hump day

it's no secret that i'm a girlie girl who loves female company. men? meh. who needs them! far from being man-hating, i just find it easier to relate to girls. i get them, and vice versa. then again, it's not all girls but strong, independent types who maintain their feminine wiles and charm despite being in a male dominated environment. i mean we all know alpha females who are, bluntly put, abrasive and unlikeable. have wondered about the sheryl*sandberg lean in model - can women truly have it all (haha) and meeting lovely ladies reassures me that yes, one can be go getting and ambitious but it's about time and place. as a relatively young person, i think having role models and mentors is so important and i'm thrilled to have met A and now P through her. they're wonderfully encouraging types. A's a surgical registrar and P is the only female on a hyper-competitive cardio-thoracic specialisation program. drop them in an OT and they're in their element, slicing and dicing. but outside, they're absolute darlings (actually i'm quite sure they're sweethearts in theatre too!) and i like how there's no absolutism, surgeons aren't all mean body-hacking machines and physicians aren't all warm and fuzzy cuddlebugs.

to be absolutely honest, part of me is also envies them - all the what ifs bubble to the surface of my subconscious. what if i'd done medicine right after A levels, what if i'd chosen differently from the get go. listening to A and P talk about work, i couldn't help but admire their drive and determination. the grace they go about their day with is nothing short of awe-inspiring, from managing patients to consultants and with such ease. the shared understanding also helps, and i'm heartened by how we come from the same place with similar values. it's almost narcissistic to think i see facets of me in them, and them in me. often wary and apprehensive when it comes to meeting new people so it's a rare and most welcome occasion when meeting people i feel i click well with, and as if we've known each other for ever. part of me has to reign the excitement in, for fear of scaring them off, and the complete and utter embarrassment if they ever found out what massive girl crushes i've been harbouring! but it's a happy place - to find a kindred spirit. one of life's quiet but biggest joy is a chance meeting of this sort and i'm thankful i've gotten to know them when i did.

doesn't hurt that they enjoy good food as much as i do and we're already dreaming our next foodie adventure. we looked at the menu, did the tactical thing and shared all the bar food (10 dishes!), then had individual starters for mains. alcohol in moderation because we're grown up that way - small white for A, small red for me and P had two beers because she's cool like that. think it was going to be just the one but the name of the second beer had 'angry dog' and said dog's female counterpart in it so obviously she'd to try it too!