Â
:: Posts ::
Saturday, July 31, 2004
i realised i learnt alot from celeste so far in HR. She truly deserves her HR director designation and she have my most respect. She really made the department a conducive enviornment to work in and also a create a warm and friendly atmosphere so that the hotel staff wouldn't hesitate to step into office to have a chat or seek for help. i feels that this is one great point i can take note of and hope to emulate next time. Celeste come across as a warm lady, she's uses her authority appropriately, a person who want to see changes and can make it happen if she sees something can be improve and truly a superior worth working for. her sincerity in showing care for all the staff and interacting with them really shines and i really enjoyed working under her helm. i feel that i still gots to learn from her, 2 weeks wouldn't be enough. i like her leadership style, she empowered her staff alot and she knows how to deploy her resources well. i took note of the weekly departmental meetings they held every friday and its acts like some how of a wrap up of a week and more importantly build the bonds between the colleagues. Though the HR team consists of only 4 people, now 5 cos of me, i feel its a relatively strong team. everyone work for one another. we don't have to watch our back. they will watch it for us. i like that and i will make it happen next time if i'm given the opportunity to lead a team.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 11:19 PM
***
Friday, July 30, 2004
i did the company's increment adjustment yesterday... wow.. its an eye-opener.. i got to see almost everyone's salary so next time if i have to choose which career path to go, this will come in handy. i've also solely undertaken a project for four seasons hotel to be used for my SIP project requirement. i'll be doing a welcome package for foreign trainees. a survivor kit, culture shock and enviornment awareness all meshed up into one. its a challenge but i really like it. this is my chance to leave my legacy that will stay throughout the hotel history. all future trainees will receive this package that i'm gonna make for them. i'm so excited about the prospect. yesterday celeste taught me on time management. i can't possibly finish all the work in a day so there's no point staying late to finish the work. she make sense. maybe its because i'm trainee, the world out there is boundless. there's no limit and nothing is impossible. so i always strive to finish as much work as possible.. anyway i gotta go back to work already... yeah!
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 7:17 AM
***
Thursday, July 29, 2004
too tired to blog yesterday. just crashed the moment i came out from shower. its was hell of a day. i did really many stuff.. from issuing medical chits to approving petty cash request and also giving speed test and liasing with personel from Regent KL, i still gotta follow up with the Egypt embassy today with regards to some of the staff are going to Cairo to work. so gotta get ready their stuff and visa. I feel really empowered at this department. they really treat me not lke a trainee but more like a bao ka liao staff.. i get to do abit of each and everyone's work and i'm happy with that. Am looking for work now everyday and yes, i came to enjoy myself, not to work.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 7:35 AM
***
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
fruitful... this is how feel the day went. the minute i step into the office till i'm being chase out by celeste, fiona and aunty lim.. i did numerous jobs today.. doing follow up with companies over letters, sourcing out for books for the coming up book club, filing, and somehow took the job of the HR coordinator since julie is on MC. i see it as a great opportunity for me to learn more and to experience more. i enjoyed working today and i'm glad i'm more of a asset than liability over there. i feel like a working professional today... more like a workaholic...
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 8:14 PM
***
Monday, July 26, 2004
Had our SIP classroom session last saturday. its really excruciating to know that i have to miss my coursemates again after seeing them for only a brief moment. there's lots of to catch up and yes i miss the soccer games we used to play on friday. back to proper, during the classroom session, we discuss about internship. is it exploitation or a really good learnign experience. i feel this have to depends on what company the intern is working. if the boss can't be bothered, then its up to the intern to figure a way out to make the most out of the internship. As usual it still boils down to having the right attitude and lotsa of initiative. Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference. If we made to do shitty stuff, accept it and learn from it. i'm sure there's always a weeny weeny stuff u can get to learn or realise by doing everything. there's no end and there's always a new experience. i'm enjoying my internship throughly letting all the little experience run through my soul. i grew in character and have a clearer picture of the industry. its not a beautiful picture but its a fulfilling one. though i realise myself is getting jaded everyday but i have faith one day i will pick myself up again and gloriously continue this long voyage.
yesterday was my last day at room service.. had mixed feelings over my departure... i'm overjoyed cos i finished my rotting over there cos basically i did nothing great over there. more than half of the time i'm doping bussing... but its build my character and i know its not nice to let a trainee to suffer alone and keep doing bussing. maybe my manager wanna train my character but i feel its maybe he don't trust me enough. but its ok, i'm fine with the decision he made cos he's more experienced than me so i trust that he knows what he is doing. its kinda gloomy to leave room service cos i really enjoyed serving in-room dining. and i made great frenz with yusoff, dorreen and my role model, Kim. he taught me alot and he's professonalism shines throughout his work. he took good care of me while i'm buddying him and i really appreciate his gesture.
