REAL love

Up until recently, Valentine's Day wasn't really a big deal in Australia. It was just that holiday that people overseas celebrated, mostly in Hollywood movies, and specifically in romantic comedies.

Sadly, just like we have with everything else, we've given in to the commercialism and Valentine's Day has found me watching desperate looking businessmen hurriedly clamoring over over-priced roses in the supermarket on their way home.


I don't really buy into the whole drama of Valentine's Day - I couldn't care less if I spent the day alone or with a loved one. But given that it's Valentine's Day, I feel that I have to share some kind of story that is vaguely related to love, so here goes!


I've gotten into a sort of routine - or tradition is probably a better term - when I get a haircut. I usually have my appointment on a Thursday evening at around 6pm. This means I go straight from work to the hairdressers without having dinner. Luckily, the hairdresser is right next door to a Noodle Box. I never go to the Noodle Box any other time - they're way overpriced and I'm usually too impatient to wait that long for noodles. But after I get out of my hair appointment, I'm feeling good and relaxed, so I wander next door and pick myself up a seafood laksa for dinner. This has become somewhat of a tradition.


My favorite part of this routine is not the food - it's the little Chinese man who cooks the food for me.

He speaks barely a word of english, and what he does speak is very hard to understand, but for some reason, he LOVES me. He always greets me in what I can only describe as an excited way when I enter the shop, even if he's busy tucked away behind the counter frying noodles. If he's standing anywhere near the register when I walk in, he'll attempt to take my order, even though he clearly has no idea what he's doing. He gives me free prawn crackers and asks me just how specifically spicy I want the food. I sit down to wait for my order, and when it's done, he brings the paper bag around the front of the counter and hands it to me personally, all the while with a big smile on his face.He ushers me over to the plastic utensils and asks me if I want anything, then waves me off as I leave with the huge smile still all over his face.

I like to think that it's just me that get's this treatment - maybe because I'm an oddly regular customer - Seafood Laksa, spicy, every 8 weeks at around 8:30pm. Or maybe it's the fantastic confidence that I exude when I walk out of the hairdressers with perfectly smooth and shiny locks.

Either way, he makes me day. And if you ask me, that's the kind of love that Valentine's Day should be about. Because if you can only show your partner that you love them once a year, then you've got bigger things to worry about than forgetting to buy flowers and having to stop at the supermarket on your way home.

Just wear red and 'the ladies' will love you!

At least, that's what the research says.

And all you guys out there thought it was about your personality.





If only Warren had worn red, the ladies might have loved him a little more....

Big Boys Don't Cry....Do They?

I had a little whinge the other day about having to console some friends who have recently broken up (for what seems like the 500th time).

What I didn’t mention is that one of them is a friend as well as a co-worker. He sits at the desk next to me and at the moment, I’m kind of his temporary supervisor. By supervisor, I mean that my job is basically to give him a hard time about doing his work properly. This involves pushing him pretty hard for most of the day and drumming into him how important it is that he does things properly.

This has been made really awkward now, because during work hours I’m supposed to be the serious supervisor, but it’s really hard when at completely random moments, he will begin dabbing at the corners of his eyes with a tissue and getting all emotional.


I’ve never really had any problems separating my work from my personal life. I’ve always been good at it - I have to be, because I work with KJ, so if I couldn’t we would probably be divorced already. It gets a bit hard in this situation though, because you can’t just ignore someone being upset. But it’s difficult to be the concerned and caring friend trying to let him know that you’re there for him, then in the next breath demand to know why he forgot to do some critical part of his job. I might be great at separating work from personal stuff, but I'm hopeless when it comes to combining the two in any way.


Also, for some reason I just find it so much more gut-wrenching when it’s a guy doing the crying. It’s stupid to pretend like guys never cry, but I guess that as a female I’m aware how often women cry, but have no idea when it comes to men. After speaking to his ex last night, I was completely unsurprised that she cried for our entire half hour phone call - in fact I expected her to. And yet a few tears from him has me at a loss for what to say or do.


So, awkward times at the moment.

Love by Numbers

If, like me, you thought that there was such a thing as a soul mate or true love, then apparently you’re wrong.

Making your relationship work has nothing to do with soul mates or anything spiritual – apparently all you need is a handy little checklist of things to do/not do and you’re set!

Researchers have managed to come up with a bit of a checklist for what will make a relationship last. It’s a bit of a list of all the things you should share in life that will make for a successful relationship.

You can read the news article here, but I’ve condensed it all down into a simple 10 point checklist that means all you need to do is check a few boxes and you could be well on your way to marital bliss.

1. The woman should be at least five years younger than the man.
   I assume this works because older men love showing off their ability to pull younger chicks and woman are partial to a man with a bit of experience.
   
   
   
2. Share at least three cuddles and four kisses per day
   If you don’t touch each other, then it’s just weird that you’re married if you ask me. Just don’t become one of those people who thinks it’s cool to stick your tongue down someone’s throat in an everyday social situation. I’m happy if you love each other, but I don’t need to see it while I’m trying to have fun.
   
   
   
3. Share two hobbies on a regular basis.
   I don’t think the items in point 2 count as hobbies, so it probably has to be something more like hiking, skiing or some other kind of physical activity that people weirdly seem to enjoy. Does sleeping count as a hobby?
   
   
   
4. Have two romantic meals a month
   Do you think having a pizza delivered counts? I think I’m probably averaging two per year at the moment. May have to work on this one.
   
   
   
5. Make at least three calls, texts or emails to each other per day.
   KJ and I work together, so if I were to call, text or email him 3 times a day, he might begin to think that I wasn’t doing my job properly. That maybe I had lots of spare time to do things like chat online to friends or write long-winded blog posts.... hmmmm....
   
   
   
6. Say ‘I Love you’ at least once a day’
   You can do this in one of the many phone calls or text messages from point 5 if you like. Convenient.
   
   
7. Organise at least one surprise weekend away per year
   Does saying ‘Surprise! I need you to go to Adelaide for work!’ count?
   
   
   
8. Take one holiday per year
   I could quite happily live with that, as long as I don’t have to go camping. Because no matter how you try to spin it, there’s nothing relaxing about sleeping on the floor and squatting behind trees.
   
   
   
9. 3 nights per week should be spent snuggling up watching TV or a movie.
   This one is easy, since I’ve decided this could be one of my hobbies. That way I can be sharing a hobby while also meeting the requirements of point number 9.
   
   
   
10. This is the one that really gets me – You should spend two separate nights away from each other per month.
    What the?! If every month you need to fit in 90 cuddles, 120 kisses, 4 or 5 outings for hobbies, two romantic meals, 90 calls/emails, as well as holidays and surprise weekends away, all while living your regular everday life - how exactly are you supposed to find another two days to not see each other?!