Two in one : memes again

A.Adam tagged some bloggers including me here ( thank you)! I cheated and went to see what Khadijateri wrote , and was pleased to find she had an English translation of the meme, which I'm going to use because I know that not all my readers are super proficient in Arabic ;) .

*Are you satisfied with the form and content of your blog?
The content yes the template no , but I tried changing it once and almost lost everything, so I figured what for as long as it is clear than it should be fine.
*Does your family know about your blog?
No
*Do you find it embarrassing to tell a friend about your blog?
No a couple of friends know about it.
*Do you consider it a private matter?
Yes that's why it's anonymous.
*Did the blogs lead to a positive change in your ideas?
My ideas are always positive , I'm so tolerant, a real softie at heart ( and so modest wink wink)...
*Is it enough for you to open the profiles of the commentors on your blog or do you try to discover more?
I go to their blogs and usually I always find them to be potential great friends !
*What does the hit counter mean to you? Do you care to put it in your blog?
I used to not care about the hit counter as I tried it and removed it twice. But the hit counter helped me notice how many diverse people were reading this blog and that it would be selfish to stop blogging if my voice was heard in far away place.Some people were translating it in Japanese I was shocked. So I started counting again.
*Have you tried to imagine the shape of your blogger friends?
Never, I like them as they are , then I either arange to meet with them ( I met a few already) or we become friends IRL and we exchange photos etc...
*Admit! Do you find a real value for blogging?
Yes
*Do you feel that the society of the bloggers is disconnected from the world around you or that it is affected by what happens?
No it is not disconnected.
*Are you annoyed by criticism towards your blog? Or do you find it a healthy phenomenon?
I like it , it means I'm on your mind ( how modest eh ? )
*Are you afraid of some political blogs and avoid it? Did the arrest of some bloggers shock you?
No to both.



Well since I'm doing this meme I remembered that Redenclave tagged me also a while back for a photo of my cellphone picture (thank you ). Below is the display picture and the brand just as you wished Red :)

So are you all feeling lucky or what ? , you get two memes for the price of one . Hmm maybe Libyan Warrior is right - could I be bored ? I don't think so ...I just like to keep my word and I'm enjoying the vacation with an overdose of blogging he he he I'm sure it will pass in a few days and I'll revert to my old regime or once or twice per week ...

In the meantime dear all have fun , if you feel like doing the test yourself go ahead, also we can play the 'show us your mobile' game ;) too ...anyone up for it ?

Mars & Venus (TM)

While checking my backlog of emails , the piece below caught my eye, and my readers deserve to share it with me . Plus I want to know your opinion on how you think women/ men reason ? I sometimes get the impression that this is really what happens when males and females talk lol Enjoy ....

Here's a prime example of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" offered by an English professor from the University of Phoenix.

The professor told his class one day, "Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another copy to me.
The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another copy to me. The firstperson will then add a third paragraph, and so on..... back-and-forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent.
There is to be absolutely no talking outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."

The following was actually turned in by two of his students, Rebecca and Gary.

THE STORY :

(1st paragraph by Rebecca)..... At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl.His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.

(2nd paragraph by Gary) Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. " A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish particle BEAM FLASHED out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.

( Rebecca) He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she wondered wistfully.

( Gary) Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anudrian mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien> > empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anudrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarineheadquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid Laurie.

( Rebecca) This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.

(Gary) Yeah? Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic! who's attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of F**KING TEA???! Oh no, WHAT AM I to do? I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele novels!"

( Rebecca) A**hole

(Gary) Bitch

( Rebecca) F**K YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!

(Gary) Go drink some tea - whore.

(TEACHER) A+ . . . I really liked this one.

Show us your footwear ( updated ) - shebsheb zanouba part II

Flip flops, ( shebshebs) are a great method for disciplining men says I . This post generated interesting spin offs with readers sharing their footwear and if courageous enough their feet .

We saw, Safia, NBA, Redenclave, Roba and Leilouta , Programmer_Craig 'promised' us some combat socks view ;) * we are patiently waiting .....and even Zeyad from Healing Iraq took a photo of the foot of one of his friends on a trip to the beach in Jordan. What's up with the blogosphere , do we all have a foot/shoe fetish ?

