Contradictions!

I’ve never really been much of an extrovert (especially online).  I’ve been an online lurker but never really had any motivation to post anything (Kudos to you who do it).  Starting this blogging journey and revealing myself online is a big step for my kind.

There is contradiction in my life that I haven’t quite reconciled yet –  I have presented myself extrovert at many occasions and later I’ve had to explain that I’m generally very quiet.  I can be chatty with anyone and I’m not shy about it.  I’ll strike up a conversation – no problem.  But what I  don’t show is that it takes a lot of energy out of me.  My natural state is to sit there and people watch.  (Yes, I love people watching – I’ve been told I have a staring problem.  I say its only a problem if I get caught doing it :P).

I will be that person that shows up at a party and sit in a corner with a close friend catch-up and watch people interact one another.  If my close friend wants to go around and mingle, I will still continue to sit there alone while I watch everyone around me.  I will watch their interactions and try to guess what they are talking about.  Here are some people watching games in my head in various situation:

1. Tourist or Local person – This is fun in any place and you can sit outside by yourself or with a friend and try to figure out if the person is a local person or if they are visiting from out of town.  I have a few tricks to figure this out, but I’ll let you come up with your own ways.
2. Dating or Married – This one is easy to figure out if they are wearing rings but given these days people don’t wear rings all the time.  If you are in a mall or walking on a busy street, you can try to guess if they are married or dating especially if they are walking ahead of you.
3. Car gender/age – give this one a try if you are waiting at a bus stop or going on a road trip.  Look at a car at a distance and based on the color and model try to guess if it is a man/woman or young/old person driving the car.   This one is also fun because you can actually get an answer as the car gets closer.  (the other games leaves you with a fun time but no actual answer)
4. Guess who’s on the phone – there is a lot you can tell by observing body language. If you are in the middle of downtown and watching people (just because you have time), you can try to guess who is on the other end their phone. Is it their spouse, parent, boss, child, friend, relative?
5. What are they talking about – This one is fun if you are people watching with someone in a park or at a beach or at a tourist spot where people sit.  You can try to guess what they are talking about based on their facial expressions and hand gestures.  You can try to guess if they are talking about their day, the next movie, the next outing they are going on, their job, their family, possibilities are endless.

I wonder what other games there are that people play (if they choose to people watch – or is that just me….)….