A funny incident...

I was eating my lunch at a fast-food joint this afternoon before giving tuition... when I noticed a group of men seated at a nearby table laughing and talking...

Had a strange inkling that their conversation was about me, coz the two sitting with their backs toward me would at times revolve their heads to look in my direction. Feelings of vulnerability crept in... but I decided that perhaps I was over-sensitive... I subsequently took out my journal...and began writing laboriously in it...

Tried to ignore the dudes... but failed.com. Stole glances at my neck-line to see if it was too plunging.

After a while, the men got up to leave... Two out of three of them exited the fast-food joint gracefully through the heavy swinging glass-doors. To my alarm, one of them approached my table and sat down in front of me.

Yes, he did not even ask if I was OK with him sitting down...

Me: (thinking: what the nerve!)
Man (while breathing heavily and trying rather unsuccessfully to hide his trembling voice): Um... (speaks in Mandarin) - Hi, can I get to know you? Can I be your friend?
Me (trying to buy time and think of what to say without sounding rude): Sorry, can you please speak in English? (thinking: D-A-R-N! I hope he doesn't think that I am from China...)
Man (in English this time): Sorry... it's nothing really... Can I have your contact... and get to know you?
Me: Um... sorry, I don't think so. I don't give people my phone-number just like that...
Man: Then can we be friends?
Me: Sorry, I don't think so. (Thinking: Gosh, what a harsh answer!)
Man: It's OK.

He got up and disappeared immediately.

Omigosh. I don't think I sounded really polite either... but I was at a total loss what to say. Felt bad for rejecting him so abruptly too, but I had my reasons to be suspicious. (I am now on con-man alert!) And no, I was not flattered at all.

What kind of cheesy pick-up line was that? Did he actually think that I would give him my number?

Now, I am used to random dudes 'stumbling across' my Facebook profile and messaging me to ask if they can get to know me or add me to their friends list. But in person? This was really a first. I could ignore my Facebook messages (which I usually do)... but how should I respond to a situation like today's?

I am still hoping that the other two had dared him to do it - and he was doing it just to make them happy... although it looked nothing like that. *Denial, denial* :P

It must have been some kind of prank....

Sigh, I wish that I could have been a little friendlier though.

Then I dialed Ben's number on my hand-phone and complained to him about the whole incident. He had a good laugh. @_@'

Nevertheless, I was extremely careful while walking to my car after I was done with lunch.