by Rochelle Gunaratne

‘Romeo, Romeo, whereforeart thou Romeo?’Juliet’s heartfelt query

hearkens all and sundry to lessenher woes by guiding Romeo alongthe ‘Road to Juliet’s Palace.’

The Island newspaper invitesits readers to a spectacular‘Valentine’s Day’ promotionwhich centers on one of thegreatest love stories of our time.The star-crossed lovers need torendezvous this Valentine’s dayand it is you who can make ithappen. Juliet sadly looks out thewindow of her palace as the per-plexed Romeo wonders whichpath is the quickest and shortestway to his beloved. The partici-pants of creative competition arerequired to mark the way toJuliet’s palace on the map provid-

ed, paste it on a post card andpost the entries to AdvertisingDept.; of Upali Newspapers (Pvt)Ltd. by 12.00 noon on 15thFebruary 2010. Thereafter a raffledraw will determine the winnerswhose names will be publishedon the February 18th issue ofThe Island and February 21stSunday Island.

‘This Valentine’s Day offersan exciting opportunity for thereaders of The Island to availthemselves of an array of fabu-lous prizes and surprises. Themyriad gifts worth over Rs.10,000/- ( per gift) will include airtickets, hotel vouchers, clothes ,beauty products, chocolates andmany more by Mihin Lanka,Dankotuwa Porcelain,Swarnamahal, Unique JewelsBlue Water, Kani, Enspa, No

Limit,Hameedia,Juliet lin-gerie,NatureSecret, fash-ion Optic byJehanRajapakse,Enchanteurand Kandos,’remarked Geeth Peiris,Advertising & MarketingManager of The Island.

‘The distribution of gifts willnot be a simple affair but a stun-ning event which will be held atthe Galle Face Hotel on FridayMarch 12, 2010. Apart from thedistribution of gifts, the winnerswill be hosted to cocktails andentertained by a group of well–known artistes in show-biz. So

grab your copyof The Island now and

send your entries for a chance towin the attractive gifts and treat-ed to the glitzy entertainment at‘Further The Island wishes tothank our strategic partnersUnion Assuarance, HutchisonTelecommunications Lanka (Pvt)Ltd., Onitha Gurugalla, PRManager of the Galle Face Hotel,Dilith Jayaweera, VaruniFernando and MithilaWeerasinghe of Triad for theadvertising campaign, the spon-sors and others,’he added .

Friday 12th February, 2010 5The Island I

Valentine’sDay Special:Find tthe ‘‘Road tto JJuliet’s

Palace’ aand wwin

* Skip the Valentine’s DayAisle

The marketing folks at the mallhave decided to emblazon everythingfrom boxer shorts to stuffed animalswith red hearts, but that doesn’tmean they make great Valentine’sDay gifts. The thoughtful present isthe one that counts. Take the time tolisten to clues for what she or hereally wants. This might be a bookthat they mentioned looks interest-ing, or if they’re a collector, some-thing new for their collectibles shelf.Most guys would far rather have apair of tickets to their favorite sportsteam than a bunch of flowers, andmany girls would rather have thosetickets than an impersonal heart-shaped box of chocolates.

* Amazingly Delicious andUnique Chocolates

For some, it just wouldn’t beValentine’s Day without that box ofchocolates. This year, don’t just pickup a cheap box from the drug store,get something really special. Myfavorite chocolatier, Jacques Torres,now has his famous chocolates forsale online at www.mrchocolate.com.Along with traditional favorites, hisunusual flavors include Earl GreyTea, Love Potion #9, Port Wine, andWicked Fun – a spicy dark chocolateganache with chili pepper and cinna-mon. Make sure you include a card

with alongpara-graphabouthowmuchyourValentinemeans toyou.

For thosewho likesavories asmuch as theylike chocolate,try the VosgesBacon Bar,which combinesapplewoodsmoked baconwith deep milk chocolate. Since justone candy bar might feel too smallfor a Valentine’s Day gift, check outZingerman’s Bacon Trilogy, whichincludes the Vosges bar, a loaf oftheir bacon bread, and a pound ofTennessee smoked bacon.

* Make Jewelry SpecialOne of the most traditional

Valentine’s gifts can be made spe-cial with a little time — personalize

your giftwith engraving.

Include that secret pet name, oran inside joke that makes you smile.The thought will be romantic andsweet. Check out these wedding ringengravings for ideas.

* Comfy AND Sexy LingerieGuys, don’t go the stiletto heels

and crotchless panties route unlessshe wears that sort of thing fre-quently already. Make sure thatvalentine’s lingerie is as much forher as it is for you. I love thisHoneydew chemise which is sexy

but also a comfortable cotton. For aslightly sexier look, try this lacy braand boy short set. Girls, be daring.Surprise him by picking him upfrom work in a long coat with noth-ing but a new teddy on underneath!Now that’s lingerie both of you canenjoy.

* Dress up the bedroom If giv-ing lingerie for Valentine’s Day istoo predictable for you, take it a stepfurther by dressing up the bedroom.Buy a new set of luxurious sheets

600-thread count Egyptian cot-ton. Set a bouquet of flowersnext to the bed, and decoratewith candles and rose petals.You’ll enjoy the ambianceon February 14th, butyou’ll also get to enjoythose sheets for a longtime to come.

* Time withFriends This is a greatone for couples that arefriendly with othercouples. You and yourpals can join togetherto each give her andher pals plane ticketsfor a “girl’s week-end”, or him andhis friends ticketsfor a “boys week-end”. She or hewill love that you

were so thoughtfuland will know that you planned

ahead.* Time with Each Other Most

couples get so busy, especially dur-ing wedding planning, that theyhardly have any time to spendtogether. Plan activities for thefuture that will be romantic timetogether. The present could be tick-ets to a new play, a picnic basketwith a note about using it duringthe upcoming summer, or a spa giftcertificate for couples treatments.She or he will enjoy knowing thatyou are thinking about your futuretogether.

New Twists onTraditional Valentine’sDay Gift Ideas