Rules On A Date

I was out with Jules some time ago, dining and catching up at a nice restaurant for hours talking and laughing away. We got our food, had our drinks and even had a huge slice of rich chocolate cake to celebrate our so many years of friendship. It was a wonderful evening.

In the middle of enjoying our delicious cake, we realised the couple who just sat next to us seemed to be awfully quiet. Their silence was deafening. They were both just entirely submerged in their phones, no exchange of sentences, much less any conversation and both seemed miserable just being there. 

We, on the other hand, were happily laughing endlessly as we talked about tonnes of things. Their silence however, made us uncomfortable. We quickly finished our cake, paid and walked off. 

Me: Hey, did you notice the couple next to us? They seem ‘off’.

Jules: Yeah. They were quiet. Do you think they were both having an argument? Or maybe it’s their first date?

Me: Both are possible. A blind date maybe? Or maybe they are texting each other via their phones?  hahahahah.

That moment right there that we both experienced, gave me an idea to write a post on this kind of situation. I am not expert on this of course, but I remember discussing this issue being the usual topic as part of our ‘growing older’ chapter of our lives. We had fun talking about this issue of what should and should not be done as a basic effort on both sides during the first date or the getting-to-know-you date(s). 

Do note however that these pointers are entirely my personal opinion. It may or not work on anyone. You can try it just for fun even if you are married and have totally forgotten the wonders of dating your partner. 

Firstly, if you guys are hungry, (try to) choose a place which is not too crowded so that you both can have a comfortable conversation without being judged by the patrons sitting next to you (such as me, hahahahaha). Actually it would be best altogether if you avoid the entire dinner rush hour where you will need to queue and wait for a table. The off-peak hours also help in choosing a table with a nice view somewhere. Perhaps you guys can go after lunch or before dinner kind of timing, where there will be lesser patrons and you do not need to wait too long for your order.

Being in the age of technology, it would be nice if both parties could put their phones aside. Focus on the person sitting in front of you. Have a 2-way conversation. What is a 2-way conversation, here let me demonstrate.

Guy: So how was your day?

Girl: It was pretty much alright. We had quite an intense meeting earlier, but otherwise everything else was good. How was your day?

Guy: Not too bad. I managed to clear quite a bit of stuff. Anyway what do you think is good to order here?

See, keep the conversation flowing, get to know each other better. Even if things do not get serious between the two of you, you get yourself a good buddy there. At the same time, try to switch the phone to silent mode for a while. It can be quite rude as you are trying to have a conversation, your date’s phone does not seem to stop. I for one, would be a very, very annoyed date. 

After dinner, how about dessert? There are a bunch of hipster cafes around the island. Even McDonalds has Mc Cafe which is open 24/7. Grab a slice of cake and get to know the person you are dating better. 

Once you are done with dinner and dessert, it would be nice if the gentleman could be so kind and send or accompany the lady back home or to her next location. Ladies, thank the gentleman for being so kind in sending you back. That is part of being a lady and being polite.

So what happens after that? 

Ok, I think this all for now. Let's keep this entry simple and basic. Point is, the rule is to enjoy the date, the moment and live. Why ask someone out only to waste both your time? It is time you both will not get back. Since you are on a date, enjoy the time. Be there, do not be distracted with other matters, you have later for those distractions. Just make sure you make the best of that moment. 

Harom Candles

Hello July,

As I am writing this entry, I am sitting next to my window with the feel of a lovely breeze coming through it. I have been having hectic weekdays and weekends for many many weeks. So when June came about last month, I welcomed it.

June has always truly been a dear month for me personally. I have been looking forward to June since probably after March. June usually means I have a bit more time for myself, to recuperate from the stress and the fatigue that I have been experiencing the past couple of months. To reflect and find myself again. To recover from the mental exhaustion and get back up with a fresh view and perspectives.

As the past few months have been quite hectic for me, I realised that the first thing I look forward to when I reached home, was to light up whatever candles I have in my home. Candles have always been a precious commodity to me. It usually calms my nerves, relaxes my mind and more often than not, helps me fall sleep peacefully. I would also have reed diffusers in my wash room and even at my work desk to ensure that I am constantly surrounded with wonderful scent. 

One of the things that I have always wanted to do was to create my own candles and perhaps mix up the scent, creating my own signature scent to my liking and having the honour to present them to my friends on special occasions, house warming and pretty much everything else. So I got down to seriously learn more about these candles. I read up about them, watch various videos about ways to create one and I jumped on the opportunity when Hanan, the owner and founder of Quofic conducted hands-on candle making workshop. She is truly an angel. She is one of those person who is simply beautiful on the outside and superbly amazing even on the inside. She helped make sense of what things that I did not understand and I pray the Almighty reward her and her entire family with endless blessing. 

Psst… Hanan said she will be conducting another round of candle making workshop after Eid festival this year. For those who would like to learn more about candles, keep a lookout for the workshop notification on her instagram. One would even be able to bring home his or her very own candle they created at the workshop. 

Anyway, recently, I got determined to create my own candles for my home and have my home filled with floral, citrus and even fresh scent during Eid season. Boy, I was determined to find create my own candle. Guess what… 

Harom Candles was born. I was working on this and spend a good amount  of time gathering constructive feedback on ways to improve them. I am blessed that I had family and friends who were more than willing to test them out and gave sincere inputs on a whole lot of things. It certainly helps. 

So soon, I will have the perfect gift to those who wish to light up their homes (and maybe for some, their lives) with Harom Candles.