tomorrow's date blog

Top 5 reasons camping makes a sexy date

2010-07-26T21:54:20+00:00

Camping… some of us love it, some of us hate it, and some of us love it most when a hunky man is carrying our gear!

We live in an age where cafes, restaurants and movies are at every turn, making dating a bit too predictable and, well…easy. One date which I think is highly underrated is camping. Not only do you get to know your potentially significant other on a whole new level, but you get to experience an unexpectedly sexy and exciting date!

Top 5 reasons camping makes a sexy date

1) Camping dress. Everyone can look great in a Hugo suit or a Marc Jacobs dress, but it takes a special guy and gal to pull off looking rockin’ with pig-tails, a pair of cargo pants and a sweaty t-shirt. Trust us- your significant other will love you all the more for the rustled up look.

2) Swimming Holes. There’s nothing more wild than tearing off your clothes and jumping into a gorgeous water hole surrounded by wilderness, talk about an adrenaline rush!

3) Bush walking. This is an incredible way to get to know your mate in a way which is impossible to do on a regular dinner date! Does he/she complain at the slightest discomfort, or is every turn an awesome adventure? Until you’ve had to find your way through the woods together you haven’t discovered true bonding.

4) Sleeping bags. There is something unbelievable fun about sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag together. While it may not be the most comfortable night, it definitely makes for a must-try experience.

5) Camp fires. This is by far our favourite, from lighting it to enjoying it there is nothing more sexy than sitting by an open fire cuddling with your sweetheart under the stars.

This weekend, grab your sweetheart and your camping gear and go explore!

5 Date Night Tips

2010-06-15T10:31:10+00:00

We’ve all heard the little gem of wisdom, “couples that play together, stay together”, but when it comes right down to it, are we following our own advice?

Whether you are in the Solid, or Happily Ever After stage of your relationship it is too easy to take dating for granted. Suddenly the couch and movie rentals start looking more and more appealing, and your Jimmy Choo’s are left crying in the corner! No matter how cute your sweetheart looks good in a pair of sweats, research has shown that couples who get out and try new activities stay together longer, and are more happy and fulfilled in their relationships.

Tips for Date Night:

1) Make sure you have a designated night of the week which you and your partner stick to no matter what! Whether this is once a week, fortnight or even month, set a date and stick to it!

2) Turn Date Night into a game, and take turns with your partner planning the dates. Take the chance to surprise each other and push the comfort zone a bit.

3) Get Creative! Always wanted to try rock climbing? Or maybe yoga? Trying new activities together is a sure fire way to spice things up and get some awesome bonding time in.

4) Get ready separately. Whether you live together or not, getting ready separately gives you the chance to wow your date, and make date night feel, well datey!

5) Flirt! No matter how long you have been together, a little flirting goes a long way. The best way to make date night fun and memorable is to appreciate each others company and have a blast of a night out.

Still having trouble with date night? Why not rent the movie and take some tips from the masters…

Everytime you pass up free cake, you’re cheating yourself!

2010-04-12T02:29:02+00:00

I’ve learned something in my recent haitus from writing that I want to share with you. Before I do I must warn you that, like most good things in life, it’s a little bit naughty. The little tip was learned after Annie and I got married - on my honeymoon indeed - which is why I’m imaginatively calling it the honeymoon scam.

When we booked all the hotels for our honeymoon, we informed them that it was - indeed - our honeymoon. To be honest I’m can’t remember now why we did this - but we did.

On the first night of our honeymoon in Singapore (in transit at that!), we were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with a large chocolate “Congratulations” cake in our room. Free chocolate cake? Yes please! On the second night, by now we were in Indonesia, another chocolate cake and a freshly run, hot bathtub filled with rose petals. The Mrs absolutely loved the bath, and we both demolished another chocolate cake - wondering quite where all these magical free cocoa products came from.

And so it continued. The final tally for the statisticians? 42 nights, 12 hotels, 9 chocolate cakes, 7 warm rose-petal baths, 5 bottles of champagne, 2 dinners, a couple of free massages and a large “Honeymooners!” sign on our door. And how much extra did we pay for this loot? Like Jack Sparrow - not a dollar.

So - in a nutshell - this is the honeymoon scam. Anytime you’re travelling with your significant other, be sure to tell the hotel it’s your honeymoon - whether it is or not - and you get free stuff. And good stuff too! And don’t worry about pesky things like ‘getting caught’ - we weren’t once asked to produce a marriage certificate or show off our wedding ring. (A couple of interested porters did ask where we got married, but I’ll assume you’re adroit enough with the gift of the gab to be able to fob your way through that inquisition).

Next time you’re on Expedia or Wotif, just drop a note into the booking form that you’re recently wed and enjoy the chocolcate cake. Voila - the honeymoon scam!

For those that don’t know, the etymology of the word “honeymoon” comes from Europe where it was traditional for the newly married couple to be supplied with enough mead (a honey-based alcohol) for a month to
ensure happiness and fertility.

I for one think it’s a great thing that modern 5-star hotels are continuing ye olde European historical traditions. They are indeed being quite faithful to them - as you’ll note we were provided with alcohol (champagne is a little like modern mead), happiness (chocolate cake anyone?) and fertility (well… a rose-petal bath is sure to get most modern just-married Mrs on the right path to that).

So from me to you - tell ‘em it’s your honeymoon. There’s nothing like a spoonful of free chocolate cake to assuage a guilty conscience - trust me!

Trapeze Flying- Friday Night Summer Edition!

2010-01-29T01:09:52+00:00

The Trapeze Big Blind is a night full of adrenaline rushes - meet up to ten singles as you experience the thrill of swinging eight meters above ground and getting caught by a pro mid-air, now that is a moment to bond about! We will now be running this on a Friday night, so it is easier to attend AND stay out late with your new friends

Tickets sell out very fast (only 16 spots) so get in early!!

What You Get:

-Two hours of Trapeze tutorial and flying with dare-devil, international Trapeze artist and instructor, Frank Taylor
-30 minutes of ice-breaking excitement at the beginning with circus tricks, juggling, swinging and other fun stuff!
-All necessary equipment and some racy singles to mingle with!
-The chance to get caught mid-air by a professional Trapeze artist
-A reservation and complimentary drink at the pub to loosen you up afterward!

What You Wear:

Dress to impress in your best workout gear - no shoes necessary! Please make sure you wear pants that cover your knees, and a tight fitting shirt for the ladies. There is a change room there as well if you are coming from work.

*All levels of fitness welcome - Frank will ensure that you have a great time.

Book Now!

The Perfect First Date

2009-11-29T10:21:09+00:00

The infamous first date…many minds have spent hours fretting over it…in fact many people have gotten so spooked that they altogether gave up! Some go to great lengths to make sure the first date is ‘perfect’, while others wing it and grab a drink, and while still some others just avoid it altogether and keep it completely casual.

The Dating Diva’s opinion? The first date is the time to get to know your love interest and see if they are really of interest to you- no matter what the activity you choose to do is! This weekend I went around and asked 8 different people what their ideal first date would be, and what they thought of some common first date’s.

The general consensus for the perfect first date was something memorable, fun and low pressure - easy right?! In case your answer is no…below are a few of the common first dates and what peoples REALLY think of them.

1) Drinks: This is probably the most common one! While it is the easiest it is important to keep drinks somewhere fun and memorable, not just your neighborhood pub. It’s also important to go somewhere you could chat, and which has a fun talking point (think cocktails, wine tastings etc). Also, and most importantly, don’t have ‘one too many’! Consensus: Great first date if the location is unique and fun (and if there aren’t TOO many drinks!)

2) Dinner: While dinner could be romantic and intimate, it could also be intimidating. Sitting down for 2 hours together is pretty difficult, it also does not give you many conversation starting points which can lead to awkward silences. Dinner also does not tick the most important check box, you do not get to know your date’s personality! Since there are no outside stimuli at dinner it is difficult to truly get to know your date! Consensus: Skip it until you know each other a bit better

3) Event: Whether it is a concert or sports game events are a great way to get to know someone. If the event is something loud like a concert make sure you get to talk before/after. The good part is you definitely have a great talking point and seeing your date at an event will allow you to get to know his/hers personality a lot better. Warning- make sure the event is something your date will enjoy (i.e. if she’s never heard of cricket, first date ain’t the time to introduce it)! Consensus: Great first date as long as both of you are interested

4) Sport: Running, swimming, volleyball…the list goes on! Sports are a great way to bond together and an awesome first date, especially if both of you love the activity. While it is fun and a great way to get to know someone, make sure you are choosing a sport which your date will be happy performing and nothing that will lower his/her self esteem and make for a self conscious experience. My girlfriend has a beach date with a guy for their first date, he dragged her so far into the ocean that she was terrified!! Not a good start. Consensus: Great idea, but handle with care…

5) Activity: Trapeze Flying, bike riding, cocktail making…something that neither of you have really tried before. The opinion on this one was unanimous, if you could try an activity that both of you are keen to try it is an amazing bonding experience and a great way to get to know someone. The only thing to make sure of is that your date is not scared or uninterested by the activity you choose. This was by far everybody’s choice for the best first date…! Consensus Definitely a GO, but make sure your date will not be freaked out by the activity.

Enjoy!

The Dating Diva

Viva La Dance, Dance Revolution

2009-11-23T11:51:11+00:00

Last week Annie and I dug back into the date deck and went on a proper date again. This time, we took a dance class at Arthur Murray’s Dance Studio. We went to the one in George St, but they’re all over the city apparently!

Now - as a red-blooded male with two left feet - I’ll be the first to admit that a dance class isn’t my idea of an ideal date! That said, I actually had a really good time - mostly thanks to the very patient teacher and my wonderful, equally patient partner.

We learned the basic steps from two dances - the rhumba and swing. The first, despite it’s dramatically romantic Latin roots, is actually the far simpler dance. It’s a little like walking in a square to the beat. Swing is a lot faster and has music that makes you want a milkshake and an old-style hotdog from a root beer stand, served by a girl on roller skates. Of course - when I say we learned the steps, I’m not going to be challenging Paul Mercurio for his part in Strictly Ballroom II any time soon - but at least I feel that I’ve got some concept of what Fred Astaire felt like at the prime of his powers.

For the less physically-inclined, the dance class is actually a great date option. It’s not going to send you running for the showers afterwards - trust me, that’s not a good look on an early date - but it does get more blood circulating than sitting in a movie theatre. And if you’re worried about it being too high pressure, why not try a group class? You’ll get to dance with a series of different partners (including your date) - and you might just make some friends along the way.

So why not grab your partner and see if you can’t sweep them off their feet this week?

The Fine Art Of The Quickie

2009-11-08T19:00:00+00:00

As you can see from the relative infrequency of this column, I’ve become a little preoccupied. In fact, both Annie and I have become ridiculously busy of late. We’ve recently bought an apartment, hence are now selling an apartment, we’re planning a wedding, organising a long honeymoon and each have 3 or 4 other major personal projects on the go… oh and we have those things called jobs to go to during the day just to complicate matters.

In light of this current period of busy-ness, I’d like to explore the concept of a mini date. I’m defining a mini-date not as a date for small people, not for girls who like short skirts and not a quickie (but to be honest I’m a fan of both of those as well) - rather a mini-date is a date for maxi-busy people.

