..Of dating advice n all...

''10 ways to know if he loves you'', ''7 signs to tell if he's cheating'', ''5surefire ways to re-ignite your love life...'' these are just but some of the titles of columns and articles that more often than not grace our dailies and media today, and claim to preach the gospel truth about love, life and our romantic partners...But really, should we peg our worldviews on matters of the heart and tie our actions to the words of ordinary human beings like ourselves, claiming to have the answers to all our deepest intimate issues?

I recently came across a relationship blog by a lady named Rori Raye and her articles were rather catchy and eyecandy for me..so I subscribed to her emailing service, whereby she'd give advice and tips on love, relationships and men. They were kinda cute but at some point became incessant and all they did was fill my inbox, moreso because they were full of sentiments based on lone experiences she'd undergone. However, what was most annoying was that at the end of each email, there was a link to obtain a video or e-book from this self-proclaimed relationship expert, of course at a very dear fee!

This goes without saying that some unscrupulous people have identified a need in society and are milking tonnes of money out of lonely, confused and broken hearts desperately in need of direction and advice (though all that some need is a thorough beating to ingrain sense into them!)

I am an avid reader of anything that appeals to my interests and a hopeless romantic at that, so anything saucy and worth reading will not glide by unnoticed. However over time, I have come to discover that we are more powerful and smarter than we actually deem ourselves to be; we hold the answers to questions and problems which we think Dr. Love can solve for us, yet we've got it all within us. You don't need some local or foreign stranger you know nothing about, to tell you how to please your man and find out what he really wants..all you simply need to do is be keen, listen with your eyes, ears and heart; and if need be, ask him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the fact that if he spends a substantial amount of his time watching soccer, then he loves it! If he's got a fetish for electronics then that could be a potential birthday gift (incase you're stuck in a rut not knowing what 2 buy).

However, the most universal of them all is food! Just watch him and find out what his favourite meal is and it would be rather smart n' cute to perfect your culinary skills and fix him one sweet, savvy and scrumptious meal he'll never forget and you'll have him wrapped all around your little finger in the blink of eye!!

Bottomline is, we shouldn't let strangers define our love-lives and relationships by telling us the 'whats' and 'what-nots.' Just because Tyra Banks doesn't think you should make the first move after an argument doesn't mean it has to be so for you. Your relationship is what you and your sweetheart make it, and the more liberated and sincere you are with each other, the more you'll enjoy it; without feeling indebted or obligated to some writer somewhere just because you did not follow their '8-step rule to a happy n successful relationship'!!!

~When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right ones a chance to catch you~