Tuesday, July 15, 2008

:-|

Had this strange thing happen today. I had gone out for lunch by myself (couldn't find anyone around at lunch time, had a few errands to run, yadda yadda yadda).

So I went in, took my seat at the bar counter since I really didn't care where I was sitting, as long as I was getting my food. I was just settling in when this guy comes up to me, and says,
"Hello, how are you?"
I said, "Pretty good, thank you", and went back to study the menu.
And he says, "I saw you circling around, trying to park".
And I said, "Yeah", I looked at him for a second, like, yeah, so? And then I went back to study the menu.

I felt I was being rude, but, hey, I really did not want to talk to a stranger (actually, I NEVER want to talk to strangers), and that was a very silly thing to say. "I saw you trying to park your car". What do you say to such a statement? Yeah, well, they wouldn't let me bring it in, so I had to park it?

I am awful when it comes to small talk. I just cannot come up with things to say out of the blue even when I know the person. Oh well, I just feel so strange after this weird conversation...

*********************

And here's another thing that bewilders me. What's with fasting???

A friend is trying to buy a house (its hard in the Bay Area), and he's fasting every Tuesday until he gets a house.

Huh? How is him not eating going to help buy a house? I suggested that instead of him not eating, he should go feed 5 homeless people every Tuesday. That might just build up his "good karma" and help. But how, How, HOW is not eating going to help???

Yeah, yeah, you'll say ask him that question. I did, he just smiled and said, oh it will.

Oh well, whatever!

**********

BTW, there's another post before this one, with a BAD picture of the sleeping squirrel.

39 comments:

Mysterious Mia said...

Awwwww, i am used to be bad at small talk too, but i guess being in the sales profession i can manage a wee bit....thought i still fear dinner meeting n all.....i dont understand what to talk so much besides conveying the business points :(

Ah that fasting thing is weird ya....i rather second yur opinion.....chalo convey my best wishes to yur friend.....anyways :)

P said...

Poor stranger guy..he came up with such a great pick-up line and you didn't even pretend to be interested. :D

I never understand fasting too. When I'm worried I eat even more. Need the energy to do the extra thinking, you see :p

Ankur said...

1) someone's hittin on u...
even i m bad at small talks but guess wat... no one has ever turned up to me for that!! :P

2) fasting... woh bhi makan ke liye, arre aap sure ho kya ki she is not saving money!! :D
hehe
waise i second u completely!!! :)

Cheers!!!

Solitaire said...

I can talk very easily with strangers IF it is I who approach them first!

aneri_masi said...

@mia, yaar at least you know the people you are meeting for dinner. Yeh to bas random hi aake aisa strange statement!

@p, hehe, great line, isn't it. Come on, give me at least one sensible thing I could have said back to him :)

I am totally with you on eating more! of course we need more energy!

aneri_masi said...

@ankur, umm, ya, I know he was hitting on me, but what a strange thing to say!

2) wah wah, kya assumption hai. I must have said at least 7 times "he", "him", "his", and you think its a girl that's fasting :)

aneri_masi said...

@sol, yep, me too. but then that also happens very rarely, after I have observed the person for some time, know the person in one way or another. Complete strangers? No, never approached them.

♥ÐÅyÐяєÅмє®♥ said...

aapki koi galti nhi..he chose a wrong pick up line..yeh bhi koi kehhta hai :O

aapka BMW dekh k line maarne ka try maar raha hoyega..do thappad mar dena tha :P

waise wo tuesday ko fast rakh k paise bacha raha hoyega :P

Scribblers Inc said...

small talk invites more trouble than anything else...and the squirrel is nice, havent seen a black one ever!!:)

Scribblers Inc.

Cinderella said...

Me too....!!

I cant talk to strangers n am very bad in making small talk. Aur havent even been by myself while eating out....though would like to try it sometime for sure...

Fasting ka cheez mereko bhi samajh nahi aya. Blind superstitions what esle, I suppose. God isnt that gullible anyway !!!!

~ ॐ ~ said...

Can' do the small talk myself either :( its an art I guess... though I know a few friends who excel at it !!!

about the fasting part, the initial ( centuries ago) thought was that when we do not eat for a day, the food goes to God and to the needy, however over time the mechanics and logic have made it look very different than what fasting was supposed to be !!!

I completely agree to the idea of giving food to the homeless !!! What did he say when you suggested this?

Anonymous said...

hehehehe!!! i know :) u told me... u r not good at small talk :D

but dnt ya worry... i will keep the talk going wen we meet :))

and abt the 2nd part ... i guess... i understand yur point now :)

Anonymous said...

hahaha... i am better at talking to strangers... than with people i know..

fasting...weell is a superstition that does not harm others..so well ... dnt worry about it much

Rià said...

Seriously even i dont like to talk to strangers especially the ones who try to act extra smart! And yeah the fasting thing is damn funny....to think of it indians fast for jus abt anything b it gettin a gud husband, be it to get the dream house n stuff! :D

aneri_masi said...

@sourish, einhh...don't know if it was the BMW. Its a very common car here, not a big deal.

fasting..nahi yaar, he's such a nice guy, paise ka issue hi nahi hai, he is just very religious...

aneri_masi said...

