(changed the date for greater visibilty for the new people i've tagged - this was originally done on 12th feb)

The tagging fervour has caught me, courtesy Nidhi; though I always knew it would have, sooner or later. And what a way to start this chase. Nidhi has asked me to list eight characteristics of my dream lover. So here I go, with not eight but nine such characteristics. Crazy as it may sound, this is what my heart desires (blush, blush).

1. Friendship: Yeah, he has to be my friend first and partner later. Someone who is a true soulmate, however cliched this may seem. I believe friendship overrides all bondings - even those of what we call love. Friends bare their souls to each other, and know each other inside out. Lovers more often than not do not share everything. I want him to share himself with me - his dreams, his fears, his joys, his sorrows, his stresgths, his weaknesses - just like I'll share these with him.

2. Trust: The foundation of any relationship on this planet, trust shall, without a doubt, be the single most important element in our relationship. He must trust me with all his heart, accept that I shall love him with all I have, but also realise I have to share myself with others. There will always be others who are important to me - parents, siblings, children, friends. He will have to trust me with them. My man will never question me unless necessary. He will not demand what I cannot give him. He will, however, not trust me blindly. He will chastise me whenever the need so arises. After all, that is what love truly is.

3. Respect: Sure, this is what every relatioonship demands, regardless of seniority of the other party. I want my man to respect me as me. He should see me as an individual with a separate personality and different thoughts/feelings. This is where the appreciation for each other as a unique identity come in. I am different, I am me. And there's no denying that.

4. Space: After trust, this is what I think is the cornerstone of successful relationships. Every individual has his/her own space which no one, and I mean no one, can invade. I want my man to recognise and regard my space as my own, and give it to me whenever I need. Being committed does not mean one should forego the other relations they might have. It means being able to see them in a new light, with a new perspective and a new attitude.

5. Vivacity: Oh yeah, he must be full of life. I love to live and enjoy every moment, so I expect my man to share the same passion for the miracle called life. He should be someone who believes in having fun even if it makes him look silly for his age. He should be ready to live for the moment, with the realisation that life is too short and there is so much to do. He must love to live and live to love, my man should.

6. Sense of humour: Sure, what is life without smiles and laughter? It is proven that if one has the capability to make others laugh, they can never be in an unsatisfactory relationship. But it also means I want my man to laugh at himself and his follies, at his failures, at his past. For only he who can laugh at adversity can conquer it to emerge triumphant.

7. Love: He must love me - unconditionally. He must love me for who I am, not for who he wants me to be. Love makes the world go round, doesn't it? Apart from loving me, he should also be willing to share his love with those who matter to him and me - together as well as individually.

8. Humility: A virtue lacking in most of today's youth, I feel humility in good measure will make him my true soulmate. If he is humble enough to accept himself as he is, and vow to change himself for nothing but the better; if he is humble enough to realise when he is wrong and duly apologise regardless of who the apology must be directed to; if he is humble enough to not let success, be it his or mine, go to his head - he is my man.

9. Character: The last but most important of them all. He must be a man of character. And I do not see the necessity of elaboration on this.

Well, that just about sums up what I look for in my man. The hunt begins ...

And for those who shall carry this forward, I have: