I have accepted that it is impossible to make people like you, as some of them will just hate you on sight and nothing to be done about it. What works for me is being approachable.

At a very corporate job I had once, I had the opportunity to work very closely with one of the more “likeable” and “popular” guys in my department. So I studied him to see what he had that I didn’t, as I’ve always had issues being an outlier and “the office weirdo.” Eventually it became clear that what he had that I…

Nah, that’s the slightly censored version — the word isn’t said but the meaning is clear.

Молодец!

Yoga IS boring, but it’s also really good for you, especially if you live with a lot of stress. Looking forward to getting into a nice boring yoga class soon.

There are legit jobs you can get over the Internet for writing, editing, translation, etc. — I’ve done that when other angles are slow. Takes some time and research but it might be worth it for you. For example Elance — it was a huge waste of time but it has worked for some other people.

Tell me about it; I just use the same pseudonym because I already know my name doesn’t translate in the local language. Or if it’s not crowded I just remain anonymous. Some of the staff in one place have started addressing me very politely and respectfully by that fake name, however, so the joke’s probably on me as…

No abs of color? Not even a bit of Turkish “baklava”? Tis a shame.

It’s also helpful if you can smell them.

Any tea place on the Bosphorus, in the right weather, any side. I prefer the ones that are further up, like Tarabya or Sariyer.

The course I endured seemed to expect you to go through this with the students every damn time you gave them something to do, which is in most cases completely unnecessary.

Make it “cup of coffee” and I’m in.

Objectify this!

This interaction reminds me of what CELTA (English teaching cert. program) calls a “concept checking question” and this may be why I have issues with them.

This predates Borat by how many years?

Somebody in one of the threads elsewhere mentioned what a huge turnoff it is to be treated like a sure thing, and that has been my experience. Also not sexy: being treated as a “sexperiment” (“I’ve never been with a [your nationality/ethnicity here] woman” or a fetish.

Also British and Russian, from what I’ve observed.

I saw back in those days how deprived they were of nice things — in the USSR they would try to buy the pants or shoes off of foreigners right in the street if they liked their stuff.

The end result of that, however, is a culture in which all too often "no means yes," which I find terrifying to contemplate. The only 'no' that some of these guys seem to take seriously involves things like public shaming and the intervention of law enforcement. Sometimes, not even that.