Recently I had a lunch date with a guy that I didn’t know too well. Within 10 minutes I knew I would not be seeing him again. Why? Well for starters, we were to go for lunch but he made a last minute change of plans to karaoke. Yes, karaoke, with two people, at lunch hour. Did I mention he knew many languages and didn’t want to sing in English? I also wasn’t feeling a connection, and we were not on the same page in life, but enough about that story…

Regardless of whether a date goes well or not, it is good to keep the following points in the back of your mind. First dates are tricky, but here is some advice (from a girl who has been on more than her share of first dates).

DOs

1. DO offer to pay for the date. If he has read Part 1 of this article, he will pay for it, but you offering shows that you are courteous and able to pick up the tab for yourself if you have to.
2. DO wear comfortable shoes. You never know where the date will lead you (in my case it was karaoke). You could decide to go for a romantic walk, cut through some grass, or hop over a fence. The last thing you would want is to complain. With the right footwear you can still be comfortable while looking hot!
3. DO be confident. Put all those bad experiences and heartbreaks behind you. Guys can sense when a woman is insecure and it is a major turn off for them. You have no reason not to be strutting your stuff and making the guy work for you. You got it girl, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
4. DO be flirtatious. Guys can get bored easily. Keep him interested by being your funny, out-going, bubbly, vivacious self.

DON’Ts

1. DON’T keep your date waiting. You don’t want to find yourself being the first one to arrive if you have a set meeting spot, but make sure you value the other person’s time also.
2. DON’T ask him if he is a mamma’s boy. This is a risky question as he may still live at home with his mom cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry for him. You don’t want to damage his ego by unveiling his life of being taken care of by his mother.
3. DON’T start talking about your ‘Samitya Veedu’ (puberty ceremony) and how embarrassing it was. Not that you would, as it is not a first date discussion, but on the off chance that you get the urge to bring it up, REFRAIN!! TRUST ME!
4. DON’T go all crazy on him by asking about his previous relationship history or how his family feels about dating and if he has to hide things from his parents. Keep the first date light and fun. You can figure all that stuff out later. Who knows, you might realize you’re not right for each other and you won’t even need to go there.

Good luck ladies. Hopefully your date goes better than mine. I’m rooting for ya!

 – Karthika Rajamanikkom

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