Best 8 Gifts You Should Gift Your Wife on the Wedding Day

Your wedding day is the most special occasion in your life that you get to celebrate with your wife. It is a day of joy and happiness for you and your family; the exchange of gifts is customary on this day.

Knowing that this day only comes once in a man’s life, it is vital that you make the most of it and get your wife presents that she will adore and love for the coming years.

Here are the best eight gift ideas for your wedding day:

1. Necklace
A necklace is a traditional gift which is very popular on this special occasion. You can never go wrong with this gift as it is something that your wife will always treasure. You should try visiting a nearby jewellery store to see what they have available. If your wife has a certain preference in gemstones then get what she likes. It will look beautiful and make a perfect wedding day present.

2. Photo book
A photo book is a very unique idea for a gift. It is not expensive either, you can get one from your local store or order it online. Once you get the photo book, put all the pictures you have with her in the book making a wonderful album.

You can also add a personal message along with each photo to make it more romantic and charming. Personalized gifts are always trend setters and give you the chance to express yourself.

Love Marriage Vs Arranged Marriage

Coming from a man who is about to get divorced very soon, advice about marriage is not something to be taken seriously. But nonetheless, we all have our opinions. And at some point of time we all want to be heard. So when I first read about Indiblogger's Love Marriage or Arranged Marriage contest, I too wanted to write about it, I too wanted to express my views. And don't we all know, that it is from our failures that we achieve the key to our success.

Now, to be very honest with you there isn't much difference between a love marriage and an arranged marriage. The custom of arranged marriages have been predominant in this part of the world since centuries, and many of these nuptial bonds have been more than just successful. And I know a lot of men and women who belong to the new generation have left it upon their parents to decide about their life partners, or have started searching for a prospective bride or a groom through ads in newspapers.

And then there are some of us who were lucky enough to find that someone special in their lives. That someone who they couldn't think they could spend their lives without. They fell in love with that someone and then after they get to know eachother a little too well, they decided to take it to the next level, as you might say, and tie a knot. My parents had a love marriage, and they are happy together even after all these years!

But then I have seen marriages fail. They can be either of them, love or arranged. I have seen arranged marriages collapsed within days of the wedding because of simple misunderstanding. And I have also seen couples get separated because one or both of them fell out of love of eachother who had were once convinced that love is the best thing that had ever happened to them.

So what goes wrong?

The answer to that is very simple. Be it love marriage or arranged marriage, more often than not we don't seem to understand the true meaning of the word marriage. When people say that marriage is an institution, we fail to understand its teachings. We fail to understand that marriage is not just signing off a few legal documents or wearing sindoor on your forehead, marriage is not the right to have sex with your partner. Marriage is a bond of love that is to be respected by both people involved in it, that is to be cherished for what it is. It a relationship of a lifetime that is above all other relationships, the truest of them all. Marriage is a oath that a couple needs to fulfill, an oath to stick to eachother through thick and thin and love eachother inspite of all the odd of life. Marriage is a feeling that is not bound by a legal document or a pinch or red powder.

If you want to be married to someone because you love that person, you can do that without signing off a legal document in front of thousands of witnesses, you can do that without wearing that pinch of the red powder. Because if you want to break the bond of marriage, no legal document or no vermillion can save it. But if you want to keep it, no adversity would dare to break such a beautiful bond.

That is marriage!

And once we understand the true essence of marriage, whether its an arranged marriage or a love marriage, we would be able to cherish it like it says in the books, happily ever after.

12 Ways to Treat an Introvert

If you know someone who is an introvert but don't know how to make them comfortable with yourself, here are 12 ways to treat an introvert:

1. Respect their need for privacy.
2. Never embarrass them in public.
3. Let them observe first in new situations.
4. Give them time to think. Don’t demand instant answers.
5. Don’t interrupt them.
6. Give them advance notice of expected changes in their lives.
7. Give them 15 minute warnings to finish whatever they are doing.
8. Reprimand them privately.
9. Teach them new skills privately.
10. Enable them to find one best friend who has similar interests and abilities.
11. Don’t push them to make lot of friends.
12. Respect their introversion. Don’t try to remake them into extroverts.

