A Family Matter

If you are single & in your late 20's or early 30's & your parents are not on you about getting married, they are saintly exceptions to the general norm, & I am personally green with envy.  If you read my last post about my mom & sister-in-law buying me how-to dating guide books (which I honestly enjoyed all of them), you'll be amused to know that  my whole family - males included - is fully involved in the "Get SmileMoon Married - Jaldi" plan.  

This past May after asking to see my Shaadi.com profile, my brother thought it was a bit "too SmileMoon," so he came up with the plan to compete with me (via IndianDating) by creating his own version of my profile & we would see who got contacted more.  Thankfully, he realized he didn't have the time to actually compete, so he just asked for my user ID & password & whether he could "tweak" my profile.  3 new pics & a "whoa, what happened to SmileMoon?!" later, I had a completely new & PAID profile; I almost died at the latter part (I was of the "I'm-a-girl-on-Shaadi-so-don't-have-to-pay" mentality; in fact, in my 30 years of life, it was my first time getting mad at my brother.  True story).  However, go figure, the next day & every day onwards I got contacted more than I ever had before!  Ugh... losing without even competing is the worst... 

As for my father, he has been "involved" in every awkward way imaginable... from maneuvering me across dance floors & then spinning me into some guy "SmileMoon, this is..." to calling me up for food (while I was hiding away in the basement during some "Kitty Party") & introducing me to an Auntie with "Beta, this is Radha Auntie.  She has 29 year old single son."  Awesome.  My parents are very open to me dating non-Indian (white guys specifically b/c it has become the accepted norm in our community) so Daddy sponsored an E-harmony membership for me earlier this year.  & just last week, he sent me the most depressing e-mail about his lack of sleep over my lack-o-shaadi & how "if he had stayed in India he would have grandkids by now" & woah nelly, did I almost lose it. :-P  

I know it might sound like I’m poking fun at my family, but I promise you that there is no unlove for their efforts; I understand & more than appreciate what they have done & continue to do because their intentions come from a place of love & wanting to see me happily settled.  I’m sure if I was the older married sibling, I’d be on a personal mission to help make the same happen for my younger sibling & when I have kids of my own, I know I’ll wish the same for them.  So, this post is really truly just a big THANK YOU to the powers that be for giving me such great friends & family who have & will do everything they can for me – whether it comes to finding me my jeevan saathi or anything in between.

With lots of love to all of them,

SmileMoon

Who should do the chasing...?

I'm just going to say it point blank that I think the guy should.  In every really amazing relationship that I know & admire (from engaged couples to marrieds, & to those who have been together for 50+ years), the guy did the chasing (pursuing or whatever you want to call it) & whether it was majorly or minorly, no matter what, he was & always slightly is more interested/hard-pressed than the girl.  ** Side note - I am going to be asking some halves of these amazing couples if I can share their story with you or if they will share it themselves & ladies, just a warning... you will turn into a puddle of mush when you hear about a man named Walter... **

** & Side Note Part 2 - Vijay Uncle, if you are reading this, I know you are calling me 'buddhu' right now, b/c you said something to the effect of "whoever does the calling is the stronger one", but on this, we'll have to agree to disagree (& for those of you are wondering "why does this weirdo keep referring to some Uncle?," please click on his picture on the main page & go to his website! :-P) **

Anywho, to continue.... every book from The Rules to He's Just Not that Into You (My mom bought me both - sad, but true; Mommy, the latter one hurt my feelings :-/) & Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man (my sister-in-law got me that one!) says the same thing.  Yes, okay, my whole family is apparently convinced that if I get well-versed in strategic thinking as it relates to dating & start understanding when "he's just not that into me", I'll get it together on this whole meeting-a-guy thing, but that's besides the point.  :-P  The point is that as absurd as it is that I own these 3 books (which I refused to display until a particular girlfriend insisted that I had to or she'd be mad at me!), the message in all of them is SO TRUE - when a guy is really into you, he is NOT casual, cool or nonchalant about it - he is just the opposite!  


Think back to all those guys that you might not have necessarily been that into, but how they were when they were really into you - persistent, sometimes awkward, nervous, texting/calling ever day & so on.  Sure, we often didn't like these guys the way they liked us, so we didn't care for all of that & we thought "ugh, staaaalker", but if a guy we were into did all that we'd be just thrilled.  Whenever my girlfriends start telling me not to be so practical about "how into me" I perceive a guy to be or not to brush him off due to what I perceive to be a lack of interest, I always tell them a story about a recent ex of mine (Uhhh... Hi, if you are reading & please don't hate me for telling this story!)

