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Page 1: Fall Issue
Page 2: Fall Issue

TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES

The Possibility of No Future - --------3

University Advice ------------- --------4

CURRENT EVENTS

Lite and Brite Day----------------------6

Halloween/Haunted House------------7

FOOD

Featured: Panini-------------------------8

Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe ---8

5 Foods That Have Deceived Us All 9

ENTERTAINMENT

The Music Column : Classic Rock--10

Spirit of Punk-------------------------- 11

Overused Words ---------------------- 11

Do Pick Up Lines Really Work? --- 12

He Said She Said--------------------- 13

CREDITS

PRESIDENT: -Tali Voron

SUPERVISOR: Ms. Perry

SENIOR EDITOR: -Danny Arkadyev

EDITORS: -Shelly Abramovich, - Huda Majeed, -Shany Lahan, -Yonit Levin, -Tali Voron COLUMNIST: -Jackie Shiu -Kopika Kuhathaas -Mika Roitenberg -Edith Barabash -Elinor Fridman -Cindy Chau -Danny Arkadyev -Hanna U. -Shelly Bard -Ilia Korchagin -Karin Kazakevich PHOTOGRAPHERS: -Gal Ziskind, -Katherine Rajschmir -Andrew Sirihongsuwan

LAYOUT/DESIGNER : Genesis Rosario

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The Possibility of No

Future: Homeless at 19

Written By: Kopika Kuhathaas

Imagine having to consider the possibility of being home-less at the young age of 19. Miles Kirsh, a 19-year-old severely autistic teen from Thornhill, was in the most dreaded scenario for families that care for children with disabilities. From Sep-tember 5th, Kirsh has been living in a home for individuals with developmen-tal disabilities. The home is located in Barrie, Ontario and costs $400/day for placement. However, on October 1st the emergency funding that covers his placement ran out.

Due to his condition, Kirsh needed to be transferred to the group home. Unfortunately, he functions at the level of a 3-year-old and is hardly verbal. Kirsh responds to unfamiliar and tense situations by shrieking, bit-ing himself, slapping surfaces, ripping his clothing and occasionally destroy-ing anything near him. His aggressive and self-harming behaviours only continue to grow and develop, as well as his insomnia. His plight is the worst possible circumstances for families that care for children with disabilities.

After only ten days in the Bar-rie group home, Donna Kirsh, Miles’ mother, was told that Miles’ funding would run out on the 1st. She claimed she was assured that Miles would never be out on the streets. Luckily, Ontario’s Social Services Ministry has stepped in. They are working to keep Kirsh in the group home until finding him permanent home care. Mean-while, the Barrie group home has re-duced its rate to $80/day.

“We are in an untenable po-sition,” says Donna Kirsh to Toronto Star. “We have advocated endlessly

for our son and are completely de-pleted. We have spent more than $750,000 on support, education, inter-vention and treatment, and have been across North America to see many experts in the field. But we can’t do it anymore.”

The marriage of Miles’ par-ents slowly buckled due to the stress of caring for their severely disabled son. Following their separation, they sold the Kirsh family home to provide for Miles’ future. Miles was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. Since then, the Kirsh family has done ev-erything possible to raise Miles, and under no circumstances wanted to rely on governmental funding. Now that Donna has, the government has failed her.

Kirsh says she loathed the idea of contacting the media about her son’s situation but believes she had no alternative.

Kirsh’s dangerous behaviour includes banging against the window, and grabbing the steering wheel while in the car. His tendency to wander off, and the mounting expenses is what led Donna to get help.

Donna explains to Toronto Star, “Community agencies told me to do what I had to do; without media intervention, I believe we’d still be in crisis.”

She also states: “I can’t be-lieve it takes this kind of pressure. But people need to know this is happen-ing. I’m doing this so other families don’t have to.”

Unfortunately, situations like this are nothing new for Ontario’s fami-lies.

“He only earns his freedom and exis-tence who daily conquers them anew.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

FEATURES

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University Advice

What Is It Really Like?

