Yahoo! Singapore Answers blog

The most famous (and commercial!) date in February has to be the 14th February – Valentine’s Day. It is a day that’s either highly anticipated by lovers, or dreaded by those who are single. Couples will try to show their love to each other by going to the most romantic place they can find for a meal and buying the “perfect” gift (if one can afford it). Seeing as how Valentine’s Day is falling on a Saturday this year, we can probably expect some romantic trips too.

(Photo by Xin3)

But you know, hey, being single on this day is not the end of the world. Love does not only exist between a couple as love is really “all around”. If you think about it, love is everywhere! There’s the most immediate kind of love – the love we have for our parents and the one they have for us. There’s love between your siblings, relatives and yourself. There’s love between the group of friends and buddies you hang out with. There’s love between yourself and that funny pet of yours (if you have one). And if you believe in God, there’s also love between you and Him!

(Photo thanks to NinjaHelloKitty)

Regardless of whether one is single or attached, what are the different things that can be done on this day (besides going out to a restaurant and flowers)? Well, one universal way of making loved ones happy (and this includes friends!) is to cook a yummy meal for them! I was just watching Channel News Asia the other day, and a chef was demonstrating how we can make a nice and affordable 3-course meal for two, under $40! Great deal, right? It’s basically a simple chicken + vegetable consomme with a prawn dumpling; seared ribeye steak with rocket-leaf salad; ending with a lime sorbet + sweet pineapple. Doesn’t that make you drool already? If you’re attached, you can cook a simple meal, maybe even pack it up and have a picnic somewhere. If you’re single, just call out your friends and have a potluck! What’s more enjoyable than a group of friends sharing good food, conversation and games?

So who will be cooking this weekend?

(Photo by minato)

I’m sure everyone is aware that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  This means if you want to have a meaningful and memorable V-Day, then you should be thinking about it and planning for it now.  Preparation is certainly a key to a great Valentine’s Day with your significant other and given the not-so-favorable economic situation we’re all experiencing, it also helps that by preparing for it early, you can have an inexpensive and yet extraordinary happy hearts day.

I’m sure top of mind to most of you right now is what Valentine gift to give your loved one.  Well, I recently read an article featuring a guide to a terrible Valentine’s Day gifts.  By learning what not to give on V-Day, we can identify the best things we can give.   To give you a quick account, here’s the list of gift no-no’s on Valentine’s Day:

1. Joke Items – Even if you’re the fun-loving type of person, don’t ever make it appear as if you’re making fun of your loved one with your gift.
2. Pillow novelty items – You’ve probably seen this in an email or website.  The boyfriend or girlfriend pillow or a pillow with your picture in it is just not romantic.
3. Baby talk anything – Any item with “I Wuv You” should not even be considered as a Valentine’s day gift
4. Cheesy suggestive gifts – These includes t-shirts and other “items” that cannot be mentioned here because this is a kid-friendly blog.
5. Plastic roses – The article actually just mentioned roses, but I beg to differ.  Roses are still a romantic, classic gift that will never be out of style.  But plastic ones are not.

So what are the best gifts to give on Valentine’s Day?  Well, I was thinking you could help me.  I know many consider the classic bouquet of red roses, box of sweet chocolates and romantic dinner (probably in a restaurant with an excellent view of the sea or the city skyline) as the best gifts on Valentine’s Day, but the truth is, the best gift you can give your Valentine on V-Day is time.  Spend quality time with that person and be reminded what a blessing it is to love and be loved.  I’m not saying don’t give a gift, I’m saying the cost of the gift doesn’t really matter, it’s the thought that counts.  And with the current financial crisis, now is certainly the best time to be creative and cost-friendly with your Valentine’s Day gift.

That’s why I am asking the community right now, what Valentine’s gifts can you suggest for someone who is on a budget and why?  Let’s help each other out, click the link to answer the question, and feel free to share the link to anyone you know who may have an excellent gift suggestion.  Remember, we can give without loving but we cannot love without giving.  Advance happy hearts day to everyone!

Chinese New Year is almost upon us. It’s coming early this year and that’s good. It means a short week at work and lots and lots of opportunities to eat New Year goodies and catch up with relatives and friends. The Answers community is also abuzz with questions about New Year traditions and about the lunar calendar.

blehheh wanted to know why red was the predominant colour during Chinese New Year. Xiao Mei B was curious why dragons and lions feature during this season too. ppglover92 had a rather interesting question: why do the Vietnamese and Korean also celebrate Chinese New Year.

One of the other things I like about Lunar New Year arriving early is the fact that it doesn’t clash with Valentine’s Day. People in love are not stuck in the conundrum of figuring out a schedule where they can make the reunion dinner and have a romantic date on the same night.

Our experts, Violet and Jasmine have been giving a helping hand to those seeking help in this season of love. Violet helped out someone who just got her heart broken. The poor girl was wondering what she did wrong and why her ex won’t speak to her and Violet gave her some perspective and told her to make some changes and take a break. Violet also gave some very useful advice to another girl who was caught between a warring boyfriend and her best friend. Now that is a sticky situation indeed.

And Jasmine was also in the thick of things, helping out some of the community with their gift questions. She gave advice on giving memorable gifts, that it’s the meaning behind the gift, rather than the gift itself that makes it special. And turning to her poetic side, she helped find the perfect poem (“There Is No Friend Like A Sister” by Mary Engelbreit) for crystal_landsiedel19 to use to complement a V-Day gift for her big sister.

It’s things like these that make it a pleasure to work on Yahoo! Answers. People going out of their way to help other people. It’s nice to know we can all make the world a better place.

Learn more about our Valentine’s Day campaign for Singapore and for the Philippines.

It’s that time of year again when men and women panic over that little day in the middle of February. Yes, I’m talking about Valentine’s Day. Many folks look forward to the romance, the fun, the gifts, the meal. But many don’t look forward to planning, deciding and wondering if your significant other is the one. Well fret not. This year, Answers brings help. We have two experts joining us for this season of Valentine’s and they’re here to help you make the most out of V-Day.

Introducing, Violet Lim, the founder of Lunch Actually. She’s a modern matchmaker and an expert in matters related to the heart. She’s here to help you with your tricky relationship questions. She’s already jumped right in and helping out in the community. Questions she has tackled include:

• When did you know you were in love?
• Who should buy the romantic meal on Valentine’s Day? (Her answer is the last one.)

We have another expert. Please also welcome [drumroll] Jasmine Chan. Jasmine has more than 10 years’ experience in the floral and gifts industry. She is one of the co-owners of The Olive 3, a very innovative gift company that specialises in making gift giving a wonderful experience. She’s here to help you will all your gift and flower questions. She’s also wasting no time and already answering questions from the community:

• I need help with a Valentine’s Day message. I want to send flowers and a card to someone I like. What do I write?
• What is a great Valentine’s Day gift for your boyfriend?

So now’s your chance to get expert help. Please ask your burning Valentine’s Day questions now and our experts might just pick out yours to share their expert advice.

To top if off, we know many of you out there have lots of experience in relationships and Valentine’s Day as well. For you folks in Singapore, we have three weekly contests where the best answers to our experts’ feature questions will win a goodie bag. But there’s more! One of these three best answers will also stand a chance to win:

• a romantic Valentine’s Day Sky Dining dinner at the Jewel Box at Mount Faber
• and a bouquet of 12 red roses, delivered by The Olive 3’s Music Messenger

How romantic is that? So take part in the contest now.

Here’s wishing a magical Valentine’s Day. Singaporeans, take part in the Valentine’s Day contest!

Cheers,