flirtation

flirting -- as defined by wikipedia, is a form of human interaction, usually expressing a sexual or romantic interest in the other person.  it can consist of conversation, body language, or brief physical contact.  it may be one-sided or recirpocated.
flirting is often used as a means of expressing intrest and gauging the other person's interest in courtship, which can continue into long term relationships.  alternatively, it may simply be a prelude to casual sex with no continuing relationship.
in other situations, it may be done simpy for immediate entertainment, with no intention of developing any further relatioship.  this type of flirting sometimes faces disapproval from others, either because it can be misinterpreted as more serious, or it may be viewed as "cheating" if the person is already in a romantic relatioship with someone else.
people who flirt may speak and act in a way that suggests greater intimacy than is generally considered appropriate to the relatiohsip (or to the amount of time the two people have known each other), without actually saying or doing anything that breaches any serious social norms.  one way they accomplish this is to communicate a sense of playfulness or irony.  double entendres, with one meaning more formally apprpriate and another more suggestive, may be used.
flirting may consist of stylized gestures, language, body language, postures, and physiologic signs, like eye contact, smiling, winking, flattery and teasing.
while some of the subconscious signs are universal across cultures, flirting etiquette varies significantly across cultures which can lead to misunderstandings.  there are differences in how closely people should stand, how long to hold eye contact and so forth.
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as some norms are set in some countries that practice it more often, here in the philippines, flirting would be left to the individual as to its kind and definition. (why am i even discussing this now?!)  conservative as we are, our kind of flirting is way different from more civilized countries like the u.s. anyone can say that, from the foreign movies that we watch, compared to the everyday life of filipinos. but, i can say that we are never too far from these countries too.
oh yea, i have had my share of flirting too, especially during party nights. by flirting, i mean, my OWN definition of flirting. the conservative type of flirting, but not that conservative as when you brandish your fan and hide your face behind it. that's so passe, soo yesterday.
it's just that, i enjoy throwing hints at guys who can't muster to throw the same at me. yea, i have fun when i see them sweat. but when i am the object of these insinuations, i too, myself, am having a hard time riding the game all along. especially when it is so blatant. especially when i see that the person is attractive. i just don't know how to react anymore.  the trick's on me by that time. i had a piece of that last week, and as i remember it now, i just wonder where have my wits gone? why, at some people, i am impaired of my speaking ability? i get mute? why, why, why? but i had fun though. as what i told my friends --- ningning ang show ni manang!
ciao!