Saturday, April 29, 2006

|| Meeting new people

It's like my senior year in college, but there does not exist a known end of my journey here in the west creek campus. I met new people, quite a few, just recently, after the merging of the infrastructure team. There should be little expectation, perhaps, in making acquaintances from office spaces, 'cause the setting does not offer encouragement of developing mutual affection of the characters. It obviously doesn't.

I was putting up my faces, this past week, with a guy from the GFS team, a relatively new hire, sounded like that we actually came from the same city (I'm trying very heard to conceal that), with some same experience in Bank of China. His wife is having a baby due in October, but wishes to start her own quest for a life by going to the school to study accounting/finance. The guy has very little drive in his work, little taste in life, not decided, dreadfully lacking in making an impression and making a connection. He complained that "shrimp is expensive ... ", that amused me during the entire work week.

Funny that people always ask me whether I am new. I dread people referrirng me as the most senior in the team (Stan), or staying many years with the company (Paul). Unfortunately there is nothing that I can prevent that kind of a thought. Chinese are interested in getting the facts straight, even if the conversations need to be intruding, and only two pieces of information, we can project the entire life profile. Our folks have little interest in living, as evidenced by the lack of conversing subjects. Some of the recent new encounters seem to be rather disappointing, as I consider younger people take it well the meaning and the standard of living, more liberal, more invigorating styles. Apparently not.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

|| Pride and Prejudice

A first English book from high school, Pride and Prejudice is the food of love that fills my soul. This new movie in 2005 is particularly young and vibrant. It lacks the serenity but offers an impulsive and crispy air. Language has been changed to a great deal, but with subtle traces back to the original novel script. New additions to the screen have memory collapses with time passages, that actaully makes up the gravity of the thinking process.

Female characters are very lovely. Kierra Knightly giggles like a silly peasant girl (my favorite), yes, one day someone catches your eye, and you'll just have to watch you tongue! The expressions are naturally understood, but less of a witty quality that I had thought that Elizabeth possessed, but the manners, the walks, the air, the deliverance had the marks from her, if not from her tongue. I also liked Claudie Blakely as Charlotte Lucas, a plain looking gal. She is firm and determined and practical and observant, really many good qualities that men look for in women that become their significant half. Is she better than Elizabeth, I am not so sure. While I do love Rosamund Pike when she starred in Die another day, there is nothing that's worth noting in this role as Jane Bennet but merely a pretty face. She is supposed to be a woman of very modest and reserved virtue, but her pretty face does not offer that besides being pretty.

The novel had interesting debates regarding women's accomplishments, using a professional language, with different perspectives of scopes and depth. Amazing, I like the Caroline Bingley (Kelly Reilly) very much so although she only had very few close shots that actually show her air, her figure, her walks. She does own a sense of class that you don't get in Elizabeth's manners. And you can't help but admiring the other end of the beauty, not the peasant girl type, but I have to admit that I'm falling for her, may have something to do with my sudden sense of feeling the style, like sitting in the cafe on a Sunday early afternoon, eating french onion soup and a caeser salad ... or have some drinks with friends in a restaurant at 7:30 Friday evenings ... She reminded me that I don't have to be nice, or warm, or natural. A learned or informed elegance and highness can be equally attractive. Funny that this goes opposite to what the novel actually says, yet this Caroline Bingley has a connection with my changed taste, growing senior ...

I won't comment on the men characters. They don't really stand out from the various movie editions dated back to the 40s. The girls, Ms. Bennet being one of those, moved me, inspired me, motivated me. I already saw three times after I downloaded it using bittorrent, will repeat that time after time after time, can't wait for the next ten years to pass to see the next Pride and Prejudice, always a breeze, more than just a breeze ...

Saturday, April 08, 2006

|| Amazing Rotation

Richmond is a small world, only a handful big companies that can have the appetite for diversity. I am like a party queen, orchestrating this series of gatherings that make each other happy, and tonight is probably the very last one before a new face steps out. Graham told us his first week in Northrop Grumman, very disorganized, chaotic, like a startup company, but you take risks, you have big gains. Rahul's wife asked me about Carter Buxbaum, told Yuan what to think about Wachovia securities ... then greeted Tony as welcoming new colleagues. Very nice!

At the other side of town, today is a host day for the second year of the rotational analyst recruits. I met Matthew, a very Asian looking guy, fresh undergrad. I couldn't help but ask if his family had a tie with the Asian countries. The answer is no, he was adopted. I mean, for years, I see the Americans adopt Chinese babies, and think that their lives become so different and different, and now here is one grown up that I have to really absorb. I am sucked into the swirl of emotions again, as much as I try not to think of the failure, the hardships, the sacrifice, the what for future scare, I cannot hide that I am feeling tired. The only news in the past few weeks is that I finally ended my duty of chauffeuring the new girl as she got her driver's license. Rotating, life is so good with the young and the restless. They all see my as so old, and old and old.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

|| Vivid reasons

Never know. And I almost start to cry when Yuan and I hugged and said goodbye. The March Madness seemed to be passing really slow except that Virginia is pumped up with George Mason going into the NCAA final four.

At the other side of the ocean, my old friend is acting like the fourteen year old boy meeting his Charlotte, cannot hide, cannot deny. I almost wanted to laugh at him, hey buddy, we are at an age that any trick becomes silly and meaningless, men over 30 still living with their parents are pathetic. Well, they all claim that I have a calmness that they trust with. I don't know where that comes from but that calmness is very superficial, so that goes with all the relationships.

This side of the town, workplace is a mess, it's just a matter of time when the train wrecks. I borrowed Waheed's resume and cover letter, wow, so very impressive that sinks in the emotion - #1 analyst in emerging markets by ... what Capital One can offer can never compare to the fame the he obtained in his prior lives in Pakistine. So I'm actively seeking, and amazingly have kept up with some of the agency recruiters' conversations on the phone. David told me that his redeployment will start May 1st, and a few other names that I had known for years since day one that I became to town.

Today is a nice day, like summer. All the girls must have come out to the mall, first day that I'm wearing the Botkier Stirrup. Lovely looks boost self confidence, that I am in control.