A Handful of Dates in One

Some people are quite sceptical about speed dating, but I have to admit, I'm not one of them. That's not to say that I'm a regular speed dater, but I have been a couple of times and enjoyed the nights (with a little thanks to a glass of wine and cocktail or two).

Most recently, a couple of friends and I went to an Asian speed dating event in the City. Whilst on our way to the venue, we took a little detour to a small, secluded bar, where we shared a bottle of rose - a little dutch courage was much needed. An hour of chit chat and an empty bottle of wine later, we made the short walk to the next bar, not quite sure what to expect for the rest of the night. What the three of us definitely didn't expect was an almost empty area with approximately eight guys, one of whom wasn't even Asian. In an attempt not to let the lack of daters discourage us, we walked towards the host with a smile on our face and an appreciation for the wine that had already taken effect. Once we'd registered and stood by the bar with cocktails in hand, we looked around the room nervously. Let the speed dating commence...

The Cutie
I was pleasantly surprised when the only good looking guy out of the group came and sat opposite me as we were told to sit at our numbered tables. After introducing ourselves to each other, we had a brief conversation about what we do and quickly moved on to more interesting topics, like travelling and our mutual desire to attempt spontaneous holidays, but the need to plan every minute detail taking over. The three minutes originally allocated to each date soon seemed to pass and I realised the organiser must be extending the time due to the shortage of attendees - thankfully, in this case, that wasn't a bad thing and continued to talk at ease. As the bell rang, indicating that our 'date' was over, he gave me a smile and moved on to the next table.

The Freshie
As soon as he sat down opposite me, I couldn't help but return his cheerful smile. I noticed the Indian accent when he introduced himself, and though this would usually be quite a turn off for me, I found myself enjoying listening to him speak. Perhaps this had something to do with my new found love for India following my recent trip out there. We spoke about the differences between life in the East and West and when I mentioned my desire to spend more time in Mumbai, his face instantly lightened up. "Right, that's it. Let's do this now - what's your number?" he said in his distinct accent, his smile even bigger than when he first sat down. I was a bit taken back and was about to tell him that I wasn't going to give him my phone number, when I realised he meant my 'date' number instead. When he saw the 2 on my card, he noted this down and wiggled his head in excitement, just a few seconds before the bell rang again.

The Host
Another speed date later, the bell rang twice, indicating a short break for some canapes and a trip to the bar before the next round of dates. Whilst making our way through a bowl of chips, we were approached by the host who came to ask if we were having a good time. "Yes," we replied, and then followed this with a lighthearted remark on the lack of attendance. Fortunately he didn't take us too seriously and as we continued with our alcholol led teasing about the night's crowd, we managed to convince him to buy us a round of drinks to compensate for the poor turnout. Whilst at the bar, we learned that he was single himself and it made me contemplate the advantages of organising an event like this - afterall, at the end of the night, he's the one who's going to have all our numbers and he didn't even have to go through any awkward dates. Quite a clever idea actually..

The Ghora
For reasons unknown, I've always found myself drawn to the non-Asians in a group and tonight was no different. With an odd number of girls and guys, I was left date-less during one round and was soon joined by a friend of the organiser. I don't quite remember what we talked about now, but I do remember laughing quite a bit during the date. Perhaps because there was less pressure on either side and thus the conversation was more friendly banter than a question and answer session where each was judging the other. In hindsight, I would've preferred another ten minutes with him, than the date that was to follow.

The One Who Wouldn't Leave
"Ask me anything you want", was his opening line. He then quickly introduced himself and looked at me expectantly. "Ask me a question then", he repeated. Not one to usually be lost for words, I struggled to come up with a question and for the first time, I was grateful for the card we were asked to fill out at the beginning of the night. Along with our name and a few other details about ourselves, we had to list what one item we would take with us if we were on a desert island. My item was a book - an original answer in comparison to almost everyone else's choice of a satellite phone. "What's your item?" I asked, expecting the same answer as I had been getting all night. "A book", he replied. "Me too!" I said excitedly, and rather surprised. He then went on to explain his love for spiritual books and his most recent read which had helped him to understand why he was here on this earth. When he finally stopped talking, he looked at me and smiled again, "Ask me another question", he said. This went on for another six minutes and when the bell finally rang for the last time that night, I sighed in relief. Unfortunately, "Mr. Ask me a Question" had no intention of moving from his seat and continued to explain to me what sort of oil and gas projects his company was currently working on. It wasn't until after I stood up and picked up my drink, that he finally quietened down.

At the end of the night, I realised that I hadn't actually ticked any boxes and quickly replayed the evening's dates. There were some that had left no lasting impression on me, and so were forgotten as soon as our time was up, but others which I clearly remembered - for good reasons and bad! I looked at the card in my hand and checked a couple of boxes decidedly- we'll just have to wait and see if the feeling was mutual...