時尚雙語:沐浴愛河中的你 情人節該怎麼過？

Don't expect a lot

If you are single, expectations are naturally likely to be pretty low, but bear in mind that this is likely to be a rubbish day for people in a relationship, too. Nothing kills spontaneity like having a date pencilled in the diary 12 months in advance, and even rock-solid partnerships can crack a little under the weight of expectations come 14 February. Try to relax, as this will reduce the risk of Valentine's-induced arguments. It is worth noting that women buy 85 per cent of Valentine's Day cards, so your chances of being surprised with a gem from Clinton are significantly higher if you are a man.

Plan

This is equally important whether you are single or coupled. It isn't just cosy Italian restaurants that like to embrace the Valentine's theme; your local greasy spoon may offer only the "Valentine's Menu". Even hip clubs get in on the act with "Valentine's Balls" – a phrase that conjures up awful visions of school discos. If you want to avoid these delights, you've got to do your research.

Consider ignoring it

Difficult to do, but worth a try. Every shop has been steadily filling up with Valentine's gifts for weeks, and supermarket checkouts are infested by chocolate "love bugs". Unless you're a churchgoer, claim to be abstaining on religious grounds – the day is thought to have been named after early Christian martyrs called Valentine – and ignore the whole sorry event.

Treat yourself

If you're single, it can be depressing to see your coupled-up friends being showered with gifts and zipping away on mini-breaks. But there's no reason singles should be left out. If you've been dreaming of a volume of love poetry – or even a scarlet number from Ann Summers for a special occasion – just buy them for yourself.

期望值別太高

如果你單身，期望值自然是可能非常低。但是請記住，即便對戀愛中的人來說也很可能是無意義的一天。小事會破壞約會這樣自然而然的事情，畢竟這個日子是事先在1年的日記中標好了的；而且在2月14日期望的重壓之下，哪怕是堅若磐石的關係也會出現一絲裂痕。嘗試着放鬆，因爲這能減少由情人節引起爭吵的風險。值得注意的是，85%的情人節賀卡都被女人買去了，所以如果你是一個男人，那麼你因收到一份克林頓珍貴禮物而驚喜的機會就會大很多。

計劃很重要

無論你是單身還是已經戀愛了，這都很重要。不一定要舒適而喜歡環繞情人節主題的意大利餐廳；你們本地的廉價餐館就能提供最好的“情人節菜單”。甚至街舞俱樂部也開始表演“Valentine's Balls”——在校園迪斯科舞會上做出嚇人的視覺效果。如果你想避開這些樂子，那麼你只能自己去琢磨了。

或者乾脆不過情人節

很難做但是值得一試。在這幾個禮拜裏，每個商店都會放滿情人節禮物，“愛情病毒”巧克力也遍佈超市收銀處。除非你是個經常做禮拜的人（要在宗教區域禁酒——這天被認爲是以基督教殉道者瓦倫丁的名字來命名的），否則不用理會這個悲傷的事情。

懂得自娛自樂

你的朋友成雙成對地被禮物包圍，然後一起去享受甜蜜一刻。如果你單身，看見這些情景是很鬱悶的。但這並不意味着單身者就只能看熱鬧。如果你曾想擁有一本愛情詩集——甚至於Ann Summers裏面的一件猩紅色衣物——爲了你的某個“特別時刻”——那麼就爲自己買下來。（Ann Summers爲英國性用品店；“特別時刻”應指“自慰”；猩紅色衣物應是爲“助性”之用——譯註。）