All Fun and Game

All Fun & Game

Singles in Dating Challenge gather in groups for an afternoon of board games

Love isn’t the only game you can play.

There’s also board games, and that’s exactly what the singles gathered to play.

Organised by the The New Paper and Social Development network, the dating challenge aims to get singles to mingle and experience new opportunities and activities.

The 13 participants got together for an afternoon of fun at Settler’s Café at the Boar Quay, organized by Champagne JSG.

Ms Joan Ong, 32, director of Champagne JSG, said:” With the many board games, there are less chances of awkward silences.

“Through group activities, the singles can uncover each other’s merits more easily – actions speak louder than words.”

And more than a one –on-one date, this activity was for the singles to mingle and have fun together as a big group.

Ms Ong added:” This activity-based group event will maximize the level of interaction among the singles, and they can gain a better understanding of each other that goes beyond simple talking.

The afternoon started out with some casual ice-breaker games.

The singles were split into two groups and spent some time playing Jenga.

Groups were rotated throughout the day, and the singles all got a chance to spend time playing with different people. Then they started with games that were more hands-on. These games involved moving around, making sounds, or memorizing actions. Next, it was time for quieter, more strategic games. Throughout, the singles were also treated to finger food and a free flow of drinks.

Team manager Kenneth Goh, 32, had not played board games for over a year and found the gathering a cosy one.

His favourite was the Snorta game.

Snorta is played by having players pick an animal each, and when the card flipped open matches that of another player’s, the first player out of the two to make that animal’s sound gets to pass their cards on the table to the slower player.

Kenneth expressed that he was easily confused playing it, but he found it fun having promotion scheduler executive Paik Su Ling, 26, play it together with him.

He said:” Becauseshe notices that matching cards first but cannot make the other player’s animal sound,it’s is very funny.”

Her World Magazine

Dating Challenge from SDN

Dating can be FUN!

Share this on Facebook

funkygrad.com – Single?

In 2009, a survey conducted by Social Development Network (SDN) revealed that 80 percent of respondents indicated their aspiration to get married! The rest who did not want to, gave reasons like other priorities, a lack of time (50 percent) and not being able to find the right one, which are key reasons for delaying marriage. In turn, this contributes to the rising singlehood rates.

Most of us are either dating or just looking around and waiting for the right one. Gracelyn Lee, co-founder of dating agencyChampagne JSG, helps dispel the fears, concerns and misconceptions about marriage.

My choice to be single

“I want to concentrate on my studies first. There are too many things to juggle at the moment.” Carmela, 20, Single

Gracelyn Lee: Yes, I agree that as anundergraduate, studies always come first.

However, never stop networking. Socialising and getting to know more friends are as crucial as doing well academically.

There are many members of our dating agency who are top scholars, some of them even earn $200,000 per year but they are still single. This happens because once you start working, it’s harder to get to know people than when you were at the university.

“I want to remain single for a while so that I can enjoy more freedom and I don’t always have to be preoccupied with putting my family first. For guys, I think age 32 would be a good time to settle down and start a family once you’ve achieved financial stability.” Daniel Lai, 23, Single

Gracelyn Lee: 32 is a good age but what makes him think marriage means less freedom? I would tell him that married couples still enjoy freedom so long as they do not restrict each other and they are free to pursue what they want.

Dating but not ready to settle down

Having spoken to those who are blissfully in love, it is clear that financial stability and age are two of the most important factors that would trigger anyone to consider relinquishing the “single” status. Gracelyn says that nothing is more important than actually setting a goal to get married and plan from there.

“I have yet to start working so I don’t see marriage as an option anytime soon. Marriage means being financially independent. Furthermore, we need a house and to save money for babies and pay bills. Only after two to three years of working, and having saved for myself, would I then consider marriage a possibility. That would make me at least 28 years old” – Dawn Quek, 24, dating

Gracelyn Lee: A lot of people delay marriage because of financial concerns. The truth is, everything gets more expensive as you wait, so settling down early should be a choice you make independent of other factors.

You have to know and decide when to get married. Plan and start somewhere.

Looking out, but haven’t found the One

It is common to hear someone lament: “Why am I still single?” It’s all about actively looking and expanding your social circle. Do not hesitate and take charge of your life!

“I am looking for the right one. But, I am a very passive and shy guy.” – Daniel Lee, 22, Single

Gracelyn Lee: He should take part in events or activities to build up his social skills.

Practice does makes it perfect and by meeting more people, he will be become less shy and more proactive.

