I love the Internet. The amount of things you can do on it is unbelievable! I mean you can have access to news, keep in touch with friends, find information on just about anything, do research, participate in discussions and even chat online. The “information highway” makes possible unprecedented forms of communications. Never before have there been means of communication which have provided so many individuals with the ease and ability to engage in instantaneous, interactive communications with such a broad and diverse public.Previously unimaginable, millions of individuals are increasingly interacting across time and space, and forming mutual bonds with others, most of whom they neither have met nor will…

Why are most men romantically challenged? This question has gone round and round in my head over the years and I still can’t find the answer. Is it linked to the difference in our genes? Are we really from Venus and are they really from Mars? And if so, why is romance so scarce on Mars? For most women, romance is like air; we need it to breathe. I know that not all women have the same definition of romance. This issue of individual personalities brings up the Golden Rule of Romance: Know thy woman! Men can forget about any packaged plan or list of “romantic things to do”. Some…

I hate buying gifts, I really do. That is not because I am stingy or uncaring but I hate the fact that your whole relationship with someone can be determined by what you buy for them on a specific occasion, or what they mean to you is reflected in the gift. Someone said “Gift giving is an opportunity to express our feelings for someone we care for.” Yes… sure… but if I’ve had a busy week that does not mean I care about that person any less. Just about anything can be a gift, but shopping for gifts is very different from shopping for yourself. Have you ever had the…

I’ve just sat down after 4 hours of stress and tension, but with a feeling of deep satisfaction. No, it wasn’t a deadline completed at the last minute or annihilating my partner in an argument or anything like that. It was, believe it or not… guests. Guests? What could possibly be wrong with having friends or family over for some tea and biscuits and a nice chit-chat, you may wonder? Well, when I got married a few months ago I had no idea that, as a newly wed couple, our life would consequently be taken over by people who want to come over to congratulate us. Now the stressing was…

“People take things for granted”.  We’ve all heard that expression; we’ve eaten it, chewed it and digested it. “We never appreciate what we’ve got till we’ve lost it”. While most of us feel we are strong enough to overcome this, we still fall into the trap more often than we should. We all strive for more… more money, more love, more intimacy, more luxury, more everything. The 21st century has spoilt us and has made us believe that everything is possible and everything is within reach.  I believe that it can be, but while we’re out there looking for bigger and better things, we often forget what we’ve got. Being…

The expression open-minded seems to confuse many people. While I argue for open-mindedness with certain people, they speak back to me in a rather dismayed tone and only when I dig deeper into their understanding of the word, do I start to see what they mean. Open mindedness is so often confused with the word decadence. If a girl is “open minded”, in the narrow minded sense, it means she is a heavy drinker and smoker, she dresses a little too immodestly and has too many male friends! Open mindedness is about opening your mind; it’s as simple as that. Heard the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover”?…

New Year is coming. This year I am looking forward to it. That wasn’t always the case. New Year can be a confusing time, yes there’s all the celebrating, the joy, the hope, the ambition… but with it comes painful self-evaluation, assessing achievements or lack of them, the memory of unfulfilled goals and unrealised dreams. I remember one particular New Year a few years ago. I had had the worst 3 years of my life. 3 years filled with personal problems, professional problems, family problems. It was a bad time. With the increase in problems, came the decrease in my self-esteem and the appearance of a mild depression. I felt…

I wake up whenever I want. I indulge in a long breakfast. Read my book for an hour. Head for the shower…no rush… I shower. I get dressed and sit at my computer. My workday begins. Yes I am one of those “lucky ones” who gets to work from home. I don’t spend time or money commuting to work, my hours are flexible and I can take holidays whenever I want… Well that’s part of it. The truth is it’s not all that glamorous. Distractions and boredom quickly get the better of you when you’re working from home. When you work freelance or from home, one of the biggest problems…

Tomorrow, I’m going on holiday! Every holiday, I promise myself that I would draw up a list of items to pack but I always forget. I always begin my packing thinking everything is under control, I have plenty of time. Now time management is not my forte, and having spoken to a couple of my girlfriends about their packing dilemmas, they seem to agree that they just can’t organize packing without panicking. I can just picture Thursday night’s scene. I find a suitcase of a suitable size. Place it on my bed. Open the closet and the packing begins. I start off by picking some trousers, some tops, a few…

There are no absolute criteria for beauty, and there is no absolute rule for personal taste, notwithstanding superficial standards ‘set’ by the fashion and media industries. No matter how you feel about your looks, there are people out there who WILL find you physically attractive. In any case, no one is beautiful because of the way they look. It is true that looks often play a part in inspiring attraction, but it is not physical appearance which makes for a serious and long-lasting relationship and successful careers. Each person has his or her own unique characteristics which define them as a beautiful person. It is up to all of us…