My stint at HR begins today. its a flying great start... i really worked and times really flies. i feel empowered by Celeste as she gave me a really important task to do the succession plan chart. its highly confidential and yet she asked me to help her with that. everything i talk to celeste, she renews my confidence with four seasons. she always manage to paint a beautiful picture of the hotel and make me forget the nasty stuff about the hotel. i learnt quite a number of things the HR do which i have no clue at all. They did those staffing budget, the different kinds of budget, lots of career development, networking, blah blah apart from the hiring and recruiting and counselling and organising events for the hotel staff. I'm looking forward to tomorrow work. i got unfinished work even though i brought some home to do but most importantly i liked what i'm doing now. the people are nice, the environment is nice and yes i get to do work continously without having to count the time at all...
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 10:34 PM
***
Friday, July 23, 2004
its a bad and good day... for the first half of the day, guess what, i'm doing bussing again.. its sucks and it really spoil my mood... i finally get to to service, pickup and delivery at the later part of the day.. i learn about the different types of services, forms of amenities and how the hotel create guest loyalty through the different amennities. i got into 2 sticky situation today while doing the service. one is during the couple having u know what and another one is a horny man can't seem to wait to do you know what. hm... its interesting or more like an eye opener. this are things you don't get to see everyday and its a test of how to react to different situation. room service is tough, there's lots of stuff to do. its not that simple, but i'm always doing the simple things. the reason i'm given- ive only 1 week over there, can't learn much. so i became their buss boy. extra labour for them...can't wait to leave there..
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 11:50 PM
***
the past couple of days wasn't really that good after that. i did service less than 10 times... i was mostly doing stocking up, inventory check, bussing(stewarding) and running errands. i only get to go run a service by myself one time throughout the week to give a welcome drink. that's all... i'm sure whether the manager is really taking it slowly or step by step but i have come to realise my time in room service is almost up. 2 more days and that's it. i don't want the tips, i just want to leanr and experience. why can't they just let me follow them up? cos i'll decrease their tips by half?
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 9:19 AM
***
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
i did most of the room service decoy area today which means stewarding in some sense... i also get the opportunity to put back the washed cutleries... wow~ but at least i know where are the items placed so next time in case of emergency, i know where to find them. this is how i seek joy in doing sucha mono job. i can even count the number of times i go to really do room service. one is to bring sugar up to a room and another is to clear the stuff the guest had eaten. that's all. had a chat with the assistant manager, Magesh. he's been working 10 years but only reach till this post. he told me that its really hard to climb the ranks in F&B line. he advise me to go by the rooms division route. hmm... will give some thought to that. and yes.. today i realise room service is not that easy as i think it is. its not people called, we deliver the food. lotsa of stuff need to be look into. the extra amenities, stock taking, requistion, preparation, replacing expired stuff, and blah blah blah.... its an eye opener but i really hope tomorrow i get to really do room service. i believe that's where i will shine...
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 9:24 PM
***
Monday, July 19, 2004
my last day at banquet ended yesterday... i'm so damn proud of you i got through it without much obstacles and i finally can skirt a table by myself using pins alone, no clips at all. i've been struggling with that task since day 1 i joined. yesterday i finally got the technique to keep the skirting intact. anyway i'm glad i made a impact over there. the part-timers there miss me. they asked me back for part-time. hmm... now i'm wondering to go back 190 or banquet for partime... shall see if the situation changes in the banquet...