Written By : Jackie Shiu

“University” - a word that can make you cringe or feel absolutely thrilled! Even though most of us can’t wait to leave home and become inde-pendent individuals, we all have ques-tions. Deep down inside, we are all a bit scared; we are basically choosing what we want to do with the rest of our lives. There are millions of questions running in our heads. It seems like just yesterday we were kids and had no clue what we were going to do. How can we possibly know what we are going to do with our lives now? Is it normal to be nervous?

“Absolutely!” Alison Shiu, a third-year McGill University student working towards earning her Bachelor of Commerce, says. She is majoring in Accounting and has already achieved an internship at an accounting firm. “Yes, it’s nerve-wracking to be apply-ing and going to university. You are anxious during the whole process.” “University is a place to discover what you want to do. No one goes in know-ing exactly want they want,” Geoffrey Abbot explains, also third-year McGill University student. He is majoring in English, with a double minor in Cana-dian Studies and Music. Geoff took a year off to work after graduating high school, and went to university the fol-lowing year. “Right after high school, I applied to five different schools, but I deferred my acceptance to all of them. Instead, I worked full time, and I made a lot of money, which is a good thing to have in university.”

Alison Shiu and Geoffrey Ab-

bot are two enthusiastic students with very different university experiences and are hoping to help answer some of your questions.

Jackie: Do you have to know what job you want going into university?

Alison Shiu: No, definitely not. I find that it’s important to go in with an open mind. I’ve changed mine and I know a lot of people that changed what they wanted to do.

Geoff: No, not at all. If you don’t know what you want to do, university is the place to be. University is where you’re going to learn a lot of things about yourself, and you’ll figure out who you are.

Jackie Shiu: What do people want to see on applications when you apply?

Alison Shiu: It obviously depends on what school you’re applying to. Some schools will strictly look at your marks, but most will require something sup-plemental, which talks about your ex-tra-curriculars. They want to see that you have other passions that you are committed to. Ultimately, your marks are really important.

Geoffrey Abbot: It’s fine if you want to get involved in extra-curricular activi-ties, but don’t let it affect your marks. If you want to get scholarships, then you definitely need extra-curriculars. How-ever, your grades are most important.

Jackie Shiu: Would you suggest join-ing clubs or sports in university?

Alison Shiu: Definitely, it’s a great way to get to meet people. You make friends that have similar interests, and are a lot like you. It’s a good way to develope a school and a life balance; you have other things that you can do besides academic work. Personally,

going into university, I joined Youth Action International, Intermural Fris-bee, and a comparative Health Care Systems club. Don’t join a club unless you want to, but clubs gave me a lot of work experience. It looks great on a resume because it shows you can bal-ance school and work. If there’s some-thing you want to join, go for it.

Geoffrey Abbot: I would recommend doing whatever you want to do. Don’t do things you feel forced to join. Uni-versity is the time to figure out what you want to do and who you want to be. I have only done Intermural Foot-ball. Do the things that interest you.

Jackie Shiu: Would you be able to have a job during university?

Alison Shiu: I know people that do, but personally, I could not imagine having a job in university. It can be a lot of work, depending on your work-load. Some people need to pay for their education, so they don’t have much of a choice. It’s a big responsibil-ity, but if you can balance school and work, you should look for a job.

Jackie Shiu: Would summer school, private school, or online courses, be recognized in university?

Alison Shiu: You have to check be-fore; don’t enroll in anything until you know for sure. The misconception is that people think it doesn’t count if you do one of those classes, but they do matter sometimes.

Geoffey Abbot: You should check with the university first to make sure it is okay.

Jackie Shiu: How much homework can you expect every day?

Alison Shiu: You’re going to have homework every single day. It de-pends on your program; some depart-

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ments don’t give as much homework as others. You have to manage your time properly, set time to do home-work, and set time not to do home-work.