“I am ready to fall in love and settle down. I’m just waiting for the right woman to come along.” Male, 28, Single
Gracelyn Lee: People sometimes refer to the one with the “right chemistry” or the one whom you have been “waiting for”. Whichever the case, I would say it is all about the hit rate. The more people you meet, the higher the chance you allow yourself to meet the right one. So, go out and meet people!

Source : http://www.funkygrad.com/think/displayarticle.php?artID=1172&subcat=relationships

Share this on Facebook

omy.sg – 职场强人约会白痴 谈情似审犯人

要约会成功，红娘公司建议男女在约会前做足准备，积极面对对方。

本地40%男女是“约会白痴”，与异性初次见面，只会“盘问”对方交过几个男女朋友！职场上的男女强人，一到约会却脚软！

红娘公司Champagne JSG创办人之一李小姐（Gracelyn）说，达40%的狮城男女不懂得约会，与异性交往时最常犯的错误就是把约会变成“盘问大会”。

她说，一些男女为了快速决定异性是否就是理想对象，就开门见山“盘问”，如对方谈过几次恋爱，结果把对方给吓跑。

红娘公司The Dating Loft创办人黄爱琳说，有些来寻求伴侣的男女，是职场上的强者，但当他们需面对陌生人约会时，就有脚软和有所保留，有些甚至以为保持沉默就能顺利完成约会。但他们不知道，这么做反而会造成反效果。

黄爱琳说，有部分男女不懂得约会，原因是他们已对约会“生锈”。她说，一般上要求安排约会的男女，年龄介于20多至40多岁。

当中，有部分男女因过去恋情受创伤，有的已单身10多年，因此渐渐对约会、谈恋爱“生锈”，才会成为“约会白痴”。梦中情人约会‘劲敌’一味寻求“梦中情人”，是狮城男女约会失败的原因之一。两家受访的红娘公司皆指出，约会的成功与否，主要是看男女对彼此的要求。

Source : http://news.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory201006221559-161990.html

Herworld.com – The Singaporean Man Who Doesn’t Read

Features Writer – Angeline’s

Back when we were bored undergrads at NUS, my friends and I constantly bemoaned the fact that guys made up only 20 per cent of all the English Literature majors. It was one of the worst majors you could pick if you were hoping to find a life partner and get married before 30. Not that it was the goal of my varsity days – but I learnt early on that local boys generally didn’t enjoy reading, and of the few voracious readers out there, most of them already had girlfriends. Some didn’t like girls. The rest you unfortunately didn’t find attractive enough to warrant researching.

But I guess I never learnt my lesson, because when my colleague first told me about Champagne JSG’s ‘Wine and Books’ dating event, my interest was stirred. I thought the idea of bringing singles together over books (my first love!) and wine (a close fourth!) was ingenious. Out of professional curiosity, I signed up, dragging a male friend along with me because I wanted to help keep the male-female ratio balanced.

There were six guys and six girls who gathered at a little Spanish tapas/wine bar one Saturday night. Everyone was supposed to bring a book to talk about, which would be exchanged at the end of the night. I took along a 900-page bestseller, Shantaram, because it was the only book on my shelf that I could easily replace with a trip to Borders. The five other girls, all articulate professionals from good schools, brought books that ranged from populist fiction to travel guides.

Here’s where it gets predictable. Only one guy besides my friend showed up with a book. It was a tatty fantasy paperback from the library. And for the record, he was a lawyer. The other four – men in white-collar professions like finance – showed up glaringly empty-handed, citing reasons such as “It was a last-minute decision to attend this” and best of all, “I actually don’t have the patience for books”.

I can’t say I was surprised. But was I disappointed? Yes. Not because the night was a waste of my time – the (female, of course) organisers were passionate about books themselves and facilitated the event smoothly, while the girls present had many insightful thoughts to share. I felt underwhelmed because the boys in attendance that night didn’t seem to respect the occasion. Was their disinterest indicative of a generation of men who simply didn’t care enough about anything at all? Also, it had become apparent that finding a man with a genuine, consuming, broad interest in the written word hadn’t gotten any easier since the days when my favourite presentation partner in school was… well… gay.

So is the ‘reading’ Singaporean gentleman out there or not? For all I know, he might well take a leap of faith and turn up at the next ‘Wine and Books’ night. Or maybe he won’t. As they say in Before Sunrise, it simply depends on whether you’re a cynic or a romantic. Now excuse me but I have to put my Shantaram back on the shelf.
(For more details on ‘Wine and Books’, visit www.champagnejsg.com)

Source : http://www.herworld.com/blogs/angeltse/singaporean-man-who-doesn’t-read

职场强人，约会白痴