First Dates - Things That Men Don’t Know About Women

You might think that the cardinal sins of first dates are discussing what went wrong with your last (beautiful) girlfriend, or maybe enthralling your date with the details of your balance transfer credit cards. They are, but there are a few other total non-starters when it comes to first dates, and this list could just save your blushes somewhere down the line.

1. Women hate walking in high heels

Yes, they look lovely, and she’s worn them because she wants to look nice for you. Most men like high heels on a woman, and she’s trying to please. Whether it’s a first date or not, appreciate the effort she’s made, but don’t make her walk too far if you want her to be happy. One of the worst things a girl can hear on a date is, “I thought it would be nice to walk to the restaurant – it’s only twenty minutes away.” A man’s idea of what a twenty-minute walk is tends to be a thirty-minute walk in reality. By then she will be wincing from the blisters. She’ll be gritting her teeth all the way, and if she seems distracted and less than enamored with you en route, it’s probably because she’s concentrating on not crying. From pain. Bad, bad move. If she’s wearing ‘Car to Bar’ shoes, make sure you don’t have far to go, or hail a cab. P.S Women love cabs.

2. Splitting The Bill

If woman insist on splitting the bill on a first date you can be pretty sure she’s not interested. If she lets you pay, you can be sure her radar is still on. She may still not be sure, but she’s open to persuasion that you could be suited. Bill paying is a very primitive mechanism. By picking up the tab you are signalling, on a primitive level, that you can provide, and that you are a successful male. A hunter-gatherer who can be trusted. Women will not be aware of this on any conscious level at all. Nor is she sizing you up as a potential husband. But at a subconscious level, if she allows you to pay the bill it means she has accepted your ‘hunter-gatherer’ offer. If she wants to split the tab, then don’t insist. Take it as a signal she may be distancing herself from you. There is no point in forcing the issue on principle, as she will feel guilty and uncomfortable, as it will be seen as an obligation. Feminist, both male and female may disagree, but it’s just science at the end of the day!

3. She’s Waiting For You To Say She Looks Lovely

This may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many men stumble at this first date hurdle. What men don’t know about women is that they may well have spent over a week planning for this date. They may have bought a new dress, they may have had their nails done, their hair cut, been to the beautician. It costs a lot of money and a lot of time. Imagine it. Taking a week to prepare for something and the person you meet doesn’t even comment. There is your first knock to her confidence before you have even started. It costs nothing to just acknowledge she’s made an effort. A simple, “Hey, you look lovely!” will do, as she walks in the room. Nothing heavy. You’ll get a smile and she will feel little lift inside. And that’s a great way to start a date. Lots of men don’t do it because they feel self-conscious. Don’t be. It will earn you lots of points, even if you feel strange saying it. Even if you decide there is no chemistry when you meet on a first date, still have the manners to make a comment. It’s only fair.

4. She Wants To Know About You, But Not Too Much…

Women can be great listeners. They can be naturally strong at empathizing and trying to put you at ease on a date. If you are nervous, there is a danger of what is known as ‘over-sharing’ on a first date, which can really ruin it. If you feel you need to fill the silence, and she’s listening in a sympathetic manner it’s easy to fall into this trap, but it is usually a bad tactical error on a first date at least. Over-sharing – talking too much about your personal feelings, childhood, parents, career or therapy sessions can have the effect of stripping you of some of your mystique. There is something unsettling about people who can tell you their most intimate secrets on a first date, because it may suggest that this is the sort of thing you generally share with total strangers, and that the information is not being saved for the one special person in your life to find out themselves. You seem emotionally promiscuous, in short. The feeling that someone is holding back is a powerful motivator to see them again, get to known them. No-one wants to read the last page of a book first. They want to savor each chapter as it unfolds. If you feel yourself falling into this trap, make sure you ask lots of questions about your date too, and encourage a two way conversation in that way.

