retention of me
Sigh. It's been such a lovely week...I've heard of all the pitfalls about working, about being tired out at the end of the day, not having enough time to exercise, not having enough time to do anything else but crash, no social life, growing fat due to constant munching in between meals, etc. I know it's way too early to tell, but the perfectionist streak in me tells me that I need to fight against all these tendencies. I will first need to train my mind to be energetic even after a long day. I will need the will to keep a consistent regime of exercise. I must make time for my friends. I must make time for my regular readings. I must fight the urge to snack. It's all sounds way easy to say, but I know it's so much harder to sustain it. For me, it's only 4 days, and I'm only doing intern work. So of course I would have lots of energy leftover. But at least I'm made aware of these potential potholes I may fall into, and hopefully try my very best to avoid them.
All the interns work for the pool of directors and associates; we're not individually attached to any lawyer. So we're given work on an ad-hoc basis. So far, though, I've been working for a particular director, and he's very nice. On tuesday and wednesday, he asked me to accompany a client alone to take down notes, the nature of which is not my perogative to disclose. Yesterday, the same boss asked me along to a corporate meeting to take down any remarks the directors of the client company might make. But seriously, I think he just wanted to expose me more to the real working world and the kind of work that the lawyers really do. It's truly an eye-opener. These big companies really live it up in style. The interior design of the client boardroom was magnificent. The chairs had movable backrests, the table was made from silky smooth wood (so smooth that I couldn't help caressing my hand gently across it repeatedly), and there were heavy, sliding wooden doors which added an exotic japanese-oriental feel to it. Superb craftsmanship, superb aesthetics.
The CEO of the client company commanded a formidable presence. He was an old man, around late 50s to early 60s, hair was slickly gelled backwards, with huge square-framed glasses perched on his bridge, at least 1.8m tall, and had a wide frame to top it off. Sitting at the head of the table and speaking in his loud, booming voice, he portrays the image of a CEO only found in chinese serials. When he speaks, everyone gives him their utmost attention. I do admire that kind of power, although I doubt I'm the sort who can command it. I neither possess the personality nor the voice for it.
And I realised, too, that directors are just human beings, like myself. They may seem like bigshots in their spiffy suits and chunky cufflinks, but really, deep down, when they start speaking within their comfort zone outside the restrictions of a formal meeting, it's then their true nature show. They may still appear serious when dwelling on important issues, but the occasional smile and the little slips of hokkien makes them appear very real indeed. And I like that. :) It gives me the assurance that I will still retain myself even if I may engage in their kind of work in the future.
posted by solitude @ 10:26 PM
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