Year 2012 is a leap year, occurring only once every four years. This phenomenon arises from the fact that the earth takes about 365.2 days to circle the sun. When the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar commissioned the Sosigenes of Alexandria to devise a calendar, for practical reasons, this Greek astrologer inserted an extra day at the end of February done every four years to make it all come right. There was an extra day (366) added to the regular 365 days.
By tradition, shy ladies in Europe can propose marriage in a leap year only. She can be bold and leap to action to get her man.
In an article written by David Watkins, he said that at the beginning of the 20th century, it was still common for women to send cards to bachelors during a leap year in an attempt to get them to think seriously about marriage. Whether funny, romantic, mischievous or sometimes saucy, these cards all had the “leap year” printed in large letters so that a woman, if spurned by her target male, can save her reputation by saying that it was all done in jest no matter how really serious she was to capture a male in wedlock.
In the Philippines, local census and birth statistics say that females outnumber the males. Men must therefore be given fair warning that the hunting season began at the stroke of midnight when the sky was lit by fireworks and revelry and the morning after was blanketed in soot and misty fog. We do not adhere either to the baits laid out by womenfolk of long ago. Our dalagang Filipina has gathered some subtle, sweet entrapments to guarantee her walk down the aisle in her bespoke wedding gown:
Two girlfriends sat down to write love letters, first drafting them using the ever-handy long yellow blue-lined pad paper in the hope of melting the heart of their target. Each letter went through the course of writing, rewriting and editing to keep the idea clean and polished.
“We must maintain this phase relentlessly, no ningas cugon. We will bombard him with letters and photos.” “Until he gets ‘shell-shocked’? asked the protagonist. “That’s the idea,” said the accomplice. The protagonist agreed; the latter only had to put her thoughts into words, keeping everything candid and spontaneous. “Let’s keep at it for one year,” the accomplice suggested. They were out to kill him with kindness so that he would only see the sweet, generous and patient virtues of the protagonist. Before mailing each letter, the protagonist even blessed it and dropped it in the mailbox with flying kisses. The target, however, simply dumped the letter every time it reached him. But as predicted, he grew curious and in time, opened the letters and read its contents.
“Hogwash!” he cried trashing the perfume-scented envelope. But the letters kept coming until he finally relented. After 13 months, the accomplice made an honest assessment: “Best friend, he’s got a heart of stone. Forget him; let’s move on.” The protagonist was ready to surrender. Two weeks passed and the protagonist, licking her wounds, cried “Oh misery, misery; what’s going to become of me?”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The mailman was carrying a huge package that covered half of his frame. “Package for Miss so and so…is she in?” The protagonist jumped. “Who could be sending me a package from Arizona?” It was a puppy, with the longest ears dropping to the ground. A note attached to the puppy read, “I cannot believe such a loving person could exist in this world of compromise. I’d be a fool to ignore you and risk committing the biggest blunder in my life. I’m ready to give it a try. Would Valentine’s Day be appropriate to visit you at home?”
Lesson learned: Show him that (your) patience has a long, looong arm.
They were classmates in psychology but she was overcome by shyness to raise the friendship to a higher level that her best friend detected early on. Her best friend jumped to get him hooked on her. They went out all the time as a threesome. She’d sit at the farthest end while her best friend nestled close to her boyfriend.
One evening, they were watching a band and the lead vocalist sang a Frank Sinatra/Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova collaboration entitled Change Partners. The lyrics had a clear message, “Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man? You have danced with him since the music began, won’t you change partners and dance with me? Can’t you see, I’m longing to be in his place? Ask him to sit this one out and I’ll tell the waiter to tell him he’s wanted on the telephone. You’ve been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when, won’t you change partners and then, you may never want to change partners again.”
“If only,” she thought. A cell phone did ring and her best friend stood up to take the call in a more quiet section of the club. With her now sitting alone with the boyfriend, she tried to carry a conversation, “So, tell, me when is the big day?” He replied, “I’ve been wanting to find a way to tell you that I don’t love your best friend. It’s you I want.” She was dumbstruck. Not being able to speak, she smiled and let out a big sigh. “I’ll get this man,” she resolved.
Lesson learned: Maintain your honesty and integrity. You’re bound to outshine many who have lost the behavioral traits that are the hallmarks of being a woman: gentleness, empathy and sensitivity. But shed a little of the modesty, add a dash of boldness — that’s confidence, milady — in your pursuit of a suitable partner before someone else grabs him.
The fact that it’s a leap year may give you just enough ammo, throttle, and humor to get your man. If you fail, it’s not for want of trying. There’s always 2016 to go game, er, man hunting again.