I had an "Oh man, I forgot!" moment when a female colleague of mine asked me how I would be celebrating the day. Honestly, I hadn't planned anything for the occasion.
You know how busy we get in our daily lives. We can't help but forget hallmark holidays like Valentine's Day.
Maybe it's a guy thing to forget these things. Or maybe it's because the hefty price tags on Valentine's Day made us do that. A romantic dinner for two alone will cost you S$200, and that does not include the mandatory roses. Make a booking to go on Singapore Flyer? Banish that thought, please.
So, calculating the total cost of a romantic affair on Valentine's Day will cause temporary amnesia in many guys on February 14. And did I mention the additional high blood pressure from trying to wrestle a reservation at a decent venue?
All good intentions cast aside, I thought I should share my state of panic. So I asked a few guy friends what they had planned for Valentine's Day. I hope I'm not alone when I say us males are forgetful.
A few quick phone and email conversations produced none too useful ideas. But my buddies did get down to mulling over what it means to celebrate Valentine's Day. And boy, never did I imagine that Valentine's Day went deeper than just tight wallets and male memory lapses.
So from my male friends in various stages of a relationship, or lack thereof, here is what Valentine's Day means to the male population:
The single guy
My charming, but still available friend, Chris never had the opportunity to celebrate the day.
But instead of feeling sore about his situation, he remains hopeful and looks forward to have a special someone celebrate it with him. For every new girl that he dates, he constantly wonders if she will be the one he can spend the rest of his life with.
Someone should consider giving Chris his very own ?eye for a girl? program.
The happily married guy
Fredric can't stand V Day.
He looks upon it as nothing more than a cynical attempt by pushers of roses, jewellery and cards to sucker men into wasting money.
You can't blame him, what with all those wallet-wrenching price tags set by clever marketers who tell you that love is best expressed to your wife by burning a hole in your pocket.
So any self-respecting man should absolutely boycott Valentine's Day, and any self-respecting woman should have enough sense to rise above its crass commercialism.
Otherwise, how else do you save money to splurge on the more important things in life, like the wife's birthday?
The guy who is in a relationship
When you're in love with a beautiful woman, everyday is like Valentine's Day. Guys like Eric are daily "Romeos", so a dozen red roses for the lady and a romantic dinner is a nice gesture on Valentine's Day.
He also believes that the day serves another purpose - a reminder that there is love not just between couples, but family and friends. It's another day to get out of our hectic routines and enjoy the company of our loved ones.
So there it is. A wake up call for busy people to remember and appreciate their loved ones. It should be about making the effort to spend time together - that extra kiss on the cheek leaving the house each morning, a quick "love you" phone call in the middle of the work day; and just being there.
And me? I didn't plan for the occasion, but I did call my family to tell them I love them.
