Happy ever after doesn't exist...
Tanzeel Akhtar
March 09, 2009
Call me a cynic but I gave up on romance when I was a teen.
We were always told it was forbidden to date out of wedlock if you´re brought up in a traditional Muslim family.
So I know for a fact that most young Asian women will not be out dating on Valentine´s Day, unless married and if engaged will then be chaperoned and be on a strict curfew.
All is not lost though. I do have some suggestions and cures for any singleton´s feeling the strain this Valentine´s Day.
So how do we single Asian ladies make up for it?
Well, this may sound narcissistic but I suggest you spend Valentine´s Day celebrating you, have a, 'I love me-me-me day'.
Spoil yourself rotten, go shopping and splurge. Do not wallow in self pity.
Arrange girly sleepovers, spend time discussing life´s woes, gossiping, giving each other makeovers, exchange make-up tips, pamper yourselves and just have fun.
Another option. Well, you could spend the evening praying that you have an arranged marriage as soon as possible to a nice rich ol´ man. And this time next year you will be happily dining out with him (or pregnant with your first child).
I certainly don´t encourage or recommend dating or bagging a man just for the sake of having a date for Valentine´s Day.
Many women will be traditional at heart. So until your parents arrange your marriage to some guy who ticks all the boxes - no romance or dabbling beforehand is permitted.
Another cure I can recommend for all those singletons who want to satisfy their thirst for romance, and this is my favourite, is a good action packed Bollywood flick.
As soon as you start feeling all nostalgic and feel as if you are missing something. Nip the feeling in the bud with a distracting epic Bollywood movie, pure fantasy, escapism and lots of cheesy love songs.
From my personal experience, romance for us Asian girlys is only safely experienced through the idealistic Bollywood world, where every single emotion can be experienced in just under three hours.
Heroine and hero meet and some kind of conflict arises which prevents them from being together. But low and behold in true Asian style you can count on things ending on a sweet note.
Just like this column I suppose....
We were always told it was forbidden to date out of wedlock if you´re brought up in a traditional Muslim family.
So I know for a fact that most young Asian women will not be out dating on Valentine´s Day, unless married and if engaged will then be chaperoned and be on a strict curfew.
All is not lost though. I do have some suggestions and cures for any singleton´s feeling the strain this Valentine´s Day.
So how do we single Asian ladies make up for it?
Well, this may sound narcissistic but I suggest you spend Valentine´s Day celebrating you, have a, 'I love me-me-me day'.
Spoil yourself rotten, go shopping and splurge. Do not wallow in self pity.
Arrange girly sleepovers, spend time discussing life´s woes, gossiping, giving each other makeovers, exchange make-up tips, pamper yourselves and just have fun.
Another option. Well, you could spend the evening praying that you have an arranged marriage as soon as possible to a nice rich ol´ man. And this time next year you will be happily dining out with him (or pregnant with your first child).
I certainly don´t encourage or recommend dating or bagging a man just for the sake of having a date for Valentine´s Day.
Many women will be traditional at heart. So until your parents arrange your marriage to some guy who ticks all the boxes - no romance or dabbling beforehand is permitted.
Another cure I can recommend for all those singletons who want to satisfy their thirst for romance, and this is my favourite, is a good action packed Bollywood flick.
As soon as you start feeling all nostalgic and feel as if you are missing something. Nip the feeling in the bud with a distracting epic Bollywood movie, pure fantasy, escapism and lots of cheesy love songs.
From my personal experience, romance for us Asian girlys is only safely experienced through the idealistic Bollywood world, where every single emotion can be experienced in just under three hours.
Heroine and hero meet and some kind of conflict arises which prevents them from being together. But low and behold in true Asian style you can count on things ending on a sweet note.
Just like this column I suppose....