A date you can go on that doesn’t take much time out of your schedule but still allows you to spend a little quality time with your partner. Think of a mini-date like a mini-muffin - just as tasty, only in smaller portions!

I’ll admit upfront - we haven’t been on any of these mini-dates yet, so I’m going to use this column to do two things. First, brainstorm a series of ideas about a mini date could consist of. And second, ask for your feedback about your own experiences with mini-dates.

So… to the brainstorming:

If your workplaces are close together, how about a coffee date in the middle of the day. Book in a 30-minute meeting, grab two coffees and meet in the park for a little bit of a sit down in the sun and gossip while you people watch.
Rather than renting a movie, watch a single episode of a TV show from iTunes. It’s ad free so you get maximum watching time, and at only 22 or 44 minutes long you don’t have to spend the two or three hours for a full movie. Oh, and the popcorn is a lot cheaper!
If you’re a fitness couple, what about going to the gym before or after work - or even at lunch - together? Running on the treadmill alone can be pretty boring, but running with your partner can be a lot more fun. Make it a race!
Like things a little sweeter? How about a ‘sticky’ date! (No - not that sort of sticky date, although I like those too - mind out of the gutter please!) By sticky, I mean dessert wine. If you’re both working late, why not meet up late at night at a nice restaurant or bar for a single glass of dessert wine? Simple and elegant - yet mini!
For the creatives, try a mutual mini art class! Grab two pencils, two pieces of paper and a frame. Take 15 minutes, sit opposite each other and draw your partner. Now swap, laugh for 5 minutes, pop ‘em in the frame and put it on the wall. Every time you look at it, you’ll remember the date and having fun!
Don’t grab a piece of toast at your desk (of course, none of you do that right?), rather both leave home 30 minutes early and make breakfast a date. Better still (and Annie and I have actually done this!) head to a fancy hotel and order the full breakfast buffet. Housekeeping won’t clean your room, but all those buffet options will make you feel like you’ve been away for the night!

I’d guess one of the keys to a successful mini-date is likely to make sure it is enjoyable. Don’t use it to talk about problems! Talking about your issues as a couple is surely important - but for some reason it’s easier to find time to talk about bad things than it is to have a little fun with your partner. And I’ll bet that little bit of fun is probably just as key to long term success as many hours of long discussions.

So take a little bit of time out of your day this week and have some mini-date fun with your partner. I dare you!

And if you have any good mini-date ideas, why not add a comment below? Annie and I will go on the best mini-date added - and I’ll report back on that!

Fear Factor

2009-11-01T19:00:08+00:00

Are scary dates sexy?

This past weekend was Halloween, watching all of the zombies and monsters invade Sydney got me thinking- why do we love being scared? We undeniably love the thrill of the unknown; we’ve all been guilty of watching that over-the-top horror movie no matter how much we knew it would give us nightmares!

So if we love being scared, is it to be assumed that scary dates are more likely to be successful? By scary I mean anything that puts you a bit out of your comfort zone- whether it is a horror movie or bungee jumping. We have written before about how the chemical produced by anxiety is the same chemical produced by love- PEA but what are the real world daters saying, aside from being an excuse to squeeze your partner does being scared offer any other perks?

I confronted several serial daters to see what they thought about scary dates. The general consensus was that more than scary dates, unexpected dates and surprises were a huge turn on, an added bonus was dates that allow both people to experience or learn something new.

While a completely scary date may scare that potential significant other off, a slightly off-beat and surprising date will be sure to win them over and set you apart from the crowd. Choosing a date where you both learn something is an additional perk and will allow you to have a ‘special something’ to bond over. If you learned to make sushi together- think of all the excuses to have a fabulous and romantic dinner together!

What are some date ideas bound to impress?

Cooking/Cocktail Class
Theme Park
Kayaking (to a secluded beach!)
Teppanyaki
Learning to Rock Climb/Sail/Surf together

You get the idea, anything to get your heart pumping and your sweetheart and you bonding and having a blast!

Enjoy!

Meet Your Match Poker Night

2009-10-11T10:17:23+00:00

Feeling Lucky?!?!

Learn to play your cards right at our newest event - Meet Your Match Poker Night!

Grab your slinkiest dress and sexiest slacks and learn the ins and outs of Poker, taught to you by Sydney’s Poker Pro’s at our glamorous poker night at Tharen’s Restaurant!

Your night starts with enjoying some bubbly as Sydney’s Poker Pro’s give you a 30 minute lesson on the game. After you learn how to handle those decks you will test out your newly learned skills in a friendly game. Play poker while you mix and mingle with up to 15 other fun and adventurous singles.

There will be gourmet canapes to enjoy during the mix n mingle break, and some very special prizes to be won!

Don’t miss out on this truly unique and incredibly fun night!

Naughty or Nice Xmas Party

2009-10-06T00:44:40+00:00

Have you been Naughty or Nice?!

Come show off your true colours at The Big Blind annual Naughty or Nice Christmas party, and get in the Mood…

for Christmas that is! Join us for the the sexiest party of the season at the retaurant that brings out a dangerously wild side in all of us.

Dress to show how you’ve been acting all year…and remember you can’t hide anything from Santa!

Arrive at 6:30 and enjoy your complimentary shot and cocktail, delicious canapes all night, fabulous door games and a very sexy costume competition…

We will also have some surprise costume props on hand for you to play with!

Your ticket includes:

* A surprise shot on arrival PLUS a delicious cocktail
* Fabulous canapes all night to line your stomach with
* A room full of sexy singles to mix n mingle with!
* A Tomorrows Date Deck with over $1000 in value
* Some very sexy door prizes…
* The most fabulous night of the season!
* The chance to make some amazing new friends and meet single like-minded people

If you have any questions or would like to chat before purchasing a ticket, we would love to hear from you at 0449 097 215 (Gina)

An Artful Crime

2009-10-04T19:00:34+00:00

The week before last Annie and I were down in Melbourne to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. One of our traditions when travelling is to take in walking tours of the city. Walking around allows you to see a city ‘from the ground up’ so to speak, and the tour often teaches you interesting things you could never learn from a guidebook.

And so when we found a tour called the “Melbourne Graffiti Art-Street Culture-Bar Tour” from a group calling themselves “We Make Stuff Good” we thought we were onto a winner for sure!

Sadly, when we got to Melbourne and called “We Make Stuff Good” (don’t you just love that name?) we were told that the tour was cancelled for the weekend - bummer! - but would we be interested in “a live graffiti-and-street-art-creation festival and sketch art class?” Would we be interested? You betcha we would! A graffiti art class and a live festival? That sounded like a date right up our alley (Melbournian pun intended).

The festival was put on by “Don’t Ban The Can” a group dedicated to promoting Melbourne’s graffiti scene. Hold up… promoting? Yup. Apparently the deal is that Melbourne’s smarter politicians decided to greatly raise penalties for graffiti and ban the sale of spray cans - so this group is fighting back by promoting graffiti as art.

Is graffiti a crime or an art form? Or both? I don’t have an answer to that. It’s a debate that has been raging almost as long as historians have been taking note of what’s happening in the world. As you can see from some of the pictures of the festival there is no doubting that some of these guys and gals have serious artistic talent. On the other hand, MelbourneGraffiti.com - the main site promoting graffiti in Melbourne - allows you to download high resolution PDF outlines of the various types of train carriages used in Melbourne. I assume to practice your ‘art’ before you head to the local station?

Let’s split the difference and call it an artistic crime.

It’s also a crime of lovers - which is befitting a date. Graffiti has been a form of expression for romantics for many years. Indeed Wikipedia quotes a certain “Cil” from a certain town of Pompeii in 1284 who wrote on a wall (Of course - Cil wrote it in Latin, but I though the translated version would be more useful to you):

Whoever loves, go to hell. I want to break Venus’s ribs with a club and deform her hips. If she can break my tender heart why can’t I hit her over the head?

Obviously the poor fellow needed a few dating tips! Or he might have on back the lucky lady… that is if his town wasn’t covered in 15 foot of ash the next day. Talk about a bad week.

As to those dating tips, I’d have to say that art classes - like walking tours - always make for a good date. They allow you to be a little bit creative with your lucky lady, to produce something she can take home - all while working on a shared activity and often consuming a little dutch courage at the same time. A simple formula for dating success. Just avoid the volcanoes.

(If you’re looking for a local Sydney art class, try Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School from the Date Deck!)

It’s all in the Eyes - Part 1

2009-09-27T19:00:52+00:00

Love at first sight- some say it’s taboo, others are die-hard believers! Me? I love the romance of it, and while I think love at first sight is really ‘lust at first sight’, the die hard romantic in me still falls for it every time! Whether you believe in it or not, an instant connection with somebody of the opposite sex is pretty much a guarantee of a follow up date. So how can ‘love at first sight’ help you get a date?

It’s all in the eyes

We all know eye contact is important, in fact it’s rude to not look somebody in the eyes- but when it comes to love and first impressions it takes on even more meaning. Eye contact is the biggest teller of whether you and that potential significant other will hit it off or not! And what you do with your eyes could fast track you on your way to agreat relationship.

Powerful eye contact immediately stimulates strong feelings of affection. A study called “The effects of Mutual Gaze on Feelings of Romantic Love” shows that locking eyes with an attractive stranger helps put the match to the flame of love. Anthropologist Helen Fisher says it is basic animal instinct. Unrelenting eye contact creates a highly emotional state similar to fear. From our last Dating Diva blog post, we remember that PEA, the chemical released when you are in love, is the same chemical released when you are feeling anxious or scared. When you look directly into someone’s eyes, his or her body produces chemicals that jolt the sensation of being in love.

So how exactly do you use eye contact to your advantage?

On average, when talking, ordinary people tend to look at one another only 30-60% of the time, however people that are deeply in love tend to gaze at each other for a much longer period of time. Psychology Zick Rubin ran a study called ‘Measurement of Romantic Love’ and found that people deeply in love gaze at each other 75-80% during conversation and are slower to look away at an intrusion. This ‘eye contact’ method is still used by psychologists during counseling to work out how much affection couples feel for each other.

It also happens to be remarkably handy information if you want to inspire someone fall in love with you! If you look at someone you like 75% of the time when they’re talking to you, you trick their brain. The brain knows the last time that someone looked at them that long and often, it meant they were in love. So it thinks OK, I’m obviously in love with this person as well, and begins to release phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is a chemical cousin to amphetamines and is secreted by the nervous system when we first fall in love. PEA is what makes our palms sweat, our tummies flip over, and our hearts race! The more PEA the person you want has pumping through the bloodstream, the more likely he is to fall in love with you.

While you can’t honestly force someone to adore you if he’s not remotely interested (they won’t let you look into their eyes for that long, for a start!), it is entirely possible to kick-start the production of PEA using this technique. Try it. I think you’ll be pretty impressed with the results. Give someone the sensation of feeling in love whenever he’s with you, and it’s not such a huge leap of logic for him to finally decide that he or is!

The Dating Diva

Tiki Cocktail Making Night

2009-09-23T23:23:30+00:00

The weather is getting balmy, flowers are beginning to bloom and palm trees are swaying in the wind as bodies start to tan up in preparation for a hot, hot summer…

Ring in summer with our upcoming Tiki Cocktail Making class- don your best Hawaiian shirt or colourful dress and learn to mix the drinks that make you swoon in the summertime!

