The Tab Tries… Speed Dating

Named ‘Desperation Day’, and with various HIMYM memes to go with the hashtag, the 13th February is a last chance saloon for those hoping for a date on Valentines Day, or at least the prospect that someone, somewhere, sometime in the future will be your special someone.

The charity Dig Deep, and ‘UEA climbs Kili for Dig Deep 2014’  have obviously caught onto this trend and organised a Speed Dating event in the Hive. Obviously, The Tab team were there to take notes and enjoy some impressive tricks from UEA’s finest.

I, of course, had to wear a Tab T-shirt, so my outfit options were somewhat limited, but we got all dressed up and ready to hit the town (or, campus, in fact). Entry cost £4 and all went to charity, then we went and bought a drink at the bar (Crabbie’s alcoholic ginger beer), and sat down to wait for the magic to begin.

The scene was set…

Surprisingly, there were significantly larger numbers of boys than girls, so we got to sit at a table and wait for our Prince Charming(s) to appear. It began somewhat shakily, with neither of us sure whether or not the date had begun (it turned out it hadn’t), but started chatting about our courses, why we were at the event, mutual acquaintances and various other pleasantries.

Dutch courage

Speed dating definitely makes you realise how important knowing how to small talk is, and how awesome you are at is (especially if it’s only for two minutes). The plan was to have 5 minutes of conversation with each person, but there were more people than expected, so we only had two. This meant that you were just getting into a conversation with someone when the bell went and they had to leave, but it did mean that the chance of having to sit in awkward silence was significantly lower.

The details that caused so much trouble

Some guys brought their A-game. I was shown a very impressive card trick by Sam The Magician; we both signed a card, put our signed card in our mouths, Sam clicked his fingers, and the cards had switched. It was amazing, and made it pretty hard for the guy following him from table to table…

This is how to make an impression

I was told I had lovely eyes, I was the most beautiful girl in the room, and was given a keyring by one guy who clearly knew what he was doing. He apparently had several of these keyrings and had said exactly the same compliments to my friend, but nevertheless everyone loves a bit of flattery.

As I was wearing a Tab T-shirt I did end up chatting about this article, and worried a few people about what I would be including. A boy called Adam asked what he could do to get a mention and offered to pour his drink over someone. Sadly he didn’t, but I thought he deserved a mention nonetheless.

My friend Georgia and I agreed it was a very fun night, with surprisingly few awkward moments, and despite the fact that I completely neglected my ‘Who do you like’ slip and will therefore have zero matches, I would highly recommend it to anyone – plus it’s for charity, so let’s spread the love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!