What are the qualities that I should look for when I choose my life partner?

The most important thing to have in a relationship is communication.Yes, looks are indeed important, but at the end of the day, couples must be able to talk about difficulties and work through them. When there are difficulties, compassion is essential. There's a popular belief that we are willing to share happiness/joy with anyone, but we will only share sorrows with people whom we are close to. Without communication, the relationship will fall apart after the "sparkle" (i.e. wow) stage.

A sense of humor is also important. Some people will argue that certain things "aren't funny", but humor is important in keeping the relationship fresh and lively.

The aforementioned characteristics are fundamental, but here's a sticky issue. In numerous cultures, people need to bring their dates home for their parents to "check" the date's suitability. This is ludicrous. The relationship should be between the man and the woman only until a formal decision/concensus has been reached to move forward, but others may fear that their children may "get in with the wrong crowd". Of course, there's no right or wrong answer to this question/issue, but both parties must agree on fundamental "sticky issues".