Well, the first time we met (through friends, at a lounge), he literally tripped over one of the low-set tables to come over to talk to me & then leapt over one of my girlfriends & squeezed right in between the 2 of us to be able to continue talking to me (I had relocated but not with any intention of avoiding him).  He was blatant about being interested & I thought he was just the cutest & sweetest thing ever; he definitely wasn't my typical "type", but I was offiically interested right back.  So... when he texted that night telling me how great it was meeting me & then called the next day asking me if I could go to the zoo (that day), I didn't think he was a weirdo freak; I thought "yaaaay!"  & then when he told me within week #1 that even though we'd be doing long distance for a significant part of our relationship, that he seriously wanted to see where this would go, I wasn't horrified at it being "too soon;' instead, when we talked for hours every night, I never worried if I was wasting my time.  Oh & when he told me that I was "the prettiest girl in the world" (I had to include this one, b/c shoot, someone actually thought that! :-P), even though I thought he was delusional for thinking it, it didn't feel like "too much;" I knew he believed it so it felt amazing..

In the end & after almost a year, things unfortunately didn't work out (the whole non-dramatic story is not necessary), but during that relationship, I always felt perfectly secure with how he felt about me.  So when my girlfriends tell me not to be so practical I remind them of that relationship, because from the beginning, I could be my completely gushy-mushy, expressive, quirky & hopeless romantic-self because it was always appreciated & reciprocated; I didn't have to question what I said/did/how I "acted" or wonder anything because of a lull in our communicating.  To this day, any of my girlfriends will tell you that even though it didn't work out with us, I still think he is one of the absolute greatest guys.

So... the point of my story...?  Good question.  Oh yeah, the point (sorry Dancing With The Stars is on & I got distracted! :-P) is that even though a guy doesn't necessarily have to be so overt in his liking you, I believe that he should be the one making more of the effort & that he should just like you just a smoodge more.  I know some of you are thinking "ok, SmileMoon, that's a nice story & all, but it still didn't have a happy ending;" this is true, but for every relationship going forward I know that even if there is no tripping or leaping, that I want to feel some version of "he's just that into me."

So in summary, I believe (& I feel like I have to keep saying this b/c I know a lot of people will not be thrilled with my perspective) that when a guy is really into you, he doesn't miss a beat in letting you know & showing you how much b/c he knows that if he does, some other guy could swoop in & steal his prize.  Guys are very territorial like that - I think we all are to some extent (this past year, I realized that if seeing the guy I'm interested in with some random girl does not elicit an ounce of jealousy in me, I'm not that interested) - so trust me, if he wants you, he will do everything in his power to get you.  Now if you aren't interested & reject him, that's a whole other story!  On another note,  if you, sister-friend, do end up doing all the chasing/pursuing & assuming you end up together, I would imagine that you'd spend the rest of your life constantly having to prove again & again how great you are.  Now I could be wrong (I often am), but that's how I think it'd play out.

Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one; actually, I'd just love to hear your thoughts in general!  I'm soooo excited that so many of you have gotten in touch with me via e-mail or Facebook, but I'd love for this to be a conversation with more perspectives than just mine (thank you to those of you have joined/posted!).  Some people have said that they don't feel comfie putting it all out there & that doing this is very "brave" of me (that is very sweet, but I don't think I'm saying or doing anything brave-worthy), but just remember that no one needs to know who you are; you can create an anonymous user ID & start posting!

Ok, well thanks always for reading.

Write soon...  SmileMoon :)

p.s. - & as much as I made fun of them, all those books are interesting reads & you can take what you want from them or nothing at all.  Oh & everyone has to see "He's Just Not That Into You" (great book & movie!)

He/she said what...?!

I was recently talking to a girlfriend who told me a story about a guy that she had been dating for about a year.  While they were dating, I had heard from another friend who knew this guy well & said that he was super shady at least until very recently (multiple girlfriends, hook-ups & such).  I mulled over saying anything to my friend because she seemed really happy & he sounded like a great guy, but after asking some girlfriends what I should do, they said that I should definitely share the info, so I did.  She appreciated knowing, did not get upset at me & things continued.

