I forewarn those who are about to embark on this journey of reading my diary. It may come across as boring, but I am gonna assure you, even if you are bored, you will be happily bored knowing how naïve I am.

Guy Named John

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I got to know a guy by the name of John. Quite a nice Christian name. The bible does mention of John, so if a person shares his name, he could not be that bad. I am not sure why I caught his attention but maybe my blue purple highlights is not the most common thing that you see in any formal setting.

I am a bit more into myself. I thought it was because I was speaking well or were poised when I spoke at the meeting that brought up the attractiveness in me. I was wrong!

The Pickup Line

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After the meeting he approached me, and instead of using the normal pickup lines, he stroked my ego by telling how good I was in speaking and how well I engaged the audiences. He got my number and asked me to keep in touch. He also said, he is not hitting on me because he is a married man. I thought that is the modus operandi. They tell you dismiss your main suspicion and then they hit you hard thereafter. I don’t believe in man that tells me they are married hence they don’t flirt. They flirt be it married or not married.

It did not take long before I receive his call. He invited me for a drink and I was wary. I went out with him anyway. I told myself if he tried anything funny I will remind him that he is married. That seems to be my plan for the day.

Our conversation

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"May I know what is the purpose of this outing?"

"I'm working on an idea with a friend of mine and I would like to have a perspective from a undergraduate. I am looking for feedback like yours. Is there any place to drink nearby your campus?

What caught my mind was IDEA and FEEDBACK. My mind is always about food and drinks. I am not sure how I linked with this strange idea that he has a F&B business concept that he wants to seek my opinion. I agreed, partly because my stomach agreed.

Conversation in Car

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When in the car, the entire conversation was about himself. He said he wanted to be a motivational speaker, a trainer, a person who brings value to others. It is his dream to assists people who felt lost in their life. He felt people are stuck in a maze, he wanted to lead them out. I was thinking, oh my god, this guy wants to be JESUS! I wasn't amazed.

The conversation started when we reached our location.

What is your dream?

I have no dreams. (after saying that suddenly I felt so stupid)

I've yet to experience experience stuff and just want resolve my internship application.

Don't you like travel? Isn't traveling is a dream to everyone?

Next he asked me what is stopping me from travelling. I know he wanted me to say finances. But in reality, it is my parents. So I answered him, it is my elders.

No. It is always abut time and money. If you had the money, you can go more places.

I was mind blown for a while. I never thought that money was my problem in travelling but a stranger is telling me that money is the reason why I have limited travels. Perhaps I should show him my bank account, but then again, nothing to brag about if it is a joint account with my parents. But HELL NO, money isn’t the problem!

Now he is telling me what my dreams ought to be and what my problems are which to me is the furthest from truth. The he invalidates my reason. I thought this was a little out of hand.

The Lady Accomplice

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A few minutes later, his lady partner came. She is confident and beautiful. Her first words are,

‘Are you and open minded person? We are going to introduce you entrepreneurship and give you business opportunities. You will earn in US Dollars.’

I went into a flight mode. My brain froze. No information can be processed. I was clenching my fist and I am hope that it is obvious to them that the entire session is a torture to me. The next half an hour or so, it was about how they left their 9 to 5 job and they are enjoying life. How much they enjoy the networking and meeting sessions and they are doing a great deal for the community and yadda yadda yadda.

Then came the dreaded questions

DO YOU TRUST ME?

HELL NO!

I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs but because I am educated and I have a bit of sensibility in me, I refrained.

The common chant, ‘if I can do it, so can you’. She has drained so much of my emotional energy for the day. I cannot tolerate it anymore. So the lesson of the day is this, reject early before you sit in to be lectured on leaving a life that you are happy with and to work for something that you don’t need.

I wonder if you guys have ever faced this in your life?

Back to Old Me

After that episode I felt a bit cheated. Why don’t people say what they meant to say? The reason why I was asked out was a recruitment process. They should have just said so. Anyway, I learn to be a bit more wary. I am not from a very rich family but we have enough to go by our days comfortably. My bad. So, to console myself I went out to take a bowl of nice noodle with fried dumpling. At least even if I am irritated with humans at least my stomach is well contented.

I learn that I am more comfortable with people that have no motive and people that hangout with you because they enjoy hanging out with you. People like @pinstory! Reminds me of this piece

source

I expressed my frustation to @perennial and ask for a poem that best sums it all up and he gave me this.

Human intentions are beyond our imagination,
We expect the best but we get the worst,
I neither angered nor am I bewildered,
I am just saddened that we can’t be more enlightened,
I am not deterred because love is unfettered,
Hence my love for travel is still unaffected.