Being Funny vs Having a Sense of Humor – Are they the same thing?

We hear the phrase “sense of humor” a lot when describing people. People might ask if someone has a sense of humor or they might say someone who is funny has a good sense of humor. But is having a sense of humor the same thing as being funny? I would say that it is not and that they are two different things.

Having a sense of humor means you are able to understand and have an appreciation for humorous things. People who have a sense of humor may appreciate comedy and jokes and tend to look for the funny things in life. While these people enjoy humor, it does not necessarily mean they themselves are funny.

On the other hand, there are people who are considered funny. They are usually the people who are always trying to tell jokes and make people laugh. Funny people usually have a good sense of humor as it is necessary to come up with things that make people laugh. The only exception would be if someone did not have a sense of humor but was unintentionally funny, but this would be a rare situation.

To sum it up, funny people usually have a sense of humor, but people with a sense of humor are not necessarily funny. You can describe yourself as having a sense of humor even if you are not the kind of person to go out of your way to make people laugh.

The topic of finding someone to date and asking people out on dates

I have never really been the kind of guy who attracts a lot of girls, but over the years, there have been a few times where girls did ask me out on a date. Since they were rare occurrences and I still remember them, I thought I would write about what happened in these cases.

One day back when I was in 6^th grade, a girl in my class approached me and asked if I wanted to go out with her. I was surprised by the question as “going out” with someone was definitely something new to me and not really something I was ready for. Looking back on it as an adult, I was just a young kid at that time but I guess that is around the age when people start to develop those kinds of feelings.

When she asked, I felt kind of awkward and just said something like “I don't know.” or “I don't know if my parents will let me.” This was true and I wasn't even sure I was ready to jump into something like that at the time. Plus I did not really have any particular interest in this girl. I think she might have inquired about it once more but I just kind of brushed it off so nothing became of the situation.

Some years later when I was in high school I got an unexpected call from another girl I went to school with. She asked me if I told one of her friends to ask her out. I was really confused by what she said because I had no idea what she was talking about. I thought she thought I told one of her friends to ask her out on a date. I told her no, and she was like “Oh... Ok bye.”

Then like a minute later she calls back. This time she asks me directly if I want to go out with her. Unfortunately I was not interested in this girl either so hesitantly I said “Not really.” Again she was like “Ok. Bye.” I was still a bit confused by the whole situation. After thinking about it, I determined what had happened.

Most likely, her friend for whatever reason told her that I wanted to go out with her. I'm not sure why she would do that. I didn't even really know her friend. I think maybe she just thought she could be a matchmaker and set something like this up.

Looking back, I do feel kind of bad about it. This girl probably thought I was interested in her and she was going to get to go out with me only for me to reject her. It was not my fault though since the friend had lied to her. I hope she did not get too upset about it.

A couple years later we did end up in a class together and even had to do a small group project together. Needless to say, it was a bit awkward. Neither of us said anything about it. We managed to do the group project and everything turned out ok.

Those were the main times I was asked out in real life, but I have also been asked out via online dating websites. One in particular, a girl was kind of persistent with messaging me even after I told her I was not really interested. It's a shame that it seems whenever something like this happens, it is with someone I'm not interested in.

That is one of the things that makes finding someone to be in a relationship so difficult. You may find someone who you think is just perfect and matches with you in every way, but the problem is, they have to feel the same way in return and this rarely happens, at least in my experience.

I have not asked out many girls myself as I am pretty reserved and shy in real life. I have sent out messages on the dating sites expressing interest in girls I like but rarely do I get a response and in the few cases I do, they usually say they are not interested. It seems to be the running theme when it comes to trying to find someone to date.

Because of this, I find it hard to believe how so many people are actually in relationships and how so many people actually find people to date that are compatible. In my experience it is very rare to find someone who you like who also happens to like you in return. Maybe it is easier for some people than others. It could also be that a lot of people get into relationships with people who are actually not that compatible.

This looks to be true based on the number of people who break up, get divorced, or remain stuck in bad relationships. I think sometimes this happens and people just try to stick with it even if they are not happy for whatever reason. Maybe they have kids so they do not want to break up the family. Maybe they think their current relationship is their best chance and they will not be able to meet anyone else.

As a single person who is getting older, I am still picky about who I would consider getting into a relationship with. I'm not going to just go out with people for the sake of going out unless I feel there is a a strong level of compatibility and the potential for a good relationship. Up until this point I have not had much success, but I continue to keep the door open to potential relationships. It can be difficult but you never know when the right person might show up!

Skin Care Products Review – Washes, Cleansers, and Moisturizers

With the amount of skin care products on the market, it can really be overwhelming trying to find the best one that works for you. It can be even more difficult because everyone's skin is different and what works for someone else, may not necessarily work for you. Not to mention, it can be hard to know which reviews online you can trust.

Over the years I have tried and reviewed many skin care products to treat conditions such as oily skin and acne. Some worked better than others but I was still not satisfied with the results. So recently I decided to do some more research and try out some new skin care products that I had not tried yet. Below I will review each of these products.

