LOVE BY VALENTINE’S: Tinder, here I come!

I got 99+ likes within a few hours of setting up my profile on Tinder. PHOTO| FOTOSEARCH

What you need to know:

  • Folks, sometimes you don't need to know everything you want, just be sure of what you don't want.
  • The man I am looking for should be interested in nurturing a loving, committed relationship.
  • I have set aside a small budget to cater for my half of the bill during dates.

I set up my Tinder account last weekend. Initially I thought I should sign-up for at least two dating apps, you know, not have all my eggs in one basket.

But then I realised that chatting across multiple apps would drain me. That means I won’t give it my best.

You see folks, I have a goal to find love by Valentine's Day. Not a date folks, but love.

Do you know what I recently found out when chatting with a friend? A lot of these lovey-dovey couples you see around actually met online. On some dating site. Or social media. Of course, it will be a cold day in hell before they admit this.

You will ask them how they met and the lady--always the lady--will blush cutely and purr: " We were introduced by a mutual friend." And if you are as nosy as I am, you will notice a twinkle of mischief in the man's eyes before he quickly--too quickly-- adds: "She is the best thing that’s happened to me!"

A SCRIPT

Quick question to online-bred couples, do you prepare a script once the relationship takes off? Does it include prepping this "mutual friend" in case a petty person decides to press for more information?

Honestly, I wish you would just admit that you owe your blossoming love to the internet. That way, the rest of us would not feel miserable about our poor choice of friends who never hook us up with ' a mutual friend’.

I have seriously questioned my list of friends, most recently when Megan and her Prince Harry said they were introduced by a mutual friend.

Anyway, I am now on Tinder hoping to meet 'the one'. I have ensured this goal is SMART-

Specific: I am looking to find love, not fun, not games and not anything in between.

The man I am looking for should be interested in nurturing a loving, committed relationship and he better have a clear visual of our blissful future together. To this end, I will be steering clear for any ‘come we try’ type of men.

Measurable: While I am not exactly sure what seriousness is, or commitment for that matter ---some men are exemplary actors-- I know what seriousness is not! Folks, sometimes you don't need to know everything you want, just be sure of what you don't want. For me, I do not want jokers.

MY MANTRA

Achievable: As a hopeless romantic, I believe that finding love is a very logical goal. I never skip a story marriage that lasts or love tales in general. Surely all those publications cannot be a fraud. My journey will be guided by two mantras: Love is possible and Yes I can!

Realistic: I heard that giggle! But listen, finding love in approximately 30 days is quite a realistic goal. Did you know that it takes only 21 days to acquire a life-long habit?

You must have heard of people who lost a ton of weight in two weeks. How about writers who wrote a 10-thousand-word manuscript in two weeks because their publisher was on their case--you know how writers rock at procrastinating.

The point is, a lot can happen in a month which makes this a very realistic goal.

Time-bound: I find deadlines exciting which is why I have given myself until February 14 to find love. If I succeed, then Valentine’s dinner date will be the climax of this journey. Just thinking about it makes my ear tingle with excitement. Won’t it be beautiful?

EYES ON THE PRIZE

Deadlines also help me stay focused, eyes on the prize. I have put some measures in place to ensure everything runs smoothly.

My Wi-Fi is paid for well in advance and following the recent incident involving the grandson of a former president, I have set aside a small budget to cater for my half of the bill during dates.

Some men take gender equality a tad too literary and insist on splitting the bill. That for me will not be a problem. A simple cup of coffee will not get in the way of me finding love.

The future looks promising. For instance, I got 99+ likes within a few hours of setting up my profile on Tinder. I paid close attention to the photos I put up and steered clear of the filters. This was a bit challenging for me given I use OPPO, the selfie phone but full disclosure is important. Who said finding love is easy?

Next week, I will keep you updated on the progress made. Wish me luck!

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LOVE BY VALENTINE’S is a blog series that will run until Valentine's Day. Our writer dreams of finding love by that day and at worst, a memorable date. Follow her adventure every week as she seeks to find love by Valentine's. Got feedback and tips on how she can do this? E-mail: [email protected]