Geoffrey Abbot: You might be doing homework all the time, or you might not do homework at all. I know peo-ple that do not do homework, so they cram before an exam. Everyone has different study habits, but if you want good grades you have to commit at least 8 hours a day and work hard.

Jackie Shiu: Is University anything like you expected?

Alison Shiu: I didn’t go in with any expectations really. However, I thought university would be one of these things where you just learned so much, and you would get so many jobs because you knew a lot, but it’s not. You do learn a lot, but people think that since they go to university, they are genius-es. In truth, you don’t get treated like that at all. Also, I thought that because I did so well in high school, I would do well in university. Unfortunately, it’s not like that. A lot students will have their marks drop tremendously from high school. Don’t set your expectations too high.

Geoffrey Abbot: So far, it has not been like I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be so much about ac-ademics, but I’ve gotten so much out of everything I have done outside of school. I’m still figuring university out, but we shall see about next year.

“University is just a step towards the next step in life. Don’t think it’s the most important decision in your life.” Alison explains. “Yes, you’re scared. You’re going to be in a completely new

environment.” “In your future, you’re going to remember university as a small milestone in your life,” Abbot shares. “You’ll have it all figured out eventually.”

It’s a lot of pressure. Some-times we feel like we have to know everything about ourselves by the time we leave to go to university. However, it’s not like that at all. University is just one of the many chapters in life. It might be one of the most challenging things you’re going to do, but it’s also one of the most rewarding.

“Life is indeed difficult, partly because of the real difficulties we must overcome in order to survive, and part-ly because of our own innate desire to always do better, to overcome new challenges, to self-actualize. Happi-ness is experienced largely in striving towards a goal, not in having attained things, because our nature is always to want to go on to the next endeavor”

Albert Ellis, Michael Abrams, Lidia Dengelegi, The Art & Science of Rational Eating, 1992

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Lite and Brite Day

CURRENT EVENTS

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HALLOWEEN/HAUNTED HOUSE

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FEATURED FOOD

Writtend By: Cindy Chau

Panini – just one more reason why it would be awesome to be Italian

Okay, so I like food. To be more specific, I like Italian food. I mean, when I start thinking about what I would like to have in my last meal, 85% would consist of pizza, pasta, focaccia, tiramisu… and Panini!

When people ask me what Paninis are, nine times out of ten there will be a point at which I exclaim, “It’s just really good, okay?”

Think of it as the cool, Italian

cousin to the typical sandwich. When made properly, these cute, portable, flatbread sandwiches will almost liter-ally cause your mouth to cave in on itself due to the massive amount of flavours.

The magic of the Panini cer-tainly lies in the countless ways you can customize it, and shove it in a Panini press. Prepared to enter your stomach, every individual Panini comes out perfectly suited for you. Although most Paninis are made with ciabatta or focaccia bread, sliced bread will do just fine. Throw in your dream team of ingredients, grill it, and you’ve got your very own pocket of love.

If that seems like a bit too much work, there are a few diners and bakeries that make Paninis fresh to order. For example, St. Phillips Bakery (2563 Major Mackenzie Drive) is my favorite local place to get a Panini; they’re gigantic, and jam packed with

prosciutto, brie, arugula and other ingredients I can’t identify due to the speed at which I consume them. If you’re in the area, Fusaro’s Kitchen (294 Richmond Street West) is the perfect place to grab these Italian sandwiches. Listen to what they put in their Otto Panini: grilled chicken, oven roasted peppers, spinach, and provo-lone… need I say more?

The satisfaction a Panini has the potential to provide you reaches far deeper than the lettuce-dominated, sweet-onion-sauce-soaked submarine sandwich we’ve all had for lunch be-fore. Honestly, the change will do you good.

HOMEMADE HOT CHOCO-LATE RECIPE By: Jackie Shiu

Got the fall blues? Well here’s a simple and delicious hot chocolate recipe to get you in the autumn mood!

