Points of view

Real love

Last weekend’s Valentine’s Special was truly special, featuring beautiful love stories that could motivate singles looking for love, and make married couples fondly reminisce.

When Harry Met Sally (Life Coach, Feb 14) transported me down memory lane, when my husband proposed to me as a shy 20-something. We met through common friends. But till date, when asked, he says he doesn’t know what emboldened him to approach me after the first few meetings; he just believes it was providence.

Life gives you immense wisdom in its own time, and we’ve come a long way from the clueless starry-eyed lovers who whispered, “I do”. After millions of disagreements, fights and name-calling, we’ve settled into a more mature and compromising kind of love. And it’s only because we chose to find strength in our differences and comfort in the areas we overlap.

No one is perfect and no love is perfect, so when you do find someone who fits into your dreams, give it all you’ve got. But not before you make sure that once the stars in your eyes fade away, there is something more concrete to replace them in your relationship… namely, understanding, compromise, patience, and the willingness to share any burden that comes your way. There is no formula for a perfect romance. It’s a strong faith and a stronger will to make your relationship work in raging waters that will help you weather the storm. - T. Ruby

Congratulations, T. RUBY, on your winning entry! We will be in touch with you shortly.

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Date with intent

The article written by Oksana had a really good relationship tip (When Harry Met Sally, Feb 14). Having an intention is important. People respond to purpose. This principle applies in the realm of dating and relationships too. Intention requires for you to be clear about what you want. It means that you’re clear with the person you’re dating. If you are like me, being with someone who doesn’t know what he wants is royally annoying because the indecision shows him up as being wishy-washy — in a sense, weak.

Without intention, a relationship goes nowhere and you can only go nowhere for so long. Tahera Ahmed Chowdhury, Dubai

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That was... Nice

I picked up the Feb 14 issue of wknd. with a considerable amount of trepidation. I was prepared for mush, plenty of it. I readied myself for gooey nonsense. I got set for pictures of sticky toffee, heart-shaped chocolate boxes, sickeningly creamy cakes with strawberries on top, cute teddy bears and achingly pretty roses. With a resigned sigh, I steeled myself for youthful puppy talk. I have nothing against any of these — just when they are forced upon you by greedy corporate machinery. That takes the joy and spontaneity out of it. I could have just left this issue alone I guess, but old habits die hard.

I picked it up, noted the red cover and rolled my eyes. Then I read the contents and reeled. I found a piece 
on ‘compromise’ that was real, that carried warmth and substance. I came across a meaningful article on V-day for singles. I enjoyed the quirky last page. You sidestepped me, wknd. You left me standing, open-mouthed. And scored a goal. Thank you. - PG Bhaskar, Dubai

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The best of humanity

Every year the increasing number of jingles on how and why one should take their loved ones out to a restaurant or a treat to anything and everything heart-shaped just seems to get more and more tacky. Instinctively, I turned to the last page and Indrajit Hazra (Be my Quarantine, Feb 14) sure didn’t disappoint, reciprocating my exact feelings on the matter.

But, I am sure all wknd. readers will agree that the article that really took the (Valentine’s) cake was Love in the Times of Compromise. The two stories from the SFS community really define the reason for dedicating a day to love. They show that Valentine’s Day is not just about splashing red all over the place — rather it is a time to reflect and celebrate such stories that show hum-anity at its best. - Jason Prince, by email

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Loving the peek

I love the new column Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, but went especially nuts last week (Feb 14). Thank you 
for featuring Oprah Winfrey! She is 
my absolute heroine and inspiration; so humble and caring — she truly 
deserves all the success she’s found 
to date. I have a request now: would you guys please feature Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith and Stephenie Meyer too? Thanks in advance! - Lynnette George, Sharjah

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