My friend & I had been playing phone tag forever & when we finally caught up, she told me a story that made me... aaahhh, soooo furious (one at this super-jerk guy & two, at my girlfriend for giving this guy a second chance)!  Well, long story short, after months of dating, some kind of situation with an ex (or someone else he was possibly seeing at the same time) happened, things ended, he relentlessly tried to get my friend back swearing that he was a changed man forever, she finally caved in, relationship part 2, major mistrust, then yet another still unclear something happened with the ex, & things were then over for good.  & as upset as she was, to this I said "thank goodness!"

She continued the story by telling me the whacky & messed up things this guy had said to her while they were dating like... "You're pretty but you're no Miss America" (not in reference to how she acts which one could describe as the anti-diva but in reference to how she looks; mind you she is GORGEOUS, always turns heads wherever she goes & is completely clueless to it all) & "I wish you had more style - I like girls who wear high heels, accessorize, are trendy, etc." (again, this is not some delusional evaluation of my friend, but she has a completely classic look sans 4"-inch heels & some trendy super-fitted hooch dress).

At this point, even though I wanted to violently shake my friend for sticking it out with someone who could say things like that , I can't say that I'm 100% sure what I would do if someone said something like that to me when I'd already invested so much time with them.  I'd like to think I'd say "You're decent but no Jon Abraham yet I still dated you & stop watching so much porn" as I made my way to the door.  Ok, so I might say nothing (it's so easy to be sassy & fiery in writing but often in person I'm a lot more "Err... & Umm... :-P" than I'd personally like to be), but I'd definitely make my way to the nearest exit.

After she told me the whole story, I made my girlfriend promise me that she would never ignore red flags like the things this moron said.  I told her that it's better to be solo than with someone who - if god forbid you did end up spending the rest of your life with - would make your loooong life miserable because you would be forever riddled with insecurity & constantly wondering "Am I (insert any quality or trait - attractive, smart, blah, blah - enough?"

There's so much I know I still need to learn when it comes to relationships, but the one thing I can say that I am good at is bumping anyone who has blatant poor character with a quickness.  I have a ZERO tolerance policy for poor character that I learned the hard way after one defining relationship in my life; I completely ignored all the reasons why I didn't want to be with this guy for the almost 2 years he pursued me (his being super arrogant, a complete narcissist & the clincher was that he continued to pursue me even while he was dating someone else); I had actually explicitly told this guy that he was "the most cocky person I knew" & then 2 years later, we were in a committed relationship & I was sure that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Oh & you'll love this... the best part of the story is that he then cheated on me.  My god & true story, but thankfully one from sooo long ago, that I can pass it off to being young, naive & really stupid.  :)

This is something that I hope everyone - guys & girls alike - keep in mind... things like how outgoing, funny, charming, well-traveled, speaks (Gujarati, Hindi, your language of preference), rhythmically-inclined, "Indian" & the hundreds of other criteria that we all have & gage who we will or will not date by, are all trivial & really shouldn't be deal breakers.  However, if someone is selfish, untrustworthy, makes you feel bad about yourself, disrespectful or shows any other poor character red flags, do not run, SPRINT in the other direction & don't look back - poor character IS FOREVER.  Oh, & if he/she cheated in the past, I'm sorry honey (b/c I was this delusional), but how wonderful you are will not reform him/her into the trustworthy non-cheating-type; you know what they say... "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

Honestly, I think as girls we've jacked it up for ourselves big time, because when we were younger, we all (ok, most.  ok, I) went for the bad-boy, playerish, most charming type; he treated us like crap & made us constantly wonder where we stood in his book, but yet we still wanted him.  He was so darn charming!  The good guys stood by watching as they got ignored, & now the whole standard has been set so far backwards (to the point that it feels like there is no standard) because we so eagerly sought out being treated like crap.  & the funny-sad thing is that we went for that guy not once, but again & again, until finally it seemed that "all the good guys" were taken b/c so few of the good guys were even left.

To the above, I know so many girls - including myself because I've seen it a hundred times - would say "ok fine, but what about the super nice guy who ends up with a complete super-B?"  We all know these couples as well, & you know, I have no idea what it is about so many people that makes them often seek out & end up with people who treat them awfully.

It's one of those great mysteries of life, but being the eternal optimist/idealisT that I am, I'm hoping that the generation that follows us at least learns from some of our mistakes versus repeating all of them... that they learn to heed the warning of all character red flags & bump the shady-jerk/b!tch-playerish-too-charming-for-their-own-good types (with a quickness!!)... & learn to pay attention to the maybe slightly more shy, subtle-good-human-being guy/girl type.