Warm and Cozy Hot Chocolate Reci-pe:

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients: 2 cups of milk (I used 1% milk)1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon A pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)Quarter cup of white sugarQuarter cup of unsweetened cocoa powderMarshmallows (optional)

Steps:1. In a pot, add milk and turn your stove on medium low heat.2. Add the cinnamon stick and ground nutmeg. Don’t add too much nutmeg. Remember that a little goes a long way!3. Stir with a whisk every so often to prevent film forming on top of the milk. 4. Let the milk mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes.5. Next, add sugar and cocoa powder into the pot and whisk togeth-er.6. Taste to see if you need to add more sugar or cocoa powder.7. Lastly, pour the hot chocolate into a mug and add desired amount of marshmallows.

This drink is easy and it will definitely get you into the fall spirit! Enjoy!

FOOD

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Five Foods That Have De-ceived Us All Written By: Edith Barabash & Elinor Fridman

You come home from a tiring day at school and naturally, you are famished! You open up your snack cupboard hoping to indulge in a de-licious treat. Looking inside, you see the numerous options, but how many of those are really good for you?In this day and age, people strive to be healthier; to change their lifestyle for the better. But how can they do that when the foods that they consume on a daily basis are actually bad for them? This article is designed to blow the lid off of the top five foods you thought were healthy, but really aren’t.

GRANOLA BARS:This might come as a shocker to you, but granola bars aren’t the guilt-free; trail mix that you were hoping to eat. The proteins, fibers and vitamins that the package claims it is full of is nothing compared to the abundance of sugary syrups and chocolate chips that the granola bar is loaded with. It is highly processed, and packed with artificial ingredients that don’t make it any better than a chocolate bar or cookie.

MUFFINS:While muffins are okay in small quan-tities, the average store-bought muffin contains about 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. It is generally thought that they are a better alternative to a cupcake, but their size and fat content make them worse for you than you may think.

PRETZELS:When comparing fat content, pretzels may be a better option than chips, but that doesn’t mean they’re good. In fact, they are nutritionally empty. One serving provides nearly a quarter of the sodium a person needs each day. Although the salt adds flavour, it takes away nutritional value.

RICE CAKES:Considering the fact that they are very light and tasteless, many people de-lude themselves into thinking that rice cakes are the ideal snack. They don’t have much fat and cholesterol, and are only 40-50 calories, so what could be so bad about them? But that’s just what they are: empty calories. Their nutritional value is virtually nil. Fla-voured rice cakes only add to the fat, so why not just snack on a carrot?

FROZEN YOGURTS:Making up for the lack of fat is the sug-ar content; frozen yogurts are nearly drowning in it. The Canadian Nutrient File states that you might as well have ice cream; the amount of calories and sugar is approximately the same. Not to say that you should stock up on the ice cream, but having it in reasonably sized portions is fine.

So next time you’re tempted to reach into that snack cupboard, think twice about exactly what you’re putting into your body.

“6 Foods You Thought Were Healthy but Aren’t | Healthy Eating | Eat Well | Best Health.”Womens Health & Lifestyle Magazine for Canadian Wom-en. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/healthy-eat-ing/6-foods-you-thought-were-healthy-but-arent?slide=6>.Contributor, Msnbc.com. “Are You Go-ing to Eat That?” Msnbc.com. Msnbc Digital Network, 30 Nov. 2007. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22027686/ns/health-

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The Music Column; Classic Rock Edition

by: Mika Roitenberg

The year: 1964. The notorious Ed Sullivan Show is about to start film-ing its live debut. Silence plagues the room as feelings of anticipation corrupt your mind from deciding whether this is the best day of your life, or simply the best day in history.

The magnitude of the crowd’s excitement oozes from their souls; the thought of meeting the revolutionaries of all time in just a matter of moments is simply not comprehensible to an or-dinary mind such as your own. The fan girls behind you have hairstyles ever so slightly resembling that of Audrey Hepburn’s in a photo shoot from last month’s issue of Glamour Girl. Ded-icated tears are streaming from their faces; if all their tears were to be twist-ed together to make a transparent and thin string, the entire audience would be able to floss their teeth for a month.

