About engineers and touchy-feely emotions

Here, a Biomedical Scientist is posting an article for engineers:D This was a forward sent to me sometime back... Can engineers be 'Touchy feely'?Can engineers be 'Touchy feely'? Apparently they can... says author Chetan BhagatI remember the incident . I was in a restaurant, and one girl in ourgroup was especially charming. So I, like any other male, tried to put on a wooing act. You know the routine, a nanosecond extra eye contact,a few more nods to whatever she says, and attempts to throw in thoseone-liners which you know you wouldn't if she weren't there. And it seemed to be working. She leaned forward when she spoke to me,and every now and again, we'd have a small conversation of our own,separate from our group. She laughed at my a pproach with the fork andknife, and I teased her about her hair band, which had little teddybears. Yes, we were flirting. A while later, she asked me the question- what did I study? I said engineering, without any particular meaningattached to it. And then like a cold metal rail, she went stiff. My jokes weren't funny any more. Her eyes wandered to everyone else. Whatwas it?Why? Why? Why? Two days later, I still couldn't get over my great start that had dissipated listlessly upon mentioning my education. Engineer? What waswrong with that? My mom had wanted me to become one since I was five!I had to call her. 'So what happened to you that day, hot and cold,missie?' And then she said, trying to be nice, 'Well, it's just that Iam skeptical about engineers as friends. I don't know, they can be,you know, very logical and everything... not very touchy feely'.Not touchy-feely. Now what the heck did that mean? Well, she obviouslydid not mean it literally, since girls don't really suggest that sort of stuff, certainly not in the first meeting across the table. I guessed it was something to do with feelings, sort of having anemotional side. The stereotype being, the nerdy guy who seesrelationships like laws of physics, to whom love is just a bunch of chemicals going crazy in your brain, and getting to know a person means obtaining their bio-data. It's time to set the record straight. It's true that a lot of what engineers study (and they end up studyingquite a lot), has to do with formulaes, laws and numbers. No matterhow hard we try, some of the vocabulary we read all day gets into our language. So when my mother said, 'Are you getting married next year or not?' I was liable to say, 'Well, at this moment in time, theprobability is relatively low,' and felt it was completely normal to say it. And when my sister went sari shopping and couldn't explain theshade she wanted, I told the shopkeeper the percentages of pink,orange and red in the sari. Yet, ladies, I don't think we're bad at relationships, love andgetting to know people. We too, can be touchy-feely, as that is partof our education as well. The reason for this is that most engineeringstudents live in the ultimate educator - boy's hostels. Now, let meexplain how this plays into this 'touchy-feely' thing. Relationships.Imagine eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, bathing (ok rarely thisone) and partying with the same people all the time. So, when you arekicking that bathroom door down for the tenth time, or when you standin line for 'gulab-jamuns' in the mess, and when you are done with thevodka bottle and sharing all your secrets, you know it is goodpractice. Yes, hostels maketh the man. So, next time you are in a flirtatious situation with the technotypes, go on, flirt a bit more. Of course, I am biased towards mykind, but if you find the conversation turning too geeky, just askthem, 'So, what were your hostel days like?' and chances are, you'llsee a heart behind the calculator. Coming back to my missie, I thoughtof what would make me win her over. Flowers... too cheesy. Music...don't know her taste (nor trust mine). Teddy bears... don't even gothere. Desperate for some good lines, I just turned it right back ather. 'Yes, I know what you are saying about engineers. The thing is,unless people with depth like you start hanging out with us, we won'tget any better. Can you meet me some time for some touchy/feely...oops, I mean coffee/tea?' She giggled. When they giggle, you have won. Hence proved.