Test your cocktail making skills at our most popular event, a flirty, sophisticated and incredibly social cocktail class. Learn to make cocktails that will make your friends swoon while you mix and mingle with other fun, active singles and concoct a deliciously sexy ‘Tiki’ cocktail with each person.

Taught by Australia’s cocktail extraordinaire’s Sven and Daniel from Behind Bars, it is an experience not to be missed.

Your evening begins at the Behind Bars ‘office’ in Darlinghurst, you enter the dimly lit, elegant cocktail den, with walls covered in exotic liquors and antique cocktail shakers. You are encouraged to play, experiment and taste until you create a drink perfectly suited to your taste.

After the class has finished, mix and mingle over delicious canapes at Behind Bars beautiful outdoor terrace.

This is a very intimate and fun experience, with 20 attendees max, and you will leave the class with a superior knowledge of mixology.

The Venue

Behind Bars is a beautifully elegant ‘cocktail’ consultancy based in Darlinghurst, run by Sven (Australia’s cocktail man), Behind Bars creates an unforgettable cocktail making experience.

Salsa Splash!

2009-09-10T22:34:46+00:00

Salsa Splash was held this past Tuesday night, September 8th at Tharen’s and it turned out to be one wild night- full of sexy salsa dancing, delicious cocktail and canapes, and some incredible people.

A staggering 160+ Sydney singles joined us to salsa the night away and meet other like-minded active friends and potential romantic interests! Dancing and mingling went into the wee hours of the night as everyone practiced their newly learned, hip shaking moves.

Attendees had a chance to win an amazing 2 hour pamper package from Lattouf Salon for two, and an exciting Sydney Highlights bike tour from Bonza bike tours for two! And we also had some absolutely delicious cocktails thanks to Havana Club and Absolute.

A big thanks to everyone who came to join us for The Big Blind’s first huge party, we hope you had an incredible time and will be joining us for future events!

Romance on the High Teas

2009-09-06T19:00:21+00:00

After a little bit of a hiatus (life got busy), Annie and I finally found time on the weekend to do a date that was ‘write up’ worthy. Having a free Sunday afternoon and a generally lazy attitude, we decided to go for “High Tea”.

High tea (or more technically ‘afternoon tea’) is one of those quaint English things that’s a lot of fun but doesn’t quite make sense - like royal tennis or giant hedge mazes. It’s not so much a meal as a large ‘between-meal’ snack. Along with your choice of a large tea selection, high tea is served with a tower of different sandwiches, scones and other sweet treats. What it may lack in volume, it makes up for in variety of the small bite-size snacks provided - think of it as the English equivalent of a Japanese sushi train or a Chinese yum cha cart.

Truth be told, we’ve been to a lot of high teas - in the Southern Highlands, in the Blue Mountains and even in London - but never one in Sydney. After perusing this Australian Traveller article covering the best high teas in Sydney, we chose to go to the Victoria Room in Darlinghurst.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to experience their traditional high tea as it was a Father’s day special ‘Ploughman’s High Tea’ - think of a traditional high tea but with bites from a ploughman’s lunch. The tea was hot and plentiful, the savoury snacks were all very tasty and the
sweet treats were exceptional! Judging by our experience, I’d say the regular weekend high tea is probably pretty damn good too.

High team makes a good date activity because it’s often hard to find good ‘rainy afternoon’ dating activities during which you can still chat (ie not a movie!). The date is a little bit longer than a normal lunch date, but not as long as a dinner date. Assuming you choose a quality establishment that provides you with unlimited hot water for your tea, there’s nothing that can get cold - so you chat as much as you like! And for those a little worried about ending the date, don’t worry - most places will usually stop serving tea at 5pm, so there’s a
fixed ending.

Lastly, if you’re worried that the conversation won’t start flowing nicely unless there’s a little social lubricant involved, don’t fear - unlike most afternoon activities, there’s an alcohol option! High teas usually have a premium option that includes a glass (or a bottle!) of bubbly. I suggest you take that option if it’s an early date, or you’ve just had a tough week!

Salsa Shaker Class!

2009-09-05T22:09:01+00:00

Whether you’re a salsa pro, or complete beginner there is nothing sexier than shaking your hips!

Join us for our exciting salsa class where our experienced teachers will teach you to shake those hips, while you dance up a storm with up to 23 other sexy singles!

Bella Salsa will be showing everybody the moves in this no pressure, fun and social salsa class. Have a laugh and some great conversation while you learn the most ancient art of winning the opposite sex over - dance!

Drink on arrival and fabulous canapes will be provided to keep those energy levels up.

Location is TBA, but as always will be a beautiful venue and will be in or near the CBD.

Take me to Salsa!

Join us at Salsa Splash!

2009-08-30T19:00:11+00:00

We’d like to invite you to join us for Sydney’s wildest night- the Salsa Splash party!

Yup - that’s right, we are throwing a party to celebrate the launch of The Big Blind - whether you are single or taken come see what all the hype is about, and enjoy an unforgettable night with your friends at Tomorrows Date.

Dance the night away with 100 of Sydney’s best (including some surprise media personalities!) at the restaurant that brings out a dangerously wild side in all of us. There will be flowing drinks and nibbles, sexy salsa and games all night.

if you are a beginner there will be some fabulous teachers on hand showing you the moves, and if you already know how to shake it, the dance floor is your oyster!

There’s no question of where all the fun Sydney-siders will be on Sept 8th!

When: Tuesday 8th September, 7pm
Where: Tharen’s Restaurant and Bar, Kings Cross

$25 includes cocktail and delicious canapes, secret gift bag, and of course a sexy salsa class!

We hope to see ya there!

Take me to Salsa Splash!

Have a Training Date with your Mate!

2009-08-13T02:33:44+00:00

We all know that couples who play together stay together - but what about couples that sweat together? Here Erica French from http://fit2date.com.au tells us the answer is yes - and why!

Reasons why you and your partner should get sweaty together:

* You are both doing something beneficial for your mind and body
* Training together helps you connect on a different level
* While you are training you will both release happy hormones, endorphins, which (should) make you both happier.
* Fitter people are more confident in their own skin
* Helping your partner keep fit means they will look better to you naked J
* And best of all it will help increase both your sex drives…need we say more!

Do’s and Don’ts for training with your partner:

DON’T:

1. Wear an ipod – defeats the purpose of spending ‘quality’ time together
2. Be competitive with one another otherwise you will end up fighting.
3. Never be just a few metres ahead of your partner – stick side by side
4. Don’t pick an activity that you know your partner will hate – they will not want to be there in the first place.

DO’s:

1. Pick something that you are both average at so that you can learn together
2. Compliment your partner on how well they are doing (even if they are struggling)
3. Both of you need to encourage one another – it can’t come from just one person
4. If your partner needs more confidence in general choose something that they are good at so they can teach you – this will help lift their spirits.
5. Bring up that tricky topic that you need to discuss as this is actually one of the best times to get their attention and work through the response.

Fun Training Options for you and your mate:

Tandem Kayaking

Indoor Climbing

Dance Classes (loads of different ones for example at Sydney Dance Company)

Ice Skating

Sailing (guys love this)

Boxing Class

Pick a fun run to do and train at least once a week together

Do an adventure race together as part of a team

Orienteering

Options like City Chase

Do a team Triathlon where each person does the leg that they are strongest at

100 free dateDecks!

2009-08-10T06:38:09+00:00

Hello from all of us at the Tomorrow’s Date Team!!

We wanted to say thank you for letting us into your Inbox once a week and for all of your support over the past few years. We want Tomorrow’s Date to be a source of laughs, great date ideas, fun activities and more! Help us stay on top of our game by filling out a short survey about our site and newsletter. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

The first 100 people to fill out the survey will receive a FREE dateDeck mailed to them!

We appreciate your time and honestly and look forward to hearing your suggestions.

You can complete the survey here - http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/165291/td

Thanks from your personal date gurus,

Annie, Marko and Gina

7 reasons to sign up for the site

2009-08-02T09:33:37+00:00

1. The last two weeks of meals you enjoyed with your adoring partner involved a microwave and plastic cutlery.

2. You can’t remember the last date you went on that required tickets.

3. Sitting plopped on a couch with bottomless champagne while being interviewed by 10 strangers gives you the hibi jeebis.

4. The thought of going to another singles event involving nothing more than 3 minute conversations brings you to tears.

5. You’ve heard cheap dates don’t have to involve a $10 pub meal, but you want proof!

6. You don’t believe in ‘cheap dates’ but you believe in getting deals and steals to the best stuff in town!

7. You want to be a date guru! Or at least look like one…

The Dating Adventure

2009-08-01T02:16:21+00:00

I’ve never been a dinner and drinks type of girl - no matter how great the dinner and drinks were, it never led to much more than a very tipsy walk home. I never thought much about my lack of dinner-date love until I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, 15,000 feet in the air, with a date who not only matched my craziness, but even added the cherry on top. The excitement, the fear, the thrill…the LOVE! Pandora’s box had been opened and my dating life would never be the same again.

From then on my dates where forced to endure everything from abseiling to canyoning to whitewater rafting - needless to say the rubbers in my purse were actually band-aids!

My lack of luck with dinner dates, and obsession with combining love and adventure seemed a bit odd, until I found a research study done by Dutton and Aron on, “Evidence for Heightened Sexual Attraction Under Conditions of High Anxiety” - AHA, finally there was proof and it made sense.

Dutton and Aron ran a very cheeky study to prove the strong link between emotional arousal and sexual attraction. They took a group of male subjects to a popular tourist attraction which consisted of deep and frightening gorges - and two bridges. Bridge one was the dinner bridge, stable, safe and pretty inviting. Bridge two was the ‘am I really doing this’ bridge, old, swaying and frighteningly unsolid. At the end of each bridge stood a female research assistant, chosen to be of equal attractiveness. The men where split up and assigned to cross either the safe bridge or the terrifying bridge. Once crossed, they where met with the female who showed them a picture and asked them to write a short story, she then gave them her number and said, “call me if you’d like to further discuss the experiment.”

The result? Men who had crossed the scary and precarious bridge wrote the sexiest stories and were more likely to call back the female assistants to discuss the terrifying adventure. The conclusion drawn by researchers was that anxiety-producing situations create a more erotic turn-on, so if the first experience together is stirring and adventurous, it will more likely bring strong and intense emotions with it. Sharing emotional experience and talking about a stressful situation brings people and couples together, in other words, a little shared anxiety is a proven aphrodisiac!

Tomorrows Date and The Big Blind is based on the above premise. As much as we at TD love a good dinner, when it comes to dates we simply want something a bit more exciting!

You’re Baking Me Crazy

2009-07-27T04:57:44+00:00

Still being on the road, we had to think outside the ‘box’ or the deck again this week. Instead, we headed to the university town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take a baking class at Zingerman’s Bakehouse called ‘Timeless Tortes’.

