Exotic Desk. Exotic Name. Exotic Work.

Jaggery Haircut entered the scene 2 weeks ago. Maybe he's the reason I haven't kept you guys updated for quite some time. [Apologies] Nonetheless, here's the trail of events leading to the rendezvous in question.

9.30 AM. I'm getting my first coffee of the day. My tummy is already showing signs of breaking free of my buttons. I should really add one sugar cube less, I tell myself. Enter NP.

"Adithya. I've spoken to J. As we spoke, maybe you should spend some time on his desk. He'll be pulling you around for the next couple of weeks."

Pulling me around. Weirdly conjuring up images of myself tied to a unicorn's horn and being dragged through the filth and flesh of killed elephants on the Fields of Pelennor, I walk back to my place with a coffee in hand, and not any the wiser. The actual experience, as it turned out, was not too different.

11 A.M. I walk to JH's place. He's there. Thankfully.
"Excuse me, sir." I venture. "Errr....."
Look of recognition on face of JH. "So NP spoke to you?"
"Yes sir."
"OK I'll call you when I get the time." I trudge back to the work DD and EM have given me.

2.30PM. JH signals with a flick of his index finger. I almost topple over trying to catch him to the meeting room. He uncannily reminds me of Snape. Abridged versions of future conversations follow.

"So here we have this .... and you have to price it. I want you to do a)... b)....c)...."

I look on, dazed.

"I'm a busy person. I don't have time. If you don't do a, b, and c in time, we won't really be looking at anything great - and this is your homework. I need it back fast."

I'm still figuring out what a) means. "You can refer to Hull , if you want." He says. "Just get me the price."

Two hours later, I go back to him, well versed in Hull and his little problems, and venture to ask him a doubt. Trust me, greatest amount of courage it ever took me.


"Look - I really shouldn't be giving you any hints at all. If I held a gun to your head and told you that I would kill your family if you didn't give me the price - will you ask me a doubt or give me the price?"

Before the Smart Alec answer that left my brain leaves my mouth, he continues. "You will give me the price. So just do that." The French accent is reminiscent of the Merovingian.

With every effort the human brain can ever put, I go ahead and struggle out some numbers on the notebook (which by the way I discovered was distributed free to us - I never knew there was so much stationery in that shelf). Needless to say, it's wrong.


"See - I think you should realize by now, that my sole aim here is to make you struggle and suffer. And because of that you will now prosper in your relationship with Monte Carlo. So I want you to go through that amount of suffering, and try and understand why and how things actually work and why we do all of this............."

Some guy. He taught me swaptions like my dad taught me swimming, I tell NP at the coffee machine the next day.

A very delayed post

Some random day in the first week of May. Definitely not May 1st, for that was a self declared holiday. But some other day. I arrive at my terminal - and ironically find that the ever regular LW is not at his desk. His terminal is locked. Late, DD will mutter, I think and key in the password on my terminal. It's almost become mechanical now. Frida Chan would be proud.

I swivel round to find DD on my left. As usual he's his business self. And he's got a suitcase packed. That reminds me. It was before the 1st of May. DD planned a four day vacation by taking Friday off too. Yes, people bunk in banks too.

"Yaays. I'll be there awn Mundayy. Haws it goin'?" I'm used to the Aussie accent by now. "OK!"

I turn back to my system, to find that "Mother" has mailed me. Please send me your mid-term feedback, from both your hiring managers and your mentor. I will be sitting with you next week to discuss the same.

I dash off a mail to my mentors - and get back to work. My camera lies in my bag. I decide to ask bossman for permission to take pics.

"Hey NP. I hope you have NP with me taking a few pics around."
"Eh? Pics of what?"
"Ya....like I want to show these four screened computers, and huge trading floor and all that to my friends." I put on my most kiddish smile and my most pleading eyes ever.
"Yeah. I guess that's cool."
"By the way, I mailed you regarding the feedback..."
"Yeah I got it, let's sit down...."

I went back most sheepishly to my place. Generally you expect people to respond to such questions with "Oh, really?" or "I haven't had the time to look at it....". Here was a boss who actually saw your mails and remembered them. Quite stupid I felt. And more so when "mother" read out the following lines in her heart to heart discussion the next week.

"You get paid not for showing up but for doing trades."
"You need to ask more questions and get more hooked to this."
"You do tend to hustle people up, which can be a pain later."
"You're high maintenance and you ask too many questions."
(Identity of the commentors has been purposefully concealed.)

Anyway there was nothing new on the MK front, except that we convinced good old EM to mail us the key rates update everyday, promising to teach him how to work around Excel. And JJ is still wearing his pink stuff. Nothing much has changed. Except, of course....

Goodbye, LW. I'm sure Merrill made a mistake.