I am back

With:

1.
going through all the new orientation and shin dings made me realize that I am not just turned off by people who have no natural charisma, I also automatically tick them off as unintelligent or unworthy.
It's like you could be the most intellectual person in the world, but if you have no charm - I hit a mental delete.

I know it's wrong.
But that's my first instinctual reaction.

And then I almost have to work as hard to mentally un-delete them as they do at trying to be mildly charming.

2.
I ran into one of my ex-colleagues at random airport.

We talked.

And before she left,
she : You know, you've lost that fresh new feel.
Me: Huh?
She: When you first came, it was like there were concepts you had to kind of get used to and it was always refreshing for me how you added this international flair to the workplace.

And it kind of made me sad to think I have lost that international flair. Because that does sound so exotic.

Never mind how very western I thought I was growing up (with the multiple cartoons/movies/shows), i went through a mini cultural reorientation when I started studying and working here.

And I hope sincerely that if ever I had to go back to Dubai, I would know how to switch back.

3.
Unbloggable context - but so extremely tired of catty bitches who are bored with their lives.
It's such a pain being their acquaintance.
You always have to have your shield up with them since the slightest thing you say could be so misconstrued as condescension.