MUST READ: Top 5 things women really want from men

Bestselling author Preeti Shenoy on what women really want from their partners. And no it's not what you think!

Preeti Shenoy is the best-selling author of Life is what you make it (2011) and Tea for two and a piece of cake (2012).

When she isn't writing books, she makes pencil portraits, paper quilling and mixed media paintings besides being avidly into yoga, photography, blogging and giving talks.

Shenoy often takes in questions on how you can get published in India and what writing a book involves.

Her latest book The Secret Wishlist is a tale about following your heart. It is, as she says, 'also about friendship, love, and doing what you believe in, as opposed to what others expect of you'. You can purchase The Secret Wishlist here and her other books here.

As Valentine's Day draws closer, we bring you this blogpost by Ms Shenoy with her kind permission.

Read on to know what your girlfriend/wife really wants from you.

Reams and reams have been written about how women are complicated and how women are from Venus and men are from Mars and how it is impossible to understand what a woman wants. Mel Gibson even got inside women's minds to figure it out. But I think it is simple.

Here are five things every woman will want from her man. Keep clicking!

Notice the small things about us. Like the ear-rings and heels. Notice the new eye-liner. I know most men don't even notice something as trivial as an eye-liner.

A few years back, I wanted (my husband) Satish to notice my new eye-liner. I stood in front of him and coyly fluttered my eye-lashes. He genuinely looked puzzled. I fluttered them some more.

Then an enlightened look dawned on his face. I waited for him to compliment me about how lost he was in my eyes.  He asked if I was trying to imitate Lalita Pawar!

You can be sure he now appreciates not only my eye-liner, but he can also distinguish between a water-proof mascara, a non-water proof one, eye shadow, smudge and kohl. Yeah, he has progressed a lot since then!

Talk to us about stuff that interests you. A new movie? A new book? Even Call of duty black ops is fine! Really! What do you like? What goes on inside that head?  Just talk!

(I think I ought to put Satish on National Television -- under Arnab Goswami's scanner and say 'Preeti demands answers and she needs them now. Talk, Satish, Talk!)

Please make some effort in looking nice when you take us out.

(Fortunately for me, full marks for Satish in this department. After all, he asks me now and then if what he has picked to wear goes well or asks me to pick out his clothes.)

Anything will do really! Flowers, a book, a card, a music CD!

The gift need not be expensive, but please show that some effort went in choosing that gift.

While on the subject I must clarify that table-mats for the house is not a good gift. Neither is a weighing scale!

(I must further clarify that Satish has never gifted me either of the above. But he came close once when he gifted me speakers. They were not even Bose. So ungrateful I am, I know. The poor guy goes and gets a gift for me, and I crib about it on my blog. Women I tell you... so hard to please!)

I mean really listen when we speak. Pay attention. I know what our girlfriend's sister's cousin wore and whom she talked to and where she went and what her boss told her at work, doesn't really interest you. I know.

But listen, will you? And empathise. Be genuinely interested. Or at least try. Women will love you for it.

(Satish has perfected this art too. When I speak -- usually a long monologue with 'hmms' from him at appropriate intervals -- I pause after five minutes or so and then test him. I ask him 'What did I just say?' and he will repeat verbatim the last few sentences. Then I say -- but you didn't react. His standard response to that is 'Oh I didn't know I was supposed to react. What do you want me to say?'

(Yeah I know -- women are not happy even when you listen. What do they want really?!?)