Mr. sensitive

Many women say they want a sensitive man who is not afraid to constantly express his emotions -- a.k.a saying "I love you" ad nauseum -- and is in tune with his "feminine side," whatever the hell that means. Basically, a man who doesn't act like one.

However, the reality is that this type of man will eventually drive any woman up the wall -- there is definitely such a thing as being too sensitive. That does not imply, however, that we want an insensitive boar who insults us or is mean to us in any way. So what do we want? A comfortable medium: a man who is neither too sensitive, nor insensitive. For instance, it's okay for our man to cry if a close relative passes away, but not during the 20th rerun of An Affair to Remember .

Similarly, while we do want a guy who is there for us, deep down, we also crave a little mystery. So know when you should be there for her, and when you should go out for a night with the guys. Like, if she calls you crying because she's had one of the worst weeks of her life and you act like you couldn't care less, that's just not cool; but don't be at her beck and call either. You get the idea.

Knight in shining armor

If you're into hard-core feminist chicks, skip to the next point; otherwise read on. Contrary to popular belief, the age of chivalry is alive and well. While women don't want an oversensitive sap, we do want a gentleman. Once again, it's about balance. If you try too hard to impress us, we will get turned off; but if you open the door for us and pour our wine at dinner, you're on the right track.

Richie rich

A lot of guys think that women want the uber successful guy, with the Porsche, the penthouse apartment, and the Armani suit. Aside from gold diggers -- whom my disdain for has no bounds -- most women will be more impressed by a man's drive, rather than his bank account.

We'll take a man who makes a good living and who is ambitious over one who got lucky in the stock market or inherited daddy's money, any day. As they say, easy come, easy go, and we want to know that our man knows how to earn a living, and has the intestinal fortitude to get out there and do so.

Tom Cruise wannabe

Apart from extremely superficial women and giggly teenaged girls, women don't expect you to look like a movie star. What we do expect is that you make the most of what you've got, take care of yourself, and have a healthy dose of confidence and charm to pull it off. So find out what styles and colors suit you and work with them.

Trying to be someone you're not can only backfire in the long run. For God's sake, have the balls to be yourself. Mr. Right does not insult a woman's intelligence by playing transparent games in a feeble attempt to get her to like him -- games such as these are best left in the playground.

Family man

A woman who is looking for more than a cheap fling will want to be with a man who is at least not annoyed to hell by the sight or sound of kids, and who maybe even likes them. No need to get paranoid and think that women are out there looking for fathers for their unborn children. It's just that if a woman sees kids in her future, then she'll likely want to be with someone who also does, so that if he really is her Mr. Right, she won't be in for an unpleasant surprise when she feels that the time is right for kids and he wants nothing to do with them.

Most women would also like a man who is close to their own family and treats them with kindness and respect, even if they don't necessarily see eye to eye on everything. This shows that he values the concept of family and understands the importance of keeping it together through thick and thin.

The Real Mr. Right

Other qualities that women look for in Mr. Right are:

a good sense of humour that doesn't rely solely on making fun of other people (although once in a while is okay) loyalty (no woman wants a cheater) respect kindness warmth intelligence common ground