Hotel Kid

Annual Leave

2006-08-09T22:47:00.000+08:00

I took a 4.5day AL last week. Not too bad. Went by rather fast...

Fished, Golfed, Swam, Ran, Ate, Bummed, Slept, Cooked, Played, Shopped, Surfed (internet)....

Wished i had taken more days!!

Anyways, it is Singapore's National Day today...Public Holidays. Had a relaxing day with my parents and as the filial child, i gave them a real good back rub and i did the legs and feet too. Mom was touched, dad just slept right through it.

Working tmw and there is 2 more days to my day. Gonna have dinner by the lagoon and then stroll to the jetty to watch the firework festival finale. Should be cool.

Cant wait for next week to come! I've got a uber close bud coming to town!!

Time to hit the bed....Good night everybody..

Political shifts

2006-07-21T09:47:00.000+08:00

So this has been an interesting year for us.

Lots of FAM trips, large seminar sales, positive media exposures, awards, Presidential dinners, Royal dinners, a pervet in room 1598, a suspected suicider in 0763, a gay fella hitting on my room service pple in 1481, upcoming National Day Hoo-Haa, IMF in September PLUS Mooncake Festival Craziness, Morgan Stanley in November and the festive season which will carry us until the end of Feb 2007.

At least we have a close to 200 rooms sold out for the Standard Chartered which we are going to treat as a minor dry run to IMF & MS. I dont remember every putting in more than 6 hours of study when i was in college, but here, i am clocking almost close to 20 hrs a day if we are running about 90%. Shoot. My body can no longer remember what my bed feels like. My laptop, however, has been taking a sound beating from working overtime and bearing pummels from my fingers on the keyboards.

At least my parents are away now and it gives me abt 2 mths of peace to work into the still of the night without her calling my cell every 5 - 10 mins after 8pm...or coming into my room to check and see if i am asleep or still working on P&L budgets and proposal plans.

Political shifts also mean more watching out for your own behind and making sure that you are on friendly diplomatic terms with all. Forget to renew your peace treaty with anyone of them and you can be sure that there will be stormy waters ahead. Now, one of the main icon is leaving soon and apparently, i am the 2nd to know, besides the icon. Once he leaves, i become number 2 and the rest of them will be falling over each other to be the next 2.5. Good thing is, my place is secured...all i need is to learn and make sure that my time here is not wasted before i move on.

So anyway, did i mention that the carpet burned again for the 2nd time?? So apparently, i earned 20k for Banqueting that night, but yet what goes into F&B's ledger is only 8K...Crap. 12K gone just because they were careless and HISTORY REPEATED ITSELF!! And to think, right before the fire started, we actually told them to put out the fires before moving them to the stewarding room.

Hmm..is it just me or is it getting colder in the room by the minute. Shoot. I hope i am not falling sick again. Fever is NOT FUN. My last fever episode apparently was an on-and-off case that lasted abt 2 weeks. I think the hottest i was is 40 degree C. Yeah, i was whinning and helpless. And my mom sat by my bed and out came a slew of naggings as she sponged me. Now, putting an ICE COLD towel on a HOT SKIN hurts. Very much so. I had tears in my eyes, but she ignored and kept going. Oh well. My temperature dropped after that. Yay.

Ok, it is time for yet another meeting....

Ciao.

PST Dinner

2006-05-20T05:31:00.000+08:00

We finally had out long awaited PST Dinner yesterday...(Friday) and i think the final bill came up to abt S$755 plus. And that was AFTER the discount. Bloody hell!!

My HR Director, EAM-Rooms & GM came along, adding to the fun & laughter.

Here's what we did:-

Dinner at Esplanade
Drinks & People watching @ DXO
More drinks @ Acid Bar
Supper / Early breakfast @ Geylang
Home @ 0445hrs

Pictures....

2006-05-14T23:09:00.000+08:00

At the end of the loooooooooooooooong PST Project... Woo hoo!!

Sentosa

2006-05-14T18:32:00.000+08:00

I just came home from my 3D2N weekend trip to Sentosa Island. Actually, we planned to go to Penang or Bali but apparently all flights were either full or we couldn't get a hotel.

But i must say, this trip was good. Free & Easy and lots of good time spent together.

Sentosa has really changed a lot since i last went at 10 yrs ago. The whole place looks really artificial now. What used to be nothing but a bare stretch of sandy beach has now been transformed into a row of shops and eateries, beach volleyball courts & a basketball court. The first thing that came to my mind and head was: Crowded

Oh shoot..i miss my Japan Hour while typing this...oh well...

Anyways, moving on, there were a lot of people there and it was crowded. Was going to watch the musical fountain show but ended up missing it for 2 nights because of other distractions.

To cut the long story short..it was a good break to my busy schedule and with the hotel occupany running at 100% this coming week, i sure needed all the rest that i got. (Although i didnt get a whole bunch...*grins*)

This trip is sure one to remember....

Ooooh...

2006-03-05T23:14:00.000+08:00

Ok, so i was a little heated up when i typed whatever was in the previous post. Needed an outlet.

But yes yes, they are being concerned...i just need some time to adjust. I already hardly see them much now, let alone talk to them.

*sigh*

Ok, i will be more tolerant and patient.

The Fight

2006-03-05T01:08:00.000+08:00

So my parents think that i am immature for not sharing or telling them about my day's work and they also think that i am in trouble since i have been behaving "weird" the past week.

