Stalking your classmates will be just that much easier with Twitter. In 140 words, anyone can express their emotions for their current situation, advertise an upcoming event, or interact with other Twitter users. Twitter, the brainchild based on other social networking sites, such as Facebook and Xanga, features the same social capability and networking, but without all the annoying applications and long-winded journal entries.

Blogs, short for web logs, have been an overall Internet phenomenon that still attracts new interested authors each day. They are found in personal and business web sites, as well as on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites, or can stand alone, such as LiveJournal, WordPress, or Blogspot. With so many online users interested in writing about their lives, it’s a surprise to find that not many Pacific students have personal blogs or their own Twitter pages, especially since many do not hesitate to update their Facebook status every five minutes.

Twitter allows for updates on several mediums— obviously, through the actual website, through text messaging, and through certain specific platforms such as the iPhone and the Blackberry. Just think, you can text about your anxiety about a test or a date, right when it happens! The beauty of allowing so many platforms is, that way, you won’t have to worry about others not being updated about what’s going on right that second. But seriously, text messaging from your own phone instead of on a computer gives the user more chances to share their antics with the world.

Because users are limited only to so many words, it is entertaining to see how much information is supplied in just one update. Personally, the word limit gives me an opportunity to play with my words, challenging myself to make my tweets as short and sweet as possible. Sometimes, saying that you’re irritated by the neighbors next door in one sentence is more powerful than saying the same thing in a paragraph.

Nonetheless, Twitter is not just for blogging. Members have racked their creative minds to provide a series of interesting activities, such as using their site to display their art, poetry, and humor. Hopefully more students will see Twitter as an interactive site that can bring people together and make them smile. There are many celebrities who have public Twitter pages, and even the University has it’s own Twitter page! (twitter.com/ UOPacific). Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/the_vivster.

In most magazines and online networking sites, you’ll find them: “Which Backstreet Boy are you more like?” “What should you do in the future?” “What should be your actual hair color?” Taking these personality tests is a guilty pleasure that not many like to admit. Secretly, you search for the quiz sections in magazines to see if you’re aggressive in bed or not.

These quizzes test you not on the knowledge that you’ve gained, but on the most difficult yet most interesting topic there is: yourself. When you start each test, you hope to find a more solid idea of your values, character, and personality, but can just a simple test do that?

Most students took the Standard Aptitude Test (SAT) either in their junior or senior year of high school in order to apply to certain colleges. This test gauged the aptitude of students in typical subjects, such as writing, math, and science. The SAT has usually been discussed between students as a poor method of measuring one’s aptitude. In order to earn a high score, one would need to be intellectually proficient in all of these subjects, or “book smart.” On the other hand, the test may have been difficult for more practical and logical learners, or those who are “street smart.”

In the same way, these personality quizzes are simply inefficient in really showing your true self. There can never be solely one test that can truly show all aspects of your identity—just like there’s no way you could ever know everything about yourself.

However, people still get tempted by these quizzes, and, personally, it’s difficult not to try one in a while to see what type of animal you were in your past life. Although these quizzes and tests can sometimes be scams (literally) or generic, some of them actually provide interesting views on yourself. For example, a test about which Disney princess you would be could actually give you more information about how others view you.

Nonetheless, these quizzes should be considered private, because no one really cares if you’re going to be a psychiatrist or a custodian when you grow up. These tests can be enlightening for individual purposes, but there’s really no reason to boast the results to the world. Simple personality quizzes and tests can be amusing, but just remember not to go overboard looking for trouble.

However, one thing I can’t seem to figure out is my sleep schedule. For someone who can be classified as nocturnal, I seem to get more sleep than I think. Although I tend to sleep around three to four a.m. every night, I am still energized and alert in class. To this, I attribute my affinity to take a nap as often as possible.

College students are depicted to have no lives, sleeping in the wee hours of the morning, just to prepare for a midterm the same morning. Because of this, they fall asleep in class, stop paying attention, and in the long run, will have to end up staying up late just to prepare or that midterm again. It’s one of those vicious cycles that no one says they care about, but they really do.

Usually people will end up taking a nap when they have consumed an excess of carbohydrates after a meal, which for me is quite often. Denoted as “food coma,” this period of time after the meal can be gruesome if you have a class, or worse, a midterm, right after. However, it is normal and part of our physiology to be tired or drowsy in the afternoon.

A lot of people will say that taking naps are harmful because they will disrupt your sleep schedule and system. However, if you take naps correctly, they can be beneficial.