Suddenly, the oversized “live” sign lights up and the teary-eyed crowd goes wild; the high frequency screams of the girls behind you are simply too loud for your eardrums to handle. The Beatles gracefully step onto the stage, and at that very mo-

ment, Beatlemania makes its very first debut in America.

Good old rock; it is known as “the Golden Age” of music, and the greatest time for music in history. Originating from a jazzier ancestor of rock & roll, classic rock is the root from which garage rock, punk rock, and even psychedelic rock branched from. Music finally gained respect because of the simple (but soulfully complex) tunes that classic rock introduced to the world. Renowned bands and art-ists such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones, helped shape this genre of music, and are even lis-tened to in the present day. Although hatred surfaced from other genres, classic rockers still managed to create their iconic music.

Even though I have a very biased opinion, as I myself am pas-sionate about this genre, I believe that anyone has the potential to listen to some high-quality, classic music. Expertly organized, this list contains (arguably) the best classic rock songs of all time - a “must listen to” for all ages. Take the time to listen to these songs with an open mind, as these melodies are very different from the modern music that most of today’s society is accustomed to.

- Since I’ve Been Loving You by Led Zeppelin

- Hotel California by The Eagles

- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

- My Generation by The Who

- Walk This Way by Aerosmith

- Welcome to the Jungle by Guns ‘n Roses

- Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin

- Angie by The Rolling Stones

- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles

- Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd

- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones

- Come Together by The Beatles

- Black Dog by Led Zeppelin

- Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin

- Layla by Eric Clapton

ENTERTAINMENT

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Spirit of Punk: What You Felt, But Never Said

By:Ilia Korchagin

If we really think about it, we know more about punk music than we give ourselves credit for. Bands like Green Day and Sum 41 are very well-known; they are the epitome of punk after all! The style, clothes, hair, angst; everything about punk runs a specif-ic course and is generally universal. Some may disagree and say that hair spiked in all directions isn’t exactly attractive, but it’s more the spirit of punk that relates to everyone. Ste-reotypically, punk is music one listens to if they want to do their own thing, be unique or prove that good music doesn’t have to come from virtuosos. . Think about it: how many times have adults gotten away with doing certain things because they are/were adults. Youth get annoyed when authority fig-ures do not carry out promises, lead-ing to the feeling that everyone has had before; angst: a clever mixture of anger, and the simple, yet occasional nuisance of the reality known as be-ing a teenager. Being a teenager is great, but can be overshadowed by this problematic angst. So in the UK and the United States, kids stopped letting angst get to them and found another outlet. That outlet happened to be music. Everyone played mu-sic how they wanted it, dressed how they wanted, and thought what they wanted. No one disagreed and oddly enough, many people felt the need for freedom of expression until it became a movement. What happened though? Why did punk decline and vanish from the mainstream? Did kids just feel better about their lives all of a sudden? Of course not. Punk was great for a while but bands split up, members died, and kids simply lost interest. However, the spirit is still here. It has reincarnated into AFI, Black Flag and MSI to become the punk our genera-tion is around for. Listen to some good old and new punk and see if anything thrills you. Maybe the lyrics will change your outlook on things, or maybe you will realize that there’s more to music than fancy degrees and auto tune. Good luck and have fun exerting your spirit of punk.

#OverusedWords – TOP 5

By: Hannah U.

Every year, the English lan-guage experiences new words that are overused in our daily lives, especially for teenagers. For example, I remem-ber last year, the famous “overused words”, (also a phrase) was:“cool story bro.” We do it unconsciously. We hear these overused words everywhere we go, and they end up in our system. Sooner or later, you will be using those words and not even realizing you did. However, where do these words really come from and how were they creat-ed? To answer these questions, I did some research to give you some back-ground knowledge about our lovingly “worn out” words.

