His face was pleasant, his brow high, his mouth gentle, and his brown eyes warmly inquisitive, as if to say, Yes, I like you, and yes, I want to know more about you.

NEWYORKER: Waiting

Coming face to face with it is certainly not pleasant.

BBC: Read with us on World Book Day

They'll be face to face so they'll be a pleasant experience.

CNN: SHARE THIS

But it has to be said that this is a rather more pleasant way of discovering that you need contact lenses than being caught in the face by an 85mph bouncer from Brett Lee.

BBC: Too late for Tudor

The same for an alcoholic - the only sure and safe way is to face their internal demons and problems head on, but alcohol provides a pleasant, albeit potentially fatal, alternative.

BBC: 'Alcoholism is not all about drink'

We're hearing that access may have ameliorated in at least parts of the country, which would be a pleasant surprise -- not that a sudden improvement in service will cheer up those who know they still face a backlog.

ENGADGET: Google services grind to a halt in China, political transition suspected as the culprit (update)