Manual: How to Get a Girl to Be Your Girlfriend

The good news is that you've found a girl you really like and you want her to be your girlfriend. The bad news is, every time you think about asking her to make it official, you start to feel nervous...or even nauseous.

You keep asking yourself, "What if she rejects me? What if my question doesn't come out the right way?" If you follow these easy steps, your question will most likely be met with a resounding, "Yes, please!"

1. Examine your reasons for asking the girl to make it official.

If you've found a girl who makes you feel special and your heart is beating at a million miles per minute, then chances are, she would make a great girlfriend.

However, asking someone to be your girlfriend could be making a serious commitment that could lead to marriage, and it's important to understand your motives before you plunge into your question.

• If she's the right girl, then she will possess many positive qualities that will make your relationship thrive. Here are a few signs that she is girlfriend material: You love spending time with her. Every time you are apart, you're counting down the minutes until you'll see each other again.
• She makes you want to be a better person. Her intelligence, quick wit, and work ethic makes you want to read more books, work harder, and brush up on your jokes.
• She is committed to you. If she has demonstrated loyalty by showing up to watch your band perform, or bringing you chicken soup when you're feeling sick, chances are, she'll transition smoothly into the girlfriend role.
• You have common interests. You have things in common, from your favorite sports teams to your love for running marathons. Though you don't have to share all of your interests, you have to have enough in common so you can find meaningful ways to spend time together as the relationship progresses.
• If she's the wrong girl, or you're in it for the wrong reasons, then chances are, you're better off being single. Here are some signs that you should not take your relationship to the next level:
• If she expresses interest in other men. If you know she is casually dating others, and makes no plans to stop seeing them, chances are she won't stop pursuing her extra-curricular activities once she becomes your girlfriend. However, give her the benefit of the doubt: she may be on the dating market, but you could be the one she has her eye on.
• You only want to date her because you are lonely, or in need of some attention in the bedroom. Casual dating works best for these situations. Having a girlfriend is a real commitment, and you should be asking the girl to make it official because you care about her--not about what she can do for you.

2. Make sure she likes you.

If she's sending you mixed signals, try spending a little more time with her until you feel confident about how she feels.

• Avoid asking too early! If you're only just beginning to get to know her and you immediately ask her to be your girlfriend, she will say no because she doesn't know you well enough, and the resulting happiness might decrease your chances of being together. Furthermore, she will probably think you're a bit strange (in a not so great way).
• Listen to her words, and note her body language. Do you get the impression that she wants to be around you? You can pick up on this pretty easily if you concentrate on her actions.
• Get a sense of her feelings from her friends. Without being too obvious, you can check in with her friends to see if she's really digging you. This can help boost your confidence--and to avoid potentially awkward situations if she has you deep in the Friend Zone.

3. Find the right place and time to ask your question.

It's important to be thoughtful about when and where you'll be asking your question. This will show your girl that you put time and effort into planning your special moment, and will increase your chances of getting a favorable response.

• Pick a location that sets the right tone. It's important to pick a place where you can have enough privacy to ask your question. You can avoid any overly-romantic location, such as a candle-lit dinner, which will make your intentions too obvious and will make things more awkward if you are rejected. Asking during a long walk in a park or over quiet drinks can be just perfect.
• Pick the right time. Evenings are more romantic and will allow the girl to focus on you, not her busy day. You can ask her on a weekend night, but be wary that this will make it look like a date already.
• Make plans in advance. Be mysterious. Ask her to meet you a week in advance, so she'll be thinking about your intentions. This will show her that you're playful and thoughtful.

4. Have the right attitude.

You should approach the evening with a positive attitude. Thinking that your conversation will go well can really help you succeed. If you have confidence in the future of your relationship, she will too.

• Avoid being nervous. Don't bite your nails, or retreat into awkward silence. Just be yourself.

5. Pop the question in the best way possible.

It's important to deliver your question in the best way possible, so that your intentions are clear.

