How to successfully organize a social networking event for ’single, busy professionals’

um…er…how to (un)successfully organize the above, rather. Here are 5 ways.

ONE

Announce and market the event to the correct target group i.e. single, busy, professionals, get their payment, and then do nothing to whet their interest after they pay. Don’t find out what they’d like to see in a social networking get-together. Don’t even think of calling them for a nice chat to find out if they’d be shy or hesitant to join any particular activity or ‘party games’ and get their ideas on what kind of fun activities they’d feel happy about. God forbid if you’re thinking of asking them about their experience with similar socials, especially if it’s getting them to tell you about their experience in one or two that they may have thought of as lovely, or executed nicely. What do these people know about social networking anyway? You’re the experts, aren’t you?

TWO

Once the people arrive at the event you organize, make sure you get their business cards and other contact information, point them to the bar to get their complimentary watered-down beer, and then LEAVE THEM TO MINGLE ABOUT BY THEMSELVES. Don’t introduce people to each other, don’t offer small facts that may be interesting e.g. “I’d like to introduce you to so-and-so, who’s also in the sports apparel industry,”. Don’t walk around among those sorry lot for ‘how-do-you-dos’; other people might think you’re one of them. Oh and for goodness’ sake don’t help them – especially the ones who really look like they’re painfully shy and just stands there by the corner, by himself or herself. Focus instead on sitting together with your fellow organizers, continue looking great and MAKE SURE you introduce your team as experts in organizing social networking events for single, busy professionals. They all know that they are losers anyway, these poor sods, that they’d even pay you GOOD money to meet other single, busy, professionals in a social setting.

THREE

If you have latecomers, especially people who arrive about one hour late than the planned time, because they were too busy to plan their work properly and leave the office earlier in order to meet your stipulated time, implement step TWO and be very pointed about them being late to YOUR event. MAKE SURE that you don’t have anyone on stand by at the front door or the restaurant entrance so that when these sorry sods arrive, they’d feel so embarrassed standing alone at the door, not sure where to go, that they’d learn their lesson and never be late again for YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKING event THAT THEY HAD PAID FOR EARLIER. The key here is to make them feel so unwelcome so that they’d remember to be on time next time.

FOUR

Halfway into the event, just as they begin to look rather comfortable (or less shy) with each other, intrrupt them to officially introduce yourself and your team, emphasizing again on your collective experience of running these shindigs. Then you hand out pencils and pieces of paper containing some senseless questions, incomplete sentences or empty boxes. Tell those sods that they need to go on a manic rush to get all answers or matches within a stipulated time (the shorter, the better. Try 45 seconds and cut it from there). Once this mad frenzy is finished, announce the ‘fastest’ and ’slowest’ networkers, applaud the one with the most completed answers and punish the slowest sod with some humilitating command. Get them to sing, say out a poem, gyrate their hips or something like that. The more embarrassing the task is, the better. It shows how much of an expert you are, because single, busy professionals are always the best group to embarrass, because they don’t have partners like the rest of us NORMAL people.

FIVE

Never ever ask for feedback. You never need to improve on perfection, do you? Besides, what would those busy, single, busy professionals know about meeting other people in a social setting anyway? YOU are the experts in this area, aren’t you?

Yeah. What Randy said.

Sometimes, borrowing other people's words help to explain more clearly what I mean. Today, I will borrow Dr Randy Pausch's words, from his book, The Last Lecture.

"The questions are always more important than the answers."

That's so true - because I believe the best answers are the ones that hits you between the eyes like a hockey puck although not as hazardous; stuff that you realise yourself. I tend to answer questions by asking questions, especially at work. I love to see the A-HA! moment when the realisation dawns on people's faces that they have found a great potential solution to their issue. The ownership is there, and after the eureka moment, there's a spring to their step as they go off to tackle their to-do-list monster.

There are also the people I work with who do not respond well to this approach. Then I will see their face redden a little while they furrow their eyebrows and roll their eyes. Stop being too pedantic, they tell me. Just give a straight answer, they say. When I can, I do. When I see a good opportunity to learn by teaching and exploring together, I'll go it my way.

"Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work."

Many times I struggled with things because I didn't see the big picture. Didn't ask the question behind the question. Didn't have my own EUREKA! moment of the general idea before rushing off to plan activities and take actions. Remembering Randy's statement here calms me. I have renewed strength in my decisions that relate to this statement. Like not buying a DSLR within the next 60 days because I'm just having too much time learning the fundamentals on my Powershot SX100 point-and-shooter.

However, there are times when I confess I may have deliberated too much because of a skewed perception of what forms fundamentals. Sometimes I don't see the line between analysis paralysis and I then end up not doing the nike (read: just do it). I don't have many regrets, but there are at least 2 actions that I should have taken within the last 24 hours that would have put me on a different path than where I am right at this moment. But no. I mistakenly thought I was still in data-gathering mode that will end once I feel I have enough to grasp the fundamentals. I forgot that data-gathering mode is a continuous process in most cases. And now, I'll never know what could have been, and perhaps I never will.

"My colleague told me: "It took a long time, but I finally figured it out. When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do."

This one's funny. Funny weird and funny ha-ha. I just have one important thing to mention here. Based on what I've experienced, no matter how much their words appear to contradict their actions, they'll still find a way to tell you that they don't really mean what they did, it's what they say that matters. And no amount of crying will change that.

"When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you."

Can you give up on someone permanently, though?

"Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting."

I thought I could do that. I didn't realise the cost of waiting. Maybe someone should write about that.

"The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think."

I know I said I'd wait. I didn't know that it's so easy to get comfortable with the routine and some would never come round to realising that what they're looking for is right there, in front of them. My bags are packed and I am ready to take off on the next part of the journey. If you don't feel that it's worth your time to take the initiative and just touch the sky with me, then so be it.

So be it.

Clamping Queen (Kasi clamp sama dia)

You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the clamping queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a bay to poach
When the guards are not looking, got your drive-thru card
You'd think you've got a great start

Any bay could contain your car
Night is young, looks all right so far
With a bit of stupidity, everything looks fine -
"Maybe the owner's out for the night,"
You think you've got a chance!

But she is the clamping queen, young and strict, only thirty-six
Clamping queen, hear the beat from the clamp machine, oh yeah...
You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the clamping queen

You'd think that you've got it made
Park your car and go on your date
Not leaving your number on your windowscreen
You've got to be insane
And when she's home you'll see...

That she is the clamping queen, young and sweet, only thirty-six
Clamping queen, see her chums, the security - oh yeah -
You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
Ooh - pay that fee, watch that grin, dig in the clamping queen...

OK, ok - I surrender :-)

Last year, I wrote a post on how I thought TV advertisements were overloading on the 'tug-the-heartstrings' elements. I truly felt disenchanted and too cynical about it all. Sentimentality overload, surely. This year, the clip on how Aiman Gyver grew up into a respectful young man who brought back a power bike for his dad made me feel differently about Merdeka adverts.

I am reminded of these lessons from watching the video: innovation rules, for sure. At the same time, a culture of hard work and gentle reminders in bringing up children keeps our feet on the ground while we're reaching for the stars (didn't Casey Kasem end every American Top 40 weekly episode with that phrase?). This culture helps to nurture brilliant youngsters who'll grow up to be creative inventors and successful professionals who are still humble and practice good manners.

So, I now surrender myself to the heartwarming effects of the campaign video :-)

I kinda like Mondays...

Good routines are comforting. For me, after work on Mondays, I have a quick workout at the gym. After that, it's Bones on NTV7 and NCIS on 8TV. Love the Bones fansite. Click here to check it out. Both series offer me eye candy - David Boreanaz in Bones and Mark Harmon + Michael Weatherly in NCIS. If Special Agent Tony DiNozzo looks familiar to you, it's probably because you've seen him in James Cameron's Dark Angel, where Weatherly played Logan to Jessica Alba's main character

As for NCIS, check out the TV.com page here. It's got episode recaps, reviews and information on the cast too.

Good writing, interesting backstory about the characters that don't detract from the plot; I look forward to my Monday evenings.

Lupe Fiasco featuring Matt Santos - Superstar

The first time I heard Matthew Santos here, I thought I was listening to Ryan Tedder - it has a OneRepublic-ish groove about it. Which is very interesting, cos when I heard him on Shadows in a Shoebox and My Remedy, he sounded rather different. I enjoy Superstar though. Very much.

Feel like singing along? Here you go.

