A friend of mine suggested yesterday that men are “bigger masturbators” than women.

“A man holds the world record for masturbation – nine hours and something,” he said defiantly. “Men are just hornier than women. And so they’re more keen on masturbating,” he added. Is that true? If it is, is it the only reason why are women missing out on the safest, easiest form of sex?

Last week I was told that it sucks to be a man, a virgin and 28 – all at once. “It’s like being pregnant for many, many years,” my 28-year-old, male, virgin friend told me.

I laughed at the comparison, but if the analogy is anywhere close to being true, I sympathise with all those in the category. I’m happy not to be in their shoes… or pants.

Last week I had dinner with a friend and her 10-year-old daughter. My friend was embarrassed throughout the dinner. 

The girl was talkative, adorable and attention-seeking. “I'm always on tenterhooks, wondering what my daughter’s going to blurt out next! I feel responsible for her behaviour,” my friend told me. Ummm... that makes me rethink my ambitions of becoming a parent.

“I like wearing make-up. Red is my favourite shade of lipstick,” a 10-year-old friend told me.

“My mom says a woman should know how to look good,” she said. I was entertaining my young friend while her mom (also a friend of mine) was getting shopping therapy at the nearest mall. OMG, I thought, what ideas of womanhood is this little one going to grow up with!

Talking about sex isn’t easy – ask me if you’re in doubt. But talking about sex with your parents is as tough and as awkward as it can possibly get… Not just for you, but for the parents as well!

“I was seven when I had my first erection. I ran to my parents and complained that I had broken my penis!” a friend told me. Oops, awkward!
A sex-talk special for Let's Talk Month.

A friend of mine confessed to me that she follows her man's every move online.

“I check his online activity 24x7. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It lets me know him better,” she said. I began wondering whether social networks are changing the way we behave in relationships. Is following someone obsessively online more acceptable than ‘real’ stalking?

If you have an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, you’ll know what this post is about: something I call ‘Comparing Lovers Syndrome’ (CLS).

It's what we all do when we get into a new relationship – compare our current lovers to our exes. “It’s inevitable. I can’t stop thinking about my ex – wondering what he’d do in similar situations,” a friend of mine said.

As part of some journalistic assignments, I have been working in Bhutan for the past three weeks. It’s a neighbour to India, but there’s a huge difference in the way people view sex – it’s OK to have it and talk about it too!

That comes as a pleasant surprise to me. I’ve been wondering how this tiny, landlocked nation has managed to steer clear of a taboo around sex.

Hundreds of songs have been composed about painful separations between lovers. Oh, how it breaks hearts and leaves people devastated!

But a friend of mine surprised me when she confessed that she didn’t mind her boyfriend being away. “We’ve been living together for over half a year now. And every once in a while, it’s nice to miss him when he’s not around,” she told me.

Sex is important, and we all know it. But how important is it? “It can make or mar your relationship,” a friend of mine said to me.

She seemed perfectly convinced by her thoughts and she had good reason. “I am now in a relationship with someone with zero sexual compatibility. It’s difficult so I’ve decided I can’t go on like this,” she said.