More tomorrow.

Yawn.

3 September 2006

7 p.m.

Don’t be surprised, Diary. I actually left office at six today. Though I must say, I am not entirely pleased with this.

As soon as Santanam told us that he was going to Bangkok for an emergency week-long senior management conference the whole team began to slow down on their work. Tony, in fact, spent the whole day watching videos and playing flash games on the Internet. I acted as if I was amused by his nonchalance. But in reality I was quite disgusted.

Tony has no work ethic if you ask me. He only works when he has to. I mean you can joke about goofing around in the office all day. But to ACTUALLY goof off like that? I start feeling guilty if I just stand next to the coffee machine for more than five minutes.

I didn’t tell you this before, but four days ago Santanam went away with Jerry to meet a potential client and all of us went downstairs to the café in the lobby to generally chat. We were all still sitting there after an hour or so, chatting, and I was beginning to feel very awkward indeed. Santanam had mentioned that he’d be back in around an hour. Normally, when I step out of the office for lunch or coffee I take some printouts with me so that if any of the managers or principals see me it looks like I am working. It just makes me feel more comfortable, professional and responsible.

Then at some point Yetch got up and said he had to withdraw some cash from the ATM by the lifts and ran out. And then just as he stepped out I saw Santanam and Jerry walk through the lobby and go to the lifts. I got up briskly, told Tony and Rajni I was going to the loo, and rushed to the stairs just as Yetch disappeared into one of the lifts.

I ran up like a madman taking two and, sometimes, recklessly, three steps at a time. I made it to my workstation just five seconds before Santanam and Jerry walked in. Yetch was already sitting at his place working on a huge spreadsheet on his laptop. Santanam nodded at Yetch and waved at me as he walked by. I wanted to say something casual but I was having terrible trouble breathing after running up six floors in 1.40 minutes and managed to mumble incoherently.

Rajni rushed in a few minutes later looking very upset.

Tony didn’t return for another hour.

I merely recount this story to highlight Tony’s stunning lack of enthusiasm for consulting work. Once in a while I try telling him that if he put in just a little more effort he’d probably be one of the favourites to make associate in March. Him, Vineet and then most probably me would become the frontrunners.

Santanam left the office at around 5.15. As soon as his car got on to the expressway—Yetch was watching from the window to make sure—everyone packed up.