Well I think the prize should go to sweet Pumkin , she has just sent me an email with her tootsies and shoes , I mean judge by yourself :)



Come on the rest of you don't be shy , this post will keep going until you stop sending your input, erm shoes, erm feet...;)










Update 31-08-06

This is fresh in , Programmer _Craig has taken the plunge to reveal all ...his haram skin :P and his boots so we got a double treat ladies and gentlemen. I'm wondering what else can we start using for the 'show us your... ' game ? and nooooo it's not what you are thinking ....

Imagine this...


The topic of the Greater Middle or New Middle East has generated a lot of bytes not just from you guys along with yours truely here , I was reading some articles and one link led to another and I found myself in this forum . I started reading the participants discussion..... this snippet caught my eye and I thought it was ridiculous . It is one of the commenter's idea of a response to the plan to redraw the map of the ME in what would be suitable for the interests of the West under the guise of the pursuit of democracy and the redressing of colonial wrongs.

Here is the part I thought was funny, kudos to the guy he's got fantastic imagination:

"It would be wise to start with giving the south of California and Texas to
Mexico ,for example. The tip of Florida could go to Cuba. Parts of Montana,
Wyoming and Dakotas could go to a Free Land of Original Settlers. Wisconsin
could handle a Free German State of North America. New York should be an
independent city state governed by UN."

The unreachable just cause

I had one of those personal mysterious posts of mine which I spring up on you unsuspecting lot from time to time ready at 5 am yesterday morning, when at the last minute I decided not to push the 'send' button. I figured out that once I wrote it, it was out my system and there was no need to share it with anyone anymore, it's there saved in my 'draft' section.

Another thing I noticed was that even my supposedly light hearted topics turn serious lol , hence I might as well enjoy myself and post all the controversial ones to my heart's content . ...

And so it was that I was trying to have a well deserved siesta yesterday afternoon when my attention was suddenly focused on Alarabiya TV and the good news that the Fox news journalists had been released. Welcome back guys.


I have to stress that I strongly condemn kidnappings of this sort I was especially appalled that they were forced to convert to Islam on TV while in captivity.

Those two moves are so stupid and if the perpetrators are hoping to be garnering sympathy to the Palestinian cause - or any cause for that matter- then they are failing miserably and further disfiguring the image of Islam.

I know that Islam does not need to be defended and that God will take care of his religion, but many Westerners do not understand this and only see the 'hard facts' and 'documented examples' from sources that THEY only trust. If it is a source I will trust or some Arab's personal experience then that does not count. This is the bitter truth . We have allowed it to happen .Hmm but I digress , these sensational news will further drown and bury the real dynamo of all that has been happening in the Middle-East and the fact that while we have a just cause, namely an occupied land, we keep pushing it away with the actions of some of these downright stupid people.

On the other hand these guys were not that lucky as Israel always goes for the guttural. It puts the world before the fait accompli especially if the victims are Arab journalists :

"An Israeli air strike on a car in Gaza City during a security operation has injured a Reuters news agency cameraman and a local journalist[..]The Israeli army said the car had not been identified as press and expressed regret that journalists had been hurt. "During the operation, there was an aerial attack on a suspicious vehicle that drove in a suspicious manner right by the forces and in between the Palestinian militant posts," Israeli army spokeswoman Capt Noa Meir said.[Ironically enough ] The Reuters armoured car was clearly labelled as a media vehicle, with signs on all sides, including the roof. "

See for yourself here courtesy of the BBC.

So whenever one wants to stop the bloodshed and the senseless murders, one side does something crazy to begin the vicious cycle again - and please do not tell me shelling the Reuters crew with a rocket was self defense...

The just cause will remain unattainable unless everyone disarms, and not if one side crushes the other.

Note: When commenting kindly abstain from generalisation and threats or wishes for the annihilation of Arabs /Muslims/Israelis/ Americans - Fair game though are combattants of any side but NOT their dependents .
PS if you've written a comment on another post , go back and check there is a great chance someone has replied to you ;)

The resignation

Back in March, I was contemplating a 'radical shift in career goals' , and checking tips about bad and good bosses. My strategy has been slow but assured without the need for an anthrax spiked letter lol. I'm quitting and have already signed the new contract with my new employer. Yay!

I've also taken a few weeks off between jobs to enjoy the summer. Which means more time for blogging, socialising , sports , reading and family.

Shebsheb Zanouba ( UPDATED)

Some of the readers expressed curiousity & interest in the action of hitting a man with a shebsheb zanouba ( if it is not them I guess ) especially after they found out that those are rubber flip flops ;) - the common species of rubberis flip floppus excuse my Latin.

