The dating conundrum

Just read yesterday's newspaper...There was a long feature special on dating services in our quaint little city...I did have a rather enjoyable time reading it and i do have my two cents worth on the whole article...hahaha.

Apparently, match-making services have moved with the times to appeal to a better-educated and more affluent clientiele...In the past, the traditional match-making agency paired potential couples together based primarily on education level and lifestyle.Activities were restricted to large-scale group picnics and barbecues...The client had to pay a relatively paltry sum to access the agency's database...Today, dating services pair couples up using far wider criteria...credit rating...financial status...handwriting analysis...even horoscopes...comparatively more intimate activites (eg.dinner and drinks, clubbing and coffee dates) are organised...oh, and boy do you have to pay to enjoy the dating service! (in the region of five to six hundred dollars for around 10-12 dates)

Some of the dating ideas seem really artificial...dating is an activity that should come naturally for singles with an eye for a particular guy/gal...it's just not appropriate plonking two complete strangers down in some trendy dining spot and expecting them to be friends at the end of the whole evening...In a sense, you run the risk of being forced to endure the whole evening with someone who may really turn you off; just for the sake of courtesy(and to do the money you spent on the dating service justice)...Can you imagine how contrived the whole situation can be?

Some customers are all for the alluring intrigue and the possibility of being swept away by a dark and handsome (hopefully Ang moh) stranger a la MILLS AND BOON...But come on! Get real man! Do you honestly thing that handsome Ang Mohs with cash to burn would sign up for this kind of dating service? In an ideal world maybe...but in our all-to-human world? only in your dreams baby...

The exorbitant prices of the dating service package (more than five hundred sing for a 12 date package) is another factor that puts me off...I love meeting new people...and I am a strong believer in fate and destiny...to me, there seems to be something intrinsically wrong about having to pay to meet a potential life partner.

What do you think?