When we sleep, we don’t fall into a deep sleep until 45 to 90 minutes after we’ve started sleeping, kind of like a slow shutdown. Deep sleep sustains our body for a long period of sleep time, and our bodies go through physiological changes, slowing down most of our body processes. After sleeping for a considerable amount of time, our body will be restarted, and our bodies slowly start working towards activity again.

For some, taking a daily nap for about an hour is helpful, but may lead to a drastic change in your sleep schedule. To be safe, keep your naps to a minimum time limit of approximately 30 to 45 minutes, and try not to take a nap right before your usual bedtime. Taking a nap for at most 45 minutes will reduce the probability of going into deep sleep, meaning you can get some rest, but not to the point where you are groggy when awake. Sleeping for around half an hour may tempt the notion of a longer nap, so be responsible and know when to get up.

Be careful when you take naps during the day. These power naps may have different benefits to different people, but resting when you are tired is better than pushing your body to the limit and not getting any rest at all. When you try and work when you are tired, you may influence the risk of lowering your immune system, and you may get sick, just like the majority of the Pacific community now.

If you’re waiting for a class or live off-campus, it’s hard to find a good place to nap on campus, because the comfortable places to sleep are either in a big open area (like in the DeRosa University Center) or in someone else’s room. The library is a good place to take a nap, but its location away from most classrooms and sometimes noisy environment may wake you up earlier than planned. On the other hand, studies show that a little bit of white noise can actually help you fall asleep faster.

Naps are part of our natural biological clock, even if they seem to make things worse, and people more fatigued. If you have a hectic schedule, taking a short nap in the afternoon will relieve stress and give you a little more energy. Don’t shy away from naps! Just make sure you don’t do it during class, or you’ll catch more than just a few Zs.

Unbeknownst to many Pacific students, frozen desserts have been a significant “hot spot” in the Stockton community. With its numerous stores for ice cream and frozen yogurt, Stockton seems a little sweeter. Within a 5 mile radius of the university, there are approximately two frozen yogurt shops and three ice cream stores.

However, is one any better than the other? Either way, you’ll get what you ultimately want: cold, delicious sugar.

Frozen yogurt has always been the less popular cousin of ice cream. However, health concerns and diets have increased the appeal for frozen yogurt, which contains less to no fat. The rising popularity of frozen yogurt in Southern California may start to spread the idea into Northern California. In the Bay Area, frozen yogurt stores have become trendier and more appealing to the late night crowds.

The Grove offers a triplex of frozen yogurt at a selfserve machine, and Tiger’s Yogurt, Pacific’s namesake yogurt boutique, is a hidden gem that provides friendly customer service and large servings. Yogelina and TCBY (The Country’s Best Yogurt) are other companies that serve the Stockton community.

If the rumors are true, there may also be a new yogurt store coming to Stockton. However, I don’t know how well it could stand with a late night Stockton crowd.

Although frozen yogurt is “all the rave” right now, the comfort of ice cream still warms us up inside. Ben and Jerry’s, Baskin Robbins, and Cold Stone Creamery, are just a few businesses that offer more than one franchise in Stockton. Although ice cream may not be as inexpensive as frozen yogurt, ice cream provides a different texture, good for root beer floats and breakfast in bed, and evokes emotions that remind us of home.

Ice cream derivates, such as gelato, spaghetti ice, Dippin’ Dots, and even the small bite-size dollar ice creams in the supermarket, are gaining popularity, competing with frozen yogurt for dominance of the frozen dessert industry.

For those who want to sample different types of frozen desserts, try frozen custard, an enjoyable substitution for standard ice cream, made with milk, eggs, and sugar. Sorbets, made from water, juice, chocolate, wine, or liqueur, are non-dairy and can be a good substitute for ice cream and fro-yo for lactoseintolerant individuals.

My own recommendation for a frozen dessert comes all the way from the outfield of our frozen dessert playing field: the frozen chocolate banana. For some, it may seem surprising that fruit can be frozen, and my own personal experience with making frozen banana was not as successful as I thought, but finely done frozen banana is a treat that appeals universally. Frozen bananas can be dipped in chocolate or eaten alone, and provides a tasty serving of fruit for your daily diet.

With the introduction of more innovative frozen products, desserts can be fun and figure-friendly. Just remember to always consume in moderation, and frozen desserts will be less an abomination and more of a companion.

