Being single can be hard, especially when most of your friends seem to be pairing off.

To cope with the pain and stress of singlehood, Muhammad Zailan Mohd Zain declared on Facebook on March 14 that he needs to "walk a lot to relieve my stress". 

Since then, this flight operations officer has covered a distance of almost 50km that week, walking at least 3km every day. 

“I will be turning 38 and I am still single without any female friends at all,” Zainal lamented on Facebook. "How long should I stay single and my singlehood is very cruel to me."

He added that he has been “trying to find a partner for the past 21 years”, sharing about his daily walking journey on the Singapore Hikers Facebook group.

In the comments section, Zainal received numerous encouraging responses from netizens urging him to stay positive.

Some pointed out that singlehood does receive a somewhat bad reputation but it can bring about plenty of benefits.

“Think positive. Singlehood can be fun, enriching too. No one to tie you down, no need to 'report' to anyone,” a Facebook user declared.

Another netizen shared a personal anecdote about how she met her husband through walking in meetup groups, and that Zailan would similarly meet a like-minded person.

From his Facebook page, it appears that Zainal loves hiking.

He shares videos of his jungle trails in MacRitchie and Pulau Ubin while also regularly documenting his hikes around the eastern part of Singapore.

On March 18, he posted on Facebook that "I need help in finding a partner. I hate my singlehood". 

As luck would have it, he did end up meeting someone, or something when hiking along Sungei Tampines that very night.

Unfortunately, it was an unplanned meet-up as he came across a little child with long hair in a white dress.

While his journey to find a partner continues, it's unlikely that he'd be taking that same path again.

ALSO READ: Hate that you're single? Here are 3 things to be grateful for

amierul@asiaone.com

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