Girl and City

A jumble of thoughts from the mind of a workaholic:

• Once the novelty of running around town with million-dollar cheques in your purse wears off, it just becomes exhausting.
• In this day and age, why do we even have to deposit these cheques manually? I mean, have these people never heard of wire transfers?
• Yesterday, LawyerMan drove me to two banks so I could deposit two cheques before the close of the business day. He’s too important to deposit cheques himself but apparently not too important to be my personal chauffeur.
• A client asked me out for lunch the other day. I’m not sure what the office policy on dating clients is.
• In any case, I don’t think I’m old enough to be dating divorcees. Unless he wants me to be his 20-something twinkie in the city¹.
• Ever since MFL returned from Hong Kong/Singapore, we have been in constant contact. Yesterday, he texted me in the middle of the workday to remind me to go the bathroom². Not exactly a Dear Diary moment (woops, is that what this is?), but he must have been thinking about me, worrying about my retardedly busy workday enough to send a text message to remind me to slow down (At least, that is the typical female analysis of this situation. Boys, insights?).
• MFL and I are seeing a movie tonight. Just the two of us. Is this a date?
• LawyerMan just spent 30 minutes with me explaining how to electronically register real estate titles. That’s more time spent with him than all the minutes and seconds I’ve seen him in this whole month combined.
• Even though I bitch about how retardedly busy I am at work, I actually kind of love it. I love that for eight (sometimes more) hours of the day, I think about nothing other than the (overflowing) tasks at hand. I love that I am kept so busy I can even forget to go to the washroom or eat. I love that I have a reason to stay late even if I don’t get paid for it. I love that I work harder at this job than anything I’ve ever done before, because this validation (that I might actually love my job) will help me get through law school. And I love that I am really, really good at my job.

1. Friends reference. [↩]
2. Despite his reminder, I didn’t have a washroom break until 4pm, as I’ve already mentioned. [↩]

I apologize for the lack of updates this past week, but work really has been killing me. To get an idea of how ridiculous my job is, read my guest blog here. The last few days have been utterly ridiculous, to the extent that I forget to go to the washroom until 4pm. Last night, I stayed at work past 8pm!

Anyway, in lieu of any real post, here are some recent food pictures I’ve taken on dinners out with friends (yes, I still have a social calendar, despite the ridiculousness of my day job).

P.S. MFL has returned. Let the emotional turmoil begin (again)…

Below is an entry written by Ben for the 20-Something-Bloggers Blog Swap. You can find my blog entry on his blog here.

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Before I get started into talking at you, I feel I should introduce myself. My name is Ben, I live in the south of England and I am here today thanks to the wonderful blog swap instituted by 20SB. This is the third time I have taken part in such an event and I find it is a great way to discover new blogs and get to know the people behind them a little better. I usually write over here, and that is where you will find a post by SassyGirl (hence the ‘swap’). This is me (not at all drunk, honest):

I think that writing on someone else’s blog provides a good opportunity to get outside of your usual comfort zone, so I am going to do just that and attempt to talk about women, relationships and maybe even.. feelings. Obviously this can be touchy subject with a lot of men, as we tend to live by the rule that it is more convenient to pretend we don’t get emotional about things and that if we do, then the best course of action is to ignore it until it becomes impossible to live with. Now we all know that this strategy isn’t particularly effective and it tends to cause more trouble than its worth, but I guess most feel it is a case of better the devil you know. Personally I would like to think that I am a little more open than that, but I am still guilty of plenty of the above.

There are a few things you should know about me. Firstly I am single, and I have always been pretty happy being single. I’ve never been in what I’d call a ‘serious’ relationship, which at 24 sometimes feels a little strange. I guess I have always been comfortable in my own company, which I consider a positive thing (if you aren’t comfortable with yourself, how is another person really going to make that better?). I have also never been the type of person to actively pursue women, which I think is something I need to work on a bit. I have no intentions of becoming a sex pest, but I suspect I am generally a little too passive. If you have ever been in a bar and had a guy make eye contact with you across the room and smile, but then not come over and talk to you, then you probably know what I mean. I’m that guy.

Of course it doesn’t help that I have something of an aversion to small talk, unless I’m in particularly buoyant mood, in which case I’ll make idle chatter with pretty much anyone. Anyway, if you have ever lived in a university town as a student then you will probably know how asking the same questions over and over (where do you study? what do you study?) can get old quickly. That covers a lot of how I feel about small talk. Then there is the fact that trying hard not to come across as a complete ass often results in exactly that. There is nothing better than nervous energy for connecting the wrong part of your brain to your mouth. In some ways it is even worse to watch this happening to someone else than it is when it happens to you. I have actually physically pulled friends out of a conversation mid-sentence for this very reason. After a short explanation they have usually thanked me for my actions.

So to any women reading, if a guy approaches you and says something unbelievably stupid then consider that it was likely largely involuntary and was probably as big a surprise to him as it was to you. Try not to give him a look that gives him the impression he has just grown a second head. However, if he says something that makes him sound like a cocky douchebag, then I think you can take that at face value.

Oh, and if you see me in a bar and I smile at you, come and talk to me.

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Ladies, doesn’t Ben sound like a cutie? Leave him some love here.

Peking duck and xiao long bao¹ in Chinatown
French wines with regional names I cannot pronounce²
Red, white, and rosé wines drunk out of order
These are a few of my favourite things

Chocolate mousse cake for a decadent dessert
21 candles on the 21st day
POP goes the champagne and a toast to SG
These are a few of my favourite things

“To SassyGirl!” they cheer, their smiling faces
Aglow with happinesss for their childhood friend
My face mirroring their smiles and laughter
These are a few of my favourite things

Surrounded by old friends, joking and laughing
Drinking too much wine and playing strip poker
Spilling half a bottle of wine on my clothes
These are a few of my favourite things

Sleeping over at LaserDodgingBoy’s place
Stay up talking and bonding until 3am
Wake up very hungover and late for work
These are a few of my favourite things.

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I am 21! Thank you for all the birthday wishes – you’re right, it did turn out into a much better day than it started. :)

1. Steamed soup dumplings. [↩]
2. OBF had carried them back with her from France and had been saving them for a special occasion – they really were great wines. [↩]

1. I wish my parents had remembered to wish me a happy birthday this morning.
2. I wish I could be more tolerant of my parents.
3. I wish my parents could be more open with their emotions, especially the good ones, like pride and faith in me.
4. I wish I could find closure with MFL.
5. I wish my next love story will have a happy ending.
6. I wish my friends were less self-serving.
7. I wish I could meet even one person who truly cares about how I feel, but even more than that, can truly share in my happiness.
8. I wish to get into Columbia Law School, and get a one-year deferral so I can teach English in Asia.
9. I wish to enjoy my last year in The Business School.
10. I wish to make some headway with my life list by my next birthday.
11. I wish to travel next summer.
12. I wish to make better use of my time and cherishing the opportunities afforded by each day, including the opportunity to give myself a break.
13. I wish I could have some more motivation, and gain back some of my old passion and ambition.
14. I wish to not let anyone down, especially my parents – but more importantly, myself.
15. I wish I will enjoy my career in the future, at least on most days.
16. I wish I will have a simple, uncomplicated marriage, and I hope never to get divorced.
17. I wish my parents remain healthy until their final moments of life.
18. I wish my parents all the happiness in the world.
19. I wish MFL gets everything he wants in life.
20. I wish my friends get all the happiness they deserve.
21. I wish to have a happy twenty-first birthday.