@scribbler, hmm...thats a different perspective on small talk.

chalo tumhare liye iss black badmaash ki aur photos le lenge. Actually there is one more of it on my photo blog, its running high on a wire with an orange in its mouth!

aneri_masi said...

@ella, even I didn't like eating alone, but ab no choice. Some times everyone is so busy, 2-3 baje tak no lunch, thats even harder for me. I need food by 1!

Fasting...yaar agar main God ki jagah hoti na, to aise rishwat dene waale ka kaam kabhi na karti ;)

aneri_masi said...

@prashant, I am so bad at it, that I have actually checked out a book "The Fine Art of Small Talk" from the library. Ab padhi nahi hai yeh alag baat hai, nahi to kal ka scene kuch aur hota :)

He didn't say anything. He said yeah, I will feed them too, but fasting to karna hi hai.

aneri_masi said...

@veens, yah, tere saath koi problem nahi hogi :)

@samby, main kahaan worry kar rahi hoon, I am just saying that its pointless, and he is hoping for something based on that. Ussey kuch faayda thode hi hona hai?

@ria, yaar yeh banda to smart bhi nahi tha, extra smart to door ki baat! LOL!

Fasting, mannat, pata nahi kya kya karte hain log. Sigh...if only that energy and thought was spent on doing something productive!

Anonymous said...

kya haal chaal hai Madam ke?

ceedy said...

aatle aaj thi sathe chocolate rakhvi :)

aneri_masi said...

@veens, haal-chaal is ok...

@ceedy, einh, i don't feed such people. ignore maaro, they disappear on their own.

Cinderella said...

Hahaha....naah, you wouldnt have been so hard on your bhakts, I know...

§ωατι §ετhι said...

Hi Aneri,

How r u? :)
whn it comes to strangers, i also behave in a similar manner..m always quite shocked if a stranger tries to strike up a conversation..n end up making funny awkward faces..

i so loved ur suggestion to ur frnd.. feeding homeless ppl is an amazing thing to do.. :)

Cяystal said...

Lol :D
No comments.:P

Ankur said...

1) :D
ppl dont know how to hit also!! :P

2) :D :D
maine socha ki ladki hi fasting karti hai!! :D
gender ka kya hai.. hai toh hum manushya hi na!! :D

hehe

how u doin?
Cheers!!!

Preeti said...

I agree! How much ever a blabber mouth i am, the first time someone initiates a convewrsation, i stutter...worst part is i blabber unrelated stuff like on n on n on! :-/

ceedy said...

*einh, i don't feed such people. ignore maaro, they disappear on their own*

Are hoon tari waat nathi karto...I was refering to the incident I mentioned on Mia's blog

Are sometimes they DONT disappear!!!

Anonymous said...

sahi hai....aapne aapni duty kar di...use apne belief nahi chdne to kya kare....u earned ur karma...lol

Vrijilesh Rai said...

Even I'm bad at talking to strangers about things that concern me! And worse for those who come and give free advice.. :(

Ur squirrel seems to be quite obese too.. wonder when he's gonna go on a diet!!

Anonymous said...

new post ?

Keshi said...

I always checked ur other blog cos I didnt know u continued to write here too. Sorry Aneri :( HUGS!

Im pretty good at small talk but it takes like a minute or 2 for me to scan the person real quick, to see if he/she is not a serial killer. lol!


Keshi.

I am said...

he he...fasting wala banda was funny :)

and small talks with stranger's - I think I excel in talking/bakwaas/bakaar with stranger or known..all I need is similar wavelengths or positive vibes else BMJ :)

La vida Loca said...

lol about the house thing :)

La vida Loca said...

love the template.

aneri_masi said...

@ella, oh i would be. you don't know me ;)

@swati, is it something to do with indian women of our generation? I would NOT talk to anyone unless I knew at least a little some thing about them! When I first came here, I would just get scared if anyone so much as said hey to me. A bit better now, but not much :)

@ayushi, LOL back to you :)

aneri_masi said...

@ankur, now you are opening up a pandora's box. gender mein kya fark padta hai you say? post likho ek abt this question, pata chal jayega :)

@preeti, ditto here!

@vrij, the squirrel has the entire neighborhood at its disposal. It gets oranges, plums, figs and what not to eat. Woh nahi jaane ki diet pe!

aneri_masi said...

@samby, tum ho kahaan???

@keshi, hey, no offense taken at all! Pls don't apologize :)
I wish I could strike up a conversation that easily. But even if I could, i wouldn't have spoken to this strange man, that I know for sure!

@tanu, accha ji, to tell me what would you have said to a total stranger telling you I saw you trying to find a spot to park your car? :)

@la vida, the dude's suing some real estate agent right now. so much for fasting for the house!!!

template, i know :) I LOVE fuchsias. Was SO thrilled when I found this template.

busy-writer said...

hehe, i had this friend who was fasting cause she believeed that if she did, her friend would patch up with her boyfriend. can you believe that? LOL, how bizarre!!!
and convos with strangers, hmm, i've never had a problem, when i joined a new school, we'd exchanged numbers in the first hour only! LOL, that much of a talkative idiot i am! phew.