“LOL”- Don’t lie, I bet you’ve even said this word once out loud. LOL stands for “Laugh out Loud”, although when people actually write it while instant messaging, they are not even smiling. Surprisingly, LOL was claimed to be first invented by a man named Wayne Pearson in Calgary on a BBS in the early to mid 80s. A BBS was a kind of a chatroom that was used once. Then, when GEnie, which was one of the biggest online services at the time was opened, Wayne spread the acronym of LOL to GEnie. How-ever, back then, the people who ac-tually used LOL actually laughed out loud. Smiling or having a small giggle wouldn’t work. So if you are an “LOL” user, you’d better use it wisely!

“YOLO”- After the breakthrough of Drake’s and Lil Wayne’s hit song “The Motto”, the world was introduced to YOLO, which stands for “You Only Live Once”. This is found in the chorus that goes like this :“Now she wants a photo, you already know though, you only live once that’s the motto BEEP YOLO.” Drake’s words meant that we should take chances and do things that we never did before because we only have one life to live. However, his audience was abusing YOLO as an excuse to do stupid things.

“Swag”- Today, swag is used to de-scribe how someone presents them-selves. Yet, did you know that it was used for 200 years as a term describe a thief’s stolen goods or valuables? It is also the Australian word that means

a bundle of personal belongings car-ried by a traveler or swagman. It can also be traced back to the middle ages when Scandanavians used the word svagga, which means to sway unsteadily, but later transformed to mean hanging loosely, or heavily. By the nineteenth century, it just meant stolen goods, until today, when people use it to describe how they look. If one does have “swag”, it means that they are cool.

“Blessed”- Lately, I have been see-ing everyone tweeting things they’ve done and how blessed it was. For example, “had a #blessed nap,” “drank a #blessed cup of apple juice,” and more. Blessed was first used to de-scribe something that is heavenly, but lately, it has been used to describe how good something is. It is inter-esting how words change meanings when they become used by different people.

“Eh”- We use “eh” a lot, here in Can-ada, eh? The first thing a person from another country thinks of when they think of Canada, is our beloved inter-jection. Our over usage of “eh” was invented many decades ago, and even though we get mocked for it in the United States, we are still loyal to it. It’s part of our Canadian identity!

Using overused words is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, these words are fine to use, like blessed, eh, or LOL. It is crucial to learn when to use them appropriately, because not all words go with a certain situation, just like LOL shouldn’t be used when you are not even laughing. Therefore, now that you know all of this back-ground information, you know what you are saying when you are speaking to a friend, and happen to have one of these overused words burst out of your mouth.

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Do Pick Up Lines Really Work? By: Edith Barabash and Elinor Fridman Humankind has changed drastically over the years. During the Stone Age, a caveman would compete for the affections of a woman using his superior chest-pounding skills, and all women would swoon at his manliness. As we moved forward to the 50’s, men would impress women with their immaculately gelled hair and smooth- talking. Once again, women would blush at their masculinity. Through the years, our manly, smooth-talking men have evolved into a new, slightly less resourceful kind of species.

Since creativity has seemingly been drained from our generation, men have resorted to any means possible to get a girl, including using pick up lines! However, do they really work? What are girls really thinking when guys use these tactics? We decided to go undercov-er and explore these very questions. Here are some of the responses:

“Did it hurt? (Did what hurt?) When you fell from heaven?” “If I liked the guy I would say ‘it did hurt, but when I saw you my pain went away.’ But pick up lines are stupid.” (Raji Gandhi) “Is this a joke?” (Freya Piech-atzek)

Outcome? FAIL

“Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see!”“ No.” (Sina Tokhy) “Yes I am from Tennessee.” (Jesse Levy)“Get away from me!” (Anonymous)

Outcome? FAIL

“You must be in the wrong place. The Miss Universe contest is over there. ”

*Giggle, giggle* (Subaanki Srikanthan)

“Fail. But I’m flattered.” (Saira Gokal)

“Nice try.” (Chelsea Moray-niss)

“What’s happening? I’m scared.” (Anonymous)

“You aren’t hot enough.” (Anonymous) Outcome? FAIL

As you can see, if you decide to resort to pick up lines you will likely be faced with rejection. Instead, try using the classical method of getting to know the girl and making her fall for your wit and charms the old-fashioned way. Talk to her! If you have confi-dence in yourself, she is sure to notice you. If you are still having difficulties with impressing the girl you like, sub-mit your question to [email protected], where your problems will be anonymously answered by the He-Said, She-Said columnists.