Even when I was single, I would send Valentine’s Day gifts, because it’s not just about the romantic relationships between two people, but a day to show the people who you love how much you mean to them. Cheesy, but true. On Valentine’s Day, even getting a small, generic Valentine from Target will encourage confidence and acceptance in your friends, some of whom don’t necessarily have a particular Valentine to share the day with. However, if you’re one of those cynical people who really don’t care about getting or giving Valentines, I have a suggestion for you.

As a freshman in high school in San Francisco, I was exposed to a wide variety of relationships—even relationships between two people of the same sex. I realized that love was universal, and that certain relationships (like platonic relationships) could fare better than other types of relationships in the long run. In addition, the idea of sexuality was fresh and original, and was slowly gaining interest.

As a freshman in high school, I was also exposed to the business of pleasure, or pornography. Pornography, or more commonly known as porn, has always been a big no-no because it exposes the big, bad, and the naughty in a society where everything from secrets to sexuality needs to be kept away in order for a “more perfect union.” Nonetheless, pornography has played a significant part in the entertainment business for ages, and has been growing due to the expansion to DVDs, VCRs, and the internet.

Movies, such as the aptly-titled “Zack and Miri Make A Porno,” and “The Girl Next Door,” focus on this subject comically and its ability to forge new relationships. The truth is, with porn, you can forge a relationship, one that will comfort you in ways you wouldn’t have imagined.

Most men are already familiar with the topic, and probably have their own favorite films, usually often openly
discussed to the same sex. On the other hand, women will scorn at and meet the idea of porn with disgust, but there are more women who watch porn than you’d expect. Also, there is the argument that every time women watch a film that includes a particularly attractive man, it could be counted as porn.

Either way, porn can be a comfort to those stranded, alone, or horny on Valentine’s Day, or even those that aren’t. Porn comes in all shapes in sizes–novels, photos, magazines, sculptures, animations, sound recordings, films, videos, and even video games. Likewise, different “genres” of porn can attract a variety of different audiences, such as hardcore, softcore, or fetish porn. The porn industry is widespread, international, and successful, but be careful when finding porn over the internet.

Although many people will often shun the idea of porn as wild, vile, and gross, this form of entertainment encourages healthier relationships and releases stress and anxiety, all in the comfort of your own room or bed. In fact, many primetime television dramas include more pornographic elements than we realize. With so many different varieties of porn, individuals will most likely find a particular piece that interests them, and be able to utilize it to grow and mature, both physically and mentally.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be miserable or annoying. With porn, you can share and express your emotions, and be satisfied with being alone.

If you’re sharing a room, you will have to endure any strange smells of your roommate. If you’re a guy and you’re sharing a room with another member of the male species, hopefully you have a roommate with OCD. However, some females have been known to keep quite the gross room, with some even worse than a room of two males combined. Sometimes, roommates may even blend smells, which could result in an even more ghastly odor. If you’re lucky and have an apartment like I do, you are, hopefully, only haunted by your own personal smells.

Not only do smells permeate your personal bedrooms, but they can travel with you to other places as well. As a freshman in Southwest Hall, I would be presented with familiar smells of burnt popcorn and ramen noodles. In the residence halls, most of the vents are conncted, so anything that happens in your room can possibly end up on the floor below you.

Let’s take a sample bathroom, where there has just been a huge party last night, and all your friends came back drunk. You know, for a fact, that the windowless water closet will not be enough solace for those smells of dirty cologne, body spray, alcohol, and natural body odor mixed together. Every press of the Lysol aerosol can doesn’t seem to have any positive effect, and you’re left with the lingering smell of the night before on the morning after. Experiences like these are exactly why you came to college.

Besides the familiar smells of the dining hall and the sweat after an intense gym workout (or a day or two without showering), a surprising fragrance at a typical college that one doesn’t really realize is flatulence, or natural gas. Everyone does it, even girls. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t or won’t happen. This “cutting of the cheese” not only smells wrong, but provides another example of the offensive double standard. For example, if a girl passes gas, men will regard her as disgusting or vulgar. But if a guy passes gas, women will say the same, but won’t regard him as distasteful because typical guys will pass gas and laugh about it together.It’s hilarious for a few seconds after the joke of an embarrassing incident in class, but after the punch line, you’ll be left with much more than a laugh.

In my personal experience, I’ve had more than 3 guys walk into my room and let it all out, to which I’ve shown them a taste of their own medicine. There are so many methods, and people have their own ways of dealing with them. Nonetheless, no one should have to endure the unpleasant odor of a silent but deadly stench, or the attention of a loud and putrid stink.