Well here is a prime example , Highlander's own shebsheb ( ain't that better than my poster?), you already saw my boots !

Apart from being useful in disciplining unruly men, they are good for the shower, the beach and loafing around the house in summer or when we are washing the floor at home with water and soap ...the elaborate typical Libyan tasyig style of cleaning ( maybe we could talk about that another time )


















Update 26-8-06
NBA wants a contest of shebshebs ;) or footwear , Leilouta already has a nice collection of footwear online ......, Programmer _Craig may show us either his feet or his boots ( if he does not chicken out at the last minute he he he), Redenclave has already put her favourite sandals .
Dear readers and bloggers : If you want to add more to the collection of 'show us your footwear !' you are welcome ...lol.

Update 27-8-06

Safia has shown her footwear and her foot problems a few days ago :). While Roba went shoe shopping ..and we learn she 's got gorgeous toes . The funniest of them all though is NBA, he has kept his promise and sent a photo to publish on the blog and share with you all + what he calls an essay to go with it , which I had promised to post so you will all have to enjoy his prose - quite educational :) Thanks NBA lets hope this will encourage you to blog !

"Non-Blogging tries to be barefoot as much as possible. As this is a blog frequented by many decent Muslim ladies, out of respect for them the kafir Non-Blogging, however, prefers to show here as little of his desirable but haram fair skin as possible. His feet are covered here by mustat sukat [black socks] and his legs by housut of the suorat housut [trousers] sub-species commonly worn by people in the Western cultural sphere in professions where the risk of getting sweaty or greasy is minimal.Mustat sukat have little use in disciplining unruly women except for when they are left lying on the floor waiting for the next hottie passing by to hold her nose and pick them up. Furthermore, they can be used in symbolic mental torture due to the fact that mustasukkainen in Non-Blogging?s native language means both jealous and literally black-socked. Wearing jealous black socks is the worst aggression a Euro-softie like Non-Blogging could ever think about.Last but not least, Non-Blogging insists that such trivial things as flip-flops sound boring in English but bear the scent of Oriental mysticism when referred to as shebsheb zanouba. He thus hopes using his native terms here brings the readers a scent of the cold, formerly invincible North now gone soft."

Matchmaking in Libyan Newspapers

Still in the wedding mood , well it is summer and everyone is getting married before Ramadan which will be in one month's time. So I was reading my favourite Libyan papers, I came upon this ad section -and all of them are women :) and they are not as fussy as yours truely. ...Actually I was surprised at this advertisement..the person running this section has her email on top if anyone is interested ;).. ah soon those ladies who gauge girls at weddings won't have a job ...

Update 25-8-06

NBA asked if we could have a translation of the Arabic text and Hanu obliged :) . Thank you Hanu.

Would you marry a blogger ?

To follow up on the topic of matchmaking/ love and ideal/suitable other half which was raised in the posts Mr.Highlander, and true love , I thought hey let's be more specific ;) shall we ?

Especially after I've seen that several people in the Arab blogosphere were discussing this question lol ( hattip Roba in itoot ) - it does seem to be important ;)

Please follow all the links as they are really hilarious , through Roba and itoot , I discovered some funny and articulate Arab bloggers like : Jad , Khalidah, Qwaider and Shaden .


Here are excerpts from all the various posts mentioned above - but it's better if you read all the posts and tell me your favourite and of course what you think, I mean : WOULD YOU MARRY A BLOGGER ?

"She doesn't nag AT ALL, she just puts a single post about the matter

You will love him for how he thinks not how he looks, who he really is and
not what he pretends to be infront of you, what he does and not what he brags
about to impress you.


she would put a poll to see how many people agree that you get some
action or not
You’re not supposed to get jealous if guys complement her on her blog

He will get angry if you reply to the guys who comment on your blog; you
should ignore guys and reply only to gals to salvage his manly ego."

Top 3 Highlander Fans

While 80% of the traffic comes from the USA, my top 3 readers are not, surprisingly......


(1) NBA
(2) Adam
(3)and surprise surprise : Mitchell!

Thank you guys , that's what the stats are saying ......

Update on the Libyans stuck in Lebanon

We already knew that Safia's kids made it to Amman- Jordan .

Hanu's children are now refugees in Qatar- but at least they are safe.

Anglo-Libyan's family is apparently still safe too. Also check his post and photos about the peace rally in London.

A.Adam had an email from his mum if we recall , but I'm worried about him as he has not blogged since the 4th of August.