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What would I honestly do in this situation? I wouldn’t reply at all. If you are having a conversation with someone and they choose to drop a single smiley as a response, clearly they don’t have the time or effort to com-municate with you. It does matter in what context the smiley was sent, but in the majority of cases, just don’t respond. It may be difficult if the person you are talking to is someone you are really interested in, but I think you have to stay strong. There is only so much you can do. If you do really want to talk to them though, responding with a question that is remotely connected to what was being discussed earlier is the best way to go about it. Sometimes sending some-thing that is completely off topic can come off as slightly desperate, unfortunately. So if your choice is to send some-thing, even though I don’t recommend it, send something that relates to a previous conversation. Sincerely, He Said

Dear Smiley Face, We all know the feeling; it really does suck. When both parties aren’t putting in equal effort, the conversation can die off fairly quickly. If you tend to send animated and excited messages, it’s only natural that you expect a certain degree of enthusiasm from the other end. Being the kind of person that inserts every emoticon available into every single text I send makes me very picky about the kind of messages I receive. First, think about how willing you are to put effort into a conversation with someone who wouldn’t do the same for you. If it’s still worth it, then try to make light of the situation. Send a different emoticon and initiate a “smiley war”, or introduce a new topic that might be more interesting. Remember not to make a big deal out of things that probably don’t mean very much. What might be upset-ting to you can be perfectly normal to someone else, so be familiar with who you’re messaging and what their person-ality is like.Hope this helps! Sincerely She said.

Going on a first date is an exciting, yet nerve-wracking endeavour. What tends to make this “ad-venture” the most mind-boggling is choosing exactly where to go. With so many options, it really comes down to who you are going with, and what you both are interested in. Asking someone out to something as simple as coffee is a great way to get to know each other better. Even going out for a walk through the neighbourhood is a good opportunity to connect with your date. These scenarios work well for someone you don’t know very well or haven’t been friends with for a long time. However, if you want to ask out a beau that you have been friendly with for a long time, a more of-ficial date setting would be better suited to the occasion. A typical dinner and movie is very effective, as it allows for a great chance to talk and then enjoy each other’s company. Personally, my favorite types of dates are the ones where you are doing something fun, like mini-golf, or laser tag. You get to have a blast doing something active. Exercise and dating: seems like a win/win! Sincerely, He Said

First dates can be romantic. They can be exciting. They can be nerve-wrecking. But if not properly planned, they can be downright horrible! One of the largest contributing factors to how the first date ends is the setting, and with the myriad of options available; what to choose can be a gruel-ing task. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the generic dinner- and-a-movie night. While this is simple and effective, sometimes a fresh idea can make a big differ-ence. Even the old-school bowling date is great if you’re looking for something fun and casual. If you want a classier, sophisticated night out, go to the theatre or an art gallery. If you’re feeling adventurous, plan a hiking trip. With all the options available, you’re bound to find the perfect place for your first date!Good luck, Sincerely, She said.

He Said, She Said.

Dear He Said and She Said, I find that whenever I talk to someone over text or facebook chat for example, there comes a point when their only response is a smiley face. I never know how to respond! What do I say? What does it mean? I’d love to know how to get out of that situation, it’d be a great help! Thanks! Smiley Face

Dear He Said and She Said, I’m going on a first date soon and I have no idea where to go! There are so many options but I don’t know what’s appropriate. What do you suggest? Anonymous

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