Here's to wishful thinking & g'nite ~ SmileMoon :)

Dating Horror Stories

Hi everyone, thank you so much for the positive feedback & I hope that more of you sign up for the blog & start posting!

I'm in a bit of a rush today (we're having an Indian summer in Chicago, so I need to get outside w/ a quickness!), so I just wanted to open up a discussion (hopefully) for everyone to share some dating horror stories....

I'll tell you one dating (more absurd, less horror) story of mine... So this was several years ago back in DC  & I ran into this guy that went to a neighboring school while I was in undergrad.  We knew of each other back then, seemingly hit it off that night & he said that he wanted to "take (me) out sometime."  (Before I continue, by the way he was acting & the 'take you out' statement, I considered this to be a date, & I'm only saying this because it certainly didn't end up feeling like one).  Anywho...  so a few days later I'm in DC @ my girlfriend's place waiting for the guy to show up (I lived in MD at the time).  He comes to her apartment to pick me up (very nice) & goes "so where do you want to go?"  Smilemoon thinking:  "Umm... Err....you live in DC, but didn't pick a place?"  Smilemoon saying "Oh hmm... I have no idea.  (Insert girlfriend's name), do you know of any good places??"  She recommended something & we headed over there.

Neither of us were that hungry so we ended up splitting an appetizer & a meal (& I think we each got a soda - maybe).  The conversation was a-okay until he pulled out a napkin & started drawing & explaining how in addition to his regular job, he was also involved in this "profitable marketing business" where he was "at the top," had 2 people under him, they each had people under them & so on.  By the time he was done drawing I looked down, he had basically drawn out what was a blatant pyramid scheme/business/whatever.  Awesome.

So bill time comes & I've always been one to offer to split the bill on a first date (I would looove to hear opinions on this one - who should pay, if the girl doesn't offer, what about the 2nd, 3rd, 4th date?).  I didn't look at the bill, but just pulled out my purse & credit card & gestured it over to him.  He took it without even blinking.  When I was signing the credit card receipt, I saw that homeboy & I were splitting a $23 check.  Double awesome.  Regardless of the total (& feel free to call me old school, backwards or whatever), I grew up with the sweetest, most polite, gentleman-like, open the door, send flowers kind of brother (yep, I basically blame him & the high standards he set!) who had always told me that "it's nice when a girl offers, but a guy should never let a girl pay on the first date."

Ok, so this date happened to continue that same nite b/c my girlfriend had told us that her & some friends were going to a lounge in a few hours & we should meet them there.  We did (I paid for the cab ride over b/c Pyramid-Halfsies didn't have cash on him).  When we got to the place, I introduced him to my friends & a few minutes later I saw that he had gotten himself a drink.  Just himself.  This happened 2 more times & I was basically like "Eh...?"  I hope no one thinks that I'm an alki needing a drink or that this is about someone paying or me wanting to be taken care of (we can all afford our own drinks), it was about the gesture - the simple asking of "hey, can I get you something/ Let's get something to drink."  My own guy friends make the gesture & I return the favor, so I just thought someone on a first date would do the same!

Well, the night finally came to an end & P-H told me that he had a "great time & couldn't wait to meet up again."  Double "Eh?!"  Now this might be awful of me for not being direct & saying I'm not interested (this is an area of personal development for me & also something I'd love to hear your thoughts on!), but a few times after ignoring & not returning his calls, it was over.

Side thought:  Although I've been told this by my friends a million times, I really do have a problem being brief when I'm writing...  & I type so darn fast I don't even realize it!  Siiiigh, what can I say, I just love telling stories (& hearing them) & hence this blog :-P)

Ok, that's all for me for today; I'd love to hear your own dating horror (or hooray!) stories!

~ SmileMoon :)

Sometimes, I wish I was in the motherland...

Although I will likely be perceived as "backwards, not with the times, old school" or something along those lines, the other day I was having a conversation with my dad about the whole not-being-married sitchu & I told him (in all seriousness), that "it's great to be in America... I appreciate all he did to get here, & I feel blessed for the life that I have.  However, I often feel like I was meant to be raised in India not only because I'm a fob (a big one!) at heart, but at the end of the day in spite of all the opportunities, success & lifestyle, my big goal in life has always been to have a happy family life - not become CEO of a company, a manager to many or anything particular when it comes to professional success (don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that & I do appreciate my job & my career, but it's far from my personal end-all-be-all).  & Although some would say otherwise & sure, scientifically I agree, but socially (& I believe for a million other reasons) to have kids in that "happy family", I need to be married.