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the camera's here
And the microphones
And they wanna' know oh oh oh, yeah

Yeah, uh
A fresh cool young Lu'
Tryna' catch his microphone check 2, 1, 2
Wanna' believe my own hype but it's too untrue
The world brought me to my knees, what have you brung you?
Did you improve on the design? Did you do somethin' new?
Well ya' name ain't on the guest list, who brung you?
YOU! The more famous person you come through
And the sexy lady next to you, you come too
And then it hit me
Standin' outside of heaven waitin' for god to come and get me
I'm too uncouth
Unschooled to the rules and too gumshoe
Too much of a newcomer and too un-cool
Like Shadow and Lavelle, I battle wit' it well
Tho I need holiday like lady who sung "Blue"
Go back, whatever you did you undo
Heavy as heaven
The devil on me, two ton's too

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the camera's here
And the microphones
And they wanna' know oh oh oh oh, yeah

And ya' better wear ya' shades
The spotlights here can burn holes through the stage
Down to the basement pass the Indian graves
Where the dinosaurs laid
Then out through shinin', nearly miss the airliners
Magnified times five, 'less its pointed at the ryhmer
Ricochets off the moon and sets the forest ablaze
Now that's important to say
'Cause even with all that most of us don't want it to fade
We want it to braid, meaning we want it to grow
Meaning we want it to stay
Like the Governor called and he told him to wait
Un-strap him from the chair and put him back in his cage
The audience ain't fazed
And they ain't gon' clap and they ain't gon' praise
They want everything back that they've paid
'Cause they've been waitin' since ten to see the lights get dim

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the crowd is here
And the lights are on
And they wanna show oh oh oh, yeah

So chauffeur chauffeur come and take me away
'Cause I've been standin' in this line for like five whole days
Me and security ain't getting' along
And when I got to the front, they told me all of the tickets were gone
So just take me home where the mood is mellow
And the roses are grown, M&Ms are yellow
And the light bulbs around my mirror don't flicker
Everybody gets a nice autograph picture
One for you and one for your sister
Who had to work tonight but is an avid listener
Every song's her favorite song and mics don't feedback
All the reviewers say "You need to go and see that"
And everybody claps 'cause everybody is pleased
And then they all take the stage and start performin' for me
Like, ha ha ha ha ha, Ha ha ha ha ha.Ha

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the camera's here
And the microphones
And they wanna' know oh oh oh yeah

If you are...what you say you are
Then have no fear

MACHO ke MANGKUK? Meh sini I bagi tau...

MM Still nak maintain macho ye? Even after I have specifically, clearly, explicitly informed that with me, no such acts are necessary!

Marah? Memang lah marah! Menyampah pun ada.

Nak tau tak macho tu macam mana? Meh sini I cakap macho tu macam mana, from ONE WOMAN's point of view. Ladies, if you don't agree with me, sorry lah - this is just MY point of view. Gents, if you don't agree with me, stop reading RIGHT NOW. I don't give a rat's ass this one time.

Here goes.

Taking her hand (or holding out your hand so that she can take it) and holding her hand while crossing the road? MACHO.
Crossing the road without glancing to see if she's still next to you or is left waddling behind you 200 effing meters away? MANGKUK.

Offering to take her shopping bag from her and carrying it for her (even for a short while)? MACHO.
Cracking jokes about how come you're still holding YOUR shopping bag instead of HER
holding it for you AND letting her carry YOUR shopping bag? MANGKUK tu.

Holding her hand when she's ill or calling her to find out how she's doing and sounding like you mean it (even if you don't really care that much and you're more concerned about the goal that your favorite soccer team was supposed to score at the time)? MACHO.
Txting her 'so?how u now? ok or not?' and NOT offering to see her when she needs someone to talk to after her medical checkup? MANGKUK.

Offering to take her on a picnic or a day trip to cheer her up cos she told you she needs a quick break and she's been a grumpy bitch for the longest time? MACHO.
Tarik harga and punishing her by not calling and txting her for 3 days or something cos she's been a grumpy bitch for the longest time? MANGKUK lah...

Making breakfast for her cos she's MUCH MORE cheerful after breakfast, even if it's just a cup of coffee or one piece of bread with a glass of water? MACHO.
Asking her 'Eh? You never make breakfast for me ah?' and laughing like it's the funniest joke you've made, AFTER she ironed your shirt for you? Effing MANGKUK, dude.

Slowing down your pace when you're walking together so that you CAN walk together? MACHO.

Leaving her trailing behind in the neighboring district cos your giraffe-length legs need to

maintain your manly stride? So the MANGKUK, ok?

and at the top of the dungheap,

'MESSIN WIT' HER HEAD' when she humbly asked you not to? MANGKUK la, MANGKUK!!!

Notes:
Mighty Mouse image courtesy of theanimationartgallery.com. And no, my MM tag does not refer to sweet Mighty Mouse.

