Since I'm Alone This Valentine's Day...

Have a date with yourself
By Niño Mark Sablan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Last updated 18:47:00 02/12/2008

MANILA, Philippines—The number 2 seems to be the official number of Valentine’s Day. Everyone is in pairs: lovers in Luneta, couples enjoying dinner at the best restaurants in town, partners watching a movie or a special V-Day concert.

No need to fret though if you are alone, single and cannot grab the nearest person even for a faux date. This February 14, why not spend quality time and have a date with someone who will never get enough of love from you?

I’m referring to you.

Love yourself and don’t feel guilty or selfish about it. V-day is for loving, after all, even if it doesn’t involve another person.

Below are some “me-date” ideas that you might want to do on the 14th—and maybe on the next days to come! Remember, love shouldn’t be expressed only during special occasions.

If watching a romantic movie all alone while being surrounded by lovey-dovey couples makes you want to roll your eyes for two hours, consider enjoying filmdom’s best at home then.

Bring out those Meg Ryan (the queen of romantic, feel-good films) DVDs or VCDs together with a box of tissue since you’ll probably end up sniffing within the first 30 minutes.

Why not rent those Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon movies and relate to their breakup scenes or even be inspired by their eventual meet-Prince-Charming point?

The best thing about watching romantic movies at home is you can cry your eyeballs out without bothering your seatmates.

Are you the type who’d feel bad if you found yourself the only single person in a couples-filled restaurant?

Don’t go out then and just bring the candlelit dinner to your home. Flip through your recipe books or go online to find a special dish that sounds both yummy and easy. Dash to the grocery and grab your ingredients. And then head home and release your inner Wolfgang Puck.

Don’t forget to light a candle, dim the lights and play some Sade before you enjoy your culinary creation.

Afterward, congratulate yourself for a cooking job (hopefully) well done. If you feel a bit sad, pat your back for being so independent—and maybe for being like those movie characters waiting for happy endings—and everything should be peachy.

Pamper yourself
One way to love yourself is for you to take great care of your body. So instead of the usual shoe-shopping or wardrobe-hunting, a great idea is to head to the grocery in search of the healthiest food and drinks around.

Not only will you do your body good, you’ll also realize how long you have been missing out on some of the best-tasting treats out there such as cranberry juice, granola bars and soy milk with green tea.

After shopping, try out even for just a day some physical activity that you’ve never entertained doing. The options are several and all of them are surely fun and calorie-burning: muay thai, yoga or indoor wall-climbing.

Nothing beats some all-day pampering so, while everyone is out having dates, schedule an appointment with your favorite manicurist, barber and masseuse. Have those nails cleaned and colored.

Moisturize your stressed and traumatized mop of locks. Ditch the already-passé Rihanna hairstyle (even she has ditched it already!) and go for a new chic cut.
Glow after a facial. Groom those eyebrows. Have your teeth cleaned or whitened. Opt for a Brazilian wax.

Moan as someone gives you a massage.

E-mail the author at ninomarksablan@yahoo.com

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