The answered SOS

In my Déjà vu post I launched an 911 call to Dhafer..... and guess what? God answered my prayers and Dhafer actually phoned me all the way from Teheran. Thank you for making my world right with your wisdom, the pain is still there, raw, fresh and throbbing, but there is no darkness anymore alhamdulilah it is now bearable because it is shared.

I would like to thank God also for sending another messenger to me, his soft words and tender peaceful cultured voice and words were there to remind me that there is no use fretting over events I cannot control , but only the things that I can do myself, and I am the only one able to create my own happiness or sadness. I'm proud to know that you are Libyan, I've read those beautiful links you shared with me....I will post about that soon. Thank you I now believe I do have a guardian angel assigned specifically to me. And yes just in case I may have for one dark moment forgotten how lucky I am ... I am kneeling down on my knees and thanking God the Merciful for his prompt sign.

لا احد يسوى دمعتك يا هيلاندر الا لاهل

Gauging the mood

While waiting for my appointment at the doctor, I'm absentmindedly watching TV; footage of the destruction by the IDF inflicted on Lebanon is prevalent. I'm bored and strike up a conversation with the receptionist.

H: This is getting so depressing, I can differentiate between Palestine, Iraq or Lebanon anymore.
Guy: Don't tell me about it , I stopped caring...
H: huh why ?
Guy: Since my best friend was martyred in Iraq in 2003 - inshallah
H: was he Libyan or Iraqi ?
Guy : Libyan, he said goodbuy to his parents and went to liberate Iraq only to end up dead for nothing. We Arabs have stopped caring - until we find a way to elicit respect nothing will change- that is why I no longer care whatever happens let them kill each other....


------------------
People have gotten a bit blase about Iraq, I mean what's new ? they are blowing up each other daily, while people in the Green Zone watch and enjoy . Lebanon is the fresh new wound and so it has galvanized hearts and minds

A coffee break at work turns into a discussion on Lebanon

Finance guy: Hey H I've wanted to ask you if you don't mind your opinion on what's happening in Lebanon, do you think Hezbollah have a chance? what they are doing is courageous standing up to Israel behind whom America is hiding.
H: Do you want the truth ?
Finance guy: Yes ... that's why I'm asking.. you're always pouring into those books ...
H: Hezbollah have no chance, they are outnumbered and outgunned and this is the wrong time to have picked a fight. It will be a massacre , Israel has been waiting for just this opportunity. Israel has a bonus, It gets to destroy Lebanon too in the process.. that is a big plus here , now if it can taunt and dangle enough bait it is hoping to get the bigger prize Syria.
Finance guy: I just wish we can do something..
H: you can pray, pray very hard and send aid

-----------
How easy it is to go from ordinary employee to suicide bomber, believe me it is not difficult when you are frustrated. Watch this ordinary, gucci- versace- burberry wearing , guerlain makeuped, European raised , dual nationality holder , not veiled colleague of mine :

Secretary: uffffffffff I am so depressed
H : why ? what's up
Secretary: I can't stay here with my hands tied - I need to do something
H: what can you do ?
Secretary : go and blow myself up
H: Whaaat ? where ?
Secretary: In Lebanon
H: what do you mean ? first of all you won't be able to get near any Israeli to blow yourself up, remember those courageous soldiers are mostly fighting in the air. Also if you do get near the ones who are conducting the ground offensive, that means you are already dead. Also before thinking about fighting did you not think how you will get to Lebanon ? you need a visa and how will you enter ? no airport - no flights. You have the option of going via Syria, but then you will be killed like a fly in your car when travelling from the border to Beirut.
Secretary: But I want to do something- I hate the way we have become- blowing myself up is the only weapon I have left... I think I need to attached part of the bomb to my head too not to feel the pain, I will die immediately.
H: well if you are so adamant about it and can find a way to get there , go do it .
----------------------

I'll offer my solution in another post.

The Global Nomads

While surfing Redenclave blog I came accross her interesting post Third Culture Kid !
She says :

"Third Culture Kids (abbreviated TCKs) is a term for children who have
lived a significant portion of their lives in a country that is not their
passport country [...]TCKs share some common characteristics amongst the sub
categories such as multilingualism, tolerance for other cultures, a never-ending
feeling of homesickness for their adopted country (it is very true) and a desire
to remain in close contact with friends from their adopted country as well as
other TCKs that they have grown up with. (I do still keep in touch with some of
them)"

read more here .

