IDEA # 21

Invite your partner to go for a walk. Get a back pack and pack the following items: A picnic blanket, a selection of fruit in small containers eg. strawberries, grapes, watermelon and kiwi fruit. Some cheese and crackers. Some sandwiches. A small tin of caviar. A half bottle of champagne and two plastic champagne glasses. If your partner asks what's in the backpack, just say a jacket and some lunch. When you find a romantic spot, ask if she would like to stop for a bite to eat. Open your pack and remove the items one by one to set up your picnic. The last item you remove should be the glasses and champagne.

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.

Russian women championship Superfinal is the round robin final stage of the national championship. It is held in Moscow from November 15 to 27. The prize fund of the tournament that brought in all the best players in the country, including the entire national team, is 1.4 million rubles (around 35 thousand Euros) with 400 thousand rubles (around 10.000 Euro) going to the winner. The Russian chess federation as the event organizer, with the generous support by the sponsors “Gazprom”, “Sberbank”, “Almaz-Antei”, and “E4 Group”.

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.

IDEA # 31

When you and your partner are in a shopping center or airport, stop at one of those booths that allow you to take an instant photo and print them out as stickers. Choose a romantic background and kiss your partner while the photo is being taken.

IDEA # 32

If your partner has voice mail at work or on her mobile, leave a message saying "Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you." She will appreciate this anytime but especially when she is going through a rough period.

IDEA # 11

Memorize one of Shakespeare's love sonnets and recite it to your partner when you are in a romantic setting like a botanical garden. Don't just suddenly start reciting poetry as this will just sound corny. While you are cuddling your partner, ask in a joking manner, "So is now a good time to recite a love poem to you?" She will probably say yes, expecting you to come up with something of the "Roses are Red..." variety. Instead, look into her eyes, smile and recite the sonnet while you gently stroke her face. Try the sonnet below. If this is too long, just memorize the first four lines and the last two.

Shakespeare Love Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

"What are you doing here?"

Christina excitement can not be contained as she jumped over the counter ticket LAX and hugged me with delirious mixture of surprise and hidden expectations.

She was still on duty, but to call her friend in the back office quickly rectify it.

I was only 3 hour layover, but after a few minutes we were at the local Denny's with two 7am Slam events are delivered to our booth.

IDEA # 81

Research your partner's favorite hobby and identify a gift that is really useful for her. The more specialized the gift the more impact it will have. Talk to her friends and family and use the Net to find the information you need.

IDEA # 82

Go to a masquerade ball. Send an invitation to your partner telling her to meet you at a specific spot at the stroke of eight. Wear a mask and when you meet her, don't say a word. Just take her hand and lead her on to the dance floor.

Russia is one of the few countries in the world where the number of abortions more than the number of live births.

For example, in 2001, 1.32 million children were born in Russia and 1.8 million abortions were performed.

These figures are especially tragic, given that Russia is facing a disastrous demographic crisis with the United Nations estimates that Russia could lose more than half of its population by 2050.

One oddity of the United States and living in Russia is a full day and night difference in attitudes toward abortion. In the United States seems to have real political militancy on both sides of the issue.

But in Russia there is ZERO public debate on this issue.

I came across an old article that confirmed a lingering suspicion I've always had a Feminist, Cultural Marxism and Communism.

I've often said that Feminism and Communism were just two heads on the same monster since they both aggressively pushed "forced equality".

But paradoxically, I could never understand how Russian women with their background so deeply rooted in Soviet tradition and history have managed to maintain their feminine identities and traditional nature so completely intact.

Well, it turns out that the USSR was a disastrous experiment with Feminism in the early stages of Soviet history, and they knew better.