I’ve heard a lot about the Tinder Dating App in the media recently and just saw this video that was posted on the BBC:  #BBCTrending: The secret to a great Tinder photo .  

I was curious because this technology didn’t exist when I was dating.  Luckily for me, I didn’t need technology; I found an entire country and that country was Japan!  🙂  

I did want to know what the experience is like for those that do use Tinder so I’ve been reading the news articles when they appear as well as blogs with the #tinder tag.  

My first impression is that I’m very glad I don’t have to date anymore.  It would seem all eligible guys and girls alike have some serious issues, baggage or some flaw they try to cover up by putting on their best social/dating network face.  Now, I do realize this isn’t the case because I know many young single people here in San Francisco who are absolutely wonderful.  I guess the idea of dating and using technology to find love make me feel a little icky even though I’m just reading up on it mind you!  

Now, one thing from the video that stood out when they were speaking about what people find attractive is similarities.  One would think that by trying to find someone who likes all the same things, you’re basically just looking for your clone but in the opposite sex and it only follows that ultimately you want to poke yourself!  What happened to Opposites Attract?  That was the idea back in early 1990!

 As for my own experience in the dating world (which was over a decade ago) I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It took some time to build confidence in my teen years but once that was accomplished life was good.  Life was even BETTER once I got out of the USA and over to Japan and Vietnam.  It was in Japan that I found my match and she wasn’t anything like me.  People like to use the metaphor “we didn’t speak the same language” when in fact my (now wife) and I really didn’t!  

Even to this day, we enjoy completely different things and really do not have much in common!  I like mountain biking, documentaries, politics, debating politics and religion, surfing, blogging and so on.  She doesn’t really do or want to do any of those things! 

But it is a fantastic match because even though we are completely different in our likes and hobbies we are 100% compatible.  We also have some common ground and there are things we both enjoy such as having new experiences, traveling and getting out to explore our surroundings!  She just prefers to do so by car and in comfort.  🙂  

I think if I had the misfortune of dating my clone we would have some very intense, amazing times but ultimately would end up in very nasty divorce.  I’m have a hard enough time living with myself and the debates in my head can sometimes become quite rancorous!  

Why?  

Because I am B型.  My blood type is B.

Those of you who don’t know about Japanese culture or don’t watch anime won’t understand what this means.  It is pretty similar to being a Gemini.  I wrote a pretty popular post on these subjects which can be found here:  Astrological Signs and Blood Types