Dating 101

I left the office last night at around 730pm to meet my date.

But first things first. You see, the thing about me is that I normally use the term "date" loosely. I could be with my sister and still I call it a "date". A luncheon meeting with my boss Boni and colleague Ella is likewise a "date". Ditto that food-tripping adventure with Daniel or Sheila or Nolet or Chrissie in the malls or side streets and esteros. Last night's friendly and quasi-business Japanese dinner with Bill was also a date, so it would be from my vocabulary. Heck. Anyone I go out with, I'll consider my date. It beats the hell out of saying, "I have a luncheon meeting with..." or "I'm having coffee and tea with...". "I'm on a date" sounds just succinct enough for me, thank you.

Last night, however, as I was on my way to meet my "date", my friends Arianne and Jay were going on their own: to a Speed Dating event. For a fee of 800 bucks (or as Batch One participant, Grace, said, a thousand bucks), you get some tacos, nachos, drinks, and a chance of a lifetime to meet your destiny. ;)

How does speed dating work? Well, take it from me, a previous participant (nyehehe).

Simply, speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process that actually pokes fun at the overly-protracted courting stage. Speed dating is everything but coyness, hesitation, and convention. Men and women (or recently, even gays and lesbians) are rotated to meet each other for only 8 minutes each (in Arianne's and Jay's case, 7; and in Grace's, 5; in mine, 3), are forced to the next round no matter how much they are enjoying the interaction (or dread the next one), then submit to the organizers a list of who they would like to see again (their shortlist, so to speak). If a match is achieved a la secret ballotting, contact numbers are given to the corresponding people. As I was told by my source, numbers cannot be traded during the rounds, to reduce pressure to accept or reject a "suitor" to their face. Hmmm. How considerate is that??? ;)

A lot of people frown upon this notion of speed dating. They say that it's shallow and that it tends to reinforce first impressions, which are often shallow to begin with. Or that, on the other end of the spectrum, it misleads one to like the other person because the latter puts his best foot forward. Others even go to the extent of saying that speed dating totally bastardizes the very essence of dating: that is, taking time to get to know each other and building relationships.

Personally, I think speed dating is such a whoopee. I mean, come on. In meeting people--be it on a blind date, a "regular" date, or a group date--first impressions almost always last. So, what's wrong with putting your best foot forward and reinforce that (supposedly good) first impression?

As I've blogged earlier in my entries, we are in this time and age where speed is almost synonymous to breathing: anything, almost everything, is instant. If you can get the nod of approval or the liking of your speed-date, and his/her number to go with it, I say, fuck those conservatives and go on to your next level: the REAL date that follows the speedy one.

At the end of the day, what do you lose from this fun (or funny), exciting, and totally enriching experience? Nothing, really. If at all, only your 800 bucks.

So, Arianne, Grace, Jay....rock on!!!!