I've always suspected that these kids are special and had my own theory about it but I'm pleased to see someone had actually studied this phenomenon. I've met quite a few people like the ones described in Redenclave's post and I always wonder what set them apart from the herd .
A friend of mine who belonged to that 'club' used to complain a lot, and I would tell her you don't know how lucky you are... now I can shove this article in her face .

I think these global nomads or TCK's should be the future leaders, they have the potential for great understanding .

Redenclave concludes :

"Life wasn't easy for me when I got home, I had difficulties speaking and
understand my national language. Mom did take the initiative teaching me Malay
while I was abroad, but we spoke English most of the time at home! Hence, the
problem communicating. My new school friends couldn't understand my simple
Malay. Who cares? I hated my life, I hated that I had to return home. I couldn't
master the language even till now. My friends used to tease me for my accent
(when I speak in my mother tongue). I can't help it and I don't want to change
anything! I am what I am and I am happy to be me! "

YAY - you go Redenclave , TCKs rule!

Awakening a Conscience ?

Someone in the comment section (probably Craig) asked why did I keep bringing up articles from idiotic westerners and not from Arabs ? He wanted articles from Arabs to pick on and articles from intelligent westerners to pick on hmmm

Well I have been bringing a few articles from time time and even going through the trouble of translating them for you guys to rip each other about them. I can't help that the articles that do not seem to fit your particular line of thought are dismissed as idiotic now can I ? ;)
Anyway here is a short fresh one from last week. I'm back to my usual antics, count that interlude as just that - a freak storm.

Extremely Innocent questions : by the editor in chief of the 'Jamahiriya' daily newspaper issue 4991 dated 2-8-06 ( my translation)

"A few years ago, the Darfur regime was not present on the western mind despite
its geographical presence.Also a few years ago Darfur was NOT in the western
spotlight despite the sun hitting directly on it. Nothing was mentioned about 7
million Sudanese living in an area as large as France, whether Darfur's
inhabitant fought eacht other or not, whether they waged wars against each other
or not or whether the disputes about grazing grounds and water sources took
place or not.

Yet neither Paris, or Washington, or London or anyone new what was
happening within the history tunnel, and maybe no one wanted to know.
That is we must question the Darfur file and this 'sudden' great Western
concern about it .
Is it a case of a sudden love by the West towards this region?Why has this conscience been swallowing sleeping pills for mor than half a century while Palestine was screaming in its ears ?
Why has the western conscience unexpectedly woken up?and most importantly where was this conscience which is now making a racket regarding Darfur... why does it not open it's eyes regarding Lebanon?

What is Israel doing now will enable Hitler, Genkhis Khan and Nero to obtain a certificate of good behaviour. "

Déjà vu

Oh the irony, I thought this time it would be different .... I give up let the darkness in ....

It's the black hole version 2.1 , Dhafer meri jaan where are you ? It's difficult to get in touch with you now that you have a family. If you read this then call, we need to fix it. Je t'assure que c'est tellement pathetique que cela en devient marrant.

This is an SOS .

Love

I realised that all you 'warriors' are still tired of the war stories all over the media, and several of you have expressed a wish to continue with the light hearted posts. Well I'm still heavy hearted about the Middle East too and I'm afraid I might say things that I won't be able to take back ever. That is why I agree, I 'll give you an encore , a post about LOVE , but you have to keep your end of the bargain and not chicken out ;)

So apparently tomorrow 12th of August is Romance Day , and the 16th of August is True Love Forever Day ???? Who invented these things ?

Do you believe in true love, or is it an outdated concept ? Since most of us are single here apart from Maya and Chris in Manitoba, if I remmember well .. then there should be some interesting remarks.

I was a fervent believer in true love, soulmates etc... but now ... I'm kind of ambivalent can anyone prove me wrong ?
what is the most romantic thing you ever did / was done to you ? and what will you do this week now that you know these two important dates are coming LOL.

Update 12-8-06

True love holds no grudges ...

Mr. Highlander -updated

I don’t want to sound callous, but I’m sure you’ve all had an overdose of war on the blogs. So I thought that it was time to tackle some other topic, we can revert to the Middle East – yes I have more controversy – in a few days time how about that ?

I’ve been sent many emails and forwarded quizzes asking me about my ideal man ;) , and how come there is no Mr. Highlander – along with some offers to fill that space he he he… Hmm it seems you guys are all curious about my taste eh ? By the way the tests and memes sent by the ladies where fun to do also. I swear I did them all! Oh and I promise I won’t divulge who asked me what …..

