An anecdote here on the importance of trying new things and not knowing where it will lead:

Earlier this year at my uni, I finally decided to do Mooting (practice debating for law students in a mock court setup). I ended up on a team with two others, who I otherwise wouldn't have met. We'll call them A and C. A was pretty hopeless, but we all did our best and at the end of the night we were informed, to our surprise, that we had got through to the next round.

C and I, with a bunch of others, went to a nearby pub to celebrate. About half an hour later they rang us up and asked us to come back. We were then informed that they had added up the scores wrong, and we hadn't actually gone through to the next round. This prompted C and I to head down to the nearest maccas, and spend a good twenty minutes bitching about the incompetence of the student union.

This is how we became friends.

C turned out to be an interesting guy. I sincerely mean 'interesting' in that there's both good and bad.

Apparently he had serious family issues, and so most of his childhood he was raised as a 'ward of the state'. He's a couple of years older than me (though just first year law) and one of those guys I'd say has serious 'street cred' - the sort who lost their virginity at 16, has tried every drug under the sun and lived in rental places with hipster roommates for years.

He's also (not sure what the redpill thinks of this) very much bisexual. Honestly, the word 'confused' comes to mind. When I met him he said he was gay - then it was '90% gay', then '75%'. At the moment its 'probably gay...'

Regardless, he's slept with a lot of guys, but also 9 women (his count, he's 24). He's this tall, handsome bloke (a sort of Justin Trudeau look) who just makes friends easily. Having gone to a few clubs with him now, I can confirm he's dynamite with women. As I was always a nerdy sort of guy, it was interesting to have a friend like this who can really demonstrate AF/BB.

Anyway, by 'multiplier effect' I mean that having C as a friend led down several avenues I might not otherwise have gone.

A few months later, while having lunch in the city, he introduced me to a new female friend of his (call her N). We started chatting, and soon I'd asked her out. I'd dated a few girls before, but N turned into the first girl I would call an actual 'girlfriend'. Even though we only dated for a little over 3 weeks, its still the longest relationship I've yet had.

N had good and bad as well. She's just 17 (I was 22). She's Chinese (Malaysian Chinese), about 5 feet tall, and cute as hell. Whenever she came over to my house, she'd wear this tight little Kimono which was about the sexiest thing I can imagine. She was quite intelligent, and actually kept beating me at chess (she was a regional champion at some point). We'd sometimes play it when travelling on the train.

We had some really nice dates - our first started with a bit of a hike up a mountain in a nearby national park, then eating fish'n'chips on a beach, before going to the movies, where she was feeding me popcorn. We also went to the drive-in movies a few times (I have a station wagon and can fit a bed in the back). I took her for a few driving lessons (she's on her L-plates) and even took her to work with me (I deliver pizzas - she'd be the driver).

She was also, to be blunt, quite crazy. There were warning signs from the beginning. She smoked, she was not in school but supposedly completing year 12 through an 'online course'. She lived at home with her mother and sisters but told me her dad was dead.

She said after a while that she didn't want to have sex until she was 18. I was torn by this. The beta male in me wanted to say 'sure, whatever you want, no pressure' while the redpill part was thinking 'don't let yourself get taken advantage of, don't get friendzoned again'. In the end I was ok with it, but persuaded her we could do 'other things' which she agreed to. She stayed over a few times, we'd sleep in the same bed and fool around quite a bit (got to third base at one point).

On the last day however, things fell apart with no real warning. After watching a movie I went to cuddle her again, but she seemed more resistant for some reason. She finally said she didn't want to be intimate anymore and said the four most dreaded words in the English language - 'lets just be friends'.

So far, things had been very fun, but this was too much for me. I started thinking straight away of another guy she'd mentioned she was friends with (B) and started asking about him. She eventually admitted she'd once 'given him a handjob' and then just became friends with him.

I deduced the agenda here - string a guy along for a while, then friendzone him, in order to procure continued lifts, dates and gifts. Just the week before, she'd rung me at 11pm and asked me to come pick her up in the city where she'd been hanging out with friends (taking me about 2 hours). I tell her I'm happy to drive her around and take her places if she's my girlfriend, but I'm simply not interested in being 'just friends'.

She gets pretty upset about this, which I feel bad about, but thinking back I think I made the right choice. She breaks down a little. The most shocking revelation is when she suddenly says 'oh by the way, my dad's not actually dead, he lives in X suburb - he's just dead to me...'

Pretty messed up.

So she stays the night, but I drive her to the station the next morning and that's that. We've barely talked since (and she later blocked me on FB).

Anyway, that was an interesting chapter, but more things happen. C and I go the the law trivia night a few weeks later (more fun than it sounds, its basically a hundred law students renting out the whole floor of a pub and getting drunk to ridiculous quiz questions). There I meet a few other people, including K.

K is another interesting person, being both good looking and very smart (though already engaged to her long distance-bf). We also became friends, did a few things (like movies with other friends) and became 'study buddies' for end of year exams where we were Skyping for about 3 hours a day for several weeks. We also had some very intimate philosophical/psychological conversations.

I mention these three people (C, N and K) in particular, as all of them made pointers on how I could improve myself. C and N both took me shopping at times, while K gave me honest feedback on how I looked and recommended a new haircut, which I then got. (May not sound like much but all of this has helped my self-confidence immensely).

Anyway, I'm still doing things with C. In the last couple of months we went to a 23rd and the annual law ball, trying to chat up a few girls, and otherwise making friends. Just recently he started taking boxing lessons, which we now do together on Mondays/Wednesdays (I was looking for something just like this to do over summer in particular).

Just last week, after the Wednesday class, we went back to his place and he had a female friend over (M). Curiously, M just happens to be the girl who screwed up our scores at the Moot six months ago! I'm pretty sure C's trying to bang her. I'm not sure what her agenda is. She's an outspoken feminist, but seems in utter shock about Trump's win, to the point she's suddenly hanging out with us and asking a lot of questions about the alt-right. She's come over a couple of times for drinks and dinner. C's roommates are also massive stoners, so all of us spent the other night drinking, smoking pot and watching B-grade horror movies till 4 in the morning.

Things like this are becoming a regular occurrence. Just last night C was texting me asking to come into the city with him and some friends, though I declined as I was working till 11 and wouldn't have been in the city till after 1am. He later sends me a photo of them hanging out with some 'german girls'. I asked him this morning what happened, and he confirms he brought one back to his place successfully. Player.

We now have several things planned for the near future, including a new year's party he's been invited too and thinking of doing a road trip, etc, etc.

Sorry if this has been a ramble, but the simple point I'm making is this - NONE of this shit, good or bad, would have happened if I didn't say 'fuck it' and decide to do mooting earlier this year.

So put up your hands and go do things, as you never quite know who you'll meet or where you'll end up. Socializing is like investing, there is a VERY STRONG multiplier effect that can occur sometimes. This may not be true with every new friend you make, but sometimes the return on your investment can be huge.

So get out there, neckbeards, and leave your mother's basement behind.