College is supposed to advocate the freedoms of youth in education and lifestyle, but one thing’s for sure: if you smell or feel like letting out a big one, be considerate of the students around you, or wait until you can safely reach a bathroom or an large, empty area.

In any case, make sure to empty your garbage occasionally and practice good hygiene. If you don’t care what about anyone else around you will think about your body odor, be concerned about your own health and well-being, because you don’t know when simple body odor may be the symptom of something worse.

Many college students, and even high school students, granted the freedom of lifestyle and body image, will take the opportunity to decide their own fashions and appearances, including the popular arts of tattoos and body piercings. Personally, I’ve considered the idea of having an iconic image that pretty much illustrates my values and beliefs. A peace sign? Chuck Norris? A little heart? The list goes on. However, after discussing and deliberating on the idea, I’ve come to the decision that if I am ever convicted of a crime or in a cat fight, the idea of any historic body landmarks would rule against my favor.

On the other hand, tattoos and body piercings both can be a thrilling adventure of spunk and sass. An individual gets the excitement of having a part of their identity imprinted onto their body, and the mystery of having one in an unusual place adds to the glamour.

In some cultures, tattoos are common and may be required, such as eyebrow and arm tattoos, for religious or spiritual reasons. There have also been cases of tattoos being utilized for cosmetic applications.

During my research on tattoos, I stumbled across an interesting subcategory: UV tattooing. I reasoned that, with a UV tattoo, it would be unnoticeable unless under a blacklight. However, there are still unknown medical complications that may be dangerous due to the applications, and I threw the idea out the window.

Tattoos depend on the resiliency and dexterity of the skin to allow pigments of color, and many tattoos may lead to infections and diseases that can be transmitted by blood through needles. In any case, if one wanted to remove a tattoo, there would be additional risks involved. Body piercings, another type of body modification, allow people to show off creative or expensive pieces of jewelry, and can range from 3 in the ear to one in the stomach.

There have been piercings in almost all places of the body. Many believe a piercing in a body part that includes cartilage will prove more grueling than in a typical place, such as the earlobes. Nevertheless, having a piercing in any body part will require high maintenance, or the punctures from the piercings will lead to infection. If the puncture is isolated and ignored for a considerable amount of time, it may close up and another puncture may need to be required.

In some extreme cases, body piercings are accompanied along with larger gauge rings that are placed in stretched punctures. This idea, called stretching, is becoming more well-known, but has been prevalent in primitive cultures for some time. In this subcategory of piercing, the puncture is usually in the earlobes and are slowly stretched until of desired size.

These body modifications, along with a few others, can be an expression of oneself for aesthetic and artistic purposes, or part of cultural and spiritual customs. Nonetheless, these modifications give us a surprising look at how far an individual can stretch, skew, and change their body for the sake of their community and environment, and what other modifications to our body can be found in the future.

If you decide to get a tattoo or a body piercing, beware of the risks and consequences. Your body can look good externally, but without proper treatment, it may influence internal structures and ultimately be
more harmful than “hella dope.”

Gift giving is a subject matter that struggles in the mind of many college students. True, there are the endowed college students who have no trouble purchasing nice gifts at all, but for the rest of us, we do not have the option of spending precious time to spend our non-existent money.

Ideally, one wants to spend the less money and receive more gifts. Who doesn’t like getting gifts? I know I do. Here are the dilemmas we often face when giving and receiving gifts: A) You have a friend who you are acquainted with, but are not close to. What do you give them? B) You are short on money this year and cannot afford to spend too much money on gifts, but your friends already insinuated to have spent a lot more on you this year.

In giving gifts, the easiest way out seems to be giving gift cards. These little sheets of plastic can contain up to $100 or more, and is a simple way to portion out your grateful thanks. However, it is only what it is – an emotionless piece of plastic. In some cases, gift cards are appropriate, such as for prizes in raffles or a last-minute resort. Yet, these small cards usually end up in wallets, unused and neglected. To me, gift cards say: “I thought about it, but not as hard as I could have.”

On the extreme opposite, you get the uniquely original gifts, where you spend time to produce a self-made creation. With a few ingredients or materials from the corner store, you are able to fashion a meaningful gift, with the sacrifice of precious time that could’ve been utilized with studying for that final on Monday. Sometimes, it is possible to produce a gift that is still meaningful but quick and simple, given that you have to think creatively and efficiently beforehand about what your project entails.

