haha, i've finished many relationships for this reason. i've left dates sitting in coffee shops for this reason. always three strikes then out, i always calmly and politely ask them to desist. up to them. goodbye.

2 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

16 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I chat to people on the Skytrain, people in queues, waiting at the hospital. I like to find out what people think, and why. Discussed the merits of a Kindle last week..

Chatting to random strangers is the best; no matter where in the world, especially if you have a smattering of languages.... 9 times outa 10 you know if they will be receptive or not, so rarely fall flat........invariably lifts my moment and sometimes longer, not sure about the target though..!!

When its 'organic' thats fine - when its force the other person comes across as 'freaky and desperate' - there's a time and place where engagement can be natural and the conversation is 'normal'...

I'm not antisocial by a long stretch, nor am I an introvert - conversation is just an organic process it has to be natural and unforced.

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

- there's a time and place where engagement can be natural and the conversation is 'normal'...

A lifetime on the street and decades in sales tells one exactly to engage a couple of test words or not.......it's innate and honed and one knows immediately if the person is receptive or not..............their reply and or expression/body language gives one the answer....

2 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

A lifetime on the street and decades in sales tells one exactly to engage a couple of test words or not.......it's innate and honed and one knows immediately if the person is receptive or not..............their reply and or expression/body language gives one the answer....

100% agree. There are no hard and fast rules. The very same person might be happy to chat one day and want complete silence the next.

I once boarded a 2am flight after being awake since 4am the previous morning. I was exhausted and just wanted to doze for six hours. I found my seat beside a young Thai woman curled up against the window with her hoodie over her face. Perfect, I thought, we'll both keep to ourselves.

The meal service woke us both. Somewhere through the meal a completely natural conversation started, and neither of us stopped talking for the next four hours. We even carried on chatting while waiting for our bags after landing - it felt like the flight lasted 20mins...

She'd just graduated in the US and was flying home. We swapped travel stories, talked about life, and the conversation simply flowed, if flowed really well. I was twice her age and married, so there was never anything beyond an enjoyable conversation between two strangers - I was worried she'd ask me for my line ID - I'm married, was nearly twice her age and she's simply a girl having a chat with a seat-partner on a flight - she just wanted to talk and I was happy to join in - the conversation just kept on 'clicking'....

That's why I never dismiss talking to people. Some of the most interesting people I've met have been completely by chance. The key is that it has to happen organically, and you need to read the cues.

If someone's putting in their earphones, opening a book, turning away or giving one-word answers... they're telling you they'd rather be left alone.

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The meal service woke us both. Somewhere through the meal a completely natural conversation started, and neither of us stopped talking for the next four hours. We even carried on chatting while waiting for our bags after landing - it felt like the flight lasted 20mins...

At this point, I was really hoping that you were gonna say that you ended up marrying her............

57 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

At this point, I was really hoping that you were gonna say that you ended up marrying her............

In a different world perhaps...

But , fate, great conversation, a bit of game, plenty of humour and a dash of effort had already spun that web over a decade before hand...

On 6/29/2026 at 1:41 AM, pomchop said:

Sadly more and more people spend most all of their time staring at a phone screen. Personally I find it rude to be having a meal or sharing time with anyone who does this constantly whether it is a gal or a guy. No desire at all to spend any significant time with rude people.

It is their choice if they prefer to sit and watch mindlesss tik tok or instgram videos and ignore all the "real life" all around them. It is my choice to get up and leave.

Find friends who have a bit of class and who are not suffering from mindless phone addiction and are willing to put the phone down and engage.

A lot of people are obsessed with their phones these days but you have to be able to maintain social etiquette, and when dining with a friend it is very impolite to be fooling around with your phone, receiving phone calls, or sending messages, unless it's really urgent.

The phone should be faced down if it is even exposed at all.

I would have no interest in even attempting to start anything with a woman who has this type of addiction, it very likely means she has incredibly limited social skills, and and has an obsessive nature.

On 6/29/2026 at 2:49 PM, Rockyroad said:

Language allows you to bargain better and flirt with Thai women. It also helps with local knowledge and navigation.

Thais have a great sense of humour too so if you can joke around with them in Thai you will enjoy their conpany more and vice versa.

Don't disagree. To each their own. I struggle with language so choose using Google Translate, Bing Translate is actually more accurate with Thai. This allows me to keep my filter and not be distracted or easily manipulated.

Everything is analyzed and the ROI versus time and effort needed is a factor. So the desire is there but weighing where can I make the biggest positive impact on society with my skills and abilities is the driver.