background

I'm not one who likes big groups, I must say. In fact, most of the time I prefer to be working alone, or in groups of 2 or 3. The same applies even to conversations and parties - in pretty much all cases where I have two friends A and B, I'd rather spend 30 minutes talking to A in a one-on-one setting and then 30 minutes talking to B in a one-on-one setting, rather than 60 minutes talking to A and B together.

I guess the nature of the conversation shifts as groups seem to become smaller. I wouldn't talk much about my personal life in a big group; even in a smaller group, with say 4 people, if I don't know even one of them very well I'd be unlikely to bring it up, I'd say. Hence, I think it isn't unreasonable to establish that conversation shifts towards a less personal, less "serious" tone as group sizes increase. It's quite rare, though not non-existent, that I find myself in groups of 4 or even 3 talking about real, significant problems (of an emotional/spiritual sense, not in the logical/academic sense).

Very often, when in a big group, I've noticed I have a tendency to pick out one person or a small group of people, and talk to them specifically. This happened quite interestingly on several occasions - during the Primer's Parade held before the CNY break, a random bus ride home earlier that week, even the Primer's Challenge last year. This is somewhat linked to the idea that I'm an introverted person, though not without my needs for social interaction; a group of 7 is by my standards large already. Sometimes even six or five fall under this "categorisation" if I feel it fits there, or I'm in a more solitary/emo mood. That said, most of the time I'm quite open to groups of two (ie one-on-one) or three...

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Missed the bus today. Not just any ordinary bus. 6.14 people would know what I mean. =(

jk.