Love school

(or how to have a good study break date)

It’s that time of year again. The lambs are a-leaping, the sun’s a-shining and the ice-cream vans are out in force while you’re sat inside sweating over your essays/exams/ whatever. Let’s be honest, dating is probably the last thing on your mind. Or is it? Here at Blind Date, we know what you’re thinking as you ‘concentrate’ on that coursework. So put down your books, turn off your laptop and follow our five fool-proof steps to snaring yourself some summer lovin’.

Play the ‘100’ game

Made popular by Carrie Bradshaw, this game needs at least two players and around fifteen minutes. Make a date with a mate at one of the many tasty coffee houses Cathays or Roath has to offer, preferably one with a long street facing window (Blind Date recommend Kappuccino’s) and take a seat. Keep an eye on the street and for every person that walks past, decide whether you think they’re hot or not while keeping tally on a napkin. (Note: this must be done discreetly to avoid offence). A simple game, ‘100’ is a great distraction from anything even mildly intellectual and is a guaranteed stress-reliever.

Facebook date (not to be confused with Facebook stalk)

Let’s ‘face’ it, we’re all going to do it; Facebook is a welcome distraction when your life is filled with coursework. So why not work it to your advantage? Have the courage to message that person you fancy instead of checking their profile obsessively, or find someone you find attractive and send them a message telling them exactly that. A close friend of mine received such a message recently and she’s now been with her boyfriend for three months. Facebook works. Fact.

Go for a walk in the park (partner optional)

Instead of crashing out in front of Diagnosis Murder during that mid-afternoon energy low, get yourself up and out and into the park. If you’re nervous of bikes or runners then the gardens at Roath park are ideal for chilling out, while the wide open spaces of Bute Park are close enough to the library for a revision break. If you’re feeling romantic, take your partner and a picnic and breathe in a bit of that fresh(ish) air.

Laptop loving

No, this isn’t what happens when you spend too much time in front of your computer. A new craze among Apple Mac Power Book owners, wi-fi daters share their music libraries over a wireless connection by changing the names of the songs in their music files to something more suggestive, which they then share. The fun comes when trying to guess who you’re flirting with, especially when everyone else ‘appears’ engrossed in revision. Suddenly, a trip to the library doesn’t sound so boring…

Go Speed-dating

Want an opportunity to get away from everyone who wants to moan about how much they hate writing essays/it’s sunny and they’ve had it with revision/they want to go to Faa-ctory? Well there’s never been a better time to get out and talk to people who have perhaps never heard of or care about W.H Auden/conflict and change in educational policy/land law. In the space of a couple of hours, you can meet up to thirty potential partners and even if you don’t click with anyone, you’ll probably get a good giggle out of it! So what are you waiting for? Bar Is It? are hosting an event on May 16th. Go to www.fleetingmeeting.com to book your place.