so, the bosphorus. good food, check. manageable price, check. absence of waiting line, check. hot date, to be confirmed.
there's more ambiance in the bosphorus than you imagine the owner could afford, and less privacy than you can, considering all the tables are between sneezing distance of each other. nevertheless, there is not much room for complains, as there is no complaint form to begin with.
as you are engaging the lawyer in conversation, and are just about able to phase out the background noise to get into the mood of the situation... a seedy waiter appears. unlike your usual wandering monster, there is no saving throw for this encounter, and you are prompted to place an order. considering you spent no time reading the menu, and all of it reading the lawyer's eyes, now would be a good time to eyeball some possible options for dinner. you stall for time, as you order a tall glass of vimto:
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Thursday 10 December 2009
Tuesday 8 December 2009
18
bright lights, big city, that's where i want to be. sign me up for everything excluding the lines outside every major restaurant in sight and mind. excluding the waiting lists on every possible eatery and cafe. excluding the 'we're full' signs hung upon the doors of the quaintest eat-ins. the prospect of finding a suitable first-date dining location could only be harder on christmas eve. in a snowstorm. at the north pole.
and as your mind digresses in the multitude of levellic directions it takes when you're anxious and slightly hypoglycaemic, you realise that you're every bit the uncanny little devil who could sell high heels to the lady who lives in a shoe. time to get creative, before your date realises you're just winging it - and your latent mind suggests a nice eatery a couple of blocks down, at the corner of 54th and bennet.
hmmm, recalling, recalling. one of those middle-eastern places. can't really place the name...
the name is somewhat elusive, start's with an 'e' and sounds a bit arabic. or something like that. maybe an 'al-' something? or 'el-' something?
argh, this is annoying, how are you supposed to suggest a place if you can't even remember its name?
when suddenly, it hits you:
'bosphorus'. your voice sounds strangely baritoned as the word leaves your mouth, when you realise that your date has spoken, syllable for syllable in sync with you. now staring at you, as you are at him, contemplating the fact that the both of you had the same idea in mind:
holy shitballs, jesus, the psychic hotline called and the zerg want their hive-mind back!
and as your mind digresses in the multitude of levellic directions it takes when you're anxious and slightly hypoglycaemic, you realise that you're every bit the uncanny little devil who could sell high heels to the lady who lives in a shoe. time to get creative, before your date realises you're just winging it - and your latent mind suggests a nice eatery a couple of blocks down, at the corner of 54th and bennet.
hmmm, recalling, recalling. one of those middle-eastern places. can't really place the name...
the name is somewhat elusive, start's with an 'e' and sounds a bit arabic. or something like that. maybe an 'al-' something? or 'el-' something?
argh, this is annoying, how are you supposed to suggest a place if you can't even remember its name?
when suddenly, it hits you:
'bosphorus'. your voice sounds strangely baritoned as the word leaves your mouth, when you realise that your date has spoken, syllable for syllable in sync with you. now staring at you, as you are at him, contemplating the fact that the both of you had the same idea in mind:
holy shitballs, jesus, the psychic hotline called and the zerg want their hive-mind back!
Thursday 3 December 2009
17
ah, the cinema. the place where magic happens. escapism in its finest for the modern (wo)man, which even caters for the moodiest flavour of the months - tragedy? drama? sci-fi? horror? maybe even a bit of comedy? or, god forbid, romance? it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the visual and auditory, at probably a fifth of the price. what's not to love?
as you unerringly dash through the crowd, you notice that your the banker is falling behind, probably due to him not being as much the city-boy as you are the -girl. without a moment's hesitation, you grab his hands and lead him through the crowd, darting between the odd couples and sidestepping the families you know would only take longer than expected to get to the front of the line. spilled popcorn? overstepped those. unheedingly and inappropriately embracing couples? dodged those. it's like vietnamese minefield to which only you know the potholes and safe-routes.
and after what seems only moments, you are at that special place where everyone who goes to the movies without prior plans ends up - the big screens of movie lists. unbeknownst to yourself, though, you have made such a bold progression for the night, and you look up to the banker, raising your eyebrows towards the screen as if to suggest that he should at least peruse them. which is when you realise that you still have your fingers interlocked with is, and against all your suggestions to take a look at the movie-list, he is lost and caught examining something else - the infinitesimal depths of your eyes.
which is probably for the worst, actually, as at the precise moment, the other people in the crowd are steadily pushing the two of you closer and closer together. without the greatest efforts of resistance, there is no doubt in your mind that you would end up having a more physical encounter than you would prefer - something that he obviously senses (what is this guy, spiderman?) as he shifts his body so as not to face yours, and casually takes a look at the screens.