I had posted in February 2005 my favourite ‘purely physical’ attractive men, and then mentioned that my choice would be influenced by ‘intelligence, wit, education, culture , love etc...’.

So if anyone is matchmaking here is my partial non-comprehensive list :)

(1) Spirituality –faith

This is the most important characteristic , because the man who is confident about his spirituality and has faith in God will be at peace with himself and the world. He will harbour no hate and no suspicion towards other humans and he will therefore do his best to uphold human values for everybody. Which eventually translates into respect and love for his spouse – I would feel safe in the notion that it is okay for me to be human and imperfect, and that I would still be cared for. I guess what I’m looking for is the beauty of the soul .

(2)Extensive culture

My man has to be well rounded in his general culture or at least willing to learn more, degrees are not a proof of refinement and culture they are merely a tool and a guide. The principal part is the ambition to accumulate knowledge about all sorts of interesting topics and the will to share it.


(3)Conversation

The extensive culture mentioned above would result into wonderful conversation and debating skill and life would never be boring especially when we get older and the physical passion gets less urgent;) Plus a great conversation will make him sooooooooo charming.
We should be able to talk about anything with no taboos and no fear.


(4)Keeping promises /word

Keeping my word is a characteristic that was drilled into me since childhood. I was literally told “your word should never fall to the ground”. That is -you should always respect your word and keep your promises. I have attempted to live by this decree for as long as I can remember even if it was at the expense of my own interest. That is why I will have no mercy if potential Mr.Highlander proves he cannot keep his word, whether by malice or negligence. There are no excuses, except for death or a fatal accident – for everything else there is the phone or email or any other means of communication. Not keeping his word means I don’t count as a human being, lover, friend, partner whatever i.e. I’m dispensable and not to be respected . If you keep your word against all odds you will be my hero.

(5)Tenderness & gallantry etc..

A tender guy will disarm me – I would be putty in his hands. In this age of ‘equality’ of the sexes, I am not ashamed to say a gallant real gentleman would score better in my eyes.
He would be available no matter how busy ( or find a way to make it OK that he is not).Of course I 'm not selfish and I do understand when someone is busy yet certain people have that certain je ne sais quoi , amazingly they know what to say and what to do at the right moment. Maybe they are just more finely attuned than the other mere mortals ;) .

(6)Hard working and smart

Intelligence is a prerequisite, dumb guys please abstain. Note that this does not include all intelligent men , I'm sure you've heard of emotional intelligence - so a high quotient in that is definetely a plus, because he would be attentive to my wants and needs and safety as I would damn ( oops excuse the profanity) sure be doing that all along ( comes with the territory lol ).
He should be willing to work hard to achieve his dreams and I would be supportive but he should be supportive in helping me achieve mine. He would be able to teach me something I don't know and humble enough to want to learn from me as well.

(7)Sharing

If we’re gonna share intimacy and conversation then it is only fair to share household responsibility and raising kids i.e.and equitable division of labour. The better we share the more we have time to be together.

(8)Physical

Good hygiene and grooming is a given , if you’re willing to take care of your physical shape I will take care of mine too. If you have a great butt and legs ( or lips ) don’t be shy about it . Plus it’s much more attractive to go to bed with Brad Pitt ( he looks good even in a skirt ) than with the Michelin guy ( Bibendum for my American readers ) !
Although I have no ethnic or racial preferences, I find myself programmed to be attracted to a certain type more than the other, but as I said if you fit all the criteria , then beauty becomes in the eye of the beholder.

(9)Fun and adventurous

Beach , library, playground, parks, mountains foreign countries, dancing, chess, monopoly or just playing hide and seek in the sitting room with the kids. It takes a special guy to want to do these things.


Well that was my wish list and not necessarily in order of preference . So far only a couple of men have partially fulfilled the criteria- either I’m chasing windmills or real men have gone into hiding . ..lol

Hope you enjoyed that and please share with me YOUR wish lists ladies and gentlemen ..... I don't discriminate so if you are gay or bi you can be anonymous and tell about your ideal second half ;)

UPDATE 10-8-06

Well some of your comments have uncovered some other characteristics :)

- I like the modern but macho man ( hand's on guy as someone said below)
- An ability to make decisions is a plus
- if he compromises I will too.

'tis not perfection I seek as that is a Godly attribute , 'tis who with his imperfections would still be perfect for me. Not looking for that prince on the white horse I guess but forr the one who will bring the glass slipper that fits ;)