I seriously think it's something that parents from the motherland should consider before choosing to come over & settle their families here.  Sure, their kids will likely have tremendous success when it comes to education & their careers, but they should be prepared for the fact that getting married is nothing like it is over there & that their children will likely endure several failed relationships, & when they do finally get married, it will most probably be way later in life & in some cases, not at all.  & Then, even though they won't because our parents certainly aren't blaming themselves, they should take some personal responsibility that they had a hand in the delay.  As for the "not at all," that's not me being negative, but realistic; as time passes - due to our own choosing or just not finding someone - the pool becomes smaller & smaller & naturally, some of us will be left solo for the rest of our lives.  & I know that's not necessarily the worst thing & someone will be angry at me for implying anything of the sort, but I can just say personally that that's not what I want for myself.

That's why when I visit India & see that even my most educated & successful cousins/nephews/nieces (you know in India, it's totally normal to have nephews/nieces who are your age or older! :-P) are all married (& most with babies) by their mid-20s, I can't help but feel a pang of "oh man, I wish life was like this stateside."  Everyone in India is looking for financial success so that it affords them security (& sure some "name, fame, etc."), but here something else is going on; we are more on the path of looking to have 4 degrees & rule the world (a gross exaggeration but you know what I mean).  In India, a girl completing her medical degree (I understand the process isn't as convoluted or long as it is here), a guy who is moving up the professional ladder, essentially anyone, will still have marriage & settling down as a top priority.

It's funny because ever since my first trip back to India after 10 years when I was 23, I have made a few more trips....  From that first trip to the most recent one, there was extreme shock in my family that I was not married & did not have any potential suitors.  They told me they could easily find me someone there... Err... I probably should've taken them up on it! Just kidding, I could never (however, I know more than a handful of guys who have easily gone this route - to be discussed later).  I've even had my young 15-year old nephews send me e-mails like "Dear Bua, kya aapki shaadi abhi thak nahin hui? (forgive my spelling), but that translates to "Dear Bua, (omigod) are you still not married yet....?" & other cousins call me & tell me that "I really should settle down" (ok, as if this is something I'm choosing to not do :-P)  At this point, if I visit India before I'm married it will be for a tour-de-India & not to see the fam; with turning 30, I couldn't take the horror they would feel & express over still not being married.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, in America, it's pretty much taboo to say that you "want to be married."  Well, if you're a girl that is & if you're a guy it's all "aweee, how sweet" & such.  In India, no one would blink if a guy or girl in their early-to-mid 20's said that they wanted to be married & have kids."  No one would go running.  No one would be called a "psycho."  It's not okay to say you want to get married or have kids, but then when you are & do, it's like you perceive (& so does the whole community) that you have just accomplished the greatest thing in life - it's all kinds of messed & mixed up if you ask me....

Well, that's all from me for today, but I'd love to hear what people think or if anyone wants to start a new post for discussion, that'd be great!

~ SmileMoon :)

Welcome to the South Asian Dating Blog

So, if you are not a friend of mine supporting my randomness & therefore having to read this blog, here's a little info about me... I'm about 2 minutes (ok, 18 days) from turning the big 3-0 & I've been pretty pumped about it for some time now.  Pretty much since March of this year, I started saying I was 30, & I've actually been weird about my age - always living in the year ahead - ever since I turned 25 (I have no idea what that's all about - excitement over the year ahead maybe?).  I've heard of horror stories though about the big 3-0, so my cheery disposition might take a turn for the worse the day of or a few days after all the "Happy Birthdays!" have subsided; I'm hoping not!

As for my life, I'm happy with how things are going right now (knock on wood, touch glass or whatever you are supposed to do keep away the never-wanted "nazar" my mom always warns me about); I have a job, wonderful friends & family, a great apartment in downtown Chicago, & a pretty happening social life (that could all change - in addition to me becoming morbidly obese - if I decide to get ZeeTV so I'm stilling mulling that over :-P).  All-in-all things are good except that i NEVER in a BAZILLION years thought I'd still be so single at 30.  Even though I got on one of the Indian dating websites at the encouragement of my parents around 23/24-ish, I remember not at all being ready to consider marriage from 21-25; I thought it was just be easy-schmeezy & would happen the minute I was ready... 26!  4 years have passed & one real relationship (w/ a non-desi guy), 2 maybe-somethings later, & more than enough "Eh? What the.... just happened/is happening??" situations, here I am - single & free to mingle.

