One time or another—as long as you don’t look like bermuda grass or totally asexual–you might have went out on a date. And why, haven’t you gone tired of the movie and dinner or movie and coffee tandem? Well, don’t get exhausted. If you are on a long term relationship, you just might look for this tandem again to remind you of that first date with your long time flame.
So yeah, first dates. Before it used to confuse me why I needed to go to a movie-and-dinner date to really think that I got to know someone well. And you know what, oftentimes that routine bored me. If I had my way, my first dates would have this itinerary:
*Drink milk tea and have the getting-to-know niceties (I would’ve gone for ice cream but I don’t want to lace the first date with sexual undertones LOL)
*Check out the movies and if there’s nothing worth watching, just skip it
*Buy tickets
*Play some arcade games (Top Priority: Time Crisis, Soul Calibur and Basketball)
*Watch movie
*Barbeque for Dinner
*More arcade games or go book hunting
*(optional) cocktails
And who would not have fun with an itinerary like that? Maybe I could’ve saved a lot of time, money and effort if I just stuck with this itinerary instead of pretending I was this demure lass who said “Thank You” nicely when the boy she dated bought her cheesy popcorn even though she hates it. I like the plain one, thankyouverymuch.
At this juncture, some girls might just punch the air and say, hey, this girl is so correct! And in a few hours, she just might still say yes to a movie-and-dinner date again. Boo. Well, don’t worry girl, I won’t blame you. In fact, a few years ago, I did a little analysis on why the movie and dinner date is so famous. So quit the shame game. Here’s the 411:
THE MOVIE
The movie’s purpose is to know how smart your date is. If s/he picks a “mababaw” movie or an action movie, a love story, it’s up to you to judge. It may either a.) reflect his/her real taste in movies or b.) reflect HOW S/HE WANTS YOU TO PERCEIVE HIM/HER. After you pick the movie, you also buy food. When buying food, you can judge if s/he’s a healthy eater or not.
While you are watching the movie (1 1/2 hours on average), you can gauge if s/he’s talkative or quiet and more importantly, if s/he understands the plot well. If s/he keeps on asking you questions, I suggest an IQ test. You can also gauge how comfortable s/he is with you by the way s/he laughs along or tells you about his/her little ideas/comments.
For girls, you can also tell if he’s a gentleman or he’s too al fresco putting his arm around you and trying to kiss you on your first date. Know where the red flags are, girl. For boys, if she makes the first move, you can either brand that as gutsy or slutty. Don’t discount other signs too and don’t make rash judgments.
Lastly, the purpose of the movie is to make sure that you will have something to talk about during dinner.
THE DINNER
While choosing which place to eat at, you can gauge the likes(and dislikes) of your date. You may even predict his/her typical order there. Aside from that, you will also find out how high- or low-maintenance s/he is.
If your date is already comfortable with you, s/he will sit next to you in a four-seated square table. This way, you can see the same things together and, therefore, both of you can discuss these things easily. Facing a similar view also has a psychological trick that comes with it. It makes you feel like you’re discussing the future with the one you’re talking to. It’s a more “peaceful” form of bonding which puts both of you at ease. If s/he is more interested in getting to know you more, s/he will sit across you. If it’s the first date, most likely, s/he will sit across you.
This is the gala. During the dinner, you will get to know your date more. You can judge the if s/he has good manners (calling the waiter, not staying too long in the CR, saying sorry if s/he stepped on your toe). You will also find out what makes him/her tick. How? Well, it’s sure that the first few minutes of your date will be devoted to discussing the movie. However, there will be sparks of interest somewhere, and then the talk will be taking detours.
Now, no matter what your post-date rating is, what is important is that you enjoy yourself no matter what. Or at least try to. After all, you’ve invested in it! However, if you feel like calling 911 everytime s/he starts talking or the date has awful mannerisms, then, by all means, consider my IQ test suggestion. (Drug test optional.)
Your thoughts? 🙂
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