• Once you've gotten to know your girl, it's time to ask her to be yours. There are several ways to ask a girl to be your girlfriend, and it's going to depend on how people your age refer to it. For example, "going steady" is an outdated phrase. The following are pretty timeless:
• "Will you be my girlfriend?" Asking her to be your girlfriend is much more direct and upfront than "would you go out with me?" Most girls would be flattered by your confidence and direct speech.
• Don't be afraid to be creative if the direct route is not for you. You can ask the girl by handing her a letter, writing "Will you be my girlfriend?" on a cake, or finding another creative way to capture her attention--and her heart.
• Don't wait a long time or she'll think you don't like her anymore. Girls have their limits.
• Avoid asking her to be your "implied girlfriend." This may happen when you've been hanging out for a few weeks and generally having a good time. Then, one day you sort of look at each other and you ask, "Hey, are we going out?". Invariably, the answer will be No. Most times, it is just worse not to be direct about what you are.

6. React appropriately

Whether she agrees to be your girlfriend and gives you a big hug or turns you down, your actions after you pop the questions can set the tone for the rest of the relationship.

• If she says yes, tell her how excited you are to hear that you'll be spending time together as boyfriend and girlfriend. All of your cards are on the table and you don't have to worry so much about playing it cool anymore. Reciprocating her enthusiasm will show how thrilled you are about your future together!
• If she rejects you, be understanding. There are many reasons that she may not want to be your girlfriend, such as having feelings for someone else, or only seeing you as a friend. Whatever her reason, it's important not to put her down or act like you don't care about her anymore. This will show that you're mature and reasonable, and will allow you to continue your friendship. Also, this will make it more likely that she will reconsider your question if you ask her in the distant future!

"I Believe I Can Fly": Nigerian Builds Unusual Jet Car (VIDEO)

A wannabe aviator, Mr. Kehinde Durojaiye Obasanjo, built a locally made engine in a contraption that runs on road and sea.

SaharaTV found him operating the contraption in Ikeja to attract minor donors who collected his Compact Disk in which he said he recorded its operation on water.

Mr. Obasanjo said he designed it to operate on three mediums: ground, water and air, but has only achieved two due to financial constraints. But for now, the invention can only run on ground and water.

He said he had contacted State Governments of Lagos and Ogun to find support, but he only got their promise since beginning of 2013.

Nigerian Government Break Off Negotiations With ASUU, Blames Opposition

The Nigerian Government has decided to break off negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over what it called the infiltration of the union by the opposition to discredit the government.

The committee set up by the Federal government to negotiate with the union had given a verdict of non-compromise on the part of the union and the security report of the infiltration of the opposition it decided to break the negotiation.

It was revealed that the committee had reported to the government that the union had remained 'rigid and unbending' to suggestions on how to agree on some of the issues it was agitating for so as to end the strike which had entered its ninth week.

The committee had told the government that the union leaders were arrogant and selfish as their interest was paramount to that of their students who had been at home all this while.

The government after the report told the committee members that it had fresh security report that the union's stance on the lingering crisis in the education sector was as a result of the opposition's infiltration into the union.

It said the opposition wants to portray the government as irrational and uncaring to the plight of the lecturers and their students as well as present the government in bad light to Nigerians and the international community.

The government in breaking the negotiation has decided to fund individual student's education as it is done in advanced countries.

As a way of making nonsense of the industrial action by ASUU, SaharaReporters gathered that the government plans to introduce loans to the students throughout their period in the university so as to cushion the effect of the financial hardship on the students.

The government expects the students to re-pay the loans after graduation provided they get jobs of their choice. It however could not be ascertained how the loan to the students would compel the lecturers to call off the strike.

The National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagee, had last week during a press conference at the University of Lagos, Nigeria said the union had pulled out of the negotiation between the union and the Nigerian government citing insincerity as reason for its decision, adding that the union would not call off its strike until the agreement the government signed with the union in 2009 is honoured.

CAR-SPOTTING: A Memorable Nissan Family Reunion Photo

The Nissan Motor Company recently annexed the driveway at the posh Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach to create a memorable family reunion photo.

