Oh guys. Guys. You give terrible advice. Y'all got all excited - woo the love interest! drool on your second date! - and forgot one crucial point.

Life is awkward.

This probably isn't the best philosophy around, I recognise that, but it's pretty accurate. Talking all night in Japanese? Arm-touching? Using the polite form out of habit and being corrected to the familiar form? Awesome! Encouraging! Promising! 

Trying to initiate texting the next day? AWKWARD. 

Getting a very polite, kinda generic text back? AWKWARD. 

And okay, maybe this is because I didn't drool, you never know (although I did drop some sashimi in the soy sauce dish and couldn't pick it up for about ten minutes, because I can't use chopsticks after a drink -or before a drink, to be honest- and eventually had to shriek-giggle, 'minaide!' ('don't look!') and pick it out with my fingers. NICE).

Whatever, whatever. Life is awkward, but it's also short (and cliched, apparently), so it's pretty much worth a shot. And, you know, in the meantime there are pancakes to be made, and episodes of Glee to watch (THIS WEEK'S EPISODE, OMG SO GOOD. MY BOYS <3), and poles to dance around in nightclubs after a few too many tequila shots to the toast, 'no regrets!' (yeah, I don't know how that one came about). So perhaps it's better not to think too far ahead and just to take things as they come? 

Right now? Pancakes for one. The other thing about life is that it totally has compensations.

Whole-wheat Pecan Pancakes (for one), with Fresh Figs & Maple Butter

40g (1/3c.) whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/4 tsp baking powder

20g (1/4c. when whole) pecans, finely chopped

60ml (1/4c.) soy milk

60ml (1/4c.) water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp maple syrup

vegetable oil for pan

Whisk together the first four (dry) ingredients, but reserve a few pecans. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry with a spatula until combined.

Heat a little oil in a nonstick frying pan (mine was not nonstick. I have since invested). When it's hot, add the batter to the pan, approximately 1/4c. of batter per pancake. You know how to make pancakes, guys. Flip it when bubbles appear on the top side, and it's golden-brown, a few minutes on each side.

You should have four pancakes! Stack them up with sliced fresh fig and maple butter if you can get it (maple syrup would also be awesome, obviously). Sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans over the top before eating. Hell yeah.