Bitten too many times

Last Wed lunch time, I bought my usual take-away bee hoon kueh from the coffeeshop nearby. Was walking back to office when I heard a "hello" behind me. I looked over my shoulder & saw this young chap following closely. Had no idea when he started to appear as the last I knew was meeting 2 chatting ladies at an intersection & then they walked behind me.

Anyhow, everything started & was over in less than a minute while I continued walking throughout....

Guy: Hello, can I know you?
Me: No.
Guy: Then can I give you my name card? (handing me a card)
Me: No.
Guy: Just take it, please?
Me: No.

He asked me to take his card for the 2nd time & I shook my head while giving him a wry smile before picking up my pace.

He might be thinking I embarrassed him in front of 2 ladies.

Isn't this a passé way of knowing girls? Or am I wrong?

Befriending someone on the streets used to be real popular. It didn't just happen to hot babes... those who've seen pix of my much younger days will know what I mean. And hubby can't stop himself from laughing at/teasing me whenever we're on this :\

My 1st encounter should be....... when I was in Sec 3 or 4? A group of guys were roller-skating (yep it's that era haha) at the opposite void deck. I was below my block walking to the bus-stop when a few of them approached me, wanting to chat. There's a particular one who'd been skating next to me persisted for a distance before giving up. I thought he looked cute but mum ever said towards strangers4 . So I ignored them. Though I was secretly hoping to see this cute guy again at the void deck.

Then along the way, met people who came up with those usual stunts like asking for time, saying I looked like so & so, asking for direction, etc. A freak even tailed me from the bus all the way to my void-deck.

Besides the roller-skating boy (the memorable 1st :þ)... a few gave a deeper impression:

- On my way to school (pre-u). After I alighted, someone called me from behind & asked for time (typical!). Then he started asking for my name & stuff. Another cute guy who's an undergrad & a swimmer. Then we exchanged home nos. Obviously I no longer listened to my mum after a few years ;) Met up a few times. I was once pretty crazy over him. Imagine those days without cell phone.... when you're out, you're literally out of reach. So I would spend most of my time at home, near the phone. But I'd to accept he's just a rover.

- During year-end holiday job (pre-u again). A Swiss asked me for direction & then those usual questions. Contact details exchanged. We corresponded (letters) a few times after he returned to Zurich. More than a year later I think, he visited Singapore again & I agreed to be host. Know what he did on the 1st day we re-met? He proposed to me! He actually asked me to marry him!! That totally blew me away. I was only 19 or 20 then whereas he's nearing 40. We weren't even dating, at least not that I knew of, & I didn't like him at all. Of course I rejected him flatly. Tough to avoid him completely as he's staying here for a week. The next time we met I asked my sis & 1 of her girlfriends along but he treated them as invisible most of the time & attempted to overwhelm me with mushy words the entire evening. That's final for me. I refused to take his calls & had to let him spend his remaining days here by himself. At least there's something good about those no-handphone days, hee. After he returned, he didn't give up & sent me letters, pictures of his yacht & cottage.. saying those would belong to me if I were to marry him *faint* but I didn't respond. Then one night, mum woke me up @ 2am+ & said my boss was looking for me. Turned out to be him blabbering away. I hung up on him shortly after & think that's the last I heard of him. Couldn't imagine myself liking an 'elderly' then.

- During the initial days of working. Was waiting for bus after seeing a doc. Then this very tall & skinny guy who's also waiting at the bus-stop came forward & chatted with me. I recognised him as one of the patients at the clinic. Exchanged home nos & he asked me out the following Sun evening for drinks. He confided in me that his girlfriend had died of cancer a year ago & since then he couldn't bring himself to date other girls till he met me. I was so gullible then & took everything he said. We supposed to meet again the following week but he disappeared, I tried calling but couldn't reach him. Only a few days later he contacted me & said he's busy with work over the weekend. We kept in touch via phone as he always claimed he needed to work extended hours. Blame it on my naivety that I didn't realise I wasn't even a 'Girl Friday'. Only after he went missing for weeks that I finally gave up hope. About a year later, he called me out of the blue. But I was already attached then. As I was so stupid (that I didn't realise he's a jerk when it's so obvious), I even tried to introduce a good friend to him by organising a movie outing with my then clique (5 couples). Thank God she's not ready for another relationship though she'd good impression. Then 1 day, Michelle who'd met him during the outing told me I'd been duped. She attended a wedding dinner the previous night & coincidentally saw him at the next table but he pretended to not know her. She confirmed with a mutual friend that he's indeed Alwin Cheong & then came the shocking news.... he'd already been attached for more than 4 years & the girlfriend was sitting next to him! To think that he told me his girlfriend died of cancer more than a year ago?? Since he's such a scum to be cursing his own girl, I've no qualms about revealing his full name. Who knows, he might still be deceiving other innocent girls now?

- At the DFS of Jakarta international airport. I was browsing while waiting for a flight back after a work trip. I noticed a man was following me for a while & perhaps he sensed that I was turning hostile, he approached me & introduced himself. He's an Italian & maybe because he's handsome, I didn't mind engaging in a conversation with him though his English was limited haha. His friend, another Italian but was the opposite in terms of physical attributes :P, soon joined in after his shopping. We had a coffee together & then they walked me to my boarding gate. I agreed to give him my mobile phone no. but didn't ask for his as I'd no intention to keep in touch. The next day after I returned, he called me from Milan. I was surprised. But I just couldn't figure out what he's trying to say & ended the conversation shortly. It's always easier to communicate face to face with gestures. After days (or weeks?) he called the 2nd time but again, we couldn't talk for long. We could have just exchanged email addresses then.
Soon after, I changed my handphone number. He might have tried calling me again, or he might not have.

As you can see the chance of being acquainted with strange people or jerks almost hit 100%, at least for me, I've shut out those who try to get friendly out on the streets long time ago. Moreover, I'm already happily married now so there's no need to know more guys. :)