As an aside, Zingerman’s is one of my favourite businesses in the world. Begun as a single deli in the 1980’s by two ex-Manhattanites who couldn’t get “corned beef worth s**t” in the midwest, it is now a collective of 11 businesses - all are run with the same philosophy of fun, in the same small town and with the same dedication to customer service. As a long time fan and nerd of ‘all things entrepreneur’ visiting Zingerman’s was a religious pilgrimage for me. I soaked in their clever-but-not-cheesy marketing, studied their understated-but-slick service, took notes on everything I saw they did well and, of course, consumed all manner of their gourmet delights. So intense was my study, I believe my Rueben on rye might even be tax deductible!

While planning my religious experience, I discovered on their website they ran classes and signed up immediately. You see - as a couple - Annie and I are definitely ‘class connoisseurs’. We’ve taken classes across the globe on everything from water colour painting (in Italy, where else?) to hand blown glass (in San Francisco), from Thai cooking (in rural Phuket) to artisanal chocolate making (in Melbourne). If we’re in a foreign land and there’s an expert making money by explaining his craft to newbs, we’re signing up!

The Bakehouse is one of the older Zingerman’s businesses and they’ve been running baking courses for a few years now. (If you’re hard core, you can even take a Bake-cation - imagine… a week long orgy of floury, buttery, sugary learning!) As far as classes go - I must say - it was almost flawless.

The facilities were absolutely top notch, better than in any cooking course we’ve ever taken. Alejandro, our guide to all things made of dough, was the perfect mix of knowledgeable, communicative and patient. The ingredients were clearly only the best of everything. The assistants (there were 3 teachers to 5 students!) provided the ingredients and cleaned away the equipment before I’d even figured out which page of the handouts we were up to. Even our creation - raspberry charlotte, think raspberry cream covered in thinly sliced, fluffy jelly roll - tasted superb, I’m sure more due to the Zingerman’s teaching skills than our baking skills.

The entire thing was a lesson in how to give lessons. I lapped it up.

Annie loves to bake but hates to follow recipes. She makes up for what she calls ‘lack of talent’ with boundless enthusiasm - while looking stunning in an apron and always creating one hell of a mess. I love to cook and can follow a recipe like it’s a detailed engineering schematics! Somehow I always seem to amaze the class by being able to follow the instructions to create something edible, while being a bloke at the same time!

Classes make for simply excellent dates. Besides being fun and often educational, the mutual learning of new skills always makes for an interesting time. Cooking classes are especially good because of their universal appeal. Anyone can learn to cook and everyone loves to eat! How many dates can you go on where you get to laugh, learn, create and eat - all in one place?

Salsa Splash

2009-07-23T04:45:30+00:00

Join us for Sydney’s wildest night- the Salsa Splash launch party!

There’s no question of where everyone will be on Sept 8th!

When: Tuesday 8th September, 7pm
Where: Tharen’s Restaurant and Bar, Kings Cross
Wanted: Active and fun single professionals

$25 includes cocktail and delicious canapes, secret gift bag, and of course a sexy salsa class!

What is The Big Blind?

We are Sydney’s biggest blind date! Created with single, active professionals in mind, we offer a new way for busy Sydney professionals to save time and meet new people by combining, fun, adventurous activities with dating.

We hope to see ya there!

Trapeze High Flyers

2009-07-23T04:35:16+00:00

Looking for adventure? It has been proven that the best aphrodisiac is adrenaline…

Join us at High Flyers - the absolute most fun and adventurous singles night around. Learn how to plate-spin, swing and throw fire sticks and best of all, fly through the air on the Trapeze - all while meeting new people and having a blast! The class is taught by Frank the Trapeze Daredevil, who, after you are securely fastened to a safety wire,teaches you how to fly, turn upside down and get caught 8 meters in the air - talk about a different type of date!

After you have gotten your fair share of thrills, cozy up in the corner lounge of the studio with some amazing company!

The Venue

Combining adventure with a social and fun atmosphere, Sydney Trapeze School is the perfect place to spend an evening.

High Flyers Trapeze Night

2009-07-23T04:13:05+00:00

Looking for adventure? It has been proven that the best aphrodisiac is adrenaline…

Join us on at High Flyers - the absolute most fun and adventurous singles night around. Learn how to plate-spin, swing and throw fire sticks and best of all, fly through the air on the Trapeze - all while meeting new people and having a blast! The class is taught by Frank the Trapeze Daredevil, who, after you are securely fastened to a safety wire,teaches you how to fly, turn upside down and get caught 8 meters in the air - talk about a different type of date!

After you have gotten your fair share of thrills, cozy up in the corner lounge of the studio with some delicious canapes, free flowing champagne and amazing company!

The Venue

Sydney Trapeze School is the most fun you can have under one roof. After working at the Trapeze school in NYC (the one features on Sex in the City!), Frank moved back home and decided to open up his own school. With a cozy corner lounge, a huge trapeze and a million other fun gadgets this is a great way to meet like-minded people and get a very good work out in the process.

Vintage Cocktail Making Class

2009-07-23T03:56:06+00:00

Taught by Australia’s cocktail extraordinaire’s Sven and Daniel from Behind Bars, it is an experience not to be missed.

After the class has finished, mix and mingle over delicious canapes at Behind Bars beautiful terrace.

This is a very intimate and fun experience, with 14 attendees max, and you will leave the class with a superior knowledge of mixology.

The Venue

Behind Bars is a beautifully elegant ‘cocktail’ consultancy based in Darlinghurst, run by Sven (Australia’s cocktail man), Behind Bars creates an unforgettable cocktail making experience.

Winter Cocktail Making Class

2009-07-23T02:17:44+00:00

Taught by Australia’s cocktail extraordinaire’s Sven and Daniel from Behind Bars, it is an experience not to be missed.

After the class has finished, mix and mingle over delicious canapes at Behind Bars beautiful terrace.

This is a very intimate and fun experience, with 14 attendees max, and you will leave the class with a superior knowledge of mixology.

The Venue

Behind Bars is a beautifully elegant ‘cocktail’ consultancy based in Darlinghurst, and run by Sven (Australia’s cocktail man), Behind Bars creates an unforgettable cocktail making experience.

Riding To Victory

2009-07-20T01:09:54+00:00

This week I’m in southern Michigan with the in-laws, so it’s a little hard to do a date from the deck of dates like mini golf or ghost tours. Instead, I thought I’d do a date anyone can do - a bike ride. Call it a tribute to our mate Cadel fighting for survival in this year’s Tour de France.

In our case, we rode the Kal-Haven trail which stretches 50km directly westwards from Kalamazoo to South Haven on the eastern coast of lake Michigan. I’m told from South Haven that on a clear night you can see the lights of Chicago on the far side.

The Kal-Haven is an old railway bed that’s been converted into a recreational trail for hikers and mountain bikers in the summer, and cross-country skiers and snowmobile riders in the winter. The ride took us through some beautiful old Michigan forest (at points, the trees actually close over the trail like a tunnel) and past many fields of corn with rarely a building in sight. We chatted to fellow riders and hikers along the way, stopped to taste some wild raspberries and mulberries and ended the ride with a slice of good old American apple pie.

Now, the odds are small that anyone out there will ride the Kal-Haven due to it’s geographic location. However given we’re not in Sydney, we wanted to review something that anyone can do - a bike ride date. There are plenty of good rides in Sydney which share similar
characteristics - the Oaks in the Blue Mountains for example, or even just a few laps of Centennial Park.

Wherever you’re doing it, bike riding makes a good date activity for couples of any ability. You wear tight clothing, get some physical exercise and watch beautiful scenery go by while you chat to your partner. Kind of like sex, only there’s more time for talking.

If you’re riding with a beginner (as I was) the first key is patience. Bike riding is not hard, it just requires practice. If he or she hasn’t ridden since they were a young kid - be patient! Once you’ve ridden for a few miles, it all comes back to them fairly quickly.

The second key is energy - or rather the maintenance of energy. If it’s a long ride, make sure everyone keeps consuming plenty of water and your energy source of choice (for me - chocolate chip Clif Bars). Once your energy levels sap, the date stops being fun. Don’t wait
until then to eat something - it’s too late. Instead, eat small amounts constantly throughout the ride!

So there it is. We rode across the beautiful countryside of the American midwest and had a blast. Grab you partner, find a stretch of country road and start turning over those pedals again. Rediscover riding, I’m sure you’ll love it too

Of Pirates and Putters

2009-07-13T10:14:21+00:00

Last weekend the boyfriend blog headed north across the Harbour Bridge and the Spit bridge to Narrabeen for a few rounds of putt putt at Pirates Mini Golf - of course featured in the dateDeck.

I’m quite sure pirates rarely played golf, but there are obvious parallels between the two. Think for a second.

Putting is about sending a golf ball across the turf and into a hole. Pirating is about sending a cannon ball across the surf and creating a hole!
Putting is concerned with navigating the course trying to avoid various obstacles that will cause you to lose the game. Pirating is concerned with navigating the seas, trying to avoid various navy obstacles that will cause you to lose your life!
Putting is often followed by a celebration involving a bottle of Coke and bucket full of hot chips. Pirating is often followed by a celebration involving a bottle of rum and a bordello full of hot chippies!

See? Maybe in a past life Long John Daly would have been Long John Silver!

Clearly these parallels inspired the course designers to scatter cannon balls around that swathe of astroturf in Narrabeen. The small, intimate holes are nicely separated from each other making it feel like you’re on a real date - rather than just chaperoning a rather large bunch of 7 to 12 year olds on a school outing. The two courses are nicely challenging without being impossible for novices allowing you to show off your trigonometry skills or perhaps just get a lucky bounce.

Mini golf comes highly recommended as a date activity. It’s much more egalitarian sport than real golf. There are no ladies tees. No expensive golf clubs or special balls use superior dimpling technology to fly further. Men and women - and for that matter men and men! - play on an equal playing field. It is this equality, combined with the slow pace, which makes mini golf a great date. The slow pace is brought about by those large bunches of 7 to 12 year olds - who will ensure you have plenty of talk time between holes to get to know your lad or lady.

Guys - it’s probably a smart idea to throw the game if you want to get a second date. And if she says she doesn’t want any hot chips after the first round - don’t believe her. She’s just saying that to make you think she has good eating habits. Order a large hot chips, smother ‘em in sauce and I assure you you won’t be eating more than half the bucket!

Girls - mini golf is a great date activity to invite a man on. He’ll think that you’re sporty and you don’t even have to break a sweat. He’ll think you’re competitive, talented and a winner - when really your natural feminine, deft touch is just simply superior on the putting green to his alpha male hit-it-hard-and-hope attitude. Oh, and after you say no - try not to take all his hot chips!

Either way - head north to Narrabeen, grab a putter and plunder the booty!

The ghost tour

2009-06-22T23:35:21+00:00

Last weekend Annie and I took a date on the darker side with the Rocks Ghost Tour, from the tomorrow’s date deck.

Our “Ghost Host” Maxine met us outside Cadman’s cottage looking suitably like a goth from the outer suburbs of Sydney - dressed head-to-toe in black with strategically placed torch under the chin. From there, things just got better.

The tour took us all around the South Side of the Rocks (there’s another tour which covers the North Side) learning stories of murder, mystery and spiritual happenings from the last 200 years of Sydney’s dark past. Basically, we were formed by a nation of philandering, hooker-appreciating sailors who liked to cut off their appendages and stab women. National pride!

