All poker face

[Homey]

I smile to everybody. Always have and hopefully always will. A smile is a wonderful gift. It can be given infinitely and you never lose anything, in fact your smile grows. If you are having a particularly challenging day, a simple smile can help you break the funk.

The crap about protecting yourself and poker face is all BS. You will not lose a damn thing if you simply smile. You might even help complete strangers get through their day and there's a chance they could pass that smile onto another person. Life is not that bad. We can poker face, or smile at our experiences. One leads to more poker face and a gloomy existence, while the other is the path to happiness and helping others.

I love smiling at the grumpy locals, they don't know how to react. Most just pretend to ignore me but it breaks the stare. Once in awhile there's a person that doesn't take themselves and their drama so seriously and actually smile back.

[bismarck]

IMO the expressions on the faces of old people, those you are talking about, are no poker faces, au contraire, they are quite open and show a mixture of emptiness and unhappiness.

Have you considered that you may just be projecting?

[touduke]

IMO the expressions on the faces of old people, those you are talking about, are no poker faces, au contraire, they are quite open and show a mixture of emptiness and unhappiness.

Have you considered that you may just be projecting?

I haven't, but since I'm neither empty nor unhappy and my facial expression is open and shows the real me (like "intelligent and optimistic") I think you are pointing in the wrong direction, something you do a lot, bismarck.

[TheGingerMan]

IMO the expressions on the faces of old people, those you are talking about, are no poker faces, au contraire, they are quite open and show a mixture of emptiness and unhappiness.

Have you considered that you may just be projecting?

I haven't, but since I'm neither empty nor unhappy and my facial expression is open and shows the real me (like "intelligent and optimistic")

How does one look "intelligent & optimistic"?
Surely: why would even try to look same?
As, it is patently obvious to all but the fixated visual poseurs, that one acts intelligent and optimistic; one does not look it, except perhaps as a trickle on down side effect.

~~~~~

I think you are pointing in the wrong direction, something you do a lot, bismarck.

Now, there's a massive projection if there ever was one, coming from a poster that spews forth such unrelenting hyperbole about Taiwan, and its folk.

[tommy525]

As inscribed on the face of a rock in Hawaii " Smile it no breaka da face" . Go ahead and smile but be aware the locals may think you may be a sandwhich short of a picnic but you dont care right?

[antarcticbeech]

IMO the expressions on the faces of old people, those you are talking about, are no poker faces, au contraire, they are quite open and show a mixture of emptiness and unhappiness.

Have you considered that you may just be projecting?

I haven't, but since I'm neither empty nor unhappy

touduke, with respect, you are the most comprehensively depressing poster on this forum. I'll leave it there.

[touduke]

antarticbeech, sorry that my happiness depresses you. Could it be a reflection of your own misery?

[antarcticbeech]

antarticbeech, sorry that my happiness depresses you. Could it be a reflection of your own misery?

According to the lol coefficient I am the third happiest poster on forumosa, after ChewDawg and zender. But I question ChewDawg's sanity, so maybe I'm second.

My life is pretty good at the moment. Right now I'm sitting at a cafe watching people walk and cycle past - students, mostly - and waiting for a friend to come and join me. Surfin the flob, making fun on the fbook. Taking a few snaps. I like my job, although I don't work a great deal. I like my students. I like my girlfriend's family. I'm healthy.

And I LOVE Taiwan's long summer. Can't wait to hit the mountains on my bike in the heat.

[touduke]

antarticbeech, sorry that my happiness depresses you

so, all good - but why do you evade my question?

[antarcticbeech]

antarticbeech, sorry that my happiness depresses you

why do you evade my question?

Your question just doesn't make any sense. If I go to your profile I can see that your most active topic is 'Why do so many Taiwanese speak English to foreigners' wherein you complain about being spoken to in English. I understand your reasons - you want to be treated like a local because you have been here so long - but a lot of your posts have this negative tone, like in the 'Taiwan 3rd Happiest Nation in Asia' thread. And again in this thread. So I therefore reject your claim to happiness. (gotta keep working on that coefficient )

By comparison I see my most active topic is 'Word Association' in the Fun and Games forum. I also like sticking me pictures on here.

Ok! You got me there!

Back on topic...I think the poker face is just the default expression of humanity. People complain about 'blank faces' in sunny Australia, so I don't think Taiwan has any monopoly on it. The vast majority of people I see everyday are commuting, so they're either going to work or coming home tired. Not exactly a recipe for smiles is it? I think every city would be the same.