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Valentine Online - Times of India (Feb 13, 99) |
People have this perception that being a computer junkie means having a non-existent social life. Or that the only significant other in your life is the computer you have a relationship with. And Valentine's Day is an alien, unfathomable concept. Far from it - this is my fourth Valentine's Day on the Net, and the V-Day has always been more enjoyable for me than it has been for many of my friends. And the Internet is responsible for keeping me in my happily unmarried state - besides my looks, charm, and clean flossed dentures, of course.
For starters, how many people know the story behind Valentine's
Day? Try asking the average kid in your neighbourhood Archie's
Gallery. Besides an expression that reads, "Duh? It's all
about love", chances are you won't get any reply. But whip
up your reliable browser and you'll realise that the truth is
out there. Learn the history of V-Day and V-Day cards at Amore'
on the Net
. And if you need an even more basic grounding,
explore the Science of Love for a detailed explanation
of why love afflicts us all.
Not one to waste hundreds of hours in the background activities
that usually go into finding a prospective valentine, I put up
a questionnaire on the Net (http://members.rediff.com/lc/girl.htm)
for potential valentines to easily get in touch. Needless to say,
I was flooded with applications. It's another matter though that
three of the five replies were from guys. For those not as technically
competent (or plain nerdy), there's always hope in sites like
Match.com, a nice place to flaunt your "available
and single, and willing to mingle" status. Matches and responses
assured, specially if you throw in code words like "36D".
While being floored with responses is a good ego massage, the
flip side is singling out one of the hopefuls to be your valentine.
No problem, the Love Calculator shows you the chances of
the success in a relationship, based on your names. The girl I
scored highest with was Myfi Lazrado - a frighteningly low 41%
- but that didn't deter me, since my parents who celebrated their
silver wedding anniversary had only a 23% chance of survival!
With the object of my affection decided, I scoured the Net for
ideas to make this a day to remember. 50 ways to have a happy
Valentine's Day
and How to say I Love You in 249 languages
came to the rescue. Being romantically impaired in the art of
writing love letters, Cyrano Server lent a helping hand
to get me started - a few names, adjectives, food items and I
had a romantic letter in a minute: "Myfi, I can imagine
myself kissing your beautiful body and slathering you with various
oils, chocolate sauce and tandoori chicken..."
Giving Myfi the full treatment meant showing her that she deserved
more than the great electronic multimedia cards from Hallmark.
I spent hours creating a full blown mini-website, full of mushy
stuff, sound files, animated images of beating hearts, cupids
and what have you, enshrining her and our love. The result was
something electronic smooches will never be able to capture. And
if e-kisses is what you're destined to, there's no better place
to give and get them at than The Kiss. But if your V-Day
is not going to be spent through modems, you may like to read
up on Aromatherapy for Lovers where the massage is the
message - enough said!
And for all those who don't see Valentine's Day through rose tinted
glasses, the Net has some solutions. No date? No problem! Build
A Date
for yourself by choosing the qualities you'd like your
dream lover to have, and in a matter of seconds, you'll find a
celebrity who's a perfect match. When you're done fantasising,
come back to reality and explore half a dozen ways you can enjoy
the perfect Anti-Valentine's Day.
Single or hooked, let your computer play cupid and enjoy Valentine's
Day!
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