If some of this advice seems obvious, well, it is. But it is astonishing just how many men fall into these first date traps. There are just as many for women, and maybe you can think of some yourself. But in the meantime, perhaps reflect on whether you have ever committed any of these first date sins.

My New Year's Resolutions

The dawn of a new year is just round the corner. A new year, a new beginning. Rather befitting for me since I am getting married this year and thus will begin my endeavors into a new world. A new world with a new family, my family. And with this beginning comes a few resolutions. My New Year’s resolutions.

Living a successful relationship is an art, living three successful relationships, the masterpiece. And that’s what I am planning to do successfully on this new year. The relationships that I share with my new family, my old family with my Mom and Dad and my extended family, which constitutes of my Mother-in-law, Father-in-law and my Sister-in-law. So that’s one of my New Year’s resolutions.

Career wise I would like to become more career-wise. Would love to pass the Google Adwords test this year. Been delaying for long. Would start writing content for 3rd party content providers like InstaMedia. That would get me some extra bucks other than providing me with an opportunity to sharpen my writing skills. That comes second in the list of my New Year’s resolution.

Financially, I would like to become a lot more stable than what I am today. Financial security one of the keys to a successful and happy relationship. Would try to go for some future investments. For leisure, would like to take a vacation and head over to the hills in Bhutan. Heard that it’s a nice, romantic place. Would like to see if it really lives upto its name.

Will check back at the end of next year with a checklist in my hand to know how many of these resolutions I have fulfilled. Hope you would be there with me on that day too. Till then, why don’t you tell me some of your New Year’s resolutions.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Gauri Chhiba, the daughter of retired Major Ramesh Chhiba, who had been born a vegetarian, was a Hindu Brahmin, and even had a temple within his house. Shahrukh being a Muslim in India where religion plays a key role while deciding the destiny of marital alliances, his marrying Gauri whom he had met in 1984 and eventually married in 1991 was indeed a tough task to accomplish.

The relationship between the two had been kept under wraps, and understandably so because Gauri’s parents would not have accepted it. Or, so it seemed for quite some time even while the twosome continued to meet up for six long years. The youngest in a Punjabi joint family with around 15 members, that Gauri would marry someone from her community was a foregone conclusion.

As for Shahrukh, he was willing to do anything to get her in his life, and it is said that he had entered Gauri’s household by posing as Abhimanyu during the girl’s birthdayparty. Abhimanyu who? Abhimanyu, the character that Shahrukh had just started to play in the television serial Fauji that was being directed by the retired Lieutenant Colonel Raj Kapoor. The serial based on life in the army had made Shahrukh’s character really popular, and people around even said that he looked quite a bit like Dilip Kumar when he attended the birthday party in Gauri’s house that day.

The story of Shahrukh and Gauri’s relationship continued to add a new chapter with every passing day, and not all of them were bliss-laden as is the case with all human relationships. He was tremendously, in fact uncomfortably possessive about his lady love, so much that he would pick up a quarrel with her even if she let her hair down… literally. Finally, Gauri lost her cool and realized that she wanted to get away from the emotional bedlam in 1989. Without informing Shahrukh, she came down to Mumbai with her pals just a day after the former had celebrated her birthday in his room by decorating it the best way he could have and giving her lots of presents.

It was when Gauri had left for Mumbai that Cupid shot that one decisive arrow. Shahrukh just had gone to the city of dreams where his love had gone, and he ended up telling everything to his mother who was supportive and open-minded as always. Not only did she give her son Rs 10,000, she also advised him to go to Mumbai and get his love back. Shahrukh went there with his friends, and what followed sounds like a chapter straight out of fictional romantic folklore.

