Office Situation

This is the second day that I'm actually back so early from work. Such a rarity to be able to come back, kick off my high heels, slouch on the couch and just NOT DO ANYTHING. No programmes, no agenda. Just being. Thank God for this reprieve, right before Christmas. I had slept at 2am the night before, only to awake at 6am, unable to return back to sleep...

Had a surprisingly good time at Settler's Cafe playing Cranium yesterday, then later at Penny Black. And today I had a pretty relaxed day at the office, the day being occupied largely by seminars, department end-of-year lunch at Marriott and a short typical Thursday tea at 6pm. One thing strikes me as abnormal and slightly disturbing. No one really mixes and mingles at the firm. People sit around in their batches, the year 3s and the year 4s, the lawyers sitting in some close knit teams, the secretaries hanging out in bunches, the pupils are a separate entity altogether. I hate that. I hate the lack of curiosity and the apathy that I'm sensing. There's no interest in seeing how someone is doing, people sit at their tables, eat and then return to work. I suddenly was transported back to the New Paper days, when Melvin Singh would walk by and jest with us and tell us his life stories, how Santokh would tell us about his work and his passions and even his life philosophy. How we would hear the supervisors laughing out loud from their cluster, how people would sit around the cookies and chat in the middle of the day and then break for lunch and how we would be regaled with tales of something stupid that someone else did. Now that was fun.

Does every law firm behave this way? The only other experience I had was in Lee & Lee and I was pretty much left alone too. But back then I was only one of 2 insignificant attachees so I didn't think much of it. Now, I'm officially a member of the firm, but I could go days, even weeks without talking to some people in the firm. I don't even venture into certain parts of the office for days on end. Today I noticed so many faces that I have not seen before. Everyone walks straight with an emotionless face. If anyone were to smile, it would be a tentative one.Most appear deep in thought.

Sure, the pupils are gelling really well. I like them all. And I dare say I get along well with them. But it's not healthy. It's not healthy to bypass people after week 8 and not even exchange a single word with them. How long is this going to continue?