One Night In London (Pt 2)

So "J" was away coaching one of the guys on a 1-1 session. 4 of us, "M," "Sn," "St" and myself were left to fend for ourselves after the 5th guy left. "M" started the ball rolling by pulling some random girls into our group on the dance floor. He seemed pretty capable by himself, so Sn, St and I broke off to try out some of the stuff we've learned at the seminars (i.e. No Fear).

Sn was The Man. As we walked past these two girls (a blonde and a brunette) who were dancing with another buncha blokes, he just interrupted them, and pulled me into the group along with him, introducing me to the brunette. I took it that he was interested in the blonde, so I began talking to the brunette. The brunette (can't remember her name, sorry folks) was actually quite receptive...

She told us they were from Holland, and were here for a week on holiday (hmm, seems to be a recurring trend in London). She was visiting the blonde who was giving Sn a pretty hard time (she apparently told him that she can't speak English), and was just out to have a good time. I liked her, she was attractive, fun-loving and open to conversation. Nice.

Dunno what happened, but they left the guys they were dancing with and joined Sn and I (I didn't see St anywhere at that point). It has to be said, Sn is a tall, dark, handsome fella so all kudos to him. I ended up with the blonde who was definitely less friendly, and therefore less attractive... but Sn seemed to be getting along v well with the brunette, so...

To cut a long story short, I started well, but eventually bombed with the blonde. I got past her initial unfriendliness by being fun, but ended up buying her a drink (which is a definite "no" in the rulebook) at which point I've become one of the "other stupid guys in the club." Doh! Exited hastily. Tried a few more sets on my own, to varying degrees of success.

That's when I walked past "Db." He was in the middle of a 2 set, so I was just walking past to slap him on the back and say hi, but he pulled me into the set (Thanks Db!). He introduced me to the 2 Russians, and when he seemed to settle for the one on the right "Y", I fell into conversation with the one on the left "J."

I talked about them being sisters (which they apparently were... but actually, they weren't), read her palms, told her fortune, and just had a bit of a laugh. She seemed to be enjoying it (I didn't feel any resistance, unlike the other sets), and she seemed genuinely interesting too. Bit of a bookworm, not a clubber like her sis (at this point, I'm taking all this with a pinch of salt. This is London! And this is a club! And she's here!), and really uncomfortable in her heels. I managed to clinch her number! A first for me in the community!

Db was doing really well too. We swapped partners, and I danced with "Y" a bit (she was getting harrassed by this drunk fella, so I stepped in to help her out), she seemed to like that too. So Db suggested we all head out for some ice cream. Good move! 15 mins later "J" and i were feeding each other ice cream...

Db was my 2nd master that night. This guy was funny, cocky, and he was getting the girls to eat out of his fingers (he had got both their numbers before I approached the set!). He was holding hands with "Y," laughing and joking along the way. He led the way, and I couldn't be happier to follow. "J" must have felt peer pressure coz she was going along with this, but on me. I managed to kiss em both goodbye too!

On a more critical side, I don't think "J" was that interested in me. I asked her some general questions, and she clammed up (although she really opened up about work... how she dislikes it!). She was having a good time, as was I, but was more "along for the ride" than "wanting the ride" if you get my drift. Still, like I said in my first post... very educational!

One Night in London (Pt 1)

The Sheep had a very educational weekend. See, the Sheep is a pretty average guy. On a "looks" scale of 1 - 10, he probably hovers between 4-5 (from a Western perspective), and 5-6 (from an Asian perspective, a result of average height differentials).

And as long time readers already know, he is completely inept when it comes to picking up the opposite sex, having only had 1 long term relationship (18 months), and a few really short ones that don't really count.

When one is faced with an obstacle, there are three stark choices. Find a way around/through. Turn around. Or give up. For an insurmountable obstacle like women, I have been on the verge of giving up. But then i found a community of men who have apparently cracked the game of picking up women.

So last Saturday, I attended a conference run (for free, bless their souls) by these guys. I was very, very sceptical. The tutors were generally good looking fellas, they didn't need any "skills." The seminars seemed sound in theory, but I doubted that it would work for an average joe like me. Actually, I have it worse than the average joe, being 5' 7 and all...

Then night came and we were broken up into groups of 4/5, tied to a "master." These masters took us into town to show us what they can do. My group's master was a Spanish man called "J." He was brimming with energy, dressed all in black, and was bursting with exuberant confidence.

The immediate thing I noticed was how he did not flinch when approaching women. No nerves were apparent (although I'm sure, like any normal man would, he felt it). He pulled a set of 4 girls into the club with us. I stood around like the chump I was, wondering what to say. This would not be my first "chump" moment...

So into the club we went. We headed for the dance floor and I felt quite self-conscious. "What the heck? A bunch of blokes dancing is supposed to pick women up??" But then "J" started to make us have fun, which drew the curiosity of the people near us, including a couple of girls who voluntarily joined us for awhile.

"J" dragged me (literally) to the bar to chat with the 4 girls who came in with us. I managed to talk to one of them for about 5 mins. All the while, I felt really unwelcome, and really self conscious... "They don't want to talk to me, look at their body language, they're turning away." I exited hastily.

In retrospect, the girl I was talking to seemed mildly receptive. She didn't run, for one. She told me that they were from Sweden, and was visiting London, mainly for shopping. They had not been to the club before, and was quite happy they managed to get in with us for free.

Well, I exited as I was really feeling unwelcome. When "J" was busy with a set of 2 women, us beginners decided to take things into our own hands... embarrassing moments (for me anyway) were to ensue... (to be continued tomorrow... got work in the morning!).

KL and Singapore

The Sheep will be spending his last night in South East Asia tonight. Having been pampered with luxurious hotels, fantastic food, company, and weather, it feels quite sad to be leaving. I've met friends and family, reminiscing on old times, the future, our lives and the changes that have occurred since we last met...

I've been working on 2 companies this week, with a 2.5 day visit to each company in each country (Malaysia and Singapore). Hotels wise, KL wins hands down. For less than the price of the Grand Copthorne in Singapore, the Traders Hotel in KL provides comfort, chic, space and service that are unmatched. Photos to come when I'm back in the UK.

I've also been to Zouk in Singapore, one of its most well known clubs. It was a Wednesday night, and the place was packed to the brim with lovely young ladies. Heck, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I felt really out of place there. I felt... dare I say it... old!

Ok, running out of time here with the Internet connection. Gotta hit the sack anyway, lots to do at work tomorrow. More later.