane 6.0” and came back as “Jane 6.0 with a Long-distance Boyfriend.”

Don’t know how it happened. In fact, the whole trip was about to be scrapped — I was having visa issues (don’t ask, too long of a story). But I managed to get an interview with the British Embassy on the day I planned to fly out. Out of sheer dramatic luck, they gave me a visitor’s visa — apparently, the person who was giving out visas that day is a huge fan of John’s band, and granted me the visa because of him.

Got to Glasgow, and there was some shyness when I saw John at the airport. No kisses, just hugs. (Throughout the flight, I was contemplating: Do I give him a kiss or not? Opted for just the hug.)

Then everything picked up from there. Ended up seeing friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, although most of them got a bit weirded out seeing us together. And then finally John and I had the dreaded “talk.” So after about six hours of the talk, it was decided: I was to be his girlfriend, and he was to be my boyfriend. The next day he gave me a pin that said “No. 1 girl.”

We officially are going steady. I met his family, which was nerve-racking. I had never been such a lady in my life! Didn’t curse once!

We went to a Tool show (don’t ask once again); we saw a football game. We had lovely foods, relaxed, and it was an amazing time.

And I’m very, very happy. The long distance helps me not to get too attached, and hell, the Atlantic Ocean is the best kind of protection, isn’t it.

— Jane Kim