Appreciation without any obvious motive bothers me. It may be because I believe that motivated admiration of someone can be detected and ignored, but when an individual sees no potent reason of being praised, he starts becoming a prey. I am not a usual prey. This is partly because I have not given enough opportunities to people to praise me for something. I also give some credit to myself for not being unreasonably exposed to flattery. Recently, I had an experience which left me wondering about my abilities to neglect sweet talk. One of my friends whom I have known for three or four years called me. He is still studying and seeks advice on career and other 'significant' aspects of life, which also includes the BIG decision of when he should lose his virginity. Every time he calls me, he seeks suggestions on something or the other. However, he does not act on any of my suggestions. That does not annoy me. In fact, it relieves me off the liability of having to face any problems i...