Friday, November 30, 2012

Do it right: Body Language


I am finally on holiday – which means that I have been getting some much needed sleep, been lazing around the house and doing all kinds of random stuff, anything but work. This is probably the reason why I am only getting to this post now.

I set out last Saturday morning for my first ‘Do It Right Saturday Session’ with the dating service. The topic was body language and more specifically does your body language sabotage your dating?

I arrived at the four star guesthouse early, got my nametag and some coffee and scanned the audience, all ladies, and all old. The ladies were aged approximately from 30 up to one whom I guess is approaching 60 soon. It did wonders for my self esteem. I won’t lie – this session was also a good way to get a glimpse of the other ladies who my dates will be possibly meeting.

The speaker was Prof. Anske Grobler who is the Head of the Division of Communication Management at the University of Pretoria.  She is an expert in the field of Body Language since the mid-Eighties and has been invited to comment in the media on – amongst others – the non-verbal communication of politicians and even analyzed Nelson Mandela’s non-verbal communication during his release from prison.  She’s obviously an expert but as she is also a member of the dating service which showed me early on that using body language will not guarantee you a ‘hubby’.

It is nearly impossible to sum up the three hour ‘mini-seminar’ into one post and even more difficult to translate the non-verbal into the readable verbal… but here goes.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Dating, it's a numbers game


I have only one exam left. Hallelujah! I’ll be writing Ancient Culture Studies on the 27th and then I will be able to give my full attention to lounging around my house, tracking through Africa by 4x4 and packing for my move to Pretoria.

I have been quiet on the blog, studying, preparing for an event I’m speaking at tomorrow night and writing Greek. It has been a very depressing time indeed. I can barely contain myself for tonight where I will finally be able to socialize with my church buddies at our weekly gathering.

As my brain is still on full academic mode and the depression of exams is still with me I decided to write a quick post that will hopefully ruin your day as well.

Dating, it’s a numbers game.

If you ask the pessimists or the cynics what the probability is of meeting your soul mate their answer is simple: 0% “because man is naturally polygamous and love doesn’t exist”.

Now, of course, the first step is believing that your “soul mate” exists. I know a lot of people don’t believe that everyone has a soul mate, but for the purposes of this post, let’s just ignore them

Our country has recently released the statistics from the 2011 census and I have been busy crunching some numbers:

Sunday, November 4, 2012

My date with Number 3


I woke up yesterday morning for my date with Number 3 and my body had decided that it had turned into a snot-producing-super-machine. It was ugly.

I dosed myself with every type of flu medicine I had at my disposal, determined not to cancel 3 hours before a date and set off. Number 3 had suggested that we have a ‘breakfast date’ at a coffee shop. Coffee dates are what the dating service recommends. No alcohol involved, low cost, ability to excuse yourself early etc.

I was sitting outside the coffee shop and I quickly reflected on the few facts the dating service had given me on Number 3:

He is 34 years old.
He has never been married.
He works as an electrical engineer. He has a Masters degree.
He likes biking, symphony orchestras and Cinema Nouveau.

I really had no expectation of this date to be anything but sheer hell. I was imagining myself having to excuse myself every 5 minutes to blow my nose, snot dripping down my face and coughing over his breakfast. Not a pretty picture.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Dating Tips (Part 2)


It’s Friday! And I’m home alone again. Studying. Sick.

Yes, I’ve been quiet because final exams are only a week and a few days away so I have been a good little girl and I have restricted myself from my laptop. But, ladies and gentlemen, here is Part Two and three more dating tips from my dating service report: 27 Dating Tips Special Report.

1. The first thing 99.9% (YES, THIS IS TRUE!!) of all the men say to me is that they do not want to meet an overweight woman. Looks actually come second! By contrast, women only occasionally mention they do not want to meet an overweight man. Weight is a big issue for men.

Okay, if you are pissed off at reading this, don’t feel alone. So was I. The idea that we’re only attractive within a range of sizes is absurd. And narrow. Does this even qualify as a dating tip? What does it mean?