Sabah al kheir to all the LOVEanese out there! This one's for all the couples and dating individuals. The first thing I'll say is that just because you're in a relationship, doesn't mean you still can't have fun as someone that's single. In fact, in my opinion, it's a lot better! Think about it, you never have to worry about being dejected after a night out, or rejected by a girl or guy. It's the same more or less, but basically, what you get to do in a relationship is substitute hitting on random girls or guys at bars (and either failing or succeeding), for hitting on ONE girl or guy at a bar, and (guys especially) pretty much 100% guaranteeing that she'll (or he'll) be going home with you that night (unless you do something REALLY stupid).
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| "Thank God I'm not that poor single guy over there getting turned down" |
How many of you couples actually still do that? Go out together, and hit on each other like you don't know one another, like it was when you first started dating? Recreate all those lines or situations in movies that seem so perfect, but never work in real life? Or how many of you get into that mindset that now that you're dating, EVERYTHING has to change or did change? Honestly, I can give you about 1000 reasons why being in a relationships is 1023984039804383948 x 10^12 times better than being single, but that's for another post (like tomorrow?)
Well, like I've mentioned before, relationships take work. You're not necessarily always going to be so excited or head-over-heels all the time, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun together! And I would argue that if you're having fun together, making yourself available for each other, listen to and caring for one another, and really making an effort to make them feel loved (see my post on the Love Languages), then things will generally be OK (of course, there's a lot more to relational happiness than that, but you get my point). Next time you and your boy/girl friend aren't having fun, do something together you both like, or recreate the night you met. Or try one of these 25 suggestions (mainly taken from XKCD with some of my own):
1. Pretend you’ve never met, then loudly try out lame pickup lines in a swanky bar. Act like they worked.
2. Go on a walking journey and every fifteen feet draw a chalk arrow in the direction you’re going. At the end of the trip, leave a big pile of chalk.
3. Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn’t really happen.
4. Go for a drive. You can only make right-hand turns. When you finally get stuck, turn around and then you can only make left-hand turns. Repeat until you find something interesting. Take pictures along the way!
5. Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
6. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books.
7. Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
8. Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.
9. Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time, and take photos.
10. Play hide and seek in AUB (or LAU, etc.), then afterwards go to 24/7 in Verdun or Hamra to share your favorite candy.
11. Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things.
12. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you’ve never been to. With fake names.
13. Go for a drive with the passenger blindfolded, choosing directions at random. See where you end up.
14. Dress up as pirates, commandeer shopping carts, and have a war upon the high seas (parking lot).
15. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence.
16. Rent a movie you’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.
17. Dress up as pirates and go parrot shopping at local pet stores.
18. Spend the day at a free beach like Barbara north of Jbeil. Eat lots of hummus and fruit.
19. Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
20. In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
21. Dress up as superheroes and stop at least one petty crime (e.g., jaywalking, littering, etc.).
22. Go to a minor league baseball game under the stars (or in Lebanon’s case, a football match). Tell each other stories about how bad you are at athletics. Randomly cheer for both teams. Eat lots of popcorn, hot dogs, and Cracker Jacks (or mixed nuts from your favorite roastery).
23. With camera and pair of boots, make a photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.
24. Walk around the city all night and find a place to eat breakfast at dawn.
25. Go to a bookstore and share your favorite books from each section, especially your childhood favorites from the children’s section.
Spread the love,
-Ogie
1. Pretend you’ve never met, then loudly try out lame pickup lines in a swanky bar. Act like they worked.
2. Go on a walking journey and every fifteen feet draw a chalk arrow in the direction you’re going. At the end of the trip, leave a big pile of chalk.
3. Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn’t really happen.
4. Go for a drive. You can only make right-hand turns. When you finally get stuck, turn around and then you can only make left-hand turns. Repeat until you find something interesting. Take pictures along the way!
5. Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
6. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books.
7. Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
8. Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.
9. Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time, and take photos.
10. Play hide and seek in AUB (or LAU, etc.), then afterwards go to 24/7 in Verdun or Hamra to share your favorite candy.
11. Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things.
12. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you’ve never been to. With fake names.
13. Go for a drive with the passenger blindfolded, choosing directions at random. See where you end up.
14. Dress up as pirates, commandeer shopping carts, and have a war upon the high seas (parking lot).
15. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence.
16. Rent a movie you’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.
17. Dress up as pirates and go parrot shopping at local pet stores.
18. Spend the day at a free beach like Barbara north of Jbeil. Eat lots of hummus and fruit.
19. Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
20. In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
21. Dress up as superheroes and stop at least one petty crime (e.g., jaywalking, littering, etc.).
22. Go to a minor league baseball game under the stars (or in Lebanon’s case, a football match). Tell each other stories about how bad you are at athletics. Randomly cheer for both teams. Eat lots of popcorn, hot dogs, and Cracker Jacks (or mixed nuts from your favorite roastery).
23. With camera and pair of boots, make a photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.
24. Walk around the city all night and find a place to eat breakfast at dawn.
25. Go to a bookstore and share your favorite books from each section, especially your childhood favorites from the children’s section.
Spread the love,
-Ogie
Hey Michael, just been browsing your blog a bit... cool beans! I like! Hope this continues on to more and more. I laughed when I read your first idea about pickup lines cos I actually was doing that to be silly the other day...Ali wasn't amused. :D
ReplyDeleteThia
Aww Thia, that's funny, but it sucks he didn't like it! Thanks a lot though, and I really appreciate it! Much more to come :)
ReplyDelete