My hero, Danger Mouse's image courtesy of i108.photobucket.com

Power my search? You betcha

Still in Starbucks in Borders in the Curve.

Flipping the pages of Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody, and feeling rather let down by the book. It came so highly recommended. I wanted to understand communities that share similar anchors, and how personal motivation can meet collective productivity. He promised insights to 'the power of organizing without organizations', but the more I read the book, the more I feel that I could glean more from Gladwell's Tipping Point. The songs playing in the background remind me of Karen Carpenter's voice, and I suddenly remembered a movie that I watched when I was 7 or 8 years old - the title song from that movie sounded like Karen Carpenter singing something like 'bless the beast and the children' - that tune, just that one line, has played in my head for almost 30 years now. The movie also moved me a lot, I recall. It was something about boys, summer or army camp or something, and lots of running. There were animals too, but to me, the movie was about friends. (Yeh - I was 7, but by that time, thanks to my mum and dad and the sisters in St Theresa's Kindergarten, I was already bored from reading the Straits Times and Mad Magazine. Heh.

Back to the future, or present, depending on your perspective.

I turned to my good friend Google and looked for the song or movie with the words. Then I found it - it WAS a song by the Carpenters, and the movie was also of the same title! I looked it up in imdb.com and found it - the 1971 production of Bless the Beasts & Children. Plot summary is as follows, thanks to Patrick King.

"A group of adolescent boys, placed in a summer camp by their otherwise too busy parents, find themselves unable to fit in and are soon branded as bedwetters by their fellow campers and unsympathetic counselor. After their counselor exposes them to what they perceive as a cruel slaughter of corralled bison, these misfits are soon drawn to a common purpose to break free of their camp and free the bison. On their way to free the bison, individual flashbacks reveal the relationships each has with his own family and give insight to their reasons behind wanting to set the bison free. Karen and Richard Carpenter's singing of the title song occurs now and again throughout the movie to underscore the the drama."

The movie was directed by Stanley Kramer, who also directed Judgement: the Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya - General Yamashita. He had also directed Sydney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in the 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Wow.

More importantly for me, my almost 30-year-old mystery is now solved.

What would I do without Google & imdb?

Being pragmatic or settling for less?

Her latest update, via email:

"He'll be 40 in September, very much a BOY in a grown man's body. I've known him for years and we started dating each other exclusively for a couple of months now.

Us in a snapshot? He calls me 'his girl' and I call him 'my guy'. Some of his friends know me from before also, so I assimilate in group outings easily, as the 'big brother's GIRL'. he's very protective of me, and once, even threatened to take me home straight away when we arrived at a pub and I removed my jacket to reveal a halter neck dress that made me look like a sex symbol. Heh heh. I pouted, he relented. Sex later was bedhead-against the wall-poundingly awesome, I was sore for the whole weekend, honey.

ah but then I digress.

Basically, I wanted 1 man to focus on for the time being and he was there. I suppose he wanted 1 girl to focus on, no complications.

Quite honestly though, connection is not deep. soul mates we are not. It's all right, though. I have a feeling that we both, somehow, chose this option.

I decided to say yes to him when he said 'but I'm not sharing you with any other man' because he was clear about that, and because he committed to me that he won't date other women when I told him I "ain't too crazy about sharing you with other girls, yo" :-)

Once, we went out and ran into a few of my own friends. one of them is a guy that I had connected with before. We shared tears, laughter, dreams, fears, even ourselves, stopping short at sex. He smoldered the whole evening, watching me and my guy. Truthfully, I said yes to my guy because the one whom I believed would be happier spending his life with me, decided to listen to his logical brain and not to his heart.

You must think I've settled for less. At first, I thought so too. Then I decided to stop thinking about it. I've given it enough thought. I'll just live. For now.

The most important thing is -

we always use protection. Heh heh heh"

Sunday Movie Sunday

After housework, it seemed natural to just veg out on the carpet and cushions in the living room and watch a couple of DVDs. I've been revisiting my bookshelf a lot lately and I thought I'd give the books a rest for the afternoon. Came up with a couple of options after rummaging through my supplies: Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Atonement.
I love the third installment of the Pirates movie. That was the first movie I watched after I graduated from my NLP training. I finally overcame my nervousness of watching a movie thats not Chicken Run. What an experience it was, watching the movie in the the theater - the effects on the big screen - awesome.

