Nidhi Shah, 26
engineer
The perfect date: Dinner somewhere vegetarian friendly and coffee afterward.
Something most people don't know about me: Pretty much everything in my online presence is true. ... You know how most people have a curated online presence? Mine is just whatever I'm feeling, usually.
My passion: I have a couple different passions. My passion is equality for everyone, arts and crafts, and friendship. I do a lot of [arts and crafts] with recycled materials, so I guess my fourth passion is recycling. I really like taking stuff that's going to be thrown away and making it into art pieces that look pretty.
My favorite ... sports team: University of Michigan football. I went to school there. I also like the Browns. They're cute to watch. I do a lot of regressions [an analysis of data] now because I'm a nerd, and I did this regression of how many games the Browns would win this year. Based on their last three years performance, I predicted they would win four. ... musician/band: The Eagles and Lady Gaga. ... TV show: Big Bang Theory and Dr. Who. ... place in Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art. ... book: The Harry Potter series. Do I sound like a total nerd? I'm currently rereading them right now for probably the 15th time. ... vacation destination: New York City. I like tropical places, but the beach gets boring, and New York always has something else to do. ... way to exercise: Yoga, ice skating and biking. But I don't really like exercising. ... month: November. It's my birthday month. ... website: Pinterest. If you look at my Google Chrome, it will tell you Facebook is my most-visited website, but Pinterest is probably my favorite. ... drink: Guinness. Also Lacroix flavored sparkling water.
My usual hangout: I go to the Starbucks at Cedar/Fairmount a lot and the Phoenix on Coventry.
In high school I was ... part of the goth crowd but never in that scene.
And now I'm ... a friend matchmaker. I meet people, and then I set them up with other people so they can be friends. I run this group in Cleveland Heights called the Cleveland Craft & Wine Club. We get together once every two or three weeks and do arts and crafts, drink wine and gossip.
My No. 1 dating rule: If there are any questions, just say no.
My deal-breaker: Smoking and wearing really tight pants.
On a first date I never ... make a snap decision.
Biggest turn-on: Intelligence. I like guys who are passionate about something. I don't like guys that are too into nothing.
Biggest turn-off: Not being informed of world news.
My hidden talent: Living in a very chaotic apartment but being able to find something within five seconds.
I own too many: Shoes. At least 100. They're all flats, though. I probably own three or four pairs of heels. I can't really walk in them.
My best feature: My personality and my hair. I'm very accepting. I don't get annoyed with people easily, and I think that makes me easier to talk to.
My bad habit: My bad habit is being really, really messy. I made this new rule up for myself. Whenever I walk into my bedroom, I have to put away five pieces of clothing. I've probably put away 30 pieces of clothing, and it's still a mess.
My first kiss: I don't remember.
My guilty pleasure: Gossip Girl. I think it'd be really cool to be a socialite in New York City and just wear glitter all the time and really expensive clothes and go to parties.
How my ex would describe me: Really nice and very creative.
How my best friend would describe me: Awesome. Incredible. She wants to wrap her arms around me and never let go.
Going out or staying in: Going out. I like going out and hanging out with my friends and doing things.
Early, late or right on time: Late.
Morning person or night owl: I can't convince myself it's important to wake up ever, because my bed's so comfortable and I have to go and turn the coffee pot on, which is a lot of work.
Dogs or cats: I like both. I'm allergic. They're so cute. I want one so bad, but I'm so allergic.
iPhone or Android: Android.
Dancing ... yes or no: I like having dance parties by myself in my apartment, or if I go out on West Sixth and I've had one drink too many I will dance.
Twitter ... yes or no: Yes. My future ambition is to write a book about my comedic life. My mother lives in Michigan three hours away and somehow still manages to be very immersed in my life. She says the most random things, and I tweet about them because they're so funny.
Longest relationship: It was a year-and-half-ish.
Biggest goal right now: I was recently laid off from my company, and it's kind of forcing me to figure out what I want to do next. Right now I'm trying to just focus on doing more creative things, so I'm trying to get my Etsy shop up and running.
Celebrity crush: Matt Smith from Dr. Who. He's British, and his hair is fantastic.
Most unusual place I've met someone: When I went to school, I met this one guy at a really sketchy bar that people go to to make bad decisions, and I ended up dating him.
My take on Cleveland's single scene: It sucks. Boys here are not forward enough. ... Guys don't approach you. They don't talk to you unless they're like 15 drinks in. Then who wants to talk to a really drunk guy slobbering all over himself?
What do you find sexy about yourself? I think I'm a good combination of intelligence and beauty.
Why do you think you're single? I ask myself that question every day.