'so, what movie are you in the mood for?' he asks, and you realise that you're not even sure what's showing. the screens change to reveal the list of potential movies that are, which you let roll a few times as you ponder your answer:
1. 'the curse of doctor horrible': cheesy third-grade horror movies are always a sure bet on sizing up your first date. easy on the brain, contingency escape reason should shi* hit the fan, sounds like a winner.
2. 'indiana jones and the death of a prophet': action and adventure, ehhhh. if your date sucks, at least harrison ford (hopefully) won't. only downside is that it's three and a half hours long and nobody wants to be stuck in a dark, noisy, secluded place with someone they might end up thinking very much lesser of.
3. 'ancestors and the righteous': chinese dubbed social drama. one for the indies.
4. 'amy's ends': love story and chick-flick. probably a good test on your date's initial response to compromise. but at what risk?
5. 'a day in galatasary': odd name for a comedy, but it has robin williams and ashton kutcher, hmmm. sounds a bit dodgy but you can't really go wrong with a bit of slapstick and a lot of yelling, right?
6. 'sweet elbonian artisan jesus': a social commentary and low-budget documentary. think michael moore on anti-depressants.
7. 'the culling of stratholme': you're not sure about this one; tear jerker meets psychological thriller meets supernatural twister. directed by m. night. syamalan, though, so i guess it's a hit or miss choice. are you a gambling person?
as you unerringly dash through the crowd, you notice that your the banker is falling behind, probably due to him not being as much the city-boy as you are the -girl. without a moment's hesitation, you grab his hands and lead him through the crowd, darting between the odd couples and sidestepping the families you know would only take longer than expected to get to the front of the line. spilled popcorn? overstepped those. unheedingly and inappropriately embracing couples? dodged those. it's like vietnamese minefield to which only you know the potholes and safe-routes.
and after what seems only moments, you are at that special place where everyone who goes to the movies without prior plans ends up - the big screens of movie lists. unbeknownst to yourself, though, you have made such a bold progression for the night, and you look up to the banker, raising your eyebrows towards the screen as if to suggest that he should at least peruse them. which is when you realise that you still have your fingers interlocked with is, and against all your suggestions to take a look at the movie-list, he is lost and caught examining something else - the infinitesimal depths of your eyes.
which is probably for the worst, actually, as at the precise moment, the other people in the crowd are steadily pushing the two of you closer and closer together. without the greatest efforts of resistance, there is no doubt in your mind that you would end up having a more physical encounter than you would prefer - something that he obviously senses (what is this guy, spiderman?) as he shifts his body so as not to face yours, and casually takes a look at the screens.
'so, what movie are you in the mood for?' he asks, and you realise that you're not even sure what's showing. the screens change to reveal the list of potential movies that are, which you let roll a few times as you ponder your answer:
1. 'the curse of doctor horrible': cheesy third-grade horror movies are always a sure bet on sizing up your first date. easy on the brain, contingency escape reason should shi* hit the fan, sounds like a winner.
2. 'indiana jones and the death of a prophet': action and adventure, ehhhh. if your date sucks, at least harrison ford (hopefully) won't. only downside is that it's three and a half hours long and nobody wants to be stuck in a dark, noisy, secluded place with someone they might end up thinking very much lesser of.
3. 'ancestors and the righteous': chinese dubbed social drama. one for the indies.
4. 'amy's ends': love story and chick-flick. probably a good test on your date's initial response to compromise. but at what risk?
5. 'a day in galatasary': odd name for a comedy, but it has robin williams and ashton kutcher, hmmm. sounds a bit dodgy but you can't really go wrong with a bit of slapstick and a lot of yelling, right?
6. 'sweet elbonian artisan jesus': a social commentary and low-budget documentary. think michael moore on anti-depressants.
7. 'the culling of stratholme': you're not sure about this one; tear jerker meets psychological thriller meets supernatural twister. directed by m. night. syamalan, though, so i guess it's a hit or miss choice. are you a gambling person?
16
he's a very good conversationalist and more than compensates for your lack of an opening. you find out that he's working at a local branch of an international bank - was it hsbc? or barclays? can't really recall, but something big along those lines. he deals with stocks and shares and all that jazz, which, when he notices is not particularly in your field of interests, covertly shies away from the topic and asks you about yourself.
you tell him that you're still studying interior design, and you're enjoying it. nothing too spectacular to say for the time being. and you continue to trade questions and answers, taking every opportunity that you can spare during your own answering to assess his physical forthcomings.
you learn a lot of the banker (as you've now aptly dubbed him in your little black book) - eldest son of four, coming from a middle-class family. big but humble aspirations for work and personal life alike. new to the city, having transferred here from his hometown down south. all in all, the makings of quite the man.
donnie, what a catch.
as you both finish your drinks, do you,
1. offer to go to the cinema,
2. think it would be appropriate to get some dinner, as it's way past time and both of you are probably hungrier than the proverbial horses.
you tell him that you're still studying interior design, and you're enjoying it. nothing too spectacular to say for the time being. and you continue to trade questions and answers, taking every opportunity that you can spare during your own answering to assess his physical forthcomings.
you learn a lot of the banker (as you've now aptly dubbed him in your little black book) - eldest son of four, coming from a middle-class family. big but humble aspirations for work and personal life alike. new to the city, having transferred here from his hometown down south. all in all, the makings of quite the man.
donnie, what a catch.
as you both finish your drinks, do you,
1. offer to go to the cinema,
2. think it would be appropriate to get some dinner, as it's way past time and both of you are probably hungrier than the proverbial horses.
