I take a deep breath and hesitantly walk into the bar. My eyes instantly find him. He looks up, sensing my eyes on him, and grins widely. I walk over and sit myself directly opposite him. It has been so long, but not long enough.

“Hello, Bruce. How have you been?” I enquire as the waiter brings me my usual two glasses of whiskey.

“Good! And you must be enjoying you work life. I heard you’ve been doing well”.

“Yeah, work’s been great”.

“I’ve been the total opposite”, he volunteers without me asking. “I prefer learning instead of climbing the corporate ladder. I am studying law now and I’ll be changing jobs soon, maybe to a new unexplored industry. I only live once, and won’t want to die as a specialist”.

I pause for a moment thinking what best to say. “Don’t you learn new things at work? Are you bored of your job?”

“Yes I learn, but after knowing their thoughts, I feel they’re only concern with their personal job issues while disregarding what is happening out there. I want more”.

“Bruce, there is no reason to be in business if not to make a profit...

He cuts me off, “that’s why cooperate is killing the world. No offence but they are the new power force, dominating and controlling people. Demanding that we follow their pace. Since young, we’ve been brainwashed and taught the way of life they want us to lead”.

At this point, a waiter walks pass and I grab the chance to order another 2 knit whiskeys. God knows I’ll be needing it. I hoped the little diversion would change the topic but it didn’t.

“That’s why I am learning from different industries. I want to see as much as possible better setting my own route. In the meantime, I’ll settle with their bowl of rice while building my own knowledge before striking back”.

Since I’ve broken up with Bruce, I’ve been told, he’s gotten very philosophical. I was now witnessing it first hand.

“Oh”, he continues, I heard you’ve found a nice guy”.

“Yeah, he’s a babe”.

This was an area in my life I didn’t want to openly discuss, especially with Bruce, but I was grateful for the change in topic.

“How about you? Have you been seeing anyone lately?” I asked.

“I prefer the single life. Too many dreams to achieve”.

“Good for you” I reply.

“I am seeking self improvement in every area but mostly intellectual without boundary, without conventional thinking and freedom to explore. See more, hear more, and conceive all before I die, hopefully. Rules and regulations are written by human, so eventually it should be and will be corrected by human as well”.

I was stunned. How the fuck does someone respond to a statement like that? I reacted in the only way I knew how-by waving my arms madly in the air, trying to flag down a waiter for 2 shots of tequila.

“Make sure my glass is never empty”, I whisper in his ear while slipping him a fiver. “After these two, I want 2 glasses of red wine”. He looks over at Bruce, and understandingly nods.

“You should start your own business”, Bruce continues.

“I plan to one day start my own business. I am just not sure what I want to do yet”.

“Hmmmm, get a few bankers, involve a few economic experts and some local sales people to create a venture capitalist company”.

“Errrrmmmm…that’s not really my thing, plus my Daddy doesn’t print money. So you want to be a VC?”

The waiter comes back with my 2 tequilas, which I down successively.

“Yes. Which is why I am studying law”.

By the now the alcohol was starting to hit me and I was getting really agitated, which made me argumentative and opinionated.

“Do you know what I think is important to be a VC?” I asked. “Gut feel…the ability to predict a certain craze, a killer app, the latest trend, before it happens”.

“This prediction can be done through philosophy guidance”.

“Har?”

“Philosophers always create theories that’s is bound to everything. Everything in life have inter connection between each other, whether they aware or not”

My blood was starting to boil. “Okay, give me an example. Tell me of a product or idea which is going to take the world by storm, based on your philosophical knowledge.”

“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it; men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and soccer players by playing soccer. In the same way, by doing just acts, we come to be just; by doing self-control act, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave act; we become brave”.

“And how does THIS relate to the next big thing?”

“Every moment, every blink, is composed of series of discrete moving parts, and every one of these parts offers an opportunity for intervention, for reform and for correction. Knowledge, alone, is not power. Great personal power is acquired only through the harmonious cooperation of a number of people who concentrate their efforts upon some definite plan. The next big thing requires a group of people by selection, to discuss and combine each knowledge to form an idea. VC’s will be a great business to start up this team. An open mind to what our life can become is all we need to make our visions into reality. VC is perfect in many ways, help current small business owners, help unemployment, help the government. One of a very important theories of success in philosophy: must produce advantage to everyone involved from every angle. Selfish man are those who live only for self, and usually they prefer to live their lives in company with others who, likewise, believe in living only for self”.

At this point, I was pretty tipsy and yelled “Oh my god, stop rambling! You are quoting so much nonsense I don’t know who I am talking to”.

“I quoted myself; master yourself before mastering the world.”

“Oh God”.

“Understand yourself before understanding your goal”

“Here we go again”.

“My principles, help me…”

“I can’t take it anymore, sorry” I said abruptly. In a blink I was out the door, driving home.

I wish Bruce all the best, and hope that night taught him a new philosophy: Never let one who can drink like a bull, walk out on you without paying the bill.