Let me entertain you

"Good morning, geek!"

My first day at Cisco Systems, Inc. I woke up on time. My bag was ready, like a good schoolgirl :P In it, I had my laptop, cables, file, contract, passport-size pictures, mobile make-up kit and of course, my lucky blue pen. I also had my outfit ready – favorite blue jeans, Adidas yellow top and blue Converse shoes. ‘What?!’, I hear you say? Blue jeans? Are you sure that’s appropriate? LOL Well, ladies and gents, let me remind you that I am working at Cisco in Saudi Arabia and specifically, Riyadh. i.e. It don’ matta what I wear. I could wear my lace lingerie for all they care! The reason? It’s because the female dress code in a Saudi professional environment is a black abaya coat and black scarf on my hair. And guess what… I love it! Hehehe… Some of you who know me, know that I have a liking for designer fashion – and what more beautiful designer fashion there is than business clothes! Nevertheless, this dress code in incredibly liberating.

- I can wake up FIFTEEN minutes later than usual
- I don’t have to worry about wrinkling my Karen Millen suit.
- AND, I can focus even more on work :D. Yay!

There is, however, one disadvantage. The only reason I cared to look good because it was a mask that hid my true self. With a trendy outfit, designer shoes and attractive hair, you might, with an untrained eye, mistake me for a fashion-conscious, elegant, mature woman.
:S
This morning, after I put on my comfy clothes and a touch of make-up, I looked at myself in the mirror. You know what I heard?

“Good morning, geek!”

Damn…It was the same morning greeting I heard every day for a year from my dear friend JB while I was finishing my MBET degree in Canada. Thanks man! JB, with his tiger-instinct to pick up signals of his own kind saw through my charade. He saw through the Gucci and the Prada. He KNEW me for what I really am. A hard-working, nerdy, measly, GAMING-FOR-LIFE! geek. LOL.

You can fool some people all the time, you can fool all the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.

Oh well, now without my security blanket, I will have to face the world naked. I picked up my DKNY (well I had to have SOMETHING!), held my head up high, walked out the door and had the BEST first day a person can ask for at his/ her first full-time job =)

Huh, what? You wanted to hear more about what actually happened there? Oh, ok. Next post then ;)

posted by SunShine @ 9:51 a.m.