For gift ideas for your acquaintances, a simple gift of holiday treats and cheer go a long way. For instance, a small stocking filled with candy canes, mint chocolates, and a joyful message shows them they are appreciated. And it doesn’t hurt (too much) to have a few snacks while in a boring early morning class. If getting treats are way too of a hassle for you, consider just simply making your own holiday cards. A regular piece of printer paper can be a canvas to a magnificent and meaningful masterpiece.

Now comes the ordeal of giving gifts that equal to or is greater than the value of a certain gift you’ve received. Maybe the recipient is not as significant as a friend to you as you are to them, or maybe you just can’t provide a gift justas sweet because you spent your last few bucks on the peppermint mocha at the Calaveras Coffee Shop. Remember that if your relationships are true, your friends will not be tooconcerned with receiving a present that is worth more than their current cell phone bill. Gifts are given not to prove your wealth or your apparent goodwill at heart, but for a genuine appreciation for the recipients.

If you surely believe that the recipient does not deserve a gift worthy of your time and money, then do not feel obligated to return the favor. You have the right to refuse to give someone a gift, and there is no reason why you would be committed to give a gift out of duty. Granted, some people use this idea to their advantage, abusing it by only receiving gifts and never returning the favor. In this case, that person does not deserve the gifts of your goodwill.

If you are stuck as to how to plan your holiday giving, start with a simple list of people you intend to give a gift to, as well as another list, of acquaintances and “optional” people who you might not be so sure about. Next, allot appropriate gifts for each person, taking into consideration their interests as well as your budget. Here are a few original gift ideas to get your mind going:

• Magazine subscriptions – these are overlooked, but provide a full year of pleasant reading and advertising, usually for a lower price around the holidays

• “Coupons”/ rainchecks of later dates – A written promise of that visit to BJ’s you both have been craving

Buying clothing for a significant other or a loved one could be considered a no-no in some cases, but if they have vocally expressed a desire for an article of clothing, a good surprise could work in your favor. Otherwise, do not let your guilt force you into spoiling anyone with their wish list of indulgences. If they cannot afford the $500 Gucci watch, then that’s their problem, not yours. If worse comes to worse, there’s always after the winter break, which gives you at least three weeks to think of an appropriate gift, or just give them a few of your goodies that you purchased on your spree at the Grove. Worry about those finals at 8:00 a.m. in the morning, and you’ll have more time later to think of thoughtful holiday gifts for your loved ones. Have a merry winter, and happy holidays!

See,  nowadays,  everyone  has  a  cell  phone,  a Facebook  account,  a  computer,  and  cable 
television.  It  seems  that  our  society  is  slowly  becoming  more and more like what science fiction wants us to believe. Perhaps they’re correct? Perhaps that Blackberry phone that you’re using is actually a device used by aliens? We may  never  know. Nevertheless,  these machines  keep changing, but they still hold the same purpose: to turn us into mush.

Technology is always growing. When you open the newspaper  or  turn  on  the  television,  you  hear  about the  latest cure for cancer, the newest nanotechnology trend that is smaller than your thumb, or the brand new iPhone  that  just came out an hour  ago. Are  students too settled on the convenience and comfort from these technical gadgets?

I,  for one,  can  say  that  I  cannot  live without my cell phone. I remember back to my middle school years when cell phones still were the large, bulky cell phones that  were  cousins  of   our  land  line  home  phones.  I received my frst  cell  phone  during  high  school,  and was married to it until I received my second and current phone in college. Even then, it was a hasty and horrible divorce. I cannot imagine our society without cell  phones—what  if   someone was  stranded  on  the highway? And no texting? Oh, the woes!

Consequently, the internet has grown—horizontally. There  hasn’t  really  been  a major  breakthrough  with computers,  with  the  exception  of   laptops,  external hard drives, supercomputers, thin computers, but there are more  sites, more  downloads, more  scandals,  and more nerds.

The  nerds,  the  ones  who  will  rule  the  next generation,  and  the  next,  and  the  next. The  internet is such a wide and encompassing place, but  there are so many  ideas and thoughts and dirty works that you would be surprised to see what goes on in the underbelly of   the  internet. Anyways,  these nerds  subconsciously rule  our world. They  fashion  topics  around  tabloids, create  scandals,  produce  games,  come  out  with  the same product but with a more “updated” version, and they feed our curiosity. Without  nerds,  nothing would  be  as  fun  as  it  is today. But is it really that much better?

