tristanism ver3

the three-strike rule: once the third strike comes, its time to change my position (like the character of Mustafa of Will Ferrell on Austin Powers, where he had to be asked the same question thrice before he gives the answer)

ok, this is something hard to explain because its a case to case basis. so let's start with examples.

Civil Procedure
there was a time during the semester the professor gave me chances to get a decent grade on my recitations on her class. how many chances? three in all. i tried not to drop the subject, thinking i can pass it. but for some reason, i gave some weight on the three recitations, which was more of, three chances. and these recitations made me reconsider on my position that i will not drop the subject as much as possible. i construed the third time i failed on the recitation as a sign that im out of the game. third strike im out. to get a fourth strike would just make me sink deeper. and the chances of trying to erase those three strikes is so small, that it would be a very big risk to continue. add to the fact that the work load is making me crazy and stressing me out.

Haircut
it took three hints from my professor and three playful remarks from my blockmates referring to the professor's hints, before i decided to get my haircut. first is when the professor suggested during class that if my classmate fails to get the right answer, i will have my haircut. second is when he told a story of an applicant who had long hair only to be asked by the interviewer to have his hair cut. the third is when it was my turn to recite, and again took notice of my hair, joking that the barbershop is calling me. as for my blockmates, three of them made comments on the comments of the professor on my messy hair (all in separate instance of course, that's part of the 3-strike rule, it has to be separate and distinct instances). if only leni was able to raise the right to a messy hair before, i would have invoked that. anyway, by the third hint and comments, actually that would amount to six, i decided to have my hair cut.

Finals
(mentioned on my blog entry below...took three messages, one YM, two SMS before i changed my position from March30 to April 10)

Not sure if the examples clarified it but basically the three strike rule is taking three things or instances together, and having the effect of making me change my position come the third "strike". why the change? because i construe the three as signs that i have to reconsider something. why three? like baseball, im out only on the third strike. it means, by the time ive reached the third strike, i've already dug a deep grave for myself, a fourth strike would just make it deeper and would make it hard for me to get out. so before it gets any deeper, i better change my position. its like, three is the limit. one strike can be ignored, two strikes is still a bit acceptable but must be a cause for concern, and the third strike is the point where, it will be tolerated but one more and "you're a dead man".

so in the three examples, when i applied the 3-strike rule:
Example one: drop the subject
Example two: cut your hair
Example three:choose april 10

of course, it was explicit on the second example, and implicit on example one and three, especially on three (it requires interpretation). that is why i chose the three examples, all of them are different, and like i said, the 3-strike rule is a case to case basis thing. of course, its not all negative. it could be positive. example, for a guy to go for a girl, he may apply the three strike rule. if a girl does something in three separate and distinct instances that he construes as positive signs (whatever this means or whatever these are, its up to you...go nuts trying to think of examples...like she has a "wouldn't it be nice" ringtone, she's seen this movie by phoebe cates, she wants a partner in crime, etc), by the time the girl does the third sign, in comes the third strike, so he would have to change his position from being passive to active in trying to establish a romantic relationship between them.

anyway, its hard to really explain this, even i find it confusing.