A Geeky Valentine

First of all, let me greet you dear readers a Happy Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day is just a mark in the calendar when lovers, partners, and suitors show love and affection to crushes and partners. But hey, it shouldn’t only be celebrated annually right? Every day is Valentine’s Day.

You say, “Yeah, right.” Ok, here is the thing – people have branded you as a geek, which is why you have grown to hate this day of days. You might have experienced lonely nights in restaurants where you and your geeky friends watched couples enter and leave with their dates, while you fellows spent the night playing games or reading comics.

Fret not. Here’s a list of things you can consider trying.

Finding a Girl Online
Starting to chat with girls after joining social networking or dating sites can be very exciting for geeks. However, first make sure they are indeed girls. It is quite possible that the girl you have been wooing online may not actually be one. It’s so easy to pretend online – one of the disadvantages of technology.

How do you do it? Open up your instant messenger and do the following: (1) Talk about the movies Mean Girls or the Sweetest Thing. If she is unable to name at least three characters from those very girly movies, it should be a red flag. (2) Question her with 'arlogh Qoylu'pu?' Most real girls cannot speak Klingon and therefore will not be able to answer this. (3) Trick her by inquiring about a certain part of your car that broke down and how you can fix it. Majority of the girls do not really know much about cars and ways on how to fix it. If they are able to answer you, then that is another red flag.

Take into consideration that some girls may be exceptions to these assumed facts. Some of them might be really clueless about movies because they read books more. Maybe they love Star Trek as much as you do; thus being able to understand Klingon. Or perhaps they are their daddy’s girl who has been very interested in cars ever since they were young. Therefore, use the rules in tandem with each other. Two or more red flags? Block their PMs and find another lady-friend.

Dating a Girl
When you finally found a girl online and have agreed on going out for a date, dress properly. Also, find a place where you can talk quietly to make her forget the hustle and bustle of the Metro’s chaotic life. Ask her pleasant questions that will spark up a conversation. Talk about life, work, but do not forget to still be yourself by bringing up some topics about the latest news and developments on technology. Who knows, this might attract her more with your intelligence.

Finding a Gift
Girls love presents. Most I know of are excited for Valentine’s Day, because they look forward to presents from their admirers. Since you need to still carry your own personality, you may match flowers and chocolates with some of these geeky unique gift ideas:

1. Geek love poem shirts – It is basically just a tee with something like “Roses are #FF000, Violets are #0000FF, All my base belongs to you” If she is not familiar with the hexadecimal codes, she will surely appreciate learning something new from you.
2. Pink thumb drive or mobile phone case – Whether she’s a student or employee, a nice pink thumb drive will surely be appreciated. Knowing she holds her phone most of the day, she’ll remember you whenever she uses it.
3. LED flashing heart – The electronics genius in you can easily pull off making a geek gift idea like this.

Having all these tips, don’t worry if you won’t be able to do it on the 14th. There’s plenty of occasions that you can do all of this. Plan and make sure that you make her feel loved and special every day.

This article is my fourth contribution to Manila Bulletin -- one of Philippines' leading broadsheets -- published on February 14, 2011 (Monday) in the TechNews Section. You can view the PDF version here.

Photo Source: HowToGeek