Watching it on DVD gave me a chance to relive the script and catch the more subtle messages conveyed by the actors. An eye movement here, a quick glance there. What struck me most was what Captain Teague (Keith Richards' character) said to Jack Sparrow (his son) after they voted for the King of the Brethren Court. I think it went something like this:

Jack (to his father): you've seen it all, done it - you've survived..
Teague: It's not about living forever, Jackie. The trick is, to live with yourself forever.

Stayed with me, that remark.

Many things I have done and some of them I am not proud of. Some actions were misinterpreted. Out of these, there were one or two instances where I stepped up and sought clarification and set the records straight. There were 2 instances where I chose to keep quiet and let sleeping dogs lie. I decided that it was not worth my time and effort. Both of those instances proved to be miracles to me. They became my natural filter of the people I keep around me. They showed me people who cared would want to hear my version of things, to provide a more complete picture. Those instances differentiated between the people who care and those who don't. Those who don't care already decided on which reality they want to believe in. That's all right with me. We all have different channels through which data comes through and become messages that our mind accepts.

Basically, we're all entitled to our own opinions, and I don't grudge anyone theirs.

Now - as for Atonement, that's another story for another time...a story that explores the idea of an act of kindness - could it be cowardice and evasion, viewed from another person's eyes?

"...with 24-hour Bahasa Malaysia subtitles"

Channel-surfing brought me to the multiple advertisements of the upcoming movies planned on the holy trinity of HBO, Cinemax and Star Movies. The clicker, apparently, is the added benefit of 24-hour Bahasa Malaysia subtitles. Is it really an added value to the customers to read these?

Channel: 52 (NatGeo). Program: Alexander the Great - The Man.

Narration: Alexander's army was outnumbered by the Persians.

Subtitle: Tentera Iskandar lebih ramai dari tentera musuh.

Meaning of subtitle: Alexander's army outnumbered the Persians

Narration: Alexander's army was outnumbered more than 3 to 1.

Subtitle: Tentera Iskandar 3 kali lebih ramai.

Meaning of subtitle: Alexander's army outnumbered the Persians 3:1

Narration: Alexander's erratic behaviour...

Subtitle: Sikap erotik Iskandar....

Meaning of subtitle: Iskandar's erotic attitude / behaviour...

AIYOH!

Is it really a good idea to market the subtitles as an added value to the viewers then? A lot of the subtitles are misleading and in the case of the documentary above, factually incorrect. One of my friends who worked in the establishment that provides these round-the-clock multi-channel entertainment told me once a long time ago that the team who are responsible for subtitling programs were among the lowest-paid ones. I dont know how much this has changed after 10 years. He told me that when I highlighted this to him and asked if I could go in and do this work.

How about offering documentaries to schools as language project? Familiarizing the students with both languages by getting them to come up with the subtitles. It could be a pilot project thing, using a few of the 'Best of' programs for instance - the ones that have been aired. It could be one more way to make education more multi-media and interactive, as language is a world that needs to be experienced. How many of us have learned a foreign language and, armed with our phrase books, get confunded by how different the language is spoken in real life, outside of the clasroom? Sure, we can say to ourselves now that we dont give a rat's ass about the subtitles. Who reads them anyway, right? Well, there are people who read them. And currently, there's a risk that someone out there, after watching the documentary about Alexander the Great, is thinking that his greatness is no big deal. His army outnumbered the enemies - of course he would win, right?

AIYOH...

Sentimentality overload

Any perceived mushiness in any personal relationships aside -

Is it just me, or has there been a lot of sentimental advertisements on TV nowadays? It came on full force during the Merdeka month, if I remember correctly. I got used to and expected material from the usual suspects like the national petroleum company, the second national car producer and one or two telco companies; what surprised me was suddenly there was an onslaught of mushy advertisements from several finance services / insurance companies capturing images of senior and youthful citizens going around on foot or on by bus, smiling wistfully at the sky and elevated highways and helping old ladies cross the road while shielding them with their umbrellas. I remember being moved by the deep message that I got when watching these sentimental advertisements years ago. This year, however, I just dont get it. What I want to know is if the sentimental bandwagon is a big one - it'd be good to know how long will this sentimentality overload last. I long for fun and funny advertisements to return! Bungee-jump to get packets of Twisties or something - anything!

Yes, Prime Minister

I'm a big fan of DVD box sets, starting from the time I received 'The Pretender' set for my birthday. When I'm at home, I watch my favorite stuff and among them are:

1. Black Adder series (esp seasons 2, 3)
2. The Thin Blue Line, also with Rowan Atkinson
3. Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister
4. Shogun
5. Peter Seller's Pink Panther movies

The only reason I keep my satelite TV channel is because of Midsomer Murders on Hallmark and BBC Entertainment.

