Its just about Greedy Corporate CEO Appreciation Day again!

Well I had a big rant about it last year, and I'm not going to do it again. Oh, who am I kidding? Ok, all I'm going to say is that the consumerism and media crapola surrounding St. Valentine's Day not only makes me feel very unromantic, but shows that the true meaning of Valentine's Day has been lost (although according to Wikipedia, details are pretty sketchy on what it meant in the first place). Did you know that Valentine's Day cards make up 25 % of holiday card sales, while Mother's day makes up only 4 % of sales? There's something wrong with that. [Note to self: don't forget to make Mum a card on Mother's day]

Speaking of Mum, she would love it if Dad were the romantic type but long since gave up on the possibility of Champagne and roses on V-day (don't worry, she gets them on plenty of other occasions). This year she decided to celebrate some of the sweatshop mass-manufactured crap available for misguided twits to sink their cash into, and bought this beautiful symbol of her undying love for my Dad. Oh, I hope I didn't ruin the surprise Dad.

"Just squeeze the pillow to hear these two sing [Sonny and Cher's] 'I Got You Babe!' This plush set is not only decorative; it's entertainingly animated as well."

But my favourite thing about this stunning symbol of love is that it can be bought as a bulk pack of 8! My prediction is that Molly is going to growl at it and then tear it to pieces within minutes, which is probably a good thing. Good doggy! Having said that, let me be clear, lest Mum misunderstand what I write about her; although my Mum does tend towards liking attention on such holidays as Valentine's day and Mother's day, she would much rather spend those days with her rather globally dispersed family than receive crappy meaningless gifts ordered over the internet.

Now, if you're still looking for the perfect way to show your feelings, check out Anti-Valentine, where a range of e-cards are available, all of which demonstrate the true sentiment of Valentines Day (or VD, or as they prefer to call it). Here are some examples:


And finally, here's my nomination for Quote of the Day, from Salma Hayek (as read in the Sydney Morning Herald)
"I am suspicious of those who have to let the world know how much they love each other. It's a little sad when you have to brag about how much you love someone. That kind of declaration doesn't always reflect the moment of truth between two people who care deeply for each other. When that truth is there, you don't need others to know it. And when somebody truly loves you, you don't even need him or her to be affectionate. Affection is fantastic, but it doesn't necessarily mean there's love - and the public display of affection is often just a show."