Hey, beginner here.

  1. Girl and her friend (both about equally attractive) were standing at the same bus stop as me (no one else there). They were discussing which bus they should take so I had some context to chip into the conversation. One of the girl was much more receptive and actively contributed to the conversation, so I tried to keep most of my focus on her while asking the friend an occasional question now and then. We boarded the same bus and towards the end (I knew where they were getting off) I told her we should hang out sometime and got her number. I think it went well overall, although maybe I shouldn't have waited until 30 seconds before her stop to ask her out.
    We went out since then. Was a fun date but she didn't really seem like my type so I won't be seeing her again.
  2. Noticed a girl sitting by herself on a bench waiting for the train. She had a backpack with a logo of a company I know so I sat next to her and tried to initiate the conversation by asking about the workplace: How she likes working there, how long she's been there for, and so on. She answered politely but didn't ask questions herself and didn't seem interested. I tried to keep the convo going a couple of times but eventually it died out, and after a couple minutes I told her to have a pleasant ride and left.
    I think I got into this interaction without the necessary energy: I didn't project any enthusiasm or playfulness but rather got stuck in interview mode asking boring questions. Note to self to always smile from now on.
  3. Went out to the mall. I still feel kinda weird going with the sole intention of approaching, so I coordinated it with the fact I actually had to go buy a few things. Bought my stuff and then started walking around.
    Saw a cute cashier at a book stand, so I asked her for some recommendations. She asked what kind of books I liked and I told her about the ones I read and enjoyed. She spent another minute or two going through the books trying to find something to recommend. Eventually I told her that I actually thought she looked cute and wanted to come over and say hi. She was very flattered and very married.
    Overall I'm glad I approached and it's nice to get a friendly response. I think I could have been direct a little sooner - felt kinda stupid to make my intentions clear only after a couple minutes of making small talk as a customer.

Tried to get myself to approach other girls at the mall, but couldn't bring myself to open anyone who was with someone or walking.

I think I've made some progress, even if it's just the fact that I approach at all. Still, hope to overcome 2 big obstacles I've been struggling with:

- Approaching in front of other people
- Approaching a girl who is not static (not standing, sitting in place) and without other context

Cheers.