It was an educational trip of sorts, albeit in a very entertaining way. For example, everyone is given a prop to carry - which represents ‘their ghost’. My large plastic Rambo knife (I think it was historically excavated from the Easter Show of years gone by) indicated that I killed my lover in a 19th century jealous rage. Not such a nice guy - but I then disposed of the body in a suitably Aussie fashion, by burying her in my backshed!

The highlight of the tour for me was the recently discovered “Dig House” on Windmill St. When Mirvac was excavating the foundations of another over-priced Walsh Bay apartment building, they found the buried remains of an old Sydney cottage. This site then became preserved for it’s historical, archaeological significance - and Mirvac has built the apartment building on top of the massive ghostly cave. It’s a wonderful place to explore and a totally unexpected surprise for a long-term Sydneysider. Well worth the price of admission.

As a date, a ghost tour on a chilly Sydney winter night has all sorts of advantages. If you’re early daters, it’s a great way to get close to your loved one - an excuse to dress warmly and hold hands. If you’re a pro, find out where your tour ends and plan an alcohol fueled seance with your girl at any of the old haunted pubs nearby like the Hero of Waterloo.

Remember, as long as they’re caused by ESP rather than PMS, frightening and dramatic events are great bonding activities for a couple. And you never know, if you jump appropriately at the strange moaning noises - you might just scare her pants off!

A Walk on the Bright Side

2009-06-08T03:17:45+00:00

Sydney has lots of free, crowd-pleasing events each year - from the Sydney Festival to Jazz in the Domain, from Tropfest to the New Year’s fireworks. This year a new event has appeared on the calendar called Vivid Sydney - billed as the largest international festive of music and light in the Southern Hemisphere.

Grandiose claims aside, the ‘Smart Light’ Light Walk exhibit was actually a great date. It is a series of light art sculptures scattered around the Rocks and Circular Quay. Each aims to be environmentally friendly in their use of energy - with low power LEDs, re-using existing lights or getting neighbouring buildings to turn off their lights while the festival is operating. Their close proximity to one another means that a lazy walk between the installations can become a great date - which is exactly what Annie and I did on Sunday night.

The light sculptures themselves range from large scale (animating snow flakes across the entire face of the MCA) to small scale (a single spotlight bathing a park bench in a simple circle of light - simulating a romantic moonlit spot). Some use their environment (such as painting the roof of the Argyle cut with lasers) and others use pre-existing lights to create art (think shadow puppetry on a large scale). My favourite was probably the abstract model of the Sydney CBD outside Custom’s House with each building represented by a large, humming, glowing cube of sorts. You have to see it.

The festival organisers must be duly proud of themselves. They’ve not only created a great date, but a great family outing as well. We went on the Sunday night of a long weekend and I haven’t seen crowds like that walking around the city outside of the New Year’s fireworks display. It was incredible and wonderful to see so many people out walking between the art.

A few tips for your smartlight walk date! Dress warmly - bring a spare jacket for her, guys - you know why! Avoid the crowds - if you want to eat in the Rocks, book well ahead. (We ate at Sushi Tei afterwards - a few minutes short walk away from the Quay, but good food at reasonable prices.) Bring the map from the weekend paper, or print one off the website - I think we missed two or three of the exhibits. It’s going to be pretty packed the next weekend, so if you want to avoid the crowds - why not make it an after work date? Take a bottle of vino with you!

Overall, I have to say we loved this date. You can’t go far wrong with something that’s free, low key, involves walking, gives you plenty of time to talk and plenty of material to natter about. Oh, and there’s quite a bit of romantic lighting too. Get out there and support the festival so they bring it back next year!

Mix Masters Cocktail Making Evening

2009-05-31T19:00:55+00:00

Our long-awaited Big Blind, Mix Masters cocktail night, with cocktail extraordinaire’s Sven and Daniel from Behind Bars, happened this past Thursday, and an amazing, slightly rowdy and incredibly memorable time was to be had by all!

Have you ever looked on in awe as your favourite bartender concocted the perfect martini? 14 lucky daters got the chance to learn how at this intimate cocktail making class at Behind Bars. There really is no better way to get to know each other than over a luscious shared cocktail.

The evening began at the Behind Bars ‘office’ in Darlinghurst, everyone entered Sven’s (Australia’s cocktail man) dimly lit, elegant cocktail den, with walls covered in exotic liquors and antique cocktail shakers. Cocktail enthusiasts got taken through the collection (and some very exclusive tastings…!) by Sven and Daniel while awaiting the arrival of the rest of the guests. The collection included exotic bourbons, vodkas and more - each one with a personal story of how it got to Sydney…but those details shall remain undocumented!

The sassy females where all set up at a sophisticated cocktail station, while the men moved stations, each couple creating a delicious cocktail and chatting with 7 amazing dates. Throughout the class techniques for making all sorts of cocktails where taught, including mojitos, cosmopolitans and one’s we have no recollection of…which is why the cocktail recipe book you get from Behind Bars comes in handy.

After the class had finished, conversation flowed freely as daters munched on canapes and enjoyed more of their own custom made cocktails and each others company. The night was a great success with some amazing feedback and a 95% match rate - definitely an event that is ideal for meeting and getting to know some really great people!

Hope to see you at the next one!

High Flyers Trapeze Night

2009-05-29T19:00:08+00:00

Last Tuesday night love really was in the air, with our first ever Trapeze Big Blind - High Flyers. The night started off with 10 very brave and beautiful swingers being coupled off into 5 different fun stations. In the next hour, each dare-devil got to learn how to plate-spin, juggle, hula-hoop, swing and throw fire sticks - all while meeting and chatting with 5 fun and sexy singles. After perfecting their circus acts, Frank the Trapeze Daredevil, whisked the group away to where the real action is - Trapeze Flying, yet another deck from our dateDeck!

Things got a bit rowdy as each thrill seeker took to the air and learned the ‘no hands’ swing, encouraged by the screams and cheers of their new friends (and potential future mates!). Finally the moment everybody was waiting for came and each High Flyer was given the chance to swing and get caught mid-air by a trapeze pro, leaving their grounded mates staring in awe and anticipation for their turn.

After everybody had gotten their fair share of adrenaline we retreated to the cozy corner lounge of Sydney Trapeze Studio for some much needed champagne nourishment. As everybody relaxed, munched on Canapes and sipped on Mimosas, the conversation flowed and the mix and mingle was well on its way.

With a 90% match rate we had some very happy High Flyers on our hands!

For future events, please visit our events page.

BB: A cheesy date that smells bad but tastes heavenly

2009-05-25T07:35:26+00:00

A little change of pace for the Boyfriend Blog this week, Annie and I went on a date… to the local cheese shop.

The local cheese shop?! Yup - the local cheese shop. The only difference is that our new local cheese shop is not what you’d expect - it happens to be one of the best cheese shops in Sydney - Formaggi Ocello, which (if my poor attempt at interpolating Italian serves me right) means something like “Ocello’s Cheese Shop”.

With gorgeous old school wood everywhere, a handful of tables, a smattering of well stocked shelves and a huge array of cheeses to sample - Formaggi is part cafe, part deli, part providore. The long glass serving cabinet is like a window into dairy heaven showing off the best man’s achievements at turning cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk into hard, soft, gooey, smelly, tasty goodness.

A date at the cheese shop consists of sampling a handful of cheeses - the staff at Formaggi always seem willing to provide generous samples and don’t mind us asking naive cheese-ancestry questions! - then ordering a couple of glasses of wine, a large cheese plate for two (sample enough cheeses to make your plate perfect!) and a couple of cappuccinos. Take your bounty, sit outside and watch the world go by on Bourke St imagining you’re in Parma - albeit with a few extra drag queens.

We went on holiday to Italy last year for almost a month and… well… ate. My kilo-a-week-to-the-waistline achievement required eating a lot of cheese - and I can assure you this place comes pretty close to the real thing, without the expensive airfare.

If you and your special someone are a bit of a foodie couple, or you just have a soft spot for some aged, truffled roquefort - I thoroughly recommend our local cheese shop Formaggi Ocello for a little shared pasteurised joy.

Lastly, we haven’t yet attended one of their monthly evening wine and cheese tastings but I have walked past when they’re on and they look brilliant. I can assure you that as soon as the dates line up we will be attending!

Oh - and we’re getting married, so perhaps we should consider the cheese wedding cake?

The Superman Complex

2009-05-10T19:00:02+00:00

Every kid has dreams of being able to fly. There’s something about the freedom of soaring through the air that captures every young mind. Superman is buried deep in our collective psyche.

Last week Annie and I got to (partially) live that dream when we became flyers at the Sydney Trapeze School - one of the dateDeck cards.

We attended the 2 hour evening class and had an absolute blast. It was so much fun the time literally flew by (sorry!).

What happens in a flying trapeze class? After a few minutes of basic on-the-ground training, the thrills start with the climb up very tall ladder (harnessed the whole time of course!) to a small platform in
the sky. When you realise there’s only one way down, your heart starts beating a little quicker.

Now - try not to look down as you reach into thin air for the bar, grab it with both hands and leap off. That’s the basics.

Over the two hours, you’re taught to hoist your legs up onto the bar, swing upside down, perform a backflip dismount and (if you’re talented) the class ends with a “catch” where a second flyer actually catches you as you fly through the air.

Fans of Sex and the City may remember Carrie’s famous “catch” in the episode of the same name when she took trapeze lessons beside New York’s Hudson River. Recall it? Well, you’re in good hands because the very same instructors she had on the show are the one’s you’ll have in Sydney!

The twin brothers behind this school - Frank and Robert - have travelled the world training people (including SJP) to do the trapeze and now they’ve returned home to open their own school. I’ve got to say - they really make the class. Always encouraging, quick with a joke, fun, friendly and built like brick shithouses - these boys will make you feel safe from start to finish.

This really was a fabulous date. A great way share a fun yet stressful activity that’s new to both of you in a safe, supportive environment… all whilst living out your own superman fantasies. 10 out of 10 from me.

Punch Drunk Love

2009-05-03T19:00:48+00:00

Boxing gloves…slick kicks…and some very sassy singles where all to be seen at our high energy, Rocky Balboa style kickboxing night at the K-Box Kickboxing Studio in Surry Hills, yet another great date from our dateDeck!

The night started off with some drinks and nibbles while the incredible Jeremy Webb explained the basics of kickboxing. Once the music started pumping (and we weren’t joking about the Rocky…!) and everybody was warmed up, geared up, and ready to go, the boxing began. A great time was to be had by all, as the sexy boxers tried out their newly learned moves on each other, all while chatting, getting to know one another and having a blast.

The evening finished off with a stretch, and of course some mimosas, canapes and a whole lot of mix and mingle, but the night went well into the wee hours at the lounge next door!

Seeking A Curious Cat

2009-04-29T19:00:40+00:00

You may have heard that dating is like a lengthy interview process—highlight your best qualities, prove you’re most fit for the position and you’ll land the job. But we beg to differ.

Dating should be about getting to know your date; it shouldn’t be approached as an opportunity to highlight the strong points on your dating resume! Relax and feel the pressure of selling yourself ease away as YOU ask the questions. Where has she traveled? What book did he just finish reading? If nothing else, genuine curiosity in your date should be the single thing you offer when you first start dating someone.

