Better ways to snag a date

THE year-end 'couple' season is a stressful time.

We wonder - who to lavish with a Christmas gift? Who to kiss at midnight when the new year arrives?

And if you do not have that special person, there are strategic steps to take.

First, ask friends to set you up. Or go to the clubs.

Or scroll through Facebook and seek out every friend of a friend of a friend who looks decent.

The LoveByte website, by the SDN, is scarcely an option - unless, of course, you are desperate.

Although society is seemingly more open-minded now, a young Singaporean would probably not admit that he or she met that special someone online, much less through a dating agency, because that just means he or she doesn't have much of a social life to begin with.

Clicking away at every social networking site might be embarrassing, but admitting that you need your Government's help to find a date?

That's just sad.

-Charissa Guan, 20, is a second-year political science student at the University of Queensland.

I'd know what I'm getting into

IF I were single and looking for love, I would not mind giving the SDN a try.

At least I know what I am getting myself into when I register with a government-funded dating agency.

Facebook, MSN and Twitter are convenient online social media platforms for us to widen our social circles. However, I question the authenticity of interaction which occurs over cyberspace.

After all, we can never be truly sure who we are conversing with, and of their intentions. Take the case of a Hong Kong lady who was raped in March by a Moroccan national in England after contacting him through a website.

With the SDN, however, there is credibility and safety. Their events involve meeting new friends in groups, so I won't have to fret about awkward one-on-ones. They even help me screen online prospective dates before I decide to meet them in person.

Forking out money to meet your potential love interest at the SDN is a small sacrifice to guard yourself against dubious characters online.

-Rachel Chan, 25, is a manager at the Workforce Development Agency.

Learning about relationships

IT PUZZLES me when my peers associate the SDN with only dating services and nothing more.

After all, building a long-term and healthy relationship is an art that goes beyond the dating game.

How many of us can honestly say that we can totally understand our significant others, beyond common interests or knowing how not to ruffle their feathers?

I will participate in the SDN's relationship courses, especially if they make me a better communicator and partner.

For instance, I would like to know how members of the opposite sex handle problems, and how I can manage conflicts as they arise.

To make relationships work, we should work hard at them, even learning from external sources if necessary.

Also, such courses are not part of our mainstream education system and few people know where to enrol in such courses. The SDN provides a ready channel to learn more about relationship management.

So, sign me up.

-Kenny Tan, 23, is a final-year economics student at Singapore Management University.

I'll rely on serendipity instead

WHILE I appreciate the existence of Dr Love - a column on LoveByte which is currently on hiatus - to help us time-strapped adults socialise more efficiently, I prefer to entrust my life to Dr Serendipity instead.

I have nothing against finding my dream partner online, but I found mine in a dream instead - last December.

And oh, we clicked madly - over meaningful face-to-face conversations.

Though we were merely acquaintances back then, in my dream he was Prince Charming saving me from a bunch of bandits.

After weeks of pondering and making sure I had nothing to lose, I shared the dream with him. He doubted my airy-fairy fantasy at first, but that eventually led to a dinner date.

Throughout our courtship, we assumed the roles of Prince Charming and modern-day princess fairly well.

Riverside walks, check. Roses, check. Horror movies, check.

Of course, such fairytale romances do not happen to or work for everyone.

Who knows, the SDN might become matchmaker for the Single, Desperate and Needy. But not for Savvy, Deviant Naysayers like me, thank you very much.

-Estelle Low, 22, is a final-year journalism student from Nanyang Technological University.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.