[drowned in work, dry of knowledge] my one year anniversary at my first job has passed - and no longer can i resign myself to "don look at me, i dunno nothin'!" the cool thing is though, that i don't think i have to resign to that anymore. as i interact with our new set of first years, i'm reminded of how much i've learnt in the past year. not just accounting knowledge, methodology, and what-not, but also about how to balance my work life, deal with people, and extract what you need to get the job done. haha, indeed, i may sound like a ruthless corporate type, but to me, my attitude at work is to get the job done with as little harm to others as possible. so far so good.. but who knows what that'll be like as the working years progress..

given all this -- b and i bumped into his old boss yesterday, who is the well of all possible knowledge. a harvard grad, i think his brain is always thirty for more quirky and unusual things to know about and tell other people about. perhaps that's the difference between students of elite schools and the regular lot - the regular lot is happy knowing what they know, whereas the other group is always searching for more. me? i've realized the hole i've dug myself into at work and in the whirlwind of life i'm living, and from now on, i'd like to dedicate this space to knowledge. perhaps you all will find it more interesting than reading about me anyways ;) i'll post one knowledge-worthy every time i post (ideally, every day? ha!) it'll simply be called...

- today's new light bulb -
(since i went to the geisha exhibit this past weekend)
"Gei" means arts or performance in Japanese. "Sha" means people. Geisha are professional hostesses who entertain guests through various performing arts. Geisha girls and women are not ordinary hostesses and are not prostitutes. Geisha girls and women are trained in a number of traditional skills; Japanese ancient dance, singing, playing instruments (a three stringed instrument called shamisen is an essential instrument), flower arrangement, wearing kimono, tea ceremony, calligraphy, conversation, alcohol serving manners, and more. Geisha girls and women are talented Japanese women who patiently go through extensive training. Even after becoming a geisha girl, they keep improving their skills by taking many lessons. When you do request, make it clear that what types of performance you would like. There are two basic types of geisha. One is called "tachikata" which mainly does traditional Japanese dance (mai). The other is called "jikata" which mainly sings, or plays an instrument. Tachikata are usually maiko girls and jikata are older geisha women. The cost for a party with geisha varies depending on the number of geisha, food, drink, hours, and so on.