The italics portions is my opinion. Scroll down for the relevant material.
I like honesty and straightforwardness. Everyone likes to know the truth.

There’s a kind of allure to not knowing things. It’s the idea that showing some leg but not all of it. And largely, the popularity of oversized glasses hinges on the masking a large portion of your face. The observer’s brain and facial recognition and curiosity mix into a big mess. (But this may be something I don’t want to get into.)

But I also think that not some things are better left un-said. I had two odd situations this past month. The characters are really similar, their actions are different, but both stories end with me having a bad taste in my mouth.

1. Be Straightforward
I had been hanging out with “Stacy”, an asian girl, for a while. We had been going out, dinner, play, etc. Phoned, texted, yaddda yadda. She told me to call and text her more. She said she would make more time for me. Great?

To cover my bases and ‘just to make sure’ I asked her the other day if she had a boyfriend (we had a late night car ride where she went on about how she broke up with her previous boyfriend in December, and we started hanging out the end of January.

She said she has a boyfriend and they’ve been dating since January. It was one of those WTF moments that used to get me mad. But it didn’t. I’ve been riding at a moderate emotional range since last September. So I told her we’re not hanging out anymore and left it at that.

She should have told me she had a bf well before I asked. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to ask people “What were you thinking?” more often.

2. Leave it unsaid
I was at the casino last night playing Blackjack, card counting. I don’t usually chat with other players while I concentrate on the ‘count’ and remember deviations.

There was a little asian girl(“Fran”), who looked like my sister, Grace (not Gloria), playing at a different table. At one point, she sat down between me and some other guy. She chatted with him for a while.

Between shoes, the dealer said he taught Fran how to play the other night. I normally don’t like to play with inexperienced players (maybe it’s my superstition acting up), but I decided to help her a little on the basic-est of Basic Strategy.

Between shoes after that, Fran would go back to her previous table where her friends “Trudy” and “Linus” sat. After a little, they come play with us all for a while. I decide to not count for one shoe and talk with them a little. They’re all students, Vietnamese and they end their sentences with “man!”. (She keeps stealing my pho, man!). Trudy and Linus are siblings. Linus and Fran are dating.

After an hour, they all leave. But 2 minutes later, Fran and Trudy come running back:
Trudy: “Fran has something to tell you.”
Fran: “Shut up, no I don’t!”
Trudy: “Fran thinks you’re cute for a Taiwanese person. But she thinks you’re too old for her; it wouldn’t work out.”
They run away.

I didn’t think about flirting with Fran or say much past “You should double-down” or “I would split those”.

Stacy and Fran, you both have boyfriends. Do me and everyone a favor: put a freaking sign on your foreheads and leave me alone.

One good thing that grew out of this, was that I passed and did well in my classes. I don’t know if I could have done all that I did if I were still dating Christine.

I saw her today and had the first real conversation with her since we broke over 2 months ago. I feel like we both have realized- how much we compromised of ourselves and gave for each other. And we’re starting to learn how much of ourselves ( our beings ) we lost while dating. It’ll be forever a question “how much compared to our relationship should I/she/we be willing to give/lose in our next relationship”. And also the question

When you think of something funny or interesting, they’re usually the person you ‘try to remember to tell’. And when you’re in conversation with someone else, you would normally say something like “Christine doesn’t like asparagus either”, and you catch yourself before it comes out of your mouth. Or when your ex is also your best friend- the person with whom you tell everything- and you just have something to say, you catch yourself reaching for your phone to tell her that you’re excited about her play. Or when you’re having a really bad day and you need vent- you catch yourself. Because it’s something you’ve done for almost 2 years.

Or when you’re having a really, really good day, and just hope that the other person is outside, in the sun, breathing, feeling the energy and you just want to tell them you’re happy to know them.

You catch yourself. And you’re suddenly thinking about them again.

I’m going through my daily routine and I’m thinking about you, again, Christine. It sucks.

But I hope you’re having a really, really good day, and you’re in the sun and breathing, feeling everything you want to, and I’m happy to have known you.

It’s a fantastic movie. One of the best words to describe it would be “realistic”- from the characters to the dialogue to the situations. I felt like everyone in the movie could be someone I know from Gainesville (maybe Baton Rouge). Nothing is overplay. Kate Dollenmayer, who plays the main character does a very convincing job.

If you’re tired of movies being too ‘Hollywood’, this might the right fix. There are times where it seems it might almost drag-on, but never was it boring. There were times where my brother was sighing because of the typical awkwardness between certain characters, but I really loved because of its realism.

Despite the title, there is nothing particularly humourous at all. There is no commentary at all, except (possibly) the very end- which seems to come a little late but leaves too soon.

http://www.funnyhahafilm.com/
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/critiques/Issue7/funhaha.html

I did pretty well this semester and I’m really glad to be back home. I’ve been completely relaxing, playing video games, seeing my grandparents. I’ve bought all my Christmas presents, luckily in 3 days. I don’t really want much. I don’t really need much.

There was another Dance Fever the day before I left in Baton Rouge. It’s been pretty consistent, with a few new people. I’m really hoping they give me a consistent day of the week next semester. Next semester is going to be pretty busy- more classes, college ultimate season, working for my professor, and music. I’m looking to have 4-5 performances next semester, including a Valentine’s Day Love Song, Orchestral reading, my Woodwind quintet, Oboe+Orchestra piece, and String Quartet.

My family is going to the Outback bowl. It’s going my parents first college football game and (i think) my sisters’ second football game.

I got a 3.8 this semester.