With  so many  new  programs  and  thingamabobs and  doodads, we  could  ultimately  be  in  store  for  an apocalypse of  sorts. As I text one-handedly to a friend about the weekend, I cannot help but wonder if  I really feel more educated and satisfied knowing how to text with  one  hand  or  not. One  the  one  hand, my  daily hobbies  range  from checking Facebook constantly  to doing the daily crossword. On the other, I have my cell phone, texting away at a rate of  96 letters per minute. I guess that, although people don’t know it, nerds are  secretly  ruling  the  world.

They  can  crash  our computer  at  the  click  of   a  button,  establish  a  new technical product that will astound and ensnare us, and eventually render us useless to the active capabilities of  our bodies. With the arrival of  new hybrid cars, or the Blackberry Storm, for example, people flock like sheep to grab their own livelihood.

So  far,  they’ve  created  machines  such  as automobiles,  computers,  phones,  pretty much  all  the fun machines you can think of  in your house or in the residence hall. What could they think of  next? Granted,  technology  has  also  created  wonderful devices  such  as  solar  power  and  digital  objects,  but would these be necessary if  we didn’t create the other devices to begin with?

Nerds rule the world, and there’s no way of  stopping them.  I  can’t  stop  playing  Tetris  on  my  calculator, checking  my  email  everyday,  or  walk  five  miles  to the  nearest  Target  without  public  transportation. Just  because  you  see  nerds  as  puny  little  dorks with glasses  and  extreme  acne,  doesn’t  mean  they  can’t think of  the most creative, funniest jokes or the most lethal weapons. Whether you  like  it or not, nerds are important, so treat them well, because you never know when they’ll attack.

As a woman who transitioned into a group of friends who were mostly female to a group of friendswho were mainly male, I can safely say that people are capable of maintaining platonic relationships, which are sometimes even better than the bond between friends of the same gender. However, platonic relationships usually fail.

Most people are not capable of having platonic relationships because they treat the opposite sex as a physical attraction rather than a good friend, which is why so few platonic relationships exist. Most of the time, problems arise when men see women as sexual objects, and women overanalyze the relationship. In addition, our inherent desires to “hook up” may be stronger than our desires to be “homies”.

As relationships grow, people may eventually end up more attracted and romantically involved. Many insist that there is no feasible way that a man and a woman can be good friends, that there will always be an attraction or the attraction will develop between the two. Don’t get disillusioned by romantic comedy flms! You can be attracted to a good friend of the opposite sex, but that doesn’t mean you should consider getting into bed with them.

A main reason why people become friends at all is because of the initial attraction. A woman can be attracted to a man because of his honesty, humor, or manners, and a man can be attracted to a woman solely on her looks. Either way, a friendship starts with an attraction and may or may not end in mutual attraction.

To have a platonic relationship work, make sure you are honest. Let your friend know if you want to cross the “friend zone” barrier or not. There is no reason to constantly have to wonder whether there are any physical attractions or not. If there is an unbalanced attraction with one of the two people in the relationship, meaning one person likes the other person more than the other person likes them, then there can be a solution. To maintain a platonic relationship in this situation, the person with the extra attraction should work on accepting the boundaries in order to continue the relationship comfortably. If the relationship cannot be comfortable, then the platonic relationship does not have a pleasurable conclusion and will either delve into a romantic relationship or come to an end.

However, being vocal about the boundaries and limits of the relationship in the beginning will only strengthen platonic friendships. Platonic relationships thrive on the fact that each partner is able to fully comprehend the fact that there will never potentially be a romantic relationship. Platonic relationships can be benefcial, giving each gender different experiences and opinions of the opposite sex. The platonic relationship is more than just a physical relationship–partners understand the other person to a level where there can be spiritual and mental affection without the physical properties.

Sometimes these relationships take even longer to grow and develop than romantic relationships. Intimacy gained in a romantic relationship can transfer into platonic relationships, as long as there is ample respect and trust for each other. At times, the intimacy gained within a platonic relationship is stronger than the one gained in a romantic relationship, and platonic relationships can ultimately last longer because of the lack of obligations and responsibilities of romantic relationships.

Understand the challenges and the risks involved with platonic relationships; your peers may tease and taunt your relationship, but if you give each other enough space, limit physical interaction, and most importantly, be honest, then the friendship will last. Without honesty, maturity, or a strong will to maintain the relationship as platonic, the friendship will slowly disintegrate, and you could lose a good friend.