Wednesday. 11-10-04

Tampa, FL @ Citibank

The past few weeks have been very hectic.  The girls and I came back from a fun filled Halloween trip to NY.  It was definitely a boost for the ego.  We weren’t too sure what it was, maybe the 4 of us together in the city, but we haven’t received that much attention…in a… well never.  I still credit woman in numbers to the entire phenomenon.  For instance, you guys might be able to concur.  You see 5 woman, not too attractive, in a bar and the five of them are together, and for some reason men will approach them and they will get hit on.   There will always be a group of men around a group of woman.  Is it something to do with the male psyche that I don’t really understand?!  But then you can have one woman, who is very attractive and she will be at the bar alone with nobody even taking to her.  Hm, maybe men feel safer when approaching 5 women together than one woman alone.  Any idea?

Regardless, I became really sick after the trip.  Must be due to the consumption of lots of alcohol, lack of sleep, and running around a smog and virus infected city.  Swati and I both came home hacking up a lung.  Thank goodness I had a doctor’s appointment already scheduled last week to get my shots for the mother land.  Anyways, back to NY.  We had a wonderful time acting like kids, dressing up for Halloween, giggling at clubs, and seeing Bombay Dreams on Broadway.  It was a fantastic show.  I am thinking about taking my parents up for a weekend to NY so they can experience Broadway…desi style!

Last week was also a tiring week.  Lots of work to do in a short amount of time, but the light at the end of the tunnel was our bonuses got paid out on Friday.  Yippie…here I come Hermes croc bag!  The fun part of last week was the visiting recruits from University of Florida and Florida State University.  We hosted “Inside Look,” a two-day event, so all of our college recruits can be wined and dined and then interviewed. A trick to make them think we are the best and most swanky place to work.  Oh just wait until we get you in, life changes in a blink of an eye! :)

Thursday night we met  the recruits for the entire office (Tax, Audit, IRBS, and IRM) with the partners and managers at the top of the Bank of America building.  There is an “elite” club called the Tampa Room and they roped off a portion for a cocktails and appetizer hour.  We arrived at around 5:30pm and stayed until our dinner reservations at 7:30pm.  The recruiters set up dinner reservations all over South Tampa at five-star restaurants for the entire company.  I think it is a great idea to have small, more intimate dinners with the recruits.  It gives them an opportunity to have some more one on one time with the staff level and the partners.  Well because our group being such a close family and we can't split apart.  All 10 of us decided to go to the same place to eat. I called and cancelled reservations at one place and doubled reservations at the other.  I had never been to SideBerns-it was sort of a fusion Chinese/steak/seafood place…strange I know but the food was delish!  However, better than the food was the desserts, it was just to die for!!  I would give analogies, but we will try to keep it PG today!  I ordered the chocolate sampler and it consisted of a chocolate shake, pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate flan, and some sort of tiramisu.  I was in heeaa-ven.  Then half the team went home, that is what a family and kids will do, and I took the recruits to go have a few drinks at the hotel bar.  It was definitely a fun night.

The next day was chaos though.  I receive a phone call at 8:00am telling me that the recruits have not arrived at the breakfast with the partner.  The car was supposed to pick them up at 7:30am but they never arrived at the Hyatt hotel (the breakfast spot).  It wasn’t all the recruits it was just the recruits for our department.  Great, the office already thinks we are a little ditsy and now we lost our own recruits.  As you can figure we didn’t hear the end of this. So, I decide to stop by their hotel where the concierge and the valet attendants advised me that they left at 7:15am in a car.  Gees, the thoughts of hijacking and kidnapping went through my head.  I headed to the office to see maybe they came to the office because they were lost or late.  But no…it is 9:30am and still no sign of the recruits.  I finally get a call from the Partner and I guess the car never showed up and they took a cab to the breakfast spot, and they were safe and sound.  The day went quick, interviews, an extravagant lunch, and then a farewell speech.  All of the managers and a few staff reconvened at a bar and went through who we liked and who we didn’t like.  #4 got the boot so quickly, everyone thought she was weird—she supposedly sang 70’s songs in the Partner’s car on the way back to the hotel, and she threw flan in someone’s lap at lunch.  This is all hear-say; I am not sure what the story is.  But if it is true…wacko!  #1, #2 were a solid yes, and then there was #3.  I didn’t really like her and neither did the partner, but everyone else seemed to LOVE her, so she got the job.  We will have 3 newbie’s starting between January-March 2005.  Hooray and Welcome!

This past weekend was all about work.  I had so much to catch up on and I was still feeling really sick.  However, we went to a wedding Reception in Sunday and was it eventful!  Rakhee has a new found love for Spanish men in their 50’s (you know I love you), a weirdo came up to me and blatantly asked me for my number while my parents giggled and stuck their tongues out the entire time so I couldn’t keep my composure, and the photographer kept on taking the three girls into the picture room and taking very close up pictures of our face…a little disturbing. At least I woke up early and drove back to Tampa and took a 5 hour nap. 

This week I am back at the Citibank headquarter, I am sure enjoying my time in Tampa.  That will soon change at the end of the month when they ship me off to Jacksonville.  But for the time being, Home Sweet Home~