This technique works for two reasons. First, it empowers you, as you get to decide to how and if this person fits into your life. Because you’ve devoted your time together to getting to know your date, you can knowingly decide if this person is right for you. Second, it’s flattering when people take interest in us, so you can expect that your date will be more open when they realize that you are actually interested in finding out what makes them tick.

Dating expert, Sacha Crouch advises a 5 step process to showing curiosity in dating: 1) Make a conscious effort to become interested in people—all people! Everywhere! It’ll make you’re transition into curious dating easier. 2) Come up with open-ended questions to ask you date, rather than the usual yes-or-no questions or “where did you grow up?” 3) Listen! It’s a skill that not many people have. Become a good listener and you’ll be surprised what you find out. 4) Don’t interrupt—it’s rude and belittling. 5) Give attention with your whole body—turn your ears on, hold eye contact, face your date. These are physical clues that you’re interested.

Employ curiosity and our guess is you’ll be pleasantly surprised how receptive your date is when he sees you taking a genuine interest in him.*

* Crouch, Sacha. “How To Win Anyone’s Attention, Anywhere, Anytime.” Yahoo! Dating. 22 Apr. 2009

Laughter makes a date great. Tears do not.

2009-04-27T19:00:58+00:00

Date 9 of 52 and the Boyfriend Blog goes to Monday Night Comedy at the Fringe Bar.

This is one of the few dates in the dateDeck that I had already been on before we started this year long extravaganza of dating and it’s wonderful to see it has lost none of it’s appeal.

I’ll keep the overview brief. Basically, the Monday Night Comedy at the Fringe is good, cheap comedy on a Monday night. The comics are generally pretty funny, it’s only $10 (and your date is free if you have a deck!) or $25 including food, and on a Monday - well - let’s face it - all the good restaurants are closed then anyway.

Basically, a great value date all around. This also goes to explain why it was completely packed last Monday. Not a seat in the house at 8pm, so we ended up standing all night. Next time maybe we’ll get there a little earlier!

Now, if your date hasn’t been to comedy before - or you’re a little bit daft - here are a few comedy dating tips for new players:

1. The most obvious. Don’t sit in the front row. You will get picked on. The comic will win. Just don’t do it. And you might get teary.

2. If the comic asks a question (“Anyone here celebrating anything? Anyone from overseas?” etc) for the love of god don’t put up your hand. You will get picked on. The comic will win. And you just might cry.

3. If you’ve ignored the two rules above, don’t try to be funnier than the guy on stage. You’re not and it won’t work. He has all the power. The audience is with him. You will lose, look quite stupid. Oh, and you just might cry.

4. If you’re offended by swearing or crude, blatant sexual references or jokes at the expense of various races, creeds and cultures… stand up comedy is not for you. It’s always ruder in person than on TV. Just don’t go. You will cry. If you think your date might be offended, don’t take her. She will cry. Then you will.

Play by the rules and you’ll have a grand old time. Fringe on a Monday night? Two thumbs up! Oh, and leave the tissues at home!

Compatibili-THREE

2009-04-22T18:59:53+00:00

They say opposites attract, but perhaps not always. In fact, Leil Lowndes, author of How to Make Anyone Fall in Love With You claims that there are three levels of similarity between partners in a romantic relationship that are crucial to your relationship success.

The first one is perhaps the most obvious: you share similar interests or hobbies with your partner. You’re not the same in everyway, but common interests give you something to bond over. Maybe he stays home to finish the writing he’s working on while you go rock-climbing, but at the end of day you like to wind down to the same music, enjoy cooking the same cuisine or team up your vocal skills and his guitar hands to make a beautiful harmony. An area of similar interest gives you an opportunity to enjoy an activity with enjoyable company too.

Next, you and your partner should share a similar outlook on the world; call it your beliefs, your values, your political stance, whatever. You don’t need to be mind-clones to ensure a functional relationship, but a connection over how to solve problems and how to treat people is an important one between couples. This level of compatibility is important for any two people who seek to build a lasting life together, but may be especially important for those who plan on raising kids together as you decide which basic values to instill in your kids.

The last level of compatibility is an important one that Lowndes says can often be subconsciously ignored until it’s too late giving couples the biggest problems in the long run. The last level of compatibility is to ensure that you and your mate have the same idea of what a relationship should and should not be. How much dependence and how much self-reliance is right for your relationship? How much distance and how much closeness is appropriate for the two of you? If you can agree on what to expect out of your relationship, you’ll cut your way to the front of the happy-in-my-relationship line. Cheers to you!*

*Lowndes, Leil. How To Make Anyone Fall In Love With You. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

Doing It Like it’s 1988 - Skate and Date

2009-04-20T19:00:02+00:00

No - I don’t mean clumsy fumbling in the back of a Falcon, I mean one of the few legal date activities your parents allowed before you were 18 - ice skating!

Our dateDeck date this week was the Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink (funny - I don’t remember a Winter Games ever being held here?) - where Friday night is disco night and everything seems to be stuck in the 1980s.

Admittedly - the skates smell like they haven’t been washed since then and the Street Fighter machine has seen better days but there’s a certain nostalgic, romantic charm to the whole experience. The prices in the canteen seem to be immune to inflation and all around you are young people gliding hand in hand.

Ever since of Rocky’s awkward first date with Adrian (where he bribes the attendant to keep the rink open for them and then shuffles around in his shoes while she skates elegantly), ice skating has featured prominently as a place for falling in love. It happened in Ice Castles. It happened in the Mighty Ducks. It even happened in Blades of Glory - “Troubled childhood? If you consider a 9 year old kid with a 35 year old girlfriend troubled.” The ice is nice for romance.

Not much has changed in the ice-skating-dating arena since I was a kid… everyone just looks a lot younger now. The mechanics of this classic date are fairly simple… hold hands, skate in a circle, break for an ice cream or some hot chips, show off for your date, fall over, catch her chivalrously when she falls, try to ice dance badly to the disco music because you suddenly think the frictionless skates will make your Moonwalk sooo much better than it is on dry land.

All the ingredients of a great date. We’ve all done it, but when was the last time you did it? Unless she’s an ice queen (or Tonya Harding), a few chilly laps around the rink and a little conversation are sure to warm her up. Just don’t linger too long after the skating is done… your parents are waiting outside in their Falcon to collect you!

Kiss This

2009-04-19T09:23:45+00:00

You’ve thought about it, perhaps worried about it, maybe fantasised about it, and now it’s time. You’re going in for the kiss. Or are you? Men and women communicate differently, but the signs of interest in a kiss are fairly similar. Here are some helpful hints from Dr. Joy Brown (author of Dating for Dummies) that your date is looking to take your lips for a test drive.

When women are interested in a kiss they face their partner with their body relaxed. Is her head tilted upward? That’s a good sign. Her lips are parted? Even better! And if you look down to see her gazing into your eyes, you know it’s a go on Mission Pucker Up.

Men will often position their bodies between their dates and the door or exit to signal that they are interested in a kiss. Obviously, he may act a little nervous. But if his head is tilted upward and he licks his lips, you know what’s on his mind.

There are no surprises that looking down, fumbling with keys or pockets and avoiding eye contact are clear signs that a partner is not interested in any lip action. Better to recognise the signs and act accordingly than to experience that unwanted kiss, right?

Grab a breath mint and happy smooching daters!

Spacely Sprockets Meets Sushi - Wagaya

2009-04-13T06:38:15+00:00

This week the Boyfriend Blog decided to take a week off from crazy activity-fueled dates and instead do something “normal” - dinner at a restaurant.

Still being into excitement as a couple though, we chose a restaurant that’s a little different - Wagaya, opposite the Entertainment Centre.

Two things make this sushi restaurant different - and make it great fun for a date.

The first, and most obvious, is that you order your food via a touch screen. Your very own gastronomic ATM is built into every table. Combined with the modern samurai decor, it gives the whole place a little bit of a “Jetsons meets your father’s sushi restaurant” feel. Well, that is if your father was Japanese… I guess sushi probably wasn’t that popular 30 years ago in Australia… but I digress.

Now this all sounds a little nerdy but actually it’s great fun. Annie absolutely loved it. Want a glass of water? Tea refill? Extra California roll? A few little taps and 30 seconds later it turns up. No more waving your hands in the air for a waiter.

The second is the menu. It has all the normal Japanese fair with quite a few interesting special dishes. Let me talk about two in particular in detail.

1. The make-your-own sushi (which we ordered) is fabulous. Annie loves making her own food at the table. Whether it’s folding peking duck, stacking up a fajita or stirring a hotpot - she likes participating in an interactive dining experience. The self made sushi was something new to both of us.

It comes with all the sushi ingredients (various types of raw fish, avocado, mayonnaise, seaweed, balls of rice etc) and then you can roll your own combinations at the table. Fantastic! I must admit - it is fun but also a lot harder than it looks, my first 3 rolls were extremely structurally deficient. I have a new appreciation for sushi skills.

2. I’ll save the best for last. Two words - “Sushi Roulette”. 6 simple, innocent looking salmon sushi boats on one plate. But as they say on Sesame Street, “one of these things is not like the others.”
One of the rolls is packing. Wasabi. The hot stuff, and lots of it. That’s right - one of the rolls is designed to blow your head off. The rest are just normal. Now who wasn’t love a restaurant which allows it’s customers to gamble on who feels pain? How Australian! Brilliant!

Overall - Wagaya is a great date restaurant. Interactive dining at it’s finest. Just be careful with the roulette on a first date - that could go badly wrong.

(Oh - and a little tip. Make a reservation or do as we did, turn up and put your name down then go across the street for a beer instead of waiting 45 minutes for a table.)

Our first panel drinks

2009-04-13T05:11:49+00:00

Here are a few snaps of our first ever tomorrow’s date panel drinks night. Thanks to everyone who came along to share their dating ideas and stories over a few glasses of champers. Stay tuned for more pictures of the our date panel in action and for more info on being part of the group send us an e-mail any time at hello@tomorrowsdate.com.

Play Date

2009-04-08T19:00:31+00:00

Dating is supposed to FUN, but sometimes in the beginning our nerves get the best of us and we’re left stuttering trying to fill the silence we’re not yet comfortable with. Don’t get us wrong, a certain amount of anxiety is natural and endearing when you first start dating someone; it’s the fixation on finding The One that takes anxiety over the edge from natural to excessive. Dating researchers say this unnecessary nervousness results out of the pressure we’re putting on dating and recommend lightening up a bit.

“When people take a more playful approach to dating and life, it is not only more fun - it’s infinitely more appealing! Sparks are more likely to ignite as you radiate your true colours,” writes Yahoo.com dating expert, Sacha Crouch.*

The main concern is to encourage rookie daters to look at dates as fun endeavours, not as The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives. We’re putting too much pressure on ourselves and our dates if we imagine what our kids will look like after a great first date. Crouch recommends seeing our dates as ways to meet new people NOT to meet the love of your life. We’ll end up being more light-hearted if we do. And aren’t playful, cheerful, easy-going people exactly the kind of people you want to be around? When we resonate those qualities we’re more appealing. So, it’s just like The Eagles said, “Take it easy.” Play! Enjoy!