In the huge city, he and his friends kept looking for Gauri, and especially around the beachees because of his awareness that she was attracted to them in a big way. On the last day of his stay in Mumbai, since he had run short of financial fuel obviously, a cab guy advised him to go to a place called the Aksa Beach. From there, they ferried across to a place called Gorai and, after searching frantically, managed to track her down when she was standing in the water! Once the duo saw each other, they embraced each other and started crying. That was the defining moment in their relationship, because it was clear to both of them that they need to be with each other all their lives.

The problem the couple apprehended was because of Gauri’s set-up that consisted of simple people who were loyal to Indian social norms and did not question the tenets of tradition: which, in this case, implied that having a son-in-law who belonged to a different religion. This was a thought that would have never crossed their minds. But the time when the twosome had to marry had to surface some day or the other, and that did happen in 1991. The couple went ahead and put up a notice for a court marriage which, according to the Indian marital laws, meant that their names were displayed in front of the court in a notice for one long month.

Shahrukh and Gauri had to hide the notice from their parents, so they did the most obvious thing. They gave a address and said it was their own. The poor fellow had to suffer the repercussions. The parochial among the Hindus made a group and shouted in front of his house, and so did their Muslim counterpart. During those 30 days, the life of his friend was absolutely miserable, but then both Shahrukh and Gauri did not have a choice because they were really concerned about the latter’s parents.

Those 30 days proved to be critical for the young couple. They worked hard towards convincing Gauri’s parents, and eventually managed to make them see their point of view. That they would have a court marriage after the notice period got over was decided upon, and it was on August 26 that this ceremony was finally solemnised in the court. They also got married in keeping with Hindu and Muslim traditions seperately. In fact, it was Gauri who insisted that they should have a Muslim wedding too, and the roots of a secular family set-up had been firmly established be them.

This was the time when Shahrukh was making his initial forays in Bollywood, and among his forthcoming films were Deewana and Raju Bangaya Gentleman while he was shooting for Dil Aashna Hai as well.

What a love story, isn't it! And a real one too at that.

Ten Crazy Things You Can Do To Make A Woman Fall For You Without Breaking a Bank

It’s already crazy as it is- making a woman fall for you- how much more doing it without much money in your pocket. Let’s be real, flowers, jewelries, expensive dinners are all great, but making the woman of your dreams fall for you would require much more than just spending money. Love takes time, and by showing that you are worthy of her love, you can make her fall for you, even if you can’t afford to buy her expensive things.

Women are not as complicated as many men would think. They are emotional beings who need to feel appreciated, and above all, desired. No matter how confident and self-sufficient a woman is, she needs someone who knows how to value her worth and treats her well. She may not seem like it, or may not be aware of it herself, but she usually makes her personal relationship choices based on her instincts dating back from the prehistoric ages. This was a time when all that a woman looks for in a man is someone who is a good provider, a protector, and a strong mate who she can have children with. This is all in their instinct that exists in a subconscious level. The woman of today can be strongly independent, and some are not even interested in having children, but their needs –subconsciously arising from their instincts- are still basically in need of attention from you. If you can cater to their needs, you can increase your chances of making a woman fall for you.

Now that you know that you don’t really have to break the bank to make a woman fall for you, you might be encouraged to man up and chase that girl. Okay, so let work on the crazy things you can do to win her heart. Some of the ideas listed below may seem absurd to you, but think about the reason behind the concept.

1. Go out of your comfort zone for her. If you are afraid of heights, go skydiving with her or take a rollercoaster ride in the park. If you can’t cook, try to whip up a meal for her. If you can’t stand watching daytime drama and she does, watch it with her. Let her know that you are willing to do things that you otherwise wouldn’t, because you have her. So even if you are frightened, embarrassed, or bored to your bones, do it for her.

2. Give her something to look forward to. Make her associate you the feelings of happiness and excitement. Set a specific day of the month wherein you would do something special for her. It does not matter what it is, as long as you can surprise her on a certain day for every month of every year. Let her look forward to that day when she knows that you are up to something but doesn’t know what it is. It would delight her as she anticipates your surprises.

