somewhat sille, that's me!

it kinda hit me on Sat, so i was on observing mode on Sun, but last night sealed the truth for me: i suck at making small talk. ok, a lot of people are not great at small talks either (i think i saw a how-to book in BookXcess once -- i should totally get it).. cos i sure wasn't alone in mumbling my way through the occasions.

i attended two weddings over the weekend [congrats to Charlotte & Simon, and Liling & Michael! :)], and BCM's 50th anniversary celebration [congrats! :) thanks to Steven & Angeline for the invites :)] at Sunway Resort yesterday. met a whole buncha people i knew from the past, and yet most of the conversation was just nothing more than lingering umms and polite smiles.


how are you?
where are you now?


and then what?


i'd try to recall if the person had updated anything on FB, i'd try to make some remarks along that. but those don't really cut it sometimes, plus my gold-fish memory was no help at all.

so where are you now?
[company name]
oh yeah. i knew that. i follow u on twitter.
[awkward silence~]
*surreptitiously slides away*


so you are back for a hol?
yeah, leaving soon... last day tomorrow.
oh ok.
[awkward silence~]
ooh where's your baby?
she's with my mom. hehe..
[awkward silence~]
*furiously plans exit strategy*
oh food is here! i'm gonna go get some..


so do you keep in touch with [another friend]?
erm not really.
[awkward silence~]
*stomach churns in discomfort*


so how is work?
like that la. busy period la, you know.
[awkward silence~]
*furiously plans exit strategy but realised i'm stuck in the same table*

 

yeah i had a bunch of those the past three days. the thing is, i was really excited to see some of these old friends again, cos u you know, at one point in my life, we actually had proper conversations and shared genuine laughter. and now all we have are reduced to how-are-you-fine-thanks-and-you?

and then there were the strangers on the table. i'd think -- ooh potential friends! -- but as you chat on, there's only so much you could ask in an introductory meeting without crossing the privacy/stalker line. and worse if the person does not ask anything in return, and the others practically pretended that i wasn't at the table. there was just a lot of cricket chirping after 15mins.

so how la? see why i'm not in PR? :|