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser – After years of using products marketed towards oily skin, I read that sometimes the face can actually produce more oil to compensate for being too dry. The solution recommended was to try a wash that is actually for dry skin. So I tried out this one by CeraVe which is for normal to dry skin.

With this cleanser, you can definitely tell it is more moisturizing and less oil stripping compared to some of the other products geared at oily skin. It has a mild scent and with a translucent white appearance. I found it did an ok job of cleaning the face and getting the oil off without overly drying it. Still, I feel like it does not really clean the pores quite deep enough. For winter months when the air is more dry, I will probably use this one more, but for the summer months when it is humid, I have only been using it sparingly when my skin gets too dry.

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser – This wash is marketed towards normal to oily skin. It is a light clear substance that is just a straight forward cleaner. It also has a mild scent like the CeraVe. This cleanser does do a pretty good job of cleaning away the oil but it can leave the skin a bit overly dry. I use this product every so often when my face is pretty clear in terms of acne, but still oily.

Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser / Mask – To help teat acne, I decided to try out this cleanser by Neutrogena. It contains benzoyl peroxide which I had not tried before but heard good things about it. It is a cream like substance that feels pretty refreshing on the face. It can be a little more harsh compared to some of the other cleansers, for example, they say to avoid the eyes when putting it on. I found it does a pretty good job at deep cleaning but it can dry out the skin so I only use this one once in a while when the acne is starting to act up. 

Up & Up Oil Free Acne Wash – I have reviewed this one in the past, but I wanted to make sure to include it on the list because it is another product I am still using and one that I tend to use frequently. It is a salicylic acid wash which is pretty much tried and true. It does a good job of cleaning the oil as well as helping to prevent acne. Like many of the other washes, it can be a little drying so I find it works well in combination moisturizers or sunscreen.

CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen – In the past I had been using a general sunscreen for the face, but I decided to try out this product which is a facial moisturizer as well as a sunscreen. It is a bit expensive compared to what I am used to spending on skin care products but I figured it was worth a try. Overall is seems to do a pretty good job at moisturizing as well as protecting from the sun. It can be a little hard to blend into the skin if you use too much, so I find applying as little at a time works best. I would probably get it again, but I will also keep an eye out for other products like this that are less expensive.

I hope these reviews help narrow down the search for the best skin care products. If you have any tips or other products you have had success with, feel free to leave a comment about them below!

Amazon Returns at Kohls Retail Stores – Trying out this new feature

Recently I had made a purchase on Amazon that did not meet my expectations. It had the option to return within 30 days for a refund so I decided to make a return. Upon seeing the return options, I noticed they had an option to make the return at a local Kohls retail store.

I thought this was pretty interesting, especially since it said they will do the packaging and cover the shipping, so really all you have to do is bring the item to the store and they will take care of everything. Seems easy enough, so I decided to try it out.

They send you an email with a QR code that you will need to bring with you so they can scan in the item at the store. I brought in the item and they were able to scan the code from my phone. I got a receipt with a tracking number and it was good to go! I had elected to have the refund credited to my Amazon account and within a few hours the credit was already issued!

They even gave a coupon for 25% off at Kohls for making the return which was nice because I had planned on doing a little shopping in store that same day. I think this is part of the reason they partnered with Amazon returns, to help drive more traffic to the stores and apparently it is working.

Overall I have been pleased with the services provided by Amazon recently from the locker delivery option to the Kohls retail store returns option. It looks like the Kohls returns are only available in select markets, but if it is available in your area, I highly recommended it based on this experience.

The Concept of Karma – Good Things Happen to Good People

If there is one thing I believe in, or at least hope is true, it is that good things happen to good people. This is similar to the concept of Karma where one's outcome is determined by what they do and the decisions they make. The idea being if you are a good person and do good things in your life, you will be rewarded or paid back in an equally positive way.

The same concept would apply the other way as well. For example if someone is bad and does bad things, bad things will happen to them and their life will be worse off in the future.

With Karma, the idea is that when you die, you are reincarnated in another form or another life and this is determined by who you were and what you did in your previous life. Now of course there is no concrete proof of this concept as we are not able to know what actually happens after death, but I think it is a good concept to keep in mind.

While the afterlife part of Karma may be theoretical, the real life effect of Karma is true and observable in every day life. When you do good things in your life by helping others, it makes you feel good and makes them feel good. This positivity can spread and come back to you in return. When you are good to others, it makes them want to be good towards you.

On the other hand, it is also very apparent when bad things happen to bad people in the form of justice and punishment. When people commit crimes and are caught by law enforcement, they are punished often by having to pay fines or do time in prison. People who do bad things also suffer the consequence of their actions in social settings as people may not want to associate with them anymore if they are doing things that are wrong.

Does this concept of Karma always work? Unfortunately not necessarily. Often times unexpected tragedy happens good people. The same things goes for the other side as well when bad people get away with doing things that are wrong or immoral. Real life Karma does not work 100% of the time as examples like these happen quite often.

Because of this, it would be nice if the concept of Karma in regards to afterlife were to turn out to be true. This way, everything would be evened out in the end and those who are good would be recognized while those who were bad and went unpunished would ultimately have to come to terms with their actions.