I was raised by Grandparents who spent most of their lives in colonized Hong Kong. Needless to say, I’ve been raised to avoid confrontation and attention getting gestures.
So when I was asked by my Head to write an introduction letter to the department, I was less than enthusiastic. The whole concept is unnerving to me.
I sat here for 30 minutes with this on my page:
Hello. My name is Pantrygirl and I am a new hire to the department. I will be implementing the new data management system.
What else is there really to say? It’s straight forward and to the point. I don’t see the need to add where I’m from or who I know. I know this is horrible for networking but I’m just not into that. There is no need for everyone in my department to know my particulars.
That’s why I’d never fair well in dating services. Could you imagine what I’d say?
Hello, my name is Pantrygirl and I hail from New York City! I enjoy long naps, short walks and have a penchant for cooking large meals. I’m pretty straight forward and prefer to skip the silly dating rituals and games. If you’re a straight forward guy, likes movies and television, enjoys a nice hearty meal and has an ample sized closet (I suppose this sounds dirty), I’m your gal.
Some people say I’m blunt. I’d like to say I’m just lazy. Why go through the roundabout way when straightforward gets me there quicker. I know this makes me sound cold. Lrudlrick and I were watching an episode from the first season of Scrubs where Sarah Chalke’s character was told she had no people skills. “You’re cold. So cold.”
I felt like I could relate. How do you change the non-touchy feely you to be more open?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty touchy feely outside of work. It’s just inside work, I like to keep to myself. Lrudlrick says I turn into someone different when I’m working. We’ve never worked together outside of a play but he says that I become a very clinical person.
I keep everything within a distance. I’ll happily discuss with you your child’s ear infection but I rarely share my personal life with others. Is it wrong? How did I become this way? How do you change?
Outside of work, I’m a different person. I’ll talk to the delivery guys. I’ll speak with strangers on the train and bus. I’m not opposed to sharing my crazy thoughts and embarrassing moments with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers.
Speaking of embarrassing moments, during yesterday’s Chinese New Year’s dinner, my mother happily announced that as a teenager I had, “a jiggly butt” to which my brother nearly spit up his dinner. My brother laughed so hard, I thought he was going to spray everyone in the room.
I had to defend myself immediately and asked her to define jiggly. “You know, big. You had a big butt.” “Mother, jiggly and big are totally two different adjectives. Jiggly is not big. It conjures images of a baboon’s butt . I’d much rather be big than jiggle. Besides back in the 90’s there was a very popular song touting big butts.” For the rest of the night, my brother ribbed me with ‘jiggly’ remarks. I fully expect a box of Jell-o to be sent to my house for my birthday.
So how do I become less clinical at work? How do I open myself up to others at work?
Hello. My name is Pantrygirl and I am a new hire to the department. I will be implementing the new data management system. I am a recent transfer from my previous department where I handled multiple implementations including RFPs for several institution wide initiatives. I also once had what my mother called a jiggly butt in high school.
Maybe that’s too much information.
