Amway

For years, as long as i've remembered, i've been carefully furiously avoiding an MLM practice whenever some unknowns - strangers or not - tried to piqued my interest on some 'business opportunity'. Some of you may've recalled that in a certain evening i've sent some stranger out of my room with harsh words - harsher than i intended, but much softer than i desired - when he came to a point of asking me, again and again, of why i'm not interested in an MLM thingy. Look, punk, i just don't like it. And i believe i had no need of any reasons to dislike a thing and let it that be that. Later, i've discussed this MLM thingy with several friends of mine and i had a firm opinion afterwards that i don't like MLM because some men are working less hard than others, but making more, and in fact, exploit others to his / her benefit. And that's what? Capitalism? Whatever you called it, i don't like MLMs even more. The idea of making tons of money with little efforts - a jargon often used by MLM salesperson to invite some strangers - were a bit off of me. The world doesn't work that easy.

But anyway, here's the thing. Sometime last week, i've got a call from my uncle offering me the same 'business opportunity'. I was slumped in my chair when i heard him speaking and shaking my head with audible sigh of exasperations. No, no, not him, i said to myself. I could easily furiously patiently said 'No' in different excuses to some strangers. But believe me, for me, saying 'no' was a hardship - something that actually brought me trouble from time to time, but that's me, there, you knew my secret - even to some strangers. Well, at least until i met this girl. Little by little she taught me how to say 'no'. Anyway, my uncle - the one who called me - was happened to be my closest kin in this town, and he was like a big brother for me for the last 25 years of my life. Oh, wait, that's my whole life. It's true, because you see, he was the only blood brother that my mum had, and i was the first male nephew of his. Therefore, i was his favorite nephew, and he was my favorite uncle. And in my mother's family-tree, the male cromosome was a hard one to come through. So, if you're my position - and share my personality - could you really say 'no' to him? I've tried, and i've failed.

So, on a Thursday evening, i found myself sitting on a small conference room while some guy - which happens to be my uncle's uplink - in front, explaining how much money you could have compared to how little time you've wasted invested on it. Buy the first time, he - the some guy - mentions 'Amway', i lean closer to my uncle and whispers, 'Hey, bro, this is some kind of MLM, right?', 'No, it was Network21, there was a difference', he said. Immediately, i don't feel comfortable and wished to get home right away. But later, again, with my inability to say 'No' to him - curse you, morality -, i agreed to attend an even bigger seminar on Sunday, and agreed to be a member of his Network (that's how he called it, Network) and there goes my 163 thousand rupiahs... *sob*. Wait, 165 thousand rupiahs because i spent an additional 2000 rupiahs for parking. Just right about when i needed every single penny i could afford.

Sunday seminar was better than i thought, actually. If on Thursday, i was presented with some dreams of working less, earning more, let the money works for you, and other day-dailing-dreamings, the key speaker on Sunday seminar was more concentrated on the hardship that she had to suffers through for her to get to the point where she was at this moment, which is a passive income for about 420 mills rupiahs a year. And regardless of wether she told the truth, a half-true, or even an outward lie, i've got something right there. And believe me not, after the seminar i called my wife girl, and told her how much i loved her since i don't realize how much i've alreday had and i've been forgotten to thank the Lord for those.

Anyway, i must give you a fair warning, because maybe, someday in the future, i might called you out of the blue and i'm going to ask inform you about this product, huahahahahahaha (insert Dr.Evil theme song, here).. just kidding..

Well, actually, i'm serious.

PS: If that happens, i'm not going to lie and had a sweet talk. I'm just going to say it out front that 'okay, this is Amway, and this is Network21'. That, i promise.. if that happens, anyway. Because, i'm still not sure about my involvement on this product. But, damn, i still missed that 165 thousand rupiahs i've spent. It's worth exactly 15 comic books... *sob*