Welcome to The Californian’s Valentine’s Day edition advice column.
As a people person and dating expert, I can confidently say that I am perfectly qualified to be your personal dating therapist for Valentine’s Day.
All questions were submitted anonymously by Cal students and the advice provided should be taken lightly. Enjoy.
Q: What’s the best way for students to ask someone to be their valentine?
A: The best way to ask someone to be your valentine is to just go for it. You could write a little card or even get a small gift to make your proposal more sincere.
As the saying goes, “The worst thing they can do is say no.” But if we’re being honest, that is a lie. They could laugh in your face or punch you into your next period. Literally, anything bad can happen to you.
I know that’s probably not helpful, but it’s still advice. Just proceed with caution.
It might hurt to ask, but go for it anyway!
Q: What if you want to reject someone’s valentine proposal?
A: What a perfect question to answer after the first one. If you are receiving a valentine and you want to reject the person, the best way is to let them down slowly.
Q: What if I really need to break up with someone but it’s almost Valentine’s Day?
A: I wish you could see the face I’m making right now… The obvious answer here is to break up. There’s no reason to stay in a relationship you don’t want to be in just for a holiday, especially a made-up one like Valentine’s Day.
As a big fan of Valentine’s Day, I understand but I wouldn’t want to be either person in this situation. It seems exhausting being in a relationship where you’d rather date a tree.
You won’t see this until the day of Valentine’s Day though, so good luck with that. And if you haven’t broken up yet, then what are you doing?
Q: Watching the Champions League or going on a date? Which one should I do?
A: I may not know a lot about the Champions League, but I do know a little bit about dates. My advice is to do both at the same time by making that the date.
One, it’s cheaper than going out on an actual date. And second, it might be a bonding experience. If they aren’t into the idea, time to look elsewhere.
Q: What to do when you’re still in love with an ex?
A: They’re an ex for a reason. Whatever happened is already in the past and it’s time to move on because there are plenty of fish in the sea, at least that’s what I tell myself when I think about my college applications.
A good way to see it is that you’re still in high school with plenty of time to figure out everything, so it’s best not to get hung up on someone as you aren’t even an adult yet.
Q: How do I talk to someone who I exchange meaningful glances with and literally never talk to?
A: Not to be rude, but what even is a meaningful glance? And if you partake frequently in these so called meaningful glances, I don’t see an end goal here.
First thing you need to do is switch up your game plan here, or else you’re going to be stuck making meaningful glances at someone for the rest of your life.
Now it’s time to create some verbal communication with the other person. Start by asking to borrow a pencil or pen then build your way up to phase two… asking for binder paper!
From there on, you can ask for a marker, an eraser and build up your collection of school supplies. By year end you’ll have a brand new pencil case and that special someone to exchange meaningful glances with.
