20 December,2010 10:16 AM IST | | Dear Diana
Dear Diana,
I am a 27-year-old guy. I met this girl through my parents six months back. We found we had a lot in common and really hit it off. However, she said that she wants to marry a guy who can cook. Now, I have never tried to cook since the time I was 10 and burnt my hand at the stove.u00a0
Illustration/Satish Acharya
I have always thought it is a good skill to know and so, I put aside my scary childhood memories and started learning to cook. Last week, I cooked her favourite dish but she hated it. She said the way I had cooked it turned her off the dish completely and she is just not interested inu00a0 taking our relationship any further.
She did not even agree to give me a second chance. Since then, she's not answering my calls or texts and has conveyed to my parents through hers that she is not interested in me. I really loved her and thought we had something great going, but she just dumped me. I don't know if I should try to persuade her to change her mind or just move on. What do I do?
Name withheld
Dear Friend,
You should not be thinking of wooing her back, you should be thanking your lucky stars that you are rid of her. Clearly food is more important to her than you are. Her expectationsu00a0 from a relationship are not silly, they are plain ridiculous.
And who knows if this is limited only to your cooking abilities? What next? She will leave you if you are a bad dancer? If you are not a brilliant swimmer? It's really sweet of you to put your fear aside and learn to cook, and whip up a dish for her. But she is not worthy of the effort. Save it for a girl who will appreciate the gesture and you. Forget this girl.
May I send her a bouquet?
Dear Diana,
I have strong feelings for a woman and she's never received flowers before and I want to make it both special and very unexpected. I want to send flowers to her on my birthday this week. Is this a good idea?
Rakesh
Dear Rakesh,
Yes. It's always nice to receive flowers. And if she has never been sent a bouquet before from anyone, I can tell you, she will remember it forever. You can also write a nice note. Something sweet and warm. Pick the flowers thoughtfully. Red roses stand for ' I love you', while pink roses stand for 'I like you'.
My brother is like a stranger...
Dear Diana,
I am 18 and my brother is 24 years old. We love each other a lot, but we've never really bonded -- maybe due to the age difference or the fact that we don't have any shared interests.
I didn't bother about that much till recently, one of my friends mentioned casually that he and his girlfriend were planning to get married. I didn't even know he had a girlfriend. That's when I realised that I didn't know him at all. Once he gets married, things will never be the same again. I am afraid I have wasted a lot of precious time in bonding with him, but I don't know how to take the first step.
Sheena
Dear Sheena,
As long as you love each other, I don't think there is a problem. A lot of siblings don't connect. Maybe you are just feeling this way because now you think after marriage you will lose the chance forever. But perhaps you might bond more with his wife and she will help you both communicate.
I think the problem between you both is communication. That's easy to fix. Start by telling him how you are feeling, and how you want to make the effort to change things. Share stuff about your life, and ask him about his. Start by asking him about the girl he's going to marry. Ask if you can help in the wedding preparations. Suggest that you three meet for dinner and a movie. That's a start. Then take it from there.u00a0
