12 Steps to Being a Singaporean Gentleman

 

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Image Credit: Benjamin Kheng – Yes, we think Benji is pretty damn fine. Check out this TSL interview.

Understanding the ways to treat a lady isn’t rocket science at all. As a matter of fact, only her mind is. All right now, in all seriousness, as the modern day smooth gents here in Singapore we really love our ladies as much as we love passing on our own philosophy on how to make them feel special.

To help you become her “Perfect Gent”, we have picked out 12 tips from our list on how to treat a Singaporean lady right.

 

1. Etiquette 101: Do The Introductions

 

If the lady you’re out on a hot date with is much more than an arm candy, treat her that way. Maybe your second degree bros happen to be at the exact same place you two lizards are lounging at, or maybe you bumped into your Mum somehow (gasp!). Whichever predicament you’re stuck in, introduce her with pride.

If you’re not proud of her, do not take her out. It’s as simple as that and you won’t be a jerk.

 

2. “Bill, please”

 

Once in a while, treating her right is all about treating her… right?

 

3. Let Her Have The Seat

 

Scenario A: You’re with your girl on the MRT and there’s only one seat on the crowded cabin. Both of you are exhausted after a long day of window shopping. What do you do?

We once came across a couple on the MRT; the boyfriend was blissfully doing a double whammy of taking up the reserved seat and leaving the girlfriend standing the whole ride. If there was a thought bubble above our heads, it read “JACKASS”.

 

4. The Importance Of Being Earnest

 

A gentleman may be smooth with the ladies, but he’s anything but a blatantly dishonest heartbreaker. There’s no doubt the hackneyed sweet nothings help spice up whatever you have going on with her. But to establish yourself as the ultimate gent, we really advocate saying what you mean, and meaning what you say.

Let’s be dynamic here – a white lie or two is useful for saving yourself from a woman’s scorn. We trust you know what they say about a woman’s scorn. 

 

5. Open The Door, Open The Door, Open The Door

 

Especially those god-damn tall, heavy, gold plated ones. Usually found at swanky hotels like W Singapore.

 

6. To Carry, Or Not To Carry?

 

It infringes on what it means to be a manly man, but we’re here to assuage your concerns that it is totally fine acceding to the dreaded “Can you please carry my handbag for me” request when she genuinely needs a hand. Like when she’s flipping dresses on a rack.  Like when she has to go for a tinkle.

Note that unless it’s her shopping bags, any self-respecting gent should have the capacity to stand his ground and say no if the lady makes you carry her handbag for the sake of it. In the event you find it impossible to refuse, the rule of thumb is to carry for no more than 360 seconds. Any self-respecting girl would not burden her partner with carrying her handbag for more than that.

 

7. Call Me Maybe

 

No, call her definitely. People text on Whatsapp 98.83% of the time. Imagine how fresh and minty it’d be if you did it the good ol’ fashioned way of buzzing her directly to ask about her day.

 

8. Hail, Gordon!

 

Besides dancing, culinary skills subtly communicate how you’re a sexy gent who has got it. In terms of giving the lady top notch treatment, that is. If she’s staying over, instead of eating out at the economical beehoon stall, whip up Gordon Ramsay’s perfect scrambled eggs on sourdough for brunch.

And thanks to Gordon, doing your thang in the kitchen is not so emasculating after all.

 

9. Befriend Her Friends

 

The Chinese have a saying about how you should love the house along with the crows that crap on it. Yes, that was our unfiltered translation. Sometimes it might get a little sycophantic but giving her BFFs the same level of TLC (maybe a little less) proves that you’re a worthy gent who treats everyone equally.

It also insures you against the poison they’re so capable of whispering into her ears.

 

10. The ‘Safety Text’

 

Chivalry is still very much alive and breathing, period. A simple “Are you home yet?” after a Saturday night date is not a hard habit to adopt.

 

11. Surprise, Surprise!

 

Fret not, it’s hardly a big hullabaloo if you think you’re too manly to get a bouquet of peonies, for no particular reason than to spontaneously surprise her. Maybe except for V-day. But a box of Royce chocolates replete with a cutesy red ribbon wouldn’t quite hurt, would it?

 

12. Make (slow) Love

 

Unless both of you are buzzed from one nightcap too many, it would help your cause to engage in a little foreplay instead of jumping right in to the main event. The key is to make her feel like a woman who has never been so, so desired.

Statistics have also shown that foreplay increases the odds of the big O. Since stats don’t lie, why the hell not?

There you have it, our list of 12 reasons that will take you closer to being a Singaporean gentleman. Girls, what else do you like to see in your man?


This article was created for TheSmartLocal by SeriouslyMan – a men’s lifestyle portal that aims to be the quintessential blog for smooth gents in Asia.

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