She's one of the most photographed women in the world. And as odd as it may sound the thing Maria Sharapova is most grateful for on her first visit to Auckland is: "no one has tried to take a picture of me eating a bowl of bolognese pasta with meat sauce all over my face".

That and other little gems is what an expectant press pack found out when the tennis beauty queen, the top seed at this year's ASB Classic, was paraded in front of us yesterday. Apparently, well-meaning fans have a habit of snapping her when she has "meat sauce" on her face, a habit she's not that fond of.

She is after all supposed to be a glamour-puss.

Call me crazy but Maria, as her meat sauce story would seem to suggest, seemed pretty damn unpretentious, dare we say ordinary. Just ask James McOnie.

The likeable larrikin, he of The Crowd Goes Wild fame, specialises in embarrassing sports stars and himself with zany questions. However, poor old James met his match yesterday. As well as the nice meat sauce line we learnt Maria likes to shop but hasn't had time to since here arrival here a few days ago.

McOnie offered to show her the ropes to which she inquired: "How's your taste? Is it good? I see you don't know too many hairdressers around here".

Nice serve that and ASB Classic organisers will be hoping we see plenty more of those when the tennis megastar graces ASB Tennis Centre this week.

Is your relationship on the rocks? Having some trouble decoding those hidden messages your partner is giving you. Here are 10 signs you are on your way out the door. We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but somebody had to do it.

If you are beginner in online dating and you have just decided to meet Ukrainian single women, read this article - it will help you to save your money and time. And using your tips you will enjoy dating with Ukrainian single women.

First of all, select reliable dating site. Don't use dating sites, where earn money on selling contact information of Ukrainian single women. As the rule, owners of such sites sell contact information and it's all - you must by yourself develop romantic relations without translations and psychological consultations. And where is the guarantee, these girls, whose contact information you bought, exist in real life?

We recommend you to choose dating site with paid membership. Paying the membership, you will receive all services on this site: translations, consultations, access to entire database, etc. In that way you can choose girls you like among Ukrainian single women. You can develop romantic relations with them, talk in chat and decide which girl is the most suitable to you.

After selecting the true dating site you can register to it and create your profile. Think seriously about your profile creation. Upload your photos, fill in the form, describe yourself. If you want to attract Ukrainian single women, select your photos of good quality - up to 20 photos. Upload 3-4 photos and after change them. Write only true information about yourself. Don't provide false information. Your romantic relations can go on wrong way, if you will give false information.

Why is it that so many people believe that they don't have time or take the initiative to be romantic? Perhaps most men and women don't accept that they are inventive enough to be romantic. Everyone is inventive! The definition of being inventive is having the ability or capacity to produce. The word invent offers a much broader definition than most people accept when it comes to the technique of being able to come up with something original or just sufficiently thought out.

You got proposed to, you picked the caterer, the flowers, the song - all you need is that perfect wedding dress. If you didn't like a single dress you saw, it is time to define what it is that you are looking for. Here are different types of wedding dresses - pick the one that goes best with your style and personality. You should also look for a dress that will be appropriate for the type of wedding you are having. A dress perfect for a beach wedding might not be appropriate for a formal wedding, and vice versa.

Here are different wedding dresses to help you pick the one that is perfect for you:

I originally wanted to write a story about how mentally resilient Russian Women can be but instead I ended up writing about what many of these ladies go through on a daily basis.   I think this post is equally effective in illustrating my original point about their general fortitude.  The following scenario in itself is fictional but every element is completely grounded in everyday reality here.  Click the various links below to see more images.

Did you know that only 34% of Russian families own cars and the rest rely on various forms of public transportation to get around?

Now at first glance this may not seem so bad but when you combine this with extreme weather and a lack of modern infrastructure for the vast majority of the country outside of Moscow, a whole different set of visuals comes to mind.

I would like to wish everyone of you Ladies and Gentlemen an Incredibly Happy New Years.

I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect just how much my life has advanced since I’ve been out here dealing with these incredible women.  

I think the most important thing to contemplate for all of us Men is how much you yourself can grow from the experience of having a special woman like this in your life. 

Lately I’ve noticed a strange thing..

I often get incoming traffic from links that were put up by some of our readers on different discussion boards and forums.

Naturally I go and check them out and sometimes even make a comment or two..

On some of these boards if I go back a few days later or even a few hours later the original thread is gone..

Obviously someone has complained or felt that they were “offended” by the topics we discuss.  Looks like there’s nothing like a little international competition against American and Western Women to seriously ruffle feathers.

Try it yourself and see what happens..

I must admit that getting engaged to a woman is unbelievable really helps you get some perspective.

Your world view changes noticeably, and you begin to recognize more ..

What is real in my life ..

.. And what is not.

Let me explain.

Well summer is over and the cold weather is beginning to inch.

When you live here, you really have a serious appreciation for good weather when it comes to the precious few months of the year.

This is the time to remember the warm weather and the feeling of a bright sun shine on your skin.

Or it's time to think about how beautiful the girls are here to look for when they are in full glory in the summer.

Because of this I decided to dig into the archives and have some pictures that hopefully will make you feel the sun, too.