This impressive and improbable array of historical vehicles dates to the 1930s, and includes such confections as the lovely Fairlady Roadster of 1961 and the R390 GT1 Le Mans racer, who penned the Jaguar XJR-9 and Ferrari 333 SP racers.

The Nissan 360 event gives a global array of journalists the rare opportunity to sample some 130 different Nissan and Infiniti models, new and old.

VOP: All 6 Governors Deny Hand In New Party

The request by six Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors allegedly linked with moves to seek approval from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to float a new political party, the Voice of the People (VOP), has continued to generate controversy, as details about the promoters of the political association have remained shrouded in secrecy.

Curiously, too, all the six governors allegedly linked with the political association seeking registration as a new political party have denied any involvement in the move to register the VOP as they reiterated their loyalty to the PDP.

Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) are mentioned as the promoters of the new party which is coming on the heels of irreconcilable differences with the national leadership of the PDP on one the hand and President Goodluck Jonathan on the other.

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and another unnamed governor, it was learnt, might also key into the idea of the new party.

Amidst the denial by the governors are indications that the proliferation of the new parties is being masterminded by the Presidency with a top shot of the party as the arrowhead just as the PDP leadership is mulling the idea of summoning the governors mentioned in the new move.

But speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, the chief of staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Hon Tony Okocha said: “That Governor Amaechi and five other governors are planning to float a political party? They must be soothsayers to know what the governors are planning. Why don’t they allow it to play out and see whether it is true?

“People just sit down and begin to speculate. Look, nothing good comes out from the man who hates you. So, there is nothing to say there other than to say that it is in their imaginations.”

Chief press secretary to Governor Nyako, Ahmed Sajoh, told LEADERSHIP that he learnt of the VOP from our correspondent.

“Well, I am hearing of VOP from you for the first time; as far as I am concerned, Governor Murtala Nyako remains a member of the PDP”, Sajoh said on telephone.

Governor Kwankwaso’s chief press secretary, Aliyu Baba Dantiye, in his response to LEADERSHIP enquiries, replied: “He (Kwankwaso) is still a member of PDP”.

His Niger State counterpart, Danladi Ndayabo’s response was not different: “My boss is a member of the PDP,” he said.

The Jigawa State governor’s chief press secretary, Umar Kyari, also responded to a text message from LEADERSHIP, saying: “Governor Lamido remains a committed member of the PDP.”

However, the presidency’s game plan, according to an impeccable source, is to encourage the emergence of ‘at least three presidential candidates from the north’, a report the Political Adviser to the President, Ali Ahmed Gulak, described as untrue.

Nonetheless, the source confided in LEADERSHIP that the need to be ‘pro-active’ became necessary when ‘the so-called aggrieved governors’ did not show signs of truce with the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency.

The excitement that greeted the recent registration of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) is a pointer that something was amiss.

“In politics, you don’t underrate anybody; I think that was the reason the president and all concerned leaders of the PDP tried as much as possible to ensure that areas of conflict are resolved and settled with the so-called aggrieved governors.

“But when things became more difficult, of course, there had to be some pro-active measures; after all, they are all politicians who know the game well. If you recollect, you would observe that rather than being disturbed, the president’s men were happy that PDM was registered to, at least, increase the number of possible northern candidates aside the PDP; and now, VOP has come on board. If you are on ground, you would know that there is something more than the ordinary in the game we are witnessing. Forget all the abuses you see on the pages of newspapers between one leader of the PDP and PDM, they are all one I can tell you,” the source noted.

He mentioned an unnamed top shot of the PDP as the brain behind the strategy to prop up at least three northern presidential candidates to distract President Jonathan’s opponents from the region while has a field day in the south.

For instance, the source mentioned a particular inner caucus member of the PDM as not only an ‘avowed supporter’ of Jonathan, but a kinsman of the president who has several times made his pro-Jonathan position known in the press. The said PDM chieftain is from Rivers State and has served in the Management Committee of the PDM prior to its being registered as a political party. 

