The Crackberry

Working with different jurisdictions means two things: 1) you learn how to sweet talk in different cultures in order to get something done for you and 2) work doesn't stop when you do. Working with people all over the world means when you go to work early one morning you will probably have a fright-of-a-sight of an email inbox with furious chains of "Where the hell are you? I need this right now!" sent at unreasonable times - times when you were trying to catch up on your crochet or One Tree Hill (admit it - even the toughest of you watch it)... Working with different parts of the globe means you have to find people when they're available and make sure you're catching someone during working hours in order to get your own work done. Of course, all of this can be resolved if you live in the office (insert sarcastic laughs from Clifford Chance trainees) or you've got a Blackberry.

I have to admit I did really wanted one... It just seemed so cool to be scrolling down your emails with your thumb on the train while everyone else looked sullenly on... Men were so much cooler, women so much more powerful, everone seemed to have this cutting edge that I didn't have because they were furiously thumbing away on escalators/movie theatres/bathroom stalls while I was just wondering what surprises my email inbox held for me...

Of course, I wanted one until I started working. You see, only a number of my bosses here that have a Blackberry actually use it - some choose to ignore it. Why, you may ask, Why would they want to bang their little office in a pocket against the wall? Reason would probably be because you're literally at your client's mercy with it. Anytime, any place, you're forced to answer back emails and calls from clients whom against you can't use the excuse that you were "unreachable" (To which they'll probably reply, Bull-Shit). And this I know, as I've received emails from my Boss at 00:08 a.m., answering back queries from NY and much to my pleasure, have pestered co-workers on the other end of the world to make sure my clients are happy in the wee hours of the morning, their time.

So here I am, stuck in a Catch 22 situation: I want to look cutting edge and fiddle around with my Blackberry Pearl but I also don't want to sell my soul to my company - where do you draw the line? After much contemplation, I can solemnly state that these things are little Monsters. Oh, and definitely a little intimidating, especially after reading this article here of how addictive these things are. Anyone who actually has one will agree - and those who don't are better not knowing what sleepless nights are like because of a little twinkling tone.

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Slow start to the week which is fine as I'm not feeling too well - waiting to see what madness the rest of the week has in store for me...