Give way to V-day!

That time of the year is BACK.

The good news is its only the local FM radio stations which are making all the noise about Valentine's Day this year. The only publication that went Red with valentine's day discount offers was Sunday ( a weekly socialite magazine from the Daily Times team). Certain that it is widely read in a very small and closed circle of Lahore and a wee bit in Islamabad and an even small freebie circle of Karachi, I thought the marketers had gone underground in 2008.

My happiness was short lived.

Horrid traffic jams in the city, particularly during the election week, have converted my 45 minutes drive from work to home and vice versa to 2 hours long marathon of inching and moving my car between lanes, making sure I do not run over the other. Amid this the FM stations add to the misery with their love songs, free advices on what's IN and OUT this V-day, themes for V-day and so on.

The most interesting tip that I got today was when I was stuck in a jam for an hour during the lunch hour. The RJs added to my limited knowledge on the 'oohs and aahs' of V-day dress code. According to them, wearing certain colors on V-day signify a person's personal status, that includes:

BLACK means not available for a commitment or SCRAM!
RED means committed or LUCKY IN LOVE (grrrr!)
YELLOW means single, ready to mingle!
PINK means committed but also looking (wicked!)
WHITE means desperate for a relationship, anything would do (sad!)

My take, how about a combination of all of these. That'll leave people guessing all day.

A friend captured the V-day quite aptly and I salute her for putting it rightly. It's the pressure that gets many thinking about the V-day not because they feel the need to. Everyone is taken on by the pressure - the committed and the free.

For the committed, the pressure is to present, reassure or reinforce their sentiments.

For the free, it's a reality check. A point where they either say..sigh I wish that was me or weehaa its good to be free. Freedom ought to be celeberated too on Vday. But a lot of us (obviously the committed ones) snicker at such thoughts of the free :-)

I'm not suggesting we bent down to the pressure.

I suggest we make people around us happy this V-day. It can be a friend you have not called up in a long time, some one you stopped talking to altogether, reward friends and family for being by your side, get closer to people you want to get to know and you'll feel content with yourself eventually.

I've learned that everytime I give something I feel the happiest.

It could be a compliment, an insult (haha!), time, surprises (I still love them!), and so on. We will be remembered in the end with what we gave away to people we cared about. Mom, Dad, Sis, Bro, Friend, or that special someone, your Pet, yup the sky is the limit...

My critics could say giving is a way of life. You should do it throughout the year. I'm not contesting that. Let V-day reignite the spirit of giving, sharing and putting a smile on the people you care about. I know I do not get time to spend with people I would really want to. This day, I can take a break (after work ofcourse!) and let it be a gentle reminder throughtout the year. who knows I might carry it on..:-)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!