Comedian Tim Hawkins has a wonderful musical video including the line, 'If you're a man who wants to live a long and happy life, these are the things you don't say to your wife'. It gives an arguably helpful guide to keeping one's spouse happy. In similar vein, here is sample of things CMF doesn't recommend, based on prior experience of CMF students in Scotland.

in Christian life

Although frequently romanticised, 'flirt to convert' is not a helpful tool in bringing people to Christ. Unfortunately, this method tends to make the person flirting seem more attractive, rather than the gospel. Missionary dating doesn't work, no matter how cute that guy/gal with you on placement is (I can personally warn against this one.) Try inviting them to the next CMF Christmas/Easter/outreach event. On a side note, if they're already converted, then flirt away; Christian pick-up lines are well known for being the best way to bag yourself a godly husband/wife.

with CMF

It's not a good idea to invite the CMF to watch a film, if you don't know what it's about. In the first year, I attended a CMF social to get to know the older years. We watched a film, vaguely medically related. If you're looking for an uncharacteristically bad rom-com meets drama, Restless (2011) is the one for you. Warning: spoiler alert. Enter the story of a boy who deals with his depression by going to the funerals of strangers. In due course, he meets a girl dying of cancer, and in true rom-com fashion, a relationship begins. A story beginning that way, has only one inevitable ending. So far, so Fault in Our Stars.

The twist is the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot who flits in and out of the story with no obvious connection or explanation. That, and the recurring imagery of a water-bird which is clearly supposed to be symbolic, but what it symbolises is never clarified. The film left us all utterly bemused, both with what we had watched, and how to react. Had it been tongue in cheek, it might have been funny, but it was purely bewildering, and honestly, just bad.

Lesson — know what you're getting yourself in for, before you begin (and before you go to see Red Sparrow with your grandmother — yikes!). (On the other hand, if you want a half-decent film to watch with CMF friends, Gattaca (1997) is a thought-provoking exploration of a world of genetic engineering.)