3. Gussy up for her. Men are more visual creatures than women; that’s why they like to dress up and look good all the time. What about the other way around? Men think that men should be men by just being in Tshirt and shorts- or whatever they pull out first from their closet. While women understand this, sometimes they would appreciate it if you can look good for her once in a while. So don’t fuss if you have to wear a tuxedo to an event she wants to go to.

4. Be active together. Having your blood pumping and your heart pounding is almost the same as falling in love. So exercise together, or try out some sports. Whether you run, walk, swim, hike, ice skate, or hit the gym, as long as you do your activities together, you’re bound to have a great time.

5. Explore a new place. Sometimes getting lost is the greatest adventure. But if you’re really good with directions, consider going to places you haven’t gone to before. There’s something about experiencing something entirely new that’s a very good bonding experience for two people.

6. Have some childish fun. Remember how much fun it is to be a kid. Most probably she would feel the same way too. So relive those good feelings by having some innocent juvenile fun once in a while. Wrestle with her; play around the house; Tickle her; build a ‘house’ in the backyard.

7. Occasionally misbehave together. It sounds silly, but think of all the fun things you did before and you’d mostly remember those times when you misbehaved or did not do as you were told. Stay up really late, eat that ice cream, and indulge in something you know you probably shouldn’t. When you do it together, it is just twice as fun.

8. Get in touch with your creative side. Creativity is romantic. Write her a poem, or compose her a song, paint her a picture- create something for her. Let her be your inspiration as you show your artistic side. Let her know how wonderful she is that she exists in your world.

9. Reminisce with her. Women are very sentimental. This is probably why they can remember the tiniest of details in their memories. Even when you think they were not paying attention, expect that they can- spot on- remember everything that happened in a monumental date, right down to what you were wearing.

10. Stand up to her. It does not mean that you will treat her unkindly. Just don’t be like a doormat that she can step on every time she feels like it. A woman wants a strong man who has pride in himself, someone who won’t let her walk all over him. In every relationship, boundaries will be tested at times, and it’s your job as the man to remind her that you’ll need her respect the same way as you give it to her. It’s tough love.

About the author:

Sarah is part of the team that manages and maintains Australian Credit Cards, a personal finance blog about credit card debts based in Sydney, Australia. Before she joined ACC, she was an assistant editor-in-chief of Sandigan.

Best of Me

Many of you might not know that I have another blog called Of Love, Life and Other Unimportant Things. It's an Ad-free blog. It has it's own readership base. I am writing in it for while now, so today I thought about providing the links to some of my popular posts from that blog. Click on these photographs and you would be taken to that page where you have the story related to this photograph. Read them and enjoy the ride!

Let Go

So today morning I read this post from Vanessa. And from then onwards the idea of writing something on letting go was buzzing in my mind. She was online and I told her the same. After all everyone should have the fun of getting angry with a plagiarist.

So it all started when Vanessa's Convent teacher gave her an advice. An advice which we often remember but find it hard to practice in real life. Here's the advice in her own words.

"V-, many times in life we strongly desire varied things, we like to keep them with us, treasure them and hold them tightly refusing to leave them even when they harm us. But you need to know and understand this, you have to learn to LET GO. The more you hold it tightly, the more you hurt yourself. Don't forget your Bombay friends, remember them but free yourself from the anguish. Let go V-.... Let go. Okay?"

We often hold onto things which are very dear to us. Things like people who are close to our heart, people like out better halves, our parents, our boyfriends/girlfriends, things that are precious to us for their material/emotional values, things which we have kept over the years as memoirs. Its hard to let go off these things because letting go off these things means letting go off a part of our lives, that part to which that thing belongs to, that part to which that person belongs to. We cannot let go off the Christmas card that our long lost childhood love thinking that letting go off would mean letting go of the love that we shared, so letting go becomes painful. And its human nature to resist pain, refusing logic.

