It’s February and love is the theme of the month! From what I’ve heard Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular holidays next to Christmas and New Year’s Day! Sure it’s a huge marketing opportunity for many businesses but for individuals, it’s also a nice excuse to go out on a date and put in some extra effort to make someone else happy. Personally, I’ve had my ups and downs with Valentine’s Day. On some years, it’s a great excuse to be extra cheesy on a date while other times, I just don’t feel the love quite as much. But, with roughly a week left before Valentine’s 2013, this is a good a time as any to get with the “lovey-dovey†spirit and look back at my past experiences with the month of love.
First Valentine’s Day experience
My first Valentine’s Day experience came pretty late. I was a freshman in college and it was going to be my first time to celebrate the holiday. I didn’t have anything crazy planned because it was a school day but I was determined to take my girlfriend then out on a date. I guess that was a big thing because I would have to take the car and keep it with me late into the night. At the same time, my date had to figure out how to sneak away from her parents on a school night. After some planning and youthful scheming, we were able to have a cozy dinner in UCC at The Fort only for me to get struck with food poisoning in the middle of it all! It wasn’t pretty! Soon enough, I spent more time in the restroom than with my date. It was embarrassing at that time but now, it’s a pretty funny story to tell. I am not ashamed anymore! It was a nightmare experience, especially since it was my first time to celebrate the holiday but nevertheless, a memorable one!
Best Valentine’s Gift Given
This is an easy story for me to tell because up to this day, I’m proud of the effort I put in and the level of cheesiness that I reached! I could say that it was cheesiness of epic proportions. This story happened towards the end of college and I was feeling extra sweet with the girl I was dating. I remembered that she loved strawberries so I decided to give her the biggest strawberries ever! To do that, I ended up getting huge cuts of cartolina paper and making enormous strawberry origamis! Yup, researched on the Internet and did it all on my own despite my lack of arts and crafts skills — I even dotted them with a black marker for added effect. By the way, it’s not easy folding cartolina! It gets really thick quickly and requires a lot of effort to be folded precisely (I’m just saying I put in a lot of effort hahaha). Moving back to the topic, I dropped in a few notes inside the strawberries which she had to open and left it in her house.
The next week in school, my guy friends were all teasing me for my cheesiness but I think my date liked it! I guess that’s how I roll. If I like you, I’ll take the extra step to let you know that. (Cheese explosion again.)
Best Valentine’s Gift Received
Based on personal history, the girls I’ve dated have never been the type to go out of their way and do something crazy during Valentine’s Day. Usually, taking the extra step to give a great gift is something I’d do. There is, however, one year that takes exception to that. I would consider it the best Valentine’s Day gift and probably the sweetest gift I’ve received simply because it was so unexpected.
Basically, I went over to the house of my date to hang out and as I knocked on her gate, she asked me to come in instead. As I stepped inside, I was greeted with a bouquet of flowers which was the first time I was given one. As great as that already was, it didn’t even end there because inside her house, she prepared dessert! She had made a fruit pie along with a nice little note! It’s safe to say that I was blown away by the effort and gesture. So, a tip for the girls out there, it’s feels great for guys to receive a little something every now and then. It’s an even bigger plus when there’s a surprise factor!
Looking back at those memories, I guess Valentine’s Day has been very good to me. It’s a great excuse to spend time with your date or loved one and can really create some pretty lasting moments. That falls in line with one of my favorite quotes, “Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.†With that, how much more memorable would your Valentine’s Day be if both of your breaths were taken away? So my advice is to just go for it and celebrate the holiday. Put some extra work into being extra sweet because you never know what good it could lead to. Happy Advance Valentine’s Day to everyone! ☺
(If you want to share your own Valentine’s Day experiences, email me at mikael.daez@gmail.com.)
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