Sunshine

I won passes to watch Danny Boyle's movie, Sunshine. I gave the other 3 passes to Jennie, Chris and Ayu, and we met up in GSC 1U to watch the movie. After surrendering our mobile phones, we settled into our seats. There were some funny games and stuff, courtesy of the host, and then, before we knew it, the movie came on. Great CGIs. Stuff really needed to be seen on the big screen. The dying sun, the space shuttle Icarus 2, the oxygen garden. AND naturally, my hero, Hiroyuki Sanada (you'd need Quicktime to view that video there).

Even after so many weeks, some parts of the movie are still in my brain. The trip to the sun alone, took more than 18 months. In the movie, it wouldve taken the astronauts another 2 years or so for them to return to earth. Imagine that. A 4-year assignment where you'd be living with the same 7 people. Be with them, and only them, for 4 years. I'm not too wild about the movie, and I've been through the discussion topics on IMDB.com, lambasting the movie's Hollywoodization of the science of our sun and the rest of the solar system. To them I say this: there are a few instances in life where judgement, and up to a certain extent, reality, need to be suspended in order to enjoy the moment or to have some sense of reason behind actions. Hell, we go through this suspension of belief on a daily basis sometimes. Where, you might ask me? The workplace, for one. To make family relationships work, would be another instance. So I suspended my own personal judgement watching that movie. One poignant moment for me was when the Icarus crew arrived near Mercury. I figured if I were an astronaut, a botanist, a physicist or a pilot, and I was on a mission to save my planet, I too would be in awe watching Mercury orbiting the sun.

Interesting movie, and an absolutely interesting soundtrack.

Train encounters

ex - ot - ic / Pronunciation[ig-zot-ik]

–adjective

1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants.
2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle.
3. of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons.
4. of, pertaining to, or involving stripteasing: the exotic clubs where strippers are featured.

–noun
something that is exotic: The flower show included several tropical exotics with showy blooms.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

There I was, sitting quietly in the speed train at Ostbanhhoff (Munich east) station before it moves to my destination station to the south east. Usually, at Ostbahnhoff, the trains wait a bit longer before continuing ahead. I kept my nose buried in my book and looked up for a quick moment and noticed a short-haired, business-suited young gentleman looking at me rather intently. We made eye contact . He smiled. I smiled a little smile back. Suddenly, he hurried into the train and sat down across from where I was sitting.

"Hi," he says.
I smile and nod.
"You're staying at the Karl Theodor hotel, arent you?" he asks.
I just look at him, still looking polite, but not really keen on giving him the information.
"I stay there too, I'm Andreas," he holds out his hand.
"Well, nice to meet you, Andreas." I shake his hand.
"I've seen you a few times at the lobby but I didnt have a chance to say hello" he smiles again.

The train starts to move.

"Well it's a surprise to meet you here, then" I tell him.
"Are you here for work?" He asks.
I nod. "And you?" I ask him back.
He nods back to me. We nod a lot.
"I'll be here for a month and a half," he tells me. I nod again.
"Almost the same as me - about a month" I tell him.

The train arrives at St. Martin Strasse halt - my destionation. I gather my bag and stand up. He stands up too. The doors open and we step out together.

Before I go down the staircase to exit the station, he gives me his name card and writes his room number at the back. I take it and return his smile. Ya - we nod and smile a lot in the 8-minute train ride.

"Will you call me when you're free one of these evenings? If you like, I'd like to invite you for a drink," he asks me.
I nod and smile. "Maybe this evening or tomorrow?" I ask him.
His smile got wider. "That sounds super," he says the word super the way Germans do, making the 's' sound like a 'z'.
"You have a good day today," he tells me. He gives me a short wave.
I nod again. I begin to feel like one of those bobbing-head dolls you I see stuck on car dashboards.
"I've got to catch the train back to Ostbahnhoff now to go to the opposite direction." He tells me.
I had to laugh at that.
"Thanks for keeping me company then," I tell him.
"Thanks for letting me!" He starts to laugh too.

I still hear his chuckles as I start walking down the stairs.

I smiled all the way to the office. He does have a nice smile. Then I remembered something.

I never told him my name.

Guess I'll have to call him this evening after work then, won't I?

Funny how these encounters never happen to me back home... maybe I'm not exotic enough in my homeland, neh? :-)