But Gulak faulted the report that the president was behind the registration of new parties, describing it as baseless.

He said: “It is most unfounded, mischievous and untrue in all respects. Nigerians should by now know that politicians, particularly those who have tried all means to discredit the president but failed, can go to any length to achieve their aims.  “Before now, the story was that President Jonathan was stopping APC from being registered as a party; now that APC has been registered and new ones coming on board, the story has changed, that the president is behind the registration of more parties to whittle down the opposition. These are unserious talks from unserious quarters that cannot be allowed to distract the president; it is most untrue and fallacious,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the PDP leadership is considering the idea to summon the affected governors to explain their roles in the reported move to form a new party, INEC said that, like many others, VOP  will not be denied registration if it met all requirements stipulated by law.

A highly placed PDP source confided in LEADERSHIP that the report of the move by the governor first got to the leadership of the party even before the truce meeting brokered by former president Olusegun Obasanjo three weeks ago.

According to him, but for the meeting in which the affected governors were part, the announcement of the new party would have been made even before the registration of the PDM.

“The party (PDP) is quite aware of all the moves; the first step the governors took was to ensure that they bonded themselves together without any infiltration from the APC so that that can float their own party but, unfortunately, Baba’s (Obasanjo) intervention in the crisis put a halt to the move.

“As a party, naturally, we should be disturbed that leaders cannot find a common ground to iron out their differences and stay within the party, but as the situation unfolds, we shall continue to ensure we follow up because we will not give up the efforts to reconcile everybody until the last day.

“But essentially, at this point that they have not denied being the promoters of the Voice of the People as a party, we will have no option than to invite them and confirm from them. We will not take media reports to mean that they are, indeed, promoting another party without leaving the PDP. We shall invite them and hear them out in the next one week so that we know where we stand”, he said.

Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, said there was nothing spectacular about the VOP’s application for registration as a political party.

 “Like others, whether VOP or not, all applications shall be treated according to their own merits, and INEC does not need to know who is behind what group to act, whether to register such group or not.

“To be sincere, INEC does not need to identify individuals; we are only interested in whether the rules have been followed or not; so it is an open thing that no one can stop - not even INEC can stop any party from being registered, the VOP  inclusive if at all a group like that is seeking INEC’s approval”, Idowu said.

Anenih Insists On Automatic Ticket For Jonathan

The need for an automatic ticket for President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election was again given a forceful push at  the South-South Expanded Caucus meeting held in Calabar, with the chairman of the Board of Trustees {BOT} of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Antony Anenih insisting that it was best arrangement for the party.

The propriety or otherwise of an automatic ticket for the president and first-term governors in 2015 has been fingered as two main reasons for the unending conflict between the six governors allegedly linked with the new party, VOP, and the leadership of the PDP.

But Anenih, who was at the meeting convened to take stock of President Jonathan’s administration, expressed satisfaction with the political and economic development of the country under Jonathan, saying that “his performance is enough for PDP to give him an automatic ticket.”

He dismissed opposition elements and critics of the president as empty voices, even as he appealed to the people of the zone not to be distracted by the activities of such persons.

Addressing participants at the meeting, Anenih said the PDP was the strong pillar of the country and a source of economic and political strength, and warned that any persons or groups that attempted to scuttle the second term ambition of the president “will not be forgiven by the gods of the land”.

2014 Anambra Guber: Soludo Dumps PDP For APGA

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Wednesday recorded a big catch with the defection of the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo to the party.

The former CBN governor defected to APGA from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under which platform he ran the 2010 governorship election in the state.
In a letter addressed to the national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, dated July 17, 2013, conveying his resignation from the PDP, Professor Soludo thanked the party for offering him the opportunity to serve in it some capacities.

“This is to convey my resignation as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with effect from today. Let me use this opportunity to thank the party for the opportunity given to me to serve it in some capacities. This resignation is without prejudice to the possibility of future collaboration with the party in any areas of common interest designed to advance the course of nation-building,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Professor Soludo was on Wednesday registered as APGA member at his Isuofia Ward in Aguata local government area of Anambra State by the ward chairman, Mr. Okeke Anthony and subsequently issued with the party’s membership card.

