In a recent IM with my sister, she wrote something like this: "what are you planning to do for valentine's day? i know you're not the romantic type."

You know, I AM the romantic type but just not in the typical fashion that most people are I suppose. I don't own any negligee, I've never bought cologne for K, I don't light candles in the bedroom, I don't own a copy of the Kama Sutra and I'd much rather take a nice piece of computer equipment over chocolates and flowers any day. But that's not to say I'm not romantic.

As Valentine's Day nears I often shake my head as I flip through all those pages of advertisements that are crammed within my Sunday Times. Images filled with lackluster diamonds, gaudy golds, blood red rubies, pink hearts, candy, stuffed bears, flowers and you guessed it, kinky clothes. Why oh why is it that this certain day of the year seems to push us to have sex? Everything is geared around that whole romantic ideal of being in the sack and peeling off lingerie off your significant other or perhaps, total strangers for some of you out there. Page after page of those advertisements display women in bras, thongs, teddies and silky this and sheer that and perhaps a sprinkling of feather boas somewhere. But is this what Valentine's all about? I just don't get why we have to submit ourselves to this sort of consumerism and be led to think that if we don't end up in a slinky G-string by the end of the night, we're not really....romantic.

So you may not think I'm very romantic and that I don't believe in Valentine's Day but if there's Santa Claus, I guess I should believe that there's a Cupid as well. :P I think many of you are like me out there - we are romantic in our own ways and although we're not what people normally think of as lovey dovey, I can attest that I am most certainly a romantic because if I wasn't, I can't explain how come I cry when watching all those sappy Japanese romantic dramas.

Just because I don't believe in spending ludicrous amounts of dough on all this "red" stuff doesn't mean I don't believe in love or romance. Perhaps I'm just a bit more realistic and would prefer things that come from the heart more so than what you bring in your hand with you for a date. I'd rather have a guy who shows that he cares the other 364 days of the year instead. I mean, if your S.O. abuses you the other 364 days of the year and treats you well only on this one day, I think someone needs to stop lying to themselves.

No, I'm not pooh poohing on all of you die hard romantic's parade, this is life and this is reality. It's nice to be recognized as an important part of another person's half on Valentine's Day but this one day isn't everything. And I also think that this excessive consumerism wreaks havoc on those who are single because it leads them to believe that they can't partake in this day just because they think they have to go to Blockbuster and rent a video and eat popcorn all night long by themselves. Well you know what? Being attached is overplayed sometimes. It's not as romantic as it seems. I don't write love sonnets everyday. I don't dress up in silly frocks surprising my significant other when he comes home. I'm just a gal who thinks that Valentine's Day is out there to vacuum out your wallet. And if in your mind that's what you call unromantic, then yeah, I guess that's what I am.

I'm out.