i started my room service with the mini bar inventory stock taking for the whole day. combed the whole hotel rooms and i know the hotel rooms like the back of my palm. i enjoyed the company wif yusoff today.. he taught me all the underground stuff...haha..and ya,, the porn archives... shan';t speak too much about it over here.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 10:39 PM
***
Sunday, July 18, 2004
its a wedding solemnization of a scottish guy and chinese lady at the botanical gardens today. its my first experience at outside catering and its isn't as challenging as what i expected. its like normal cocktail ceremony minus the hotel environment. its a beautiful place over there.. i got to see how they transport the necessary stuff to that area , its amazing how they can pack the stuff into that lorry... tomorrow or i shall later will be my official last day at banquet. i admit that i enjoyed being in banquet. its not as bad as i think it is. i learnt the most over there compared to 190. i became a much better person after working over there and yes.. a much fitter one.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 12:46 AM
***
Friday, July 16, 2004
it's my OFF day finally.. my legs are sore from the those walking and running in those court shoes.. i need a really good pair of shoes with very good soles.. yesterday i enjoyed myself throughly. i'm able to perform all the tasks without much assistance and my client was happy. saw a guest with sore eyes walking to the pool and i offered to get for her eye drops. how i wish four seasons could empower each staff with a "exceeding expectation" fund so i could juz directly purchase the eye drop and gave it to her. i'm, sure she'll feel more at home and cared for. i stayed till 4pm to help riduan finish his task. tomorrow i'll be doing outside catering at the Botanical gardens. looking forward to it but i've been warned by the old bird to bring an extra shirt cos i'm really gonna sweat it all out.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 9:32 AM
***
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
there's a major turnover last minute... froma u-shaped configuration we have to do a cluttered configuration. its came so sudden, just a phone call and whala... we start dismantling all the tables and pulling off the JUST IRONED table cloth... then have to make the dreadful trip down to basement to roll the 5 "small" round table. and start setting up.. i realise i enjoyed the process.. the unpredictablilty, swiftness and versatility of this banquet have sharpen my senses.. i hope for more sudden phone calls cos they really test the banquet team's teamwork and bond everyone together. bring it on man! CALL mE!
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 10:05 PM
***
Monday, July 12, 2004
the couple of days have been doing much walking around as a supervisor.. hmm... i dunnoe as much as the casuals but i'm suppose to be a supervisor. haha.. usually i juz give ambigious answers and do my tai chi...was taught lessons on "snakeing" by Fairuz.hahah.. that guy is hilarious man.. he's always asking me to check out girls.. and what bras the ladies wear underneath their dress during wedding. that guy's is an expert man. had our department meeting today. i decided to take a stab into the dark and bring out the issue where the casuals are treated like dogs in the meeting in the presence of daniel simon too. this time i feel so strongly so i decided to pour it all out. the outcome? i'm not sure.. shall wait and see what changes will be made...
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 8:53 PM
***
Sunday, July 11, 2004
"dogs" this is what i see what the full-time captains and the assistant managers is treating those part-time casuals. they yelled and the threatened. they are not even given the basic respect they deserve. is this really four seasons where they say "treat others the way you want others to treat you."i feel ashamed to be in this banquet department. is it all about efficiency but nothing about human relations. how can the guests to be happy with the service when all the staff are pulling a long face. its serious shit that needs to be fixed inside there. i wonder whether the banquet manager knows what going on in the department. how can he let all this sort of nonsense to go on. i felt so strongly for the casuals. i feel so sorry for them. especially the china casuals. they are really bullied. come on, this have to be changed no matter what. I'll change this culture and never will i behave like one of those barbaric black suits shithead.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 2:07 AM
***
Friday, July 09, 2004
its a boring day yesterday.. didn't learn much except was doing very simple things.. serving and clearing.. was doing a youth enrichment seminar programme and they are talking about etiquette. its similar to what we are taught in school.. Met Jill Lowe and she asked me whether i wanted to work for her, to help in conducting her classes. its a pleasure i'm not sure whether i can go ahead cos of my other committement. lucky its my off today or else i'll be totally drained. sent Lulu off to Bali yesterday. I'm gonna miss her cos she's my only orientation classmate that's attached to the same place as me. i feel happy for her at least you will have more exposure over at Bali. Today, im going to Tiffany farewell party. she's flying to Bangkok then back to the states. I wanna be like them. go to different countries to experience the different service culture.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 12:10 PM
***
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Wow…today I got home before the sky turns dark… first time! Going to lulu’s farewell party later… lulu will be flying off tomorrow and tiffany in less than week. Her farewell party is this Friday. 2 farewell parties… i learnt quite a number of stuff today at banquet today.. learnt the different table configuration for a meeting. boardroom, fishbone, theatre, classroom, U-shaped. realise that Gibson is a rather nice guy. he taught me with patience as this is my first time stepping into the banquet department. i've never done part-time banquet before. felt lucky to be in banquet today. its so happening down there and exciting. especially turn-over. the competition against time is really great. keeps you on the toes. will look forward for more...
