reflections

Mr FixIt

Clare had been complaining for a few weeks that her iPod had stopped working. She wanted to take it in to be repaired. Before we headed out I thought I would take a look at it to see if there was an obvious problem that I could easily fix.

She told me that the device worked when it was plugged into the laptop, but otherwise was completely unresponsive. She proceeded to demonstrate how the screen was dark and how the buttons elicited no response. When she finally handed it to me, my first instinct was to check the "on/off" switch at the bottom of the iPod and to toggle it. To my surprise, the screen came alive and everything seemed to work perfectly.

Slightly incredulously I asked Clare if she had tried switching it on. I won't tell you her response, but rest assured that we were spared a trip to Harvey Norman and the iPod is working perfectly.

A vision of the future?

I have been working with a new client this week. Until today I had only come across women in their management team. I was begining to wonder if they had a female only policy when I found the lonely man in their corporate head office. He is the Executive Assistant.

Photo originally uploaded by oneredpanther.

Rare events

I was twice surprised today. Firstly, I had a female taxi driver. I have never seen a female taxi driver in Sydney. Secondly, she got me to my destination without getting lost even once. I thought I was in the twilight zone :-)

Photo originally uploaded by Narisa.

Pole Dancing or Motor Bikes?

Men and women have different interests. A few weekends ago, Clare went to Irene's hens celebration. The girls started off with pole dancing lessons, followed by hours of pampering and a lovely dinner.

Ofalemu and I were left to our own devices for the day. We chose slightly different activities  to amuse ourselves. After dropping Clare in the City, we headed to Parramatta to meet Simon and Tung who were motorbike shopping. After a number of fun filled hours we headed home with some Chinese takeout and spent a few hours playing "Gears of War" on the XBox until it was time to pick up Clare.

Men and women are decidedly different. The last few decades have increasingly seen many changes in the traditional roles of both men and women. We now have male nurses and women soldiers, house-husbands and female CEOs. In many instances traditional delineations between men and women are disappearing. It is tempting to think that women and men are becoming more similar.

However, despite the many changes we have seen women and men remain very different creatures. Sure, the rules are changing and we are at times struggling to learn the new ones. We should, however, not make the mistake of thinking that men and women are the same.

Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars

Clare suggested that we buy some magazines to get ideas for our wedding. She bought about 4 different wedding mags. I bought Ralph - I guess I got sidetracked. There was a great deck of cards with the mag to add to our poker collection. 

Getting Healthy

In our effort to be more healthier, Clare, Josh and I have all started taking supplements to boost our diet with essential vitamins and minerals. There is no shortage of choice when it comes to supplements, but we decided to go with Nature's Way who has tailored supplements for men, women and kids. The differences are interesting and amusing.

The kids supplements mostly have fish oil to help Joshua with his learning, memory and focus. The supplements for men and women are more complex with a multitude of ingredients that are combined to help with vastly different problems.

For men the supplements claim to give the male body the support it needs to through the day, remain alert and give the energy and stamina to meet all life throws at us. For women the supplements claim to help fight the effects of stress, fight nervous exhaustion, promote energy and reduce irritability. I am looking forward to it. The question is, if the supplements work their magic for women, do men really need the extra energy to get through the day?

The Power of Children

Taking Joshua to work yesterday reminded me that having a child with you seems to be one of the best tricks to attract women. An amazing number of women came up to me yesterday to ask questions or make a comment about Joshua. Considering that the opening line and breaking the ice are generally the most difficult steps in approaching a woman you like, having a kid with you seems to easily get beyond both.

It is also interesting that men probably would have the opposite reaction. When I was a single guy, if I saw a woman with a child I automatically thought "taken" and stayed clear.

Women on the other hand don't think about that. The first reaction seems to be to think how cute to see a guy looking after a kid. Maybe the guy instantly appears to be more sensitive and caring? Whatever the reason is their guard immediately goes down and become open to a conversation with the guy minding the child. 

A tip for the single men out there. Borrow a child (nephew, niece, whatever), take them to a shopping centre and just then just take your pick of women to ask out for a coffee.

The third addiction

It is commonly known that women are addicted to shoes and handbags. I think I have found the third addiction common to most females. Potato chips. Women are a little more subtle with this addiction because there is an element of guilt associated with it. Chips are bad for the figure.

However, if you observe closely you will notice that the preferred snack for most women is a packet of potato chips. It is often also used as a comfort food, TV dinner, emergency meal replacement, popcorn substitute during videos/movies etc. etc. Next time you have some bad news to share, bring home a bag of her favourite chips and break the news when she is halfway through the packet. She may even fail to notice.

Photo originally uploaded by aki_onna.

Take Me Out For Lunch

The internet has definitely revolutionised the dating game. Only a few years ago internet dating was largely taboo. If anyone tried it, they certainly kept it quiet. In the naughties, any sensible single person seems to have a profile up on one of the many dating websites. It is rapidely evolving as well, with SMS and mobile messenger becoming the latest tools to pick up. This morning I saw a new and interesting way used by a single lady to stand out from the crowd.

Kochie and Mel from the Sunrise program interviewed a lady who has taken internet dating to a new dimension. She has set up her own blog - click on the link to access - asking men to suggest a venue for their lunch date. Her aim is to go on a culinary journey of 100 lunch dates, collecting stories for her book and also hoping to find her perfect partner. Apparently, she has attracted a number of suiters so far and is well on track to meet her targetted 100 dates.

Photo originally uploaded by Babe. 

You are a GIRL!!!!

Have you ever had someone insult you by saying "you are such a girl"? Thuy said this to me the other day over email. She was referring to my ice skating injury. I was naturally insulted, but it got me thinking. She obviously thinks that the word "girl" is a term of insult. She is not alone in doing this. I have heard other women use this phrase to insult men.

I find this interesting. A guy would never say to a woman "you are such a man". If he did, he would mean it as a compliment, a major compliment. Why are women different? Why do women use their own gender as an insult to men?

Photo originally uploaded by d-day.