A few weekends ago, I was tasked with approaching some strangers in a mall to get some answers for a survey. While it may seem like nothing to most people, I didn’t find it very easy to do. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone and had my colleague’s help to carry it out. While I had to work up the nerve the approach strangers to ask them the questions, she went in like a pro, approaching crowds left and right with no hesitation. It was interesting watching the immense skill gap between the both of us.
I’m not physically incapable of talking to strangers, but I’m the kind of guy who dislikes being approached by strangers in public. Be it to sell me shit, talk about religion or beg for donations – I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve thought to myself, “I’m glad they came to me!” whenever it happens. For me to put myself in those shoes was immensely difficult.
I’ve had jobs approaching strangers before – but that was as a promoter in a supermarket. Having a product to push and being in a controlled environment made it much easier. It also helped that people would be curious about the stand I was in front of. All I had with me in the mall was a notebook, pen and company name tag.
Anyway, not much to say about that experience except that it was eye-opening for me. I guess we’re all proficient at different things in life, and I’m the kind of guy who’s more comfortable behind the scenes instead of out talking to people on the streets. But it’s a skill I’ll pick up one day, as it’s more beneficial to have than not.
Category: Random
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Talking to Strangers
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It’s great being an adult
Today, a thought crossed my mind while I was having dinner and I saw a kid a few tables away having his meal with his family. He was the only child seated there, the rest of them were old-ass people chatting and eating. It’s great being an adult.
Sure, these days it’s not too bad being a kid – everyone has got their own tablets and smartphones to keep themselves occupied during a boring dinner. But I remember when I was young, the countless times I had to follow my family out because I was too young to be left at home by myself.
I’d sit down with the aunts and uncles, bored out of my mind, waiting for the adults to finish talking so I could go home to watch my favorite TV shows, read a book or play some video games.
Now that I’m old enough, I’m able to decline invitations to dinners I don’t want to attend. If I do attend them, I can occasionally speak to adults or other people closer to my age. I can order a drink and enjoy some alcohol. I can pull out my phone to browse reddit, play games or watch videos on YouTube. When I feel like it, I can just walk out for a smoke. Assuming I drove to the venue by myself, I can make an early exit to do whatever I want. There’s really no expectation for me to be present (barring important occasions). Everyone’s an adult now – they know I have shit to do with my time as well (these days it’s leveling up my Battle Pass kek).
I don’t miss being that kid who didn’t have a say in his parents’ social engagements. Being old does come with benefits. Now when I think of it, who wants to be young again? I mean, sure – nobody likes looking like an old fuck, but if you are an old fuck then what’s wrong with looking like one? I think I look my age these days, and I’m cool with that.
It’s great being an adult.
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Mobile Hotspots are Underrated
If there’s one thing that people don’t use enough of these days, it’s turning their phones into mobile hotspots. Gone are the days where if you visit a cafe and it has no WiFi, you can’t do your work there. All you have to do is turn on the hotspot feature on your phone and you’re good to go. Unless you have a terribly limited data plan (which most people don’t have these days), using your phone to tether your laptop/tablet to is something you should do – unless you have terrible reception on your phone.
Benefits? You get to use 4G speed, which is better than the WiFi you get from a lot of places in KL. Especially when a cafe/restaurant is busy and full of other people leeching it as well. Better security – while most WiFi networks are usually pretty secure these days (gone are those days of Firesheep), it just feels better knowing that you have traffic going through your own cellphone instead of through a router that the public is accessing. You can use it anywhere and anytime you want. You’re no longer bound to venues and their opening hours. Sit in your car or on a park bench somewhere to work if you feel like it.
Sure, on some phones it might affect the speed of your battery drain, but if you have a decent phone (something that most people already do these days), it shouldn’t be much of an issue. You can always use powerbanks or charge your device with your laptop or a power outlet.
Also, if you don’t use up that phone data, what else are you going to use it for? At least in my experience where I have WiFi at home and in the office, my data goes underutilized on most months and I end up spam watching HD YouTube videos before my data renewal date just to feel like I got my money’s worth. In case you’re not sure about how to turn your phone into a hotspot (there are a thousand different phones out there so I can’t give you a guide here) you can do a simple Google search to find out. It usually falls under Settings > WiFi > Hotspot/Tether on Android phones.
Now go out there and enjoy your freedom enabled by your mobile devices! (though some people may say the ability to work anywhere is a curse, and not a blessing)