And there she was. Smiling as the light from Chinese candles sashayed and frolicked on her pristine face. The fancy silverware, save for the chopsticks, only mirrored her golden smile as you dispense your tensely delivered pick-up lines. The quintet playing classical Oriental serenades made it more romantically awkward for you.

After a hearty laugh she wolfed down her chow mein. From her vanishing heap you go eep. The romance turned sour as she dipped her spicy garlic squid on the vinegar. In a matter of few munches the squid is gone. She goes, "Thanks for joining me for dinner. My girls are all out so I had no choice but to come with you."

The moment was all in your head. A fictitious rollercoaster of emotion, all of which belongs to you... well hers was hunger, tumbling and twisting into nothingness as she burped and stood up. So it wasn't exactly a date. But when is a date a date?

Most would say when it's a social appointment, engagement, or occasion with another person, prepared before hand. Some say it's like a crime: it's premeditated. Others call it a meeting with intent. A meeting that has both long term and short term goals.

Still hazy? Let us have a check list for young studs to verify if what they have is technically a date. Signs you are on a date (also included some tips):

Mutual consent - otherwise you'd call it a kidnap/ hostage/ setup.

Spark - if you think of this as a key artifact in a war between giant shape shifting alien robots... obviously you need to go out more. In the real world, this is the unexplainable bond or connection between you and the gal. Get it? You better have it.

A better version of you - Sirs, this isn't foolery. Please do put your best foot forward when you to get to know each other better. Break the ladies in gently. Show them your good side and let them discover the bad one... by then they've already liked your up side. Don't feel guilty, the ladies are doing the same to us.

Good conversation - Talk! Laugh! Share! Don't just stand there and look at her assets. That's just way too creepy, dude. Now that you're here don't just harp on your good looks (this is relative if I might say). Show them your beautiful and sexy mind. You're never too tough to laugh or open up. And most important of all, listen.

She may sound gibberish at times but there are perks to listening. She's just like your grade school teacher, she loves pop quizzes. And one wrong answer and that's a big dent on you. And one correct answer or comment is a golden ticket to the kingdom of love.

The bill - Get the tab. Have shame. Show her that you have every intent of knowing her and spending time with her. A few bucks or free swank dinner goes a long way. To you it might be money lost but to girls it's money well spent for a special time to bond, be together, be friends, be closer.

The basic idea here is, dating is a two way high way. Keep that in mind and you'll be off to a happy evening with you gal.