ASK: Gentlemanliness Campaign

Hey everybody! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner but before you go ahead and buy flowers and chocolates for your *ahem ahem* special someone, here are some fun facts and tips that might be of interest to you this Valentine’s Day.

HISTORY

o The origins of Valentine’s Day trace back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia that was held on February 15 to honor the gods Lupercus and Faunus. During this festival, young men and women would be paired up and would stay paired until next year’s festival.

o The name “Valentine’s Day” came from a priest named Valentine who was a romantic at heart. Valentine disobeyed Emperor Claudius II’s decree that soldiers must remain bachelors and secretly performed marriage ceremonies and was put to death on February 14. As Christianity spread in Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia to Feb 14 and renamed it St. Valentine’s Day.

FUN FACTS

o approximately 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year

o the expression “wearing your heart on your sleeve” comes from an old Valentine’s Day party tradition. A man would wear a piece of paper with a girls name on it on his sleeve to declare her as his valentine.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

o Make your own card.

o Bake her a cake or make her some chocolates.

o Cook her favorite dish, place it in a heart-shaped container and ask her friend to give it to her during lunch break.

o Compose a song and serenade her.

o Serenade her.

o Write a poem.

o Have the flowers delivered to her house.

o Ask someone to put the flowers on her table.

o Bottle with rose petals with 100 or so notes of why you love her.

o Create a scrapbook filled with favorite photographs, love letters, keepsakes from dates or special occasions, etc.

o Make a video of your relationship. Include your courtship period, first kiss, first date etc.

Now I bet you didn’t know that about our Valentines Day. So before you go set up your dates and write up your letters remember these facts and the men who made it possible…

SO WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE VALENTINE?

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Everybody has experienced the difficulty of dressing up for certain occasions. It’s hard to mix and match clothes which look good together, and at the same time, it’s sometimes hard to dress up appropriately for certain occasions. Now, we are here to help!

Attire: Smart-Casual
Event: Acquaintance Party and Sophomores’ Night
Recommended Attire:
- Dress Shirt
- Jeans
- Casual Shoes (more formal than athletic rubber shoes, but less formal than “coat and tie” shoes)

The key to the smart-casual look is the jeans. You could go to the more casual route by wearing a simple polo shirt, but we would recommend the attire mentioned above. Make sure that the dress shirt you are going to wear isn’t one of those formal shirts you wear with a coat and tie. A striped shirt with a good color combination would be good. An option which you could also consider would be a blazer or sports coat. A perfect example of the smart-casual look would be that of Will Smith in the movie, Hitch.

***Tip: If you choose the dress shirt look, fold up the cuffs to have a more casual and laid-back look.

Attire: Semi-Formal
Event: Junior Prom
Recommended Attire:
- Dress Shirt (formal)
- Black Slacks
- Formal Leather Shoes

The semi-formal attire is very simple. It is comprised of a formal dress shirt, though it should be one of those shirts that look crumpled and somewhat casual, and formal black slacks. Of course, one can wear other colors of slacks or even pinstripe pants, which look more stylish and sophisticated. If this is the case, it is recommended that it is matched with a solid-colored and not a striped shirt.

Attire: Formal
Event: Senior Ball
Recommended Attire:
- Coat and Tie
- Dress Shirt
- Black Slacks
- Formal Leather Shoes

The formal attire is the traditional “coat and tie” look. Now, one of the main problems of this attire is how to match the shirt with the tie. Some helpful tips would be not to wear striped shirts, striped ties and pinstriped coats. The shirt and the tie would be acceptable but make sure that the stripes are not identical in size. To be safe, wear a solid shirt with a striped tie or a solid tie with a different color but similar shade. If you are to wear a striped shirt, wear a solid tie just to be safe. Pinstripe coats are also an option but make sure not to wear all stripes, and try to find a shirt with a related shade to the pinstripes.

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The Poetic Gentleman’s New Year’s Resolution on Routines and Habits

Get up early; be punctual,
Wash your body with some Dial®
Prepare your schedule; don’t be late,
A brand new day’s about to wait.

Fix your hair; fix your clothes,
Both are needed; fix them both.
Check yourself in the mirror,
Start the day with some honor.

Always greet anyone you see,
Don’t be shy; just smile with glee.
Stand up right, relaxed and straight,
A good posture is one good trait.

When you’re talking to any girl or guy,
Always look straight into their eyes.
Don’t look up, left, right or down,
Unless you want to see them with a frown.

When you’ve got a date; don’t be late,
For punctuality’s a very good trait.
Just be sweet; don’t be rude.
Don’t ever give her “the bad mood”.

At the table, always be polite.
Make the people’s days bright.
Don’t chew loudly or slurp the soup,
Unless you are a nincompoop.

When encountering some situations,
Always use the proper expressions.
When somebody threatens you,
Just stop and smile; don’t feel blue.

This whole society should be fair,
So always learn how to share.
Give way to others; be generous,
Respect others; always be courteous.

Do these things, if you can,
If you want to be a gentleman.
These are the rules of this season:
The Gentleman’s New Year’s Resolution.

-Mark Ong H4B

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