* Crouch, Sacha. “The Alluring Art of Playfulness.” Yahoo! Dating. 31 Mar. 2009

Presently Perplexed

2009-04-08T04:06:28+00:00

Hi Dating Panel! Just wondering, what’s the appropriate birthday gift to give if you’ve only been dating for a month?

Weekend Aways~

2009-04-08T03:20:07+00:00

Hi Everyone—-now that I’m back at school long holidays are out——so I’m looking for short breaks out of the city—any ideas! Thank you.

Kids and dating

2009-04-08T00:59:22+00:00

When should the kids come into picture when dating?

Paying on the first date

2009-04-08T00:57:46+00:00

The age old question, who pays on the first date? Should the guy always foot the bill? What if the date turns into a disaster?

Getting out of a bad date

2009-04-08T00:56:21+00:00

What’s the best way to get out of a really bad date?

Dating in the Age Of Aquarius

2009-04-06T19:00:43+00:00

There is an old French proverb that says “Long on hair, short on brains”. If that is indeed true, I got a whole lot smarter over the weekend as the Boyfriend Blog went offbeat (as far as dating goes) with a haircutting date.

Stop number 6 in our journey through the dateDeck was at The Chop Shop, a funky little pair of hair salons - one in Bondi Beach and the other in Potts Point. A haircutting date (for those not as sophisticated in their dating as your intrepid blogger) consists of taking your loved one to the salon and chattering away, getting a little snipping while you’re sitting and sipping (your green tea). Pretty simple!

Jess and Elvira proved to be the perfect hosts as Annie and I did the chair-basin-chair dance. However unlike the Tahitian Dancing fiasco of last week, little of manliness came into question - apart from the head massage, but come on guys - who doesn’t love that part?

Our stylists weren’t afraid to share their own bad date stories, nor their at-home hairstyling hints - which Annie loved! I think she’ll be trying a new style each day this week - and so far their tips have been right on the money.

I do have to admit, I had a good time. I’m not the biggest fan of salons (as you can see from my former ‘style’, I’d been avoiding them for some time!) but the Chop Shop has a little something different. They make a haircut fun - which in turn makes it a good alternative date idea.

Like the French, the Danish also have a proverb - “A bad haircut is two people’s shame”. As you can see from the photos, I left a whole lot lighter than I went in - but no one is ashamed.

So now yours truly is Chewbacca no longer. The respectable, suit wearing, upstanding boyfriend is back. OK - I lied about the suit… and maybe the respectable part - but I can certainly stand up pretty well most of the time.

Oh, and at least old French ladies don’t scowl at me on the bus any more.

Finding the Chemistry

2009-04-01T18:59:33+00:00

We all know the importance of dating (see last week’s post). But new research shows that the type of date couples partake in correlates to the level of happiness in their relationships.

Any time featuring just you and your partner is time well spent. However, while meeting for lunch at your favourite café, enjoying morning coffee together (just the two of you), or going for a jog as a pair will allow you to reconnect with your partner, recent brain chemical research shows that couples who participate in exhilarating activities (or just activities that are new to them) experience spurts of the same brain chemicals that ignite in the early stages of romantic love.* Couples who tested novel activities encountered heightened levels of dopamine and norepinephrine (chemicals that are used to counter depression!) and reported increased feelings of love and happiness in their relationships.

So professor of sociology, Arthur Aron of State University of New York at Stony Brook encourages couples to try new activities, venues and restaurants. Lucky for you, we’ve done all the activity seeking work for you, and we hate to be frank, but your favourite restaurant (the one where the wait staff knows you by name!) will survive without your business this week, so mix it up! Pick a night, pick a card, and go out, all in the name of love.

*Parker-Pope, Tara. “Reinventing Date Night for Long-Married Couples.” New York Times 12 Feb. 2008, Health sec.

Sydney Urban Man Overboard (aka Tahitian Dancing)

2009-03-30T09:26:21+00:00

There comes a time in every man’s life when he must suffer great embarrassment in front of his lady. Sometimes, even on behalf of his lady.

For me, that time was last week at a Tahitian Dance class. Let me explain.

When proffered a choice of Dance Central classes for our 5th Date Gurud date, I thought I would be bold. Rather than choosing something easy like Hip Hop (lower one’s pants and bounce a little) or traditional like Salsa (I love Mexican food), I thought I’d pick something challenging. Blindly ignoring a description that said “Try to wear a sarong, if not wear a long skirt”, I signed up for Tahitian dancing.

And thus the Polynesian ship wreck date began.

Things started out on a bad note when, of the 20 or so people in the class, only one was male. Me.

Yes - that’s right. Your adventurous boyfriend blogger had signed himself up for an all female Tahitian dance class. Suddenly I knew the nervousness Captain Cook must have felt when confronted by the natives on a Hawaiian beach. To try to avoid being speared, I put on a brave face and tried to hide at the back of the class.

Just as for Cook, my cunning move was a failure. Due to being the tallest person in the class by far, I was easily able watch my every imitation of the Micronesian Gumby in the wall length mirror.

I had to laugh though - it was pretty funny. And besides, most of the rest of the class couldn’t stop laughing. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em and all that.

Certainly the instructor brought down the house with her honest utterance to all - “To be honest, you’re doing the girl moves now. We’ve never had a guy in this class before, so I’m going to have to think of some guy moves.”

So what can we all take away from this experience?

Firstly, if she was ever doubting it - my lady now knows that I’m up for anything, not afraid of a little embarrassment and don’t mind looking silly for her project.

Secondly, Tahitian dancing is actually a damn good workout. Despite being somewhat a combination of the chicken dance and a Queen waving, I actually built up a sweat. And a dance class does make a good date. Just put more than 5 seconds into your choice of dance style.

And lastly, the most important part of any date - laughter - can come from the most unexpected places. Like Tahiti for example.

The Passion Police

2009-03-24T19:00:29+00:00

We here at Tomorrow’s Date don’t believe that the passion in relationships has to wane after the honeymoon phase. So, do you want to know the secret to keeping the zeal alive in your relationship? Dating.

Yes, you heard us right. Dating researchers say that prioritizing a date night once a week helps keep couples in touch and happy in their relationships. Setting aside time for you and your mate allows you to reconnect, talk and, most importantly, have fun.

Date nights don’t have to be expensive and extravagant. The important part is to set aside time to be a couple, leaving friends, family and work behind. Dr. Pepper Schwartz, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle elaborates:

“Date night is one of the best ways couples have to pull back from the fray and remember there’s an ‘us’ hidden in the swirl of their daily lives—and really focus on maintaining and celebrating their connection to each other.”*

Take your mate by the hand and use this as an excuse to take those surf lessons you’ve been meaning to try or test out that scrumptious smelling Thai place you walk past on your way to the market. Fan your hot burning love fire with a date and let the passion commence!

*Mahoney, Sarah. “Build A Better Date Night.” Good Housekeeping. 20 Mar. 2009

Free and natural, in San Francisco

2009-03-23T02:00:32+00:00

This week the Boyfriend Blog goes on the road, and veers off the path of the date cards. Annie and I are in San Francisco this week as I’m working here. Now, none of the date card dates are usable in San Francisco, so I thought I’d write about something that Sydney and SF share in common - an abundance of free, outdoor date activities.

Don’t worry, we’ll have a catch up Sydney date when we’re back.

Our SF date day was divided into two halves - a lookout and a walk in the woods.

Lookouts are often off freeways and highways, but ignored by locals who fly by in their haste to get to their destination. Thus their views are almost always appreciated only by tourists. A tourists in SF, we went to one of the Golden Gate bridge lookouts just off the path in Marin County.

The view of the bridge from here is fabulous - but it definitely made us think about how few lookouts in Sydney we’ve been to. There are a lot of great spots around the harbour foreshore and on the Northern and Southern coastlines that we just never visit. Why not take a random Tuesday evening, grab your partner, pick up a bottle of your favourite vino and just chat looking at the view of your own city?

Our walk in the woods was the Henry Cowell Redwood Forest south of San Francisco. An easy 30 minute stroll through the magnificent redwood forest really makes you appreciate the timelessness of nature. These majestic trees are the tallest in the world, and the entry to the park has a cross section of a tree that fell down in 1936 which started growing before Jesus walked the earth. Incredible.

Of course, you don’t have to fly across the Pacific to go for a free walk in the woods. Sydney has more than it’s fare share of shady, nature strolls. When was the last time you walked the beaches from Bondi to Bronte? The harbour foreshore from the Spit to Manly maybe? Trained out to the Blue Mountains to walk amongst the eucalyptus? Or the Kuringai National Park? We live in a beautiful city with an abundance of natural options.

Getting back to nature in whatever form is - by it’s very nature - the best free date activity you can find! See you next week is Sydney with another date from the deck.

Luck of the Irish

2009-03-16T18:15:25+00:00

To help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we’ve dedicated an entire week to what the Irish and Australian’s have in common…beer! With a hops friendly degustation, a behind the scenes brewery tour, a beer appreciation master class, the chance to drink and ride legally & cruising the high seas with the best local beers, your little leprechaun will be screaming ‘I’d tap that’ in no time! So this St. Patrick’s day have a ball searching for your ‘Pint of Gold’ and as always, keep dating.

Payback time!

2009-03-15T19:00:44+00:00

Date 4 of 52 - payback time! This week instead of being beaten up, tying myself in knots or striking out I got a little of my own back with an action date - a jetboat ride around the harbour with Oz Jet Boating.

Like all modern action tourism - this date has the predictable elements too:

Waiver form? Tick! Luckily I’m not pregnant or drunk and I didn’t take a large amount of amphetamines with my breakfast cereal this morning.
Obligatory photographer? Tick! Smile and wave for the camera wearing your dorky red poncho - purchasable at the end of the date for $30.
Perky young staff? Tick! Shipped in straight from Point Break, the staff were always encouraging and upbeat.

The formula is pretty simple. Start with a fast looking boat complete with jet engine for extra speed and maneuverability. Add a red blooded Aussie male speed freak up front as the driver. Pop 20 poncho covered victims in the back. Fasten the seatbelts and roar around the harbour for 30 minutes, creating one heck of a din and drenching all of the happily screaming passengers.

All that taken into account… what a way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon! I had an absolute blast!

It’s like being on a giant roller coaster around the world’s most beautiful harbour. I whooped every time we flew past a glass-covered mansion, screamed every time the various bays of Sydney spun around us as we turned on a dime. Even Annie - not the action junkie at all (remind me to tell you about our bungie jumping date one day!) - laughed and hollered her way through the entire trip. Perhaps there’s a little bit of action junkie in us all?

This is not a date for the faint of heart. You will get wet - very wet. Annie got a little crunched on the edge of the boat with each corner. As a taller guy, my poor bruised knees certainly don’t look like I make an income behind a computer. But we loved every minute. And a little tip - take some tight fitting sunnies so you can appreciate the stunning views without squinting through the salt water facial!

Girls - if you’re looking for a way to get your man’s heart racing, this is it.

Guys - if she dragged you to that ballroom dancing lesson or picked a romantic comedy last week, this is your turn to get one back.

Simply put - a fast, wet and action packed tour of our beautiful harbour. See Sydney from the water and take a little home with you. Sure beats ring shopping!