He said he joined APGA because he believed the party had sound and progressive ideology that would enable him transform Anambra State into “Africa- Taiwan Dubai” of his dream.

How My Father Broke My Virginity And Forced Me To Have Sex With Him – 17-Year-Old Girl Confesses

A 17-year-old female student of Takoradi Senior High School (name withheld) revealed in an interview that her biological father broke her virginity and has been having sexual intercourse with her for the past nine months, at his Adiembra residence near Sekondi.

According to the girl, her father who was sojourning in Spain returned to Ghana December last year and that was when it all started. “At the age of 16, I had not slept with any boy or man, but my father returned from Spain last December and started having sex with me,” she said.

The girl said her parents were divorced and her father was the one taking care of her so he threatened to stop supporting her if she told anybody. “If my father doesn’t pay my fees no one will do it. My mother does not have the means to take care of me in school so I was afraid to inform anybody about my ordeal; not even my mother,” the victim claimed.

She also revealed that her father stopped her from going to church in fear that she might inform some of the church leaders of what he had been doing to her.

The girl indicated that on Friday August 23, 2013, after she had returned from school her father demanded to have sex with her but she refused and he gathered all her belongings including school uniforms, text and exercise books and set them ablaze. “After that he still wanted to have sex with me so I run away to a neighbour’s house and it was there that I broke the news to some of the residents.

It was learnt that personnel of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Sekondi yesterday arrested the father and placed him in custody pending further investigations, after a report was made. Also, a medical report form was issued to the 17-year-old girl to attend hospital after which the accused person was arrested.

States Get 12 Months To Switch To Nigeria’s Internet Address

As part of measures to ensure Nigeria plants its feet firmly on the cyberspace, all the 36 states governments and their agencies have been given till August 18, 2014, to complete the switch to www.gov.ng in order to maintain a secured presence on the internet using Nigeria’s country code top level domain (ccTLD).

The move would create a single signature for the federal and state governments and their agencies on the internet; help minimise fake government websites as well as increase the use of .ng, Nigeria’s suffix on the cyberspace. 

This decision was part of 30 others taken at the just concluded National Council on Communication Technology (NCCT) which ended few days ago in Akure, Ondo State.

The NCCT recommended that the National Policy on Information and Communication Technology in principle by the Federal executive Council (FEC) recently be adopted and states should develop ICT policies that are aligned to the National ICT policies; the Ministry of Communication Technology be established in each state of the federation and the ICT secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory.

They also agreed that each state should hold Microwork/Elancing workshops with the objective of creating awareness about the work opportunities in the Microwork and Elancing space, creating job opportunities for the youths and reducing unemployment and underemployment, and also that all states and local government areas should collaborate with the NITDA on the development of their IT policy and establish the necessary institutional framework.

Others were that state governments be encouraged to commence the immediate implementation of National Economic Council (NEC)’s decision on multiple taxation and levies by the issuance of executive order and ensure strict adherence to its implementation;  be encouraged to, as part of executive order, ensure that all access to telecom infrastructure by states and local government operatives would require the consent of the governors as part of the measures for protecting them as critical national infrastructure.

The NCCT recommended that state governments be encouraged to take necessary policy action on the implementation of relevant aspects of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan; a collaborative framework to stem irregular/illegal use of radio frequency in Nigeria should be developed and in collaboration with NIPOST,  build post offices in local communities within their states to enable NIPOST provide financial and ICT services.

The meeting chaired by Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology, had in attendance Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo State Governor, who declared the conference open; Dr Henry Akpan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication technology; commissioners and officials of ICT, science and technology sector and other related areas from 22 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

Others present were Oyetunde Ojo, chairman, House of Reps Committee on Communication; other National Assembly committee members; representative of the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Dairo; the Presidents of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Association of Licenced Telecomm Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Computer Registration Council of Nigeria and executives and captains in the ICT private sector/industry.