15
a simple thanks does more than you'd think it would (+1 romance points to your current score. if you have not met with a message such as this, you started out at 0 points, and currently have 1). he offers you one of the two sporks he has picked up, and you continue to enjoy the cake over an interestingly, elaborate conversation.
continue the conversation, here.
continue the conversation, here.
14
as you silently congratulate yourself on not being able to think up a more interesting conversation-starter, you find that it's not all that bad. he's a very good conversationalist and more than compensates for you lack of an opening. you find out that he's working at a local branch of an international bank - was it hsbc? or barclays? can't really recall, but something big along those lines. he deals with stocks and shares and all that jazz, which, when he notices is not particularly in your field of interests, covertly shies away from the topic and asks you about yourself.
you tell him that you're still studying interior design, and you're enjoying it. nothing too spectacular to say for the time being. and you continue to trade questions and answers, taking every opportunity that you can spare during your own answering to assess his physical forthcomings.
you learn a lot of the banker (as you've now aptly dubbed him in your little black book) - eldest son of four, coming from a middle-class family. big but humble aspirations for work and personal life alike. new to the city, having transferred here from his hometown down south. all in all, the makings of quite the man.
donnie, what a catch.
as you both finish your drinks, do you,
1. offer to go to the cinema.
2. think that, despite the bit of brownie you've had, you'd rather have something proper to eat.
you tell him that you're still studying interior design, and you're enjoying it. nothing too spectacular to say for the time being. and you continue to trade questions and answers, taking every opportunity that you can spare during your own answering to assess his physical forthcomings.
you learn a lot of the banker (as you've now aptly dubbed him in your little black book) - eldest son of four, coming from a middle-class family. big but humble aspirations for work and personal life alike. new to the city, having transferred here from his hometown down south. all in all, the makings of quite the man.
donnie, what a catch.
as you both finish your drinks, do you,
1. offer to go to the cinema.
2. think that, despite the bit of brownie you've had, you'd rather have something proper to eat.
13
ah, starbucks. the land of yuppichinos and chique-lattes. or something like that.
as you sit yourself down, at the table closest to the hot foods, you comfortably adjust your derriere to face the radiator such that you actually fell the sensation of your ass hitting the chair. considering the torrential downpour which has suddenly decided to pms outside, starbucks, with its abundance of body heat and lack of fresh air, was actually a good place to head to.
you smile curtly at your date as he asks if there's anything on your mind, or would you like to stare for a bit at the starbucks menu (seriously, who does this). deciding that you already know what you want, you tell him that you'll get your favourite drink, which is [something i can't pronounce, much less type out here].
unsurprisingly, he gets up and orders a drink for each of you, and even decides to get a piece of brownie. luckily, starbucks doesn't sell bittersweet-flavoured ones. in a few minutes, while you calm yourself down from the earlier excursion into adrenaline-land, he's sat opposite you and, having paid for everything, waves it off as you (half-heartedly) produce your purse from your handbag.
1. 'so, what do you do for a living?'
2. 'you like starbucks?'
3. 'thanks for the treat.'
4. again, smile as you unabashedly pick up one of the two sporks he's provided and take a small slice of the brownie.
as you sit yourself down, at the table closest to the hot foods, you comfortably adjust your derriere to face the radiator such that you actually fell the sensation of your ass hitting the chair. considering the torrential downpour which has suddenly decided to pms outside, starbucks, with its abundance of body heat and lack of fresh air, was actually a good place to head to.
you smile curtly at your date as he asks if there's anything on your mind, or would you like to stare for a bit at the starbucks menu (seriously, who does this). deciding that you already know what you want, you tell him that you'll get your favourite drink, which is [something i can't pronounce, much less type out here].
unsurprisingly, he gets up and orders a drink for each of you, and even decides to get a piece of brownie. luckily, starbucks doesn't sell bittersweet-flavoured ones. in a few minutes, while you calm yourself down from the earlier excursion into adrenaline-land, he's sat opposite you and, having paid for everything, waves it off as you (half-heartedly) produce your purse from your handbag.
1. 'so, what do you do for a living?'
2. 'you like starbucks?'
3. 'thanks for the treat.'
4. again, smile as you unabashedly pick up one of the two sporks he's provided and take a small slice of the brownie.
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