Photodump! - Ben the Soundman’s Birthday Edition
The sound guy from the FBFI conference returns! This time its his birthday so me and YX went down to find him. Got him a polo tee from tamp metro sale. Its nice red striped. Anyway, here are all the photos..
I found this bunch interesting. I am 23 but somehow still feel like I could easily break into the group of 12-18 year olds. I was wondering if groups like the many ones in church are easy to join in, break into or just observe without feeling left out. I must say it is not really so. I know things are sometimes different here and there but here are a few things I observed from playing games with this group.
- They didn’t really talk alot of insider stuff and have any inside jokes that weren’t easy to catch on. n the contrary, jokes were all kinda easy to get and understand, even when you’re new. (hey, indian jokes are pretty quick to pick up.. esp when they are about Gopal)
- They didn’t make small talk for the sake of it. Although I initiated alot of it, we didn’t dance around the usual mundane topics just to make conversation.. they were just.. them. Sincere (I think) and unadulterated friendliness. Even if that is not true, I felt that it was, and thats all that really matters. i think activities also help take the weight off comunication by engaging minds in a seperate activity which still allows everyone to know each other.
- They didn’t carry out activities that excluded us/they included us by playing games that were more retarded and simple to pick up (no bridge and no dai dee for my sake)
Before anyone thinks such interactions are shallow, I would go as far as to say that you can’t go deep without going shallow first. Also, though some people tend to click easily, some just don’t.. can’t really help that at all. Also, it is important for the stranger to do some of the work (like us trying to talk and have fun with them, awkward at first but crazy fun at the end) but still, when we are in the majority group we can strive to be inclusive when we are in larger groups around a stranger.
One thing I have also noticed is that it helps a group to bond when you have a target, the butt of all jokes. Usually this works when that person is goofy and doesn’t care. Common humor also helps alot.
One last thing. One guy mentioned he knew our church and one of his friends a guy named Jason came for 2 weeks and left because he felt he didn’t know anyone. Hmmm.. I think sometimes people just slip through the net and we miss them. I hope this small dissection of simple group dynamics can help everyone think about how their own behaviour speaks to the new people in the existing groups.
This is specially for Charissa
I got a parking ticket! wah man.. my mom sabo say opposite downtown east no needput coupon.. There goes $30…
Tags: Birthday, Friends & Family, photodump