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 5:10 PM
***
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
damn bloody tired exhausted now.. worked 13 hours in banquet today, but its a fulfiling day. i really learnt alot of stuff today, mostly deco. my first assignment is a VVIP function. with professer tommy koh and dick lee as one of the guests with many other company's big shot. though i create a blooper but its nothing serious and i learn from the mistake. never put your cutlery on the glass panel. its beside the glass panel. i got along quite well with Ramli, the deco managwer and the indonesian assistant manager, Rudi. they are easy to get along and they go through shit with me. carried more than 50 bricks today.. wow.. i feel like a construction worker. had a review with yana and ivan today. i faired quite well but there's still room for improvemenmt especially about my F&B knowledge which i'm seriously lacking. shall work on that in the future.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 11:49 PM
***
Monday, July 05, 2004
yesterday there's no fond farewell.. its like normal knock off day.. its been a great learning experience working at one ninety.. i gain a pot of experience and i'm gonna treasure it. i made a pool of friends and i met a couple of great managers. Ivan and Yana, thanks for you guidance!
Its banquet today! Hmm... the environment there is much more hostile over there and people are not so nice compared to one-ninety. when i was sent to break, the moment i step into KUTULU, its a wierd feeling. i'm wearing the banquet uniform, not 190's one anymore. i can't bring myself to sit at the usual 190 spot so i choose to sit at another spot. i felt alone. i miss 190. the people, the usually aunties' bickerings. i don't feel that i don't belong to the big family anymore. lucky for me, ivan came along, and he sat beside me and we chatted. realise he came a long way since when he's 15. he slowly worked his way up. he told me about his past experience and i ask him how did he manage to settle down. he said he found a wife whose willing to follow him wherever he go to. his wife is more of a family person. he added he wanted me back in the restaurant maybe as a part-time but i think i shall see how i juggle my committements. my committement in scouting is now dangling, shall do something about it. after lunch, then went on to the manual labour part of banquet. woh.. if i continue to keep doing this, i don't have to go to the gym anymore, but still i never go to the gym so doesn't make any difference. its darn tiring but i learn something out of it. the casuals working there are quite a handful and i'm being told i might have to be in charge of them..hmm..they have years of experience, whereas for me 1 day? shall see how to do about it. i'm sure i'll be make something good about it. my people handling skills shall come in handy this time.
apart from the hustle and bustle of work today, it make me realise a few things. most people dislike changes. they are so used to familarity that putting them in a new environment will put them in distraught. the only way to overcome this is to go into the new environment with a open mind and a goal to achieve. how great a person isn't determine by how well he fare in the same old situation but by how he adpat to the variety of situations presented to him and how he makes the best out of it. i choose the latter and i'm gonna fulfil it. i know i dread banquet but i shan't use it to my disadvantage. i know banquet will be a great learning experience and eye opener. it will be useful to me in the future. surely. i'm juz taking it as a stepping stone to greater heights- Be a GM. while i was turning over the conference hall to a wedding, there's a seminar goign on at the opposite ballroom. i juz listen to what they said while i was doign the set up. the speaker is talking about his company don't hire people, they hire attitude. then it spark my chain of thoughts. attitude determine altitude. how high and how far you go depends on how much you believe in yourself and how badly you wanted to achieve your goals. hard work is inevitable so i'm gonna toiled my way to my goals knowing sooner or later, i'm gonna achieve them!
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 10:35 PM
***
Saturday, July 03, 2004
i'm slowly being consumed... fatigue has start to engulf me and i don't know how long more i can take.. hopefully i get a afternoon or midnight shift. i hate morning shift.. i'm not use to it and it spoils my mood. now my smile have to be forced rather than juz flashed it. tomorrow will be my last day at One-Ninety then i'll move to the banquet department. gurp~ don't know what hell will break loose over there. =_='''
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 10:42 PM
***
Friday, July 02, 2004
this couple of days haven been working 5.30am opening shift... totally drained now as i've always slept about earliest 11pm the day before. just woke up after a taking nap.. my biological clock is screw up man! i've lost my zest, my energy, those elements that makes me what i am. 190 makes me jaded. had bad brushes with 4 seasons staff today too... damn man, how i wish i'm the general manager son who come undercover to check on the staff.. i'm gonna fire those bugger who's a disgrace to the service industry. gonna regroup and pick myself up quickly and get ready for tomorrow's 7am shift. i need that smile working again. i can make it! i know i can and i know i will.. i need to get back my motivation. my guests. i'm gonna put all my fatigue and worries aside and give what my guests deserve. a much happier guest once they leave the hotel.
<..do unto others as you would have others do unto you..> at 9:13 PM
***