You also got a little unlucky; he knew where two of you picks were

I don't think SEA/ME is necessarily a pick or counterpick only option. SEA/ME has faults in the mid-late game depending on what pick is supporting it. I mean, there are a plethora of ways to create 2-turn 11, and you can make a 3rd bonus cheaper than it takes ME to make a 3rd bonus thus cutting some of the FTB advantage by mid-game away. Then by late game if SEA/ME isn't breaking a bonus it's a lost scenario because the opponent will out-income them. I mean in general you can 3/4/5 that area and win vs someone you think will 1/2 it, but it's not a: Pick or counterpick this area or lose scenario.

Makise Kurisu (btw love Steins;Gate), you need to also consider thinking out the first couple of turns before you pick. Everyone above does a pretty good job at explaining the basics, but it all boils down to what you see as your opening 3 turns. So think about how you plan to expand/take the bonuses, make sure you can keep on pace with other options on the map or build an advantage. WarLight is a pretty tough game, so it's gonna take awhile to progress. I suggest watching a lot of games, specifically bring up the 1v1 ladder in community page and watch the top 10 players and their games. Think why they win/why their opponent lost etc. Try to figure out what their plan was for their opening 3 turns.

Besides the Picking Issue.
Turn 6 could have been a turning point, if you would had decided to blockade Antarctis and stack up or go for an instant counter on middle east.
His ~ 40armies would be nearly useless.

Like the others said it's all about starting picks and battle analytics. You should only attack if battle analytics say that you're gonna win (the tricky bit is that the enemy might reeinforce where you attack). Generally one of the best strategies in 1 vs 1 is to try to threaten multiple of your opponents bonuses, so that he/she has to chose which one to defend, thereby ignoring the other. Trust me I know this since I generally only play with weak players (under 50 % wins) in 1 vs 1.