But more often than not, letting go off something is more feasible and more logical that holding onto it forever. I know its easier said than done. I know it well cause I have done that, a number of times. I have learnt to let go off people whom I had loved more than my life. Because even though it may seem that letting go off them is like betraying them in a way, but trust me if they are not there with you then they are not worthy of being remembered anyway.

So let go off that long lost (or recently lost) love-interest, let go off that Woodland shoes she gave you, or the bottle of perfumer he gifted you, just let go off them and anything related to them. Don't linger in the past. Probably they might have forgotten you the moment it ended (maybe even before that). If they didn't and they are to come back to you, eventually they would anyway. I know what I said sounds like trash, but as I said, I have been there done that. So take it from a pro, it helps you to move on. Just let go.

Ideas from Women's Magazine

Off late, every women's magazine that I happen to get my hands on seems to prophesies certain common ideas. Now, I am not against ideas. Ideas are like assholes, everyone has one although the one that belong to someone else is not much of an use. But the ideas that these so-called magazines for modern women evangelises are more of a rebellious nature than of any real use or value to a woman. And I don't think that it's necessary for every woman to have a rebellious nature just like every man need not be a mirror image of Subhash Bose.

Let's take idea# 1, which teaches women how to live the life of a singleton. Why a singleton, why not help them on how to live with a family? Is having a family such a passe these days? Or does the thought of making a compromise for a man's family hurts the ego of a modern woman and makes her a less feminist? In a relationship everyone needs to compromise to a certain extent, irrespective of whether its a man or woman. Just like it does not makes him any lesser a man if he makes certain compromise in order to live together with his woman in a family (be it his family or her family), it doesn't makes her any lesser a woman if she makes certain compromise to live within a family. A woman, like any other man, needs to know the value of a family. A family doesn't always mean certain rules and restrictions, it is NOT a device placed inside the society to cut off her wings of freedom.

In idea# 2, for the modern women, all men a MCPs and all the men are after is some cheap lip service! I simply don't know how on earth did they ever come up with the idea but its not only is one of the most popular topic of discussion these days, its also the idea which seems to give every modern women the right to call a man an MCP. I have a question for all those women who thinks that all a man wants is a hole to fuck, do you have a father, a brother? Do you see them in a similar fashion? If yes, then you are the most unfortunate woman in the world (unless ofcourse you really have an abusive paternal history), if no, then why not? Just because they are your blood relationship doesn't makes them any better.

Idea# 3 instigates a woman to fight for her rights, everywhere, even where its not necessary! Its pretty confusing that at one point of time you are asking a woman to fight for her equal rights and at the same time you are howling for woman's reservation bills. I work in an organisation where the population of women employees are considerably more, do we men harp about it? NO! Then why does a modern woman always needs to crib about how its a man's world and how they are victimised just because a male employee got a promotion and they didn't, even though it might be that the male employee is more a deserving candidate for the promotion than anyone else.

Idea# 4 brainwashes a woman to stay out of relationships rather then helping them with survival strategies. Half the time a woman says I won't be able to do this and I won't be able to do that in a relationship, then in the end when it doesn't work out they blame the man that he is an MCP and then shuns every sort of relationship from their life. Girls! Hello! Life is not only about friendship. Its about each and every relationship that we know off. If you cannot stay in one, its not entirely the man's fault. Moreover, if you cannot cope up with one, reach out to your man for help rather than blaming him for everything and leaving him. We do have a heart too and we too bleed when a relationship breaks, which again is quite opposite to what you think based on idea# 2.

There are other similar stupid (?) ideas that the woman magazine these days seem to be crammed up with. Trust me girls, there are lot more to a man than just a dick as there is a lot more to a woman than just a hole. Life can be pretty beautiful with a man by your side, and not all men are bad. The worlds full of different kinds of people, both good and bad. Just because you have met all the wrong kind of people in your life does not gives you the right to generalize things. Stop treating men like your opponents, treat them as your partners as you want them to treat you as and you would see how things can be different. Think about it once.