{"id":670748,"date":"2026-01-03T08:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T08:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/670748\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T08:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T08:12:09","slug":"blind-date-my-contact-lens-fell-out-towards-the-end-so-we-had-to-cut-it-short-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/670748\/","title":{"rendered":"Blind Date: \u2018My contact lens fell out towards the end, so we had to cut it short\u2019 | Dating"},"content":{"rendered":"

Karyshma on Arun<\/strong><\/p>\n

What were you hoping for?<\/strong>
A memorable evening, good company and to meet someone I wouldn\u2019t have crossed paths with. I\u2019m a romantic, so I like the idea of letting the universe (or the Guardian) do some matchmaking instead of the Hinge monotony.<\/p>\n

First impressions?<\/strong>
Friendly smile, punctual and warm.<\/p>\n

What did you talk about?<\/strong>
Instagram. Books. Film. Travel. Identity. Family. Reggae Reggae crisps. We had a surprising amount in common and matched each other\u2019s energy well.<\/p>\n

Most awkward moment? <\/strong>
Neither of us wanted to finish the last bits of tapas. The waitress came to the table a couple of times before we eventually finished it off.<\/p>\n

Good table manners?<\/strong>
Impeccable, and good taste in food too.<\/p>\n

Best thing about Arun?<\/strong>
He\u2019s a really good conversationalist: he listens, responds thoughtfully, and is open about his life and experiences.<\/p>\n

Q&AFancy a blind date?Show<\/p>\n

Blind date is Saturday\u2019s dating column: every week, two
\nstrangers are paired up for dinner and drinks, and then spill the beans
\nto us, answering a set of questions. This runs, with a photograph we
\ntake of each dater before the date, in Saturday magazine (in the
\n UK) and online at\u00a0theguardian.com<\/a>\u00a0every Saturday. It\u2019s been running since 2009 \u2013 you can read all about how we put it together here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What questions will I be asked?<\/b>
We
\n ask about age, location, occupation, hobbies, interests and the type of
\n person you are looking to meet. If you do not think these questions
\ncover everything you would like to know, tell us what\u2019s on your mind.<\/p>\n

Can I choose who I match with?<\/b>
No,
\n it\u2019s a blind date! But we do ask you a bit about your interests,
\npreferences, etc \u2013 the more you tell us, the better the match is likely
\nto be.<\/p>\n

Can I pick the photograph?<\/b>
No, but don’t worry: we’ll choose the nicest ones.<\/p>\n

What personal details will appear?<\/b>
Your first name, job and age.<\/p>\n

How should I answer?<\/b>
Honestly
\n but respectfully. Be mindful of how it will read to your date, and that
\n Blind date reaches a large audience, in print and online.<\/p>\n

Will I see the other person\u2019s answers?
<\/b>No. We may edit yours and theirs for a range of reasons, including length, and we may ask you for more details.<\/p>\n

Will you find me The One?
<\/b>We\u2019ll try! Marriage! Babies!<\/p>\n

Can I do it in my home town?
<\/b>Only if it\u2019s in the UK. Many of our applicants live in London, but we would love to hear from people living elsewhere.<\/p>\n

How to apply<\/b>
Email blind.date@theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n

Would you introduce Arun to your\u00a0friends?<\/strong>
He would get on with anyone.<\/p>\n

Describe Arun in three words<\/strong>
Open, family-oriented, relatable.<\/p>\n

What do you think Arun made of you?<\/strong>
Hopefully, all positive.<\/p>\n

Did you go on somewhere?<\/strong>
No, my contact lens fell out towards the end, so we had to cut it short. He walked me to the bus stop and waited for the bus with me, which I appreciated.<\/p>\n

And \u2026 did you kiss?<\/strong>
No.<\/p>\n

If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?<\/strong>
The venue was quite loud, so I had to ask him to repeat himself.<\/p>\n

Marks out of 10?
<\/strong>8. Good food and good company.<\/p>\n

Would you meet again?<\/strong>
We\u2019ve exchanged numbers. There wasn\u2019t an instant romantic spark, but I\u2019m happy to see how things develop.<\/p>\n

Arun and Karyshma on their dateArun on Karyshma<\/strong><\/p>\n

What were you hoping for?<\/strong>
Someone who is interesting, personable and easy to talk to.<\/p>\n

First impressions?<\/strong>
She has a lovely smile and beautiful eyes.<\/p>\n

What did you talk about?<\/strong>
Family and how different it is to be the eldest versus the youngest. How Malaysia shouldn\u2019t only be known for the food. Our film and book interests.<\/p>\n

Most awkward moment?<\/strong>
Apparently I\u2019m not very good at giving book synopses. I keep it vague because I hate spoilers.<\/p>\n

Good table manners?<\/strong>
Yes, very good.<\/p>\n

Best thing about Karyshma?<\/strong>
A lovely laugh and very engaging.<\/p>\n

Would you introduce Karyshma to your friends?<\/strong>
Yes, they\u2019d find her very interesting.<\/p>\n

Describe Karyshma in three words<\/strong>
Confident, engaging and intelligent.<\/p>\n

What do you think Karyshma made of\u00a0you?<\/strong>
I think I got a bit too passionate over books, so probably a bit too intense!<\/p>\n

Did you go on somewhere?<\/strong>
No, it was far too cold.<\/p>\n

And \u2026 did you kiss?<\/strong>
A gentleman never tells.<\/p>\n

If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?<\/strong>
That we went the correct way to the station \u2013 I think I managed to show off my terrible sense of direction.<\/p>\n

Marks out of 10?<\/strong>
I don\u2019t give marks, I give compliments \u2013 but 10.<\/p>\n

Would you meet again?<\/strong>
Yes, definitely, I\u2019d be interested to find out more about her.<\/p>\n

Karyshma and Arun ate at Parrillan<\/a>, London SE1. Fancy a blind date? Email blind.date@theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Karyshma on Arun What were you hoping for?A memorable evening, good company and to meet someone I wouldn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[77,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-670748","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115830164173170370","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}