OMG it’s been 4 years since graduation!

I STEPPED BACK in time over the weekend in Nottingham, the vibrant and eclectic City where I studied and lived in for three years. As the train drew closer to the platform I could feel my heart beat skip a few beats. I suddenly felt like I was a student again, equipped with my bag of food supplies and my little pink suitcase of freshly washed clothes from my weekend at home. I felt excited and nervous to be back in the City where I learnt how to be independent, made friends for life, partied (a lot) and of course, studied my dream course-broadcast journalism. Walking through the City centre I couldn’t help but glance around, thinking to myself, “Hmm that would make a good news package,” but then I had to snap myself out of the student mentality of where the next assignment was going to come from.

When the sun went down, the drinks came out. It was a re-union night for ex-Nottingham Trent students so luckily there weren’t any little fresher’s invading the night. As we tottered towards the student union, we immediately felt like we had no worries in the world. The bar was the first stop! I’d almost forgotten how cheap and cheerful student nights were!

Going back for the weekend made me realise how much of a different, thorough perspective I now have on life, ambition and the people I meet. We were all once naïve, innocent, excited students living week to week through coursework and partying. I’ve realised that everyone is starting to take their own paths…whether it’s getting hitched and having babies, settling in their careers, moving abroad or just coasting for the time being.

Back to the real world then...

www.icantbelieveivejoinedadatingsite.com

PART 1: *Sigh*

I’ve done it. I can’t believe I’ve joined a dating website! It’s called SikhFaces.com. A handful of my friends have signed up and didn’t really give it a second thought. “Hey, it’s no big deal,” was the impression I was getting.

I explored the site, it’s almost on the same page as Facebook; after going through the initial process of setting up a profile and uploading a respectable photo (no, not one where you’re drunk in a club with a super mini skirt on!) you’re free to message people who you think could tick your boxes.

It’s quite a challenge to describe your ideal soul mate though, what if they just don’t exist?!

I have to admit, it took me a lot of persuasion to join. These kinds of sites were once taboo and people were almost embarrassed to admit they’d registered with one. The uncomfortable, awkward self-consciousness attached to these sites has vanished now. But when you take a step back and think about it, you have nothing to lose really. It’s difficult to meet people on the same wavelength as you in your everyday routine, so if someone is but a mere click away, then why not? What do you have to lose? I’ve recently realised that the journey we all take to take to find your soul mate could be quite an interesting and open-minded one. I’m no expert at the whole dating scene so this could be quite funny….

So who is a click away?

I received messages from guys who thought they were compatible with me. It was the usual, “Hi, you seem interesting do you want to tell me more about yourself.” They seemed ‘normal.’ But let's forget about those run of the mill messages for now. I started to really question what the hell I was doing on a site where people with the name of 'devilish' and 'prince charming' started messaging me, more than once. They can’t be serious…can they? I mean, I know it's good to stand out and be individual, but come on! Do these people really think they would be taken seriously with those names?! It made me squirm; it made me feel anxious about the weirdo’s out there on the other side of their computer screens!

Shortly after I left the site...do you blame me?!