Cover article in Nine to Five

2009-03-11T06:00:03+00:00

We’ve made the cover of Nine to Five! They’ve got a lot of nice things to say about us and the article makes a great read. You can read the article on the Nine to Five website.

She Finally Pinned Me Down!

2009-03-09T19:10:51+00:00

First a little disclosure if I may - I must confess that after two weeks as a published author I am now living a lie. That is, I’m still writing the boyfriend blog even though I’m no longer the boyfriend. Joyously, Annie (the girlfriend) agreed on Saturday up in glorious Palm Cove to become my wife - and thus is now the fiancée! (photos for the curious)

Fear not - now that we’re betrothed, the dating will not stop. And nevertheless I think “The Boyfriend Blog” is catchier than “The Fiancée Blog” - so I’m sticking with the title.

Now, onto date 3 of 52 - a late night date at Kingpin Bowling in Darling Harbour.

I have to say I was pretty sceptical about bowling as a date activity. To me, bowling as a date died in the 50s with hoop skirts and hula hoops. That said, Kingpin has done a damn fine job of changing my opinions.

This is not your father’s bowling alley - let me just say that. Firstly, there’s no buttons anywhere. No annoying typing in of names or trying to work out how to start bowling - by the time we reached our lane it was all set up. Give your name, get some shoes and go - great! One thing that struck me was how many people were there at 10pm on a Monday night. The place was rocking!

The decor is… well… fascinating. With all the video walls, soft neon lights and screens, my first thought was that I’d stepped into a William Gibson novel. Combine that with the cranking music and it starts to seem like your favourite club now just has fun activities to do while you’re drinking and dancing - rock on!

(As a couple we made the dancing mandatory after strikes and spares - just for one’s partners amusement)

But onto the date, how did it rate as an activity? Pretty well. M’lady kicked off her workday heels and slipped into some very sexy bowling shoes - which perfectly accented her gorgeous, black Willow work dress in my opinion. We found our balls, our lane and got down to the serious business of knockin’ over a few pins. While we won’t exactly be joining the PBA Tour anytime soon given our scores, what we lacked in bowling ability we made up for in celebratory dances and high fiving - much to the amusement of other bowlers.

Bowling does make for a pretty good date activity. Grab a pair of martinis (at Kingpin’s well stocked bar) and have a little natter or a small make out session between each bowl. It’s a little bit relaxing and a little bit active at the same time. A really good combination for a Monday night.

Give it a go - bowl her over! (Sorry - I had to get that in somewhere.)

Eat Your Heart Out!

2009-03-09T18:59:24+00:00

At TD headquarters our philosophy is simple: fantastic activities make fantastic dates! But even an active bunch like us understands that sometimes scuba diving simply isn’t appropriate, so this week we’re breaking from our norm and giving away our best kept secrets when it comes to romantic ‘white tablecloth’ Sydney restaurants. A gorgeous French bistro, a welcoming Italian classic and an under appreciated English gem have made the list…just don’t tell everyone or we’ll never get a table! Tempting tapas and a bar that lets you serenade the crowd are also on the ‘cards’. Have an absolutely terrific week, and as always, keep dating!
TD Team
P.S.: Check out our recent press.

The T-Date Stimulus Package - 5 Dates for $15 or Less

2009-03-02T19:00:19+00:00

We’d never call you cheap, but let’s face it, if you’ve got a job these days you’re one of the few…these are tricky times. This week we’ve taken it upon ourselves to research the best deals Sydney has to offer so your dating life won’t suffer! You can’t go wrong with an afternoon of Bocce, a behind the scenes film night, fab food paired with a stunning beach walk, an evening of music and cocktails or a night of laughter, all for $15 or less. Want even more bargains? We’ve got over $1,000 in date value you can hold in the palm of your hand. If the economy has you bummed, don’t despair, get out and do something cheap and fun, and as always, keep dating.

How I cured my hangover with a back stand

2009-03-02T05:59:45+00:00

Date 2 of 52! This week Annie and I thought we’d recover from last week’s bruising with a yoga class. Luckily the Tomorrow’s Date Deck contains such a class with the card for Yoga Synergy.

Given our busy weekend schedule, we chose to slip in the 90 minute class on Sunday morning at 9.30. This seemed like a great idea in planning the weekend during the week, but after a big Saturday night at Ventuno 21 and Low Bar, life wasn’t looking so rosy when my alarm went off.

Bianca (half of the couple that owns Yoga Synergy) received us enthusiastically and was the instructor for our class. Nothing like being taught by the boss! She did a great job at making us instantly feel at ease, and at home. Beginning a new class always feels a little confronting, so to me that showed Yoga Synergy was a class act.

The class itself was an hour and a half of bending, stretching, downward dogs, upward dogs and a little meditation to finish off. Bianca’s instructions were excellent and I never felt lost of confused, despite being a Yoga newbie (and about as flexible as a tree stump).

I really liked how Bianca divided her instructions between those for beginners - “Beginners, cross your legs, lean forward and stop when you feel the stretch.” - and those for regular members of the class - “... And now my advanced students, you can put both legs behind your head and levitate.”

I didn’t manage to do the static handstand pose although a few in the class did - truly impressive! My most advanced achievement was probably the back stand. Miss Annie was looking across impressed (guys - you know there’s nothing like impressing the girl with physical prowess on a date) but Bianca brought me back to earth with a quietly whispered “Wow, that’s brave!”. Needless to say, do as I say and not as I do - keep within your own body’s limits!

Overall, I had a fabulous time. I left feeling great and as of Monday morning there is surprisingly little soreness in the muscles. I’ve never really enjoyed the handful of yoga classes I did in the past, but for some reason this one suited me very well. Mid Sunday morning turned out to be a great time to go - we’ll definitely be back. Bianca was a fabulous, patient and helpful instructor who obviously cares about her students’ achievements in flexibility.

In summary, yoga turned out to be a pretty good date activity - and a pretty good hangover cure to boot!

Now you can post your favourite dates and earn some respect around here

2009-02-27T08:00:55+00:00

We are all about sharing good ideas. Now you can put your 2 cents in and share you favourite date spots, upcoming events, secret spots and anything else that you think would make a good date. Just click on share in the menu and you’re just moments away from adding one more badge to your dating guru status.

First post and my first beating

2009-02-22T10:00:34+00:00

Welcome to the Boyfriend blog. I’m Mike and over the next few months I will be your date activity guinea pig! When my girlfriend Annie told me about the tomorrow’s date deck project when it was just in concept form I agreed to go on all 52 dates. Now the deck is here… so 52 dates here I come! So far, it does beat an evening of just eating left over pizza on the couch while watching Grey’s Anatomy. 52 dates, 52 weeks, wish me luck.

Last Monday night, Annie and I decided to take the K-Box kick boxing date - a two-for-one after work kick boxing lesson for beginners. I have to say that organised fightclub was not quite what I had in mind as a first date when I signed up for my guinea-pig-assignment. That said, I must also admit that I had an absolutely smashing time - literally and figuratively.

Jeremy, the instructor, immediately made the girlfriend comfortable that we wouldn’t need to fight the rather fit looking bunch of regulars, we’d only be fighting with each other. Needless to say, this didn’t make _me_ feel quite as comfortable!

The class consisted of a short warm up, followed by a series of punching and kicking drills with pads (alternating roles between the puncher and the punched) and ended with a little tortuous stretching. Jeremy’s constant tuition on how to punch one’s boyfriend without breaking a wrist was at the same time educational and practical. Who knows when that advice will come in useful? I discovered that Annie is not so good at right jabs, however her left hook is definitely to be feared and ducked.

The upbeat dance music makes the class feel at times like a steamy nightclub - albeit with strange gloves on. There’s a lot of sweating (probably not great for a _first_ date), but in talking to some of the regulars afterwards quite a few had been coming for years.

Afterwards, we told war stories at the Pink Peppercorn (who doesn’t love a Laotian restaurant?! Try the lamb - killer.) on Oxford St on our way home. K-Box kick boxing - a little fitness, some friendly fighting and some fabulous fresh food afterwards - certainly a big dating step forwards from our usual pizza and McDreamy.

Seeing Green: Our Top 4 Eco Friendly Dates

2009-02-22T06:11:14+00:00

To help celebrate Clean Up Australia Day (March 10th) we’ve decided to review Sydney’s top eco-friendly dates. With an exhibition on conserving the world’s resources, a restaurant known for leaving a small environmental footprint, kayaking in a reserve and sailing the open seas solar style, you’ll be doing your part to save the environment in no time. This week we’re also debuting our Boyfriend Blog: Tales from the Dating Front Line. If you haven’t got you dating deck yet, get it now! Have a very green week, and as always, keep dating.

Hottest After Dark Dates Involving Random Fruit

2009-02-16T19:00:10+00:00

We’re big on sun-loving dates, however this week we’re proving after dark activities are sometimes more our style. We’ve chosen the best late night venues and activities to share with someone who’s worth staying up for… with late night glam Texas-hold em, mini movies, a deliciously dirty art class and piano love song dedications and custom cocktails made with your very own fruit (you’ll need the wild card from the deck for this one), there’s something for every night owl Get ready to keep the midnight oil burning and, as always, keep dating!

This Valentine’s do something different, see the city on wheels, for free!

2009-02-10T07:30:03+00:00

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, don’t get stuck in a chocolate and roses rut, be a little more creative! This Saturday why not take a rollerblading or photography tour of the city. If eating is more your style why not cook dinner at home using the freshest food from local markets or treat your partner to the city’s best sushi or pasta. Still need the perfect gift? With 52 fab ideas, over $1,000 in buy-one-get-one-free date value and a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Heart Foundation, we think the date deck is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift! Regardless of what you do for the big V-day, we hope you have a blast, and as always, keep dating!

52 Fresh Date Ideas in the Palm of Your Hand

2009-02-02T19:20:26+00:00

This week we have a crop of fresh date ideas; fresh harvest market, fresh culture and a very fresh brunch spot. We’re also happy to announce that the tomorrow’s date decks have finally arrived! Get yours now and have 52 fresh date ideas in the palm of your hand. You’ll never be stuck for fantastic date activities again, it’s packed with trapeze classes, scuba diving courses, ghost tours, dinner cruises, theatre shows, yacht sails and much more (52 to be exact). The best part is that each card has a buy-one-get-one-free deal for that activity, so you can treat your other half every time! With 10% of the proceeds going straight to the Heart Foundation, we’re pretty sure it’s one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts around. We hope you have a fantastic week, and as always, keep dating.

We’re back… just in time for Valentine’s Day!

2009-01-22T00:59:03+00:00

We’re sorry that we took a hiatus, it won’t happen again, and we’re making it up to you with a kick-ass new site that lets you to search, add and rate local date ideas! Our weekly newsletter will keep you up to date with the cool new date activities in your city. We’re also unveiling our latest project, the tomorrow’s date deck.

The tomorrow’s date deck is a standard deck of 52 playing cards…with a twist. Each card describes a local date activity with clever text, a bright image and other relevant information, so you’ll never be stuck for a date idea again. Beyond this, each date card has a buy-one-get-one-free offer for that activity, so you can take your other half along for free! The best part is a portion of the proceeds benefit the Heart Foundation, so you can spread the love in more ways than one!

Thanks for reading our newsletter, and being part of the tomorrow’s date community. And as always, keep dating!