I know I'm not alone with feeling like "Oh wow, I'm however old & I'm not married/ not dating someone/ there's no one I even like!" & I saw that my frustrations were shared by almost 900 desi people at the recent NetIP conference in Toronto.  Sure it's called a "networking" conference (none of us would go if they called it a "Singles Weeeknd"), & yes, there were great speakers & suuuure, we maybe even "networked," but 99.4% of the people who attended were single & most were there in hopes of possibly meeting someone.  For the most part & from what I could tell, people were not there for random hook-ups, but to meet someone with whom a real something could possibly develop.

At the conference, one of the keynote speakers was someone I'd never heard of before... Vijay Uncle.  I'd heard from friends who'd been to previous conferences that he was "famous" in the NetIP world, that this was his 4th conference & that I would love him & his speech.  They were right.  Vijay Uncle basically called all of us out on being ridiculous in how we approach dating, our "deal breakers", marriage & even divorce.  He said that most of us get so caught up in the "wow" & fun feeling of how good it all feels NOW & completely superficial things that we never ask "40-year interview"-type questions.  We therefore don't know what we're really getting into & hence, so many divorces... Uncle said that when you find this person, make sure they are the right person in character b/c they will be everything to you for your long & often less-than-perfect life... "your lover, co-parent, co-finance manager, co-partner in poor health, co-manager of aging parents, etc."

From the time his speech was done until 7 am the next morning, Uncle met with individuals or groups of people giving them personal counseling.  Mind you, Uncle is not trained as a matchmaker/counselor; he is actually a retired surgeon.  However, he is more knowledgeable than all of us combined when it comes to everything related to our generation's dating woes & more than anything, he will tell it to you like it really is.  For example, several people were talking to Uncle after his speech & I was there listening in.  One girl stated that "no matter what, guys aren't willing to commit" & Uncle quickly responded "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free??" (I'm sure giving away the "milk" will come up in future blogs :-P)

Uncle has 2 missions in life (for now):  1)  To raise awareness & get as many South Asians registered as possible in the Bone Marrow registry (if you aren't registered, you must - see below) & 2)  To turn around current "delay of marriage/ hence delay of babies" situation around.  He is currently in the process of creating a new dating-that-results-in-marriage program called "InfraRed dating;" myself & several other people who attended the conference are helping him in his efforts.  So whereas Uncle's program will be about getting people together & making the whole process of getting to know someone more transparent, less complicated, hopefully less superficial & game-free, my goal is to have a place where we can all talk about what's going right, what's going wrong, & anything in between.

For those of you wonder why I am bothering or who think I'm weird/crazy/both for doing this, I'll explain... I've always been a very introspective & empathetic person who is pretty darn good at giving advice (of course, not taking my own) & making people who are in any kind of funk feel better (when I'm in one myself, I'm useless :-P).  I also love to write.  I'm far from an expert on anything or an exceptional writer (just a really animated one), so a book was never an option, but I knew that my friends - male & female alike - had a lot to say about being South Asian & dating, and once I met Vijay Uncle, this blog became a natural way to hopefully support his efforts & get a good conversation going on.

I hope people use this blog to share dating horror, hopeful & success stories (we can all learn something from the good, the bad & the ugly) & that both guys & girls post.  Your real names & pictures are not required, but if you feel like being brave, go for it. You all know who I am, but whenever I'm talking about a "friend of mine" you are welcome to wonder if it's a personal story or not (you know just incase mummy-daddy somehow get a wind of this!)  Please definitely don't post any stories with anyone else's real names - that would uncool, and let's also try to keep it as pleasant as humanly possible.  Sure, there is naturally going to be some "guys always this & girls always that," stereotyping & hateration from time-to-time, but please kindly refrain from being nasty or attacking anyone on this blog (especially yours truly - I'm very sensitive!)

Ok, well more to come & don't worry, future posts will be shorter!  Maybe. =P

Excited to see where - if anywhere - this goes...

~ SmileMoon :)

p.s. - To learn more about Vijays Uncle's mission, add him as a friend on Facebook (VijayUncle Mehta) or go to www.vijayuncle.com.  For the Bone Marrow Registry, visit www.marrow.org or www.samarinfo.org.  As Uncle poignantly put it, you might not be so inclined to register now, but flash forward 10 years & there's a baby sitting in your lap.  Its yours & he/she is in need of a transplant.  Right then, you will wish that everyone was registered, but it will be too late :*(