I Eat Alone

Not to complain. I have absolutely no problem eating alone. Well, lunch that is. Only lately I've been eating with the new Maintenance Manager as I need to 'teach' him lots of things regarding the building, coz' still until today, I have tenants who calls me up saying that they don't want to speak to the new guy coz' he dunno anything. Not that he dunno about electrical stuff, but more towards the ongoing problems they've been facing and they don't want to repeat themselves.

Back to eating alone, again, I repeat that there's only four staff currently in the management office with desks. Others like security staffs are in security room where all the black and white televisions are, and the maintenance staffs are more happy relaxing in their tools room or engine room or whatever. Again, I repeat that my finance executive prefers to tapau food. That leaves the receptionist and the maintenance manager.

I have been asked for lunches quite a few times. I have had tenants asking me out. One issue is that my managers previously have all warned me about going for lunches with tenants. Other tenants will give the look, thinking that there's more than meets the eye. Maybe they're thinking "Ah, this tenant sure got good rental rate, since he's chummy chummy with that dude." Therefore, I've always turned down (tactfully by lying saying "I have an appointment at that time") all the requests.

I have also been asked for lunches by my receptionist and my two staff at our business center. That cannot do as it'll mean I'll be dining with three girls. If I do dine with them, it cannot happen in our building because most of the tenants know my receptionist as well as my two staff, since their looks make them quite popular amongst the single guys of the tenants. I mean, to have 'strangers' calling up to "get to know the receptionist" tells a lot. I've been in the cafe once, just eating on my own, and having seen an interesting scene. Scores of guys who are eating are busy looking at one direction towards the girls. Ya, I'll be darn well not to sit with them or I'll get stupid jealous looks.

Maintenance staff and security staff I totally cannot jive with them. We can joke once in a while, but to hold a decent group conversation is difficult, because the topics are unfamiliar to me. So that leaves eating with someone outside the building. Yeah, I used to eat with an ex-school mate working just beside my building. I have another ex-school mate about 200 meters away, we've talked about doing lunch but has never gotten around to it. I guess one of the reason I eat alone is coz' I eat after lunch hour! Ya, at 2:00pm sharp mostly when crowds are less.

What do I gain? Nothing. It's nothing pitiful eating alone. Some of the pros include cleaning of eye aka cuci mata aka look at girls. I can eat like a king without someone scrutinising "Eh, wah liao, you eat four pieces chicken and 3 sambal eggs and got sotong some more! Crazy!". But practically, eating alone is relaxing, time away from work to be on my own to think about personal life, such as, what to eat for dinner, what to watch on tv tonight, which university to put my kid in. :P Cons?! I don't feel any cons should they really exist. Seriously, it is relaxing to eat alone. :D