He found it was variously referred to as introversion, withdrawn behaviour or low sociability, a jumble of terms which “led to endless confusion”. Crozier was 28 and had just completed his PhD in the science of decision-making, but the study gave him a new focus, and he began combing through the literature on shyness. It was the first time he had ever seen shyness mentioned in an academic context. While working in the library one day he stumbled across a 1965 study by an American psychologist, Andrew Comrey, which listed shyness alongside compulsion, hostility and neuroticism as measurable personality traits. In 1974, Ray Crozier was in his first job as a psychology lecturer at South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Wales, now Cardiff Metropolitan University. Had I accidentally become a shy role model or was it hard-wired? “You’ll enjoy the game more.” “Why don’t you?” he responded. “Why don’t you talk to the others?” I said one day. When he joined a new football club, he kept himself separate, standing to one side except during matches. At times I noticed him struggling to socialise. My son turned eight in the first year of the pandemic. ‘Why don’t you talk to the others?’ I said to my son one day. For years, I didn’t think about shyness at all. Apart from occasional bouts of public speaking or panels, I didn’t blush during social interactions, feel my heart race or hear the click of my dry mouth opening and closing. I never dominated a room but I could hold my own and, more importantly, once I became a journalist, I could forge a connection with interviewees as part of my job. I set myself small challenges: say one thing at a meeting, then two speak to the next person on my left at an event, or behind me in a conference buffet queue. Aloofness might serve the head of a company or a star employee, but not a young unknown hoping to make an impression. There didn’t seem to be any upside to the character trait here. My first professional experience was as a researcher in parliament and then in TV. Over the next three years, my social awkwardness eased before returning with a vengeance as I started work. When it came to dating, it was often misconstrued as cool indifference. On my first night at university, I stood awkwardly behind various other freshers playing Space Invaders in the games room, willing someone to turn round and say hi, unable to make the first move. I was a shy child who morphed into a shyish teenager. “ Rosso, rossa!” the teacher called out to the class, pointing at my furiously blushing cheeks. A few words, however, are lodged in my memory. If you find our blog useful, please consider making a hotel or flight booking with our affiliate links.I don’t remember much Italian from the abortive attempt I made to learn the language in Perugia at the age of 18. Karaoke in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap or any other city’s beer gardens is best left to semi-professional singers as you could be the laughing stock of the whole restaurant, in good humour of course. Always check with local city slickers that you are looking for a place to sing, a family outing where women customers are also welcome. Beware however, some “karaoke” parlors are simply bordellos in disguise. Other favourites include romantic duets between a male and female singer, which is usually an endless source of gossips and innuendos.Īir-conditioned karaoke rooms are usually priced at US $5 per hour. If you get the opportunity, go karaoke with Cambodians and ask them to perform classic 1960s and 1970s songs by Son Sin Samut. Drinks and food is ordered: beer, wine, juices and fresh fruits.Īfter a few cans everybody is expected to shake a leg or an arm while somebody sings. Karaoke is practiced in groups of friends in private booths. There is in fact no such thing as closet singers in Cambodia, only karaoke singers. Visitors are often surprised to discover the average Cambodian will gladly make his melodious voice heard. It’s not that rock and roll (such as Cambodian 1960s and 1970s surf guitars) is not popular in Cambodia, but it’s more that the average Cambodian singer is better versed in the sad love story genre. The Cambodian Karaoke repertoire is rich in romantic songs (“Plhegn romantique” or romantic music), love songs and easy listening songs. It is usually referred to as “oke” in Khmer. Karaoke is arguably the most popular Khmer pastime, right along pétanque, badminton and football. Both Khmer and English versions are usually available. Long forgotten western classics such as “Love you more than I can say” and “Streets of San Francisco” are popular karaoke songs in Cambodia.
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