I survived Valentine's Day...

It was just another regular day in Canada. Nothing special. The regular 8AM start, without shower or shave; the usual phone calls coming in one after another. The usual pot of packet noodles brewing over the stovetop. Chilling out on the couch was when it hit me. Another widely sensationalised and overly ambiguous advertisement directs my attention to the newest challenge 2011 has to offer...it's Valentine's Day tomorrow; and like the majority of males involved in relationships serious enough to consider this an actual day of meaning...I forgot.

The scramble to think up something not only passable as a date, but also meaningful; is a yearly ritual I do not look forward to. This year I managed to whisk up a romantic dinner, starring my lady friend's favourite meal; the preparation of which was not so romantic. A rush to the general store on hill, some less than glamorous ingredients and an extended lunch break helped to form what actually turned out to be quite a successful Valentine's Day (chiefly due to the fact that my lady friend, thankfully, wasn't that fussed about the whole day either and hence didn't really expect much anyway).

I'm not really writing this blog to complain or anything because as a blatant romantic, I actually enjoy days like this as (in real life) it gives me an opportunity to spoil the person that in my eyes definately deserves spoiling. I just find it funny this way in which men (myself included at times) 'survive' landmark days such as Valentines, Anniversaries and Birthdays rather than celebrate them. We pretend to celebrate when most the time we have only found out about the occassion at a day or less notice; and scramble to find something that passes as thoughtful or meaningful... most of the time by the skin on our fingertips.

The Long-Distance Patriot

I've discovered something about myself recently. Well not so much discovered as come to terms with. I know this sounds bad, considering Australia is a brilliant country. But around the point of Australia Day in Canada and in the midst of a lot of "Aussie Pride", I realised I am only patriotic when out of country. As in, I like to claim being Australian only when I'm in another country, but not so phased about it when in my own country. I think because patriotism when practised in your own country always seems to have the tinting of racism embedded inside of it. In the U.S, it's the redneck conservatives, in Australia, it's the douchebag bogans with their southern cross tattooes and mullets. I've heard that in places like Germany for instance, types of patriotism carried out in public are considered reminiscent of Nazi days; an imagine in which they understandably don't want to publicise and therefore don't really carry flags in the yard or any of that jazz.

I've frequently voiced my deeply seeded desire to become a 'citizen of the world'. I just think patriotism is over-rated. Everyone loves a team to barrack for, of course it makes things more interesting; and of course I'm proud of where I come from and I couldn't promote a country to visit more than Australia. I think it's just the idea of patriotism that annoys me. Seeing as most patriotism is basically anger-generated, for instance the picking of one side automatically comes with an intense hatred for another side. In my following of the Socceroo's at the 2006 Germany FIFA World Cup I found myself despising Italian's for at least another 6 months. Even in the recent 2010 World Cup I was slandering Italians, basically saying they deserved the shit form in the World Cup and teasing their country...only to be introduced minutes later to my new work colleague 'Fillipo' from Bologna, Italy...who also overheard the whole conversation (interesting day at work). I just realise that when I was in Australia, I really wasn't too excited about my own country. But I am, when around non-Australians, proud to be Australian.

In saying all of this, I am proud of Australia for the beautiful country that it is, and I am lucky to have come from there. But I am in no way ever going to expect special treatment, wonder and awe, or think I am better than anyone else just because I was popped out onto Australian soil.

Nope, my next tattoo won't be a boxing kangaroo, it won't be the Australian made food logo (lame?) and it definately won't be a southern cross.

Advancement's for the Socially Inept

Coming back at ya with a vengance. In the past month or months I haven't really had anything of value to write about. This continued until the other week, when a recent realisation of some personal flaws that I didn't think I had got me wondering about how technology has a huge impact on relationships in society today. This is going to make me sound like a veteran, but even if I take my pin-stripe high pants and suspenders down for a tick the thought is still there. I want to side note here saying that this has nothing to do with anything happening in my life at the moment, but was still just a thought about stuff in general. But seriously, kids these days with their facebook and their mobile phones and what have you, are fucking up relationships.

I'd like to go on record and point the finger at new technologies, for causing probably 40% of the 50% divorce rate. Where back in the day it would be easy to catch your husband or wife cheating, because noticeably, they would be gone physically; it is not so easy to catch a rat when it sits in the hole, texting or facebook messaging your cheese. Secondly, people were unfaithful a lot less before this shit. I'm not trying to say that people only didn't cheat because of the fact they might get caught, but I'm saying that it simply wasn't an option; because when you comitted, it was plainly because your partner is amazing and you don't want to know about another option as it doesn't matter.

Then comes along the mobile phone and facebook. Yeah they have all extended the capacity for communication (woopeedoo) and obviously I am sucked into these things too; but they have also extended the capacity for private communication and opened avenues for boundary pushing. I know friends of mine who have had girlfriends (HAD being the operative word, let that be a warning to you kids thinking you can pull it off) who have had 'cyber-girls-on-the-side'. In these circumstances, a simple facebook add after some harmless flirting on a night out turns into classic boundary pushing. I specifically remember warning my friend (who will not be named) against taking it further when he stated "It's just facebook man, it's not like I'm going to do anything". Weeks later, this friend of mine is newly single and understandably upset because he thinks he hasn't done anything; but he has, and call me a bad friend, but no sympathy from me. Regardless of this, emotionally cheating, in my books, affects relationships just as bad as physically cheating and rapidly erodes the fabric of a relationship just as much as the next mistress.

Admittedly, facebook and other social media has opened the market for complete retards and the socially inept to extend their introduction to girls and boys because of situations that require no actual physical introduction and therefore no direct rejection resulting in embarrassment. But this being said, I ask you, is this what we want? Meeting that special person is a fucking hard task, but if you do it the right way (the old fashioned way) then it is way worth it. Meeting potential partners through the internet is about as helpful as meeting partners at a club or bar. You're diving into murky water.

Cliche comment warning: The harder the journey the sweeter the reward. I am going to be doing long-distance later this year, and I am just incredibly lucky that I trust (and recieve trust and honesty) to the extent where this kind of thing isn't an issue for either side. In most situations though, facebook and texting are the kind of things that send a relationship over the proverbial edge; as in send a person crazy wondering about a simple coded comment or photo. I love the fact that the person I am with now I didn't meet through facebook and in fact only recieved my first text months into the relationship. I love the fact I was nervous as hell the first night we kissed and it took a whole lot of courage to even approach her on the night; courage that wouldn't have been in the equation had my introduction been typed instead of spoken. I love the fact that there is not much (apart from the obvious language barrier) that facebook can tell us that we don't already know about each other, only because facebook plays the most minimal part (and should always). I also love the fact that I have no interest in romantic warfare whether it be physical, emotional or technological, and you should too!

Get some integrity people, and don't come crying to me when you come home to discover you're no longer "in a relationship" when your girlfriend (who you coincidentally met on facebook) removes status instead of actually telling you.