COME ON! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!

I AM NOT IN TROUBLE! GOSH!

I mean, hey, i have lived by myself for the past 6 yrs without you guys and then all of a sudden you want me to come home and like start talking? I am so not there yet.

Plus, i am always so tired when i get home. The last thing i really want to do is talk..unless you really need to talk to me, i just want to give my mouth and vocal chords a rest.

And you know what, not everybody shares whatever Tom, Dick or Harry did at their office today with their parents. How weird is that?? Parents dont really listen to crap like that.

Let me come to you when i am confortable. Why dont i talk to you? Because everytime i just want a listening ear, you guys just end up telling me how to do things, what i should do, and so on. I thought you guys wanted me to talk!? I dont want a lecture session. Geez! i got enough of that in college, thank you very much!

And so my dad thinks that if nothing is shared in the house, then why am i living there? Wow. I was so tempted to say that, fine, i would go find an apartment to live. But i sure bit my tounge hard enough to stop those words.

Treat me like an adult. Just because i dont tell you eveything that is going on in my life, doesn't mean that i am not mature, ok? And it MOST SURELY does not mean that i am in trouble.

Let me come to you. When the time is right and i have enough info and facts on my hand, i will come to you. Just let me be. You dont need to spoon-feed me. Let me stand on my own abilities. Let me know what i am capable off. Let me see what i can do by myself. Let me see if i am independent.

Just let it be. For now..

High Fever

2006-03-03T22:24:00.000+08:00

Ahh..one of the rare few days where i actually get to stay home and NOT do anything....but i am down with a stinking HIGH FEVER.

My eyes hurt, my head is woozy, my bones ache, tummy feels terrible etc...the list just goes on & on.....

What a way to spend my "off" day.

Crap.

Back to bed now.

PS: I know i have been Missing In Action for a while now.....but my job is seriously working me...

2006-01-28T22:13:00.000+08:00

It was a long awaited meal. 6 years. Too long have i gone without the festive moods of chinese new year. This year, the feast is on!!

This year's dinner is once again held in my humble abode and i must say, there is no better food than HOME COOKED FOOD!

The star of the show is as usual my granny. She's about 92 this year and still going on strong. Only thing is, she is battling memory problems. But she remembers me. When i visited her after my return, she looked at me and was silent. My aunts were around and for a moment they were afraid that she did not remember me and asked my granny if she remembers me. My granny said with tears in her eyes: " It's Boh-Leng..." (yeah, that's what my relatives call me in Hainanese)

Menu for dinner:-

Yu Sheng
Suckling Piglet
Roast Pork
Roast Duck
Roast Chicken
Stir-fry Prawn Noodles
Vegetable Curry (Lontong)
Hainanese Beef Stew
Spring Rolls
Garlic Prawns
Scallops & Abalone
Nasi Kunning (Yellow/Tumeric Rice)
Fish Maw Soup
A couple bottles of red & white wine (Courtesy of my Cousin & Dad)

Wow! What a spread! I actually didn't eat a lot but by the time i DID eat, i was rather past the hunger point. My dad kept asking me to bring me this & that...hah! And he kept calling me "Captain"...as if we were all in a restaurant and i was the captain of the restaurant. But i think he enjoyed himself with the wine and food.

Here's some pictures of the food that i shot...

So now it is 10:30pm...not too long before the year of the Dog is ushered in. *Grins* Can't wait to get my hands on the red packets!! I already got one today from an aunt.

Speaking of money, i had a whole wad of $$$ that dropped into the toilet bowl today. Yeah, that sucked. But somehow, Singapore dollars seems to be a little better water proof than US bills. i kinda washed it off and lay it on my room railing to dry.

The restaurant was uber busy today. Wow. I got my feet scalded a couple times from the hot tea, my wrist is kinda throbbing from opening the heavy kitchen door while balancing the trays. And i started to feel hot from dashing around from table to tabel and to & fro the kitchen.

Am gonna go wind down for the night now and get ready for a long day tmw.
*rubs hands in glee with anticipation to receive red packets*
*winks, winks*

Good night everybody & Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Lo Hei

2006-01-25T18:13:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year. Ah, what a time for restaurants & hotels to get down, dirty & busy.

My chinese restaurant is full and my cafe is busy. Guess that means that my CNY holiday mght be dangerously cut short.

In the office now, waiting on news from my boss rgd. the restaurants latest updates.

I made bookings for my parents for lunch today. They really like the food, espcially the dessert bar. Excellent.

Tonight, we're gonna be crowded...both chinese & cafe. Many companies are having their CNY lunch/dinners before the actual event.

Ok, gotta go. It's gonna be a long night.....and an early morning tomorrow!

Internet

2006-01-22T00:24:00.000+08:00

FINALLY I GOT WIRELESS BROADBAND SETUP!!!

Now i feel like a million bucks...

It is late...time to sleep. Used up a lot of time and energy to my wireless in place.

Will update more reg. from now on.

Cheers.

Sorry abt being MIA

2006-01-11T23:27:00.000+08:00

It has been crazy! There is just so much to learn and do. Now i know why i was given an executive's pay...Cause you have to work OT but you dont get paid an extra cent. *bleh*

But the work's great and very interesting. Got to see the rooms today and also the "special" room that all VVIPS & Celebs stay in. Wow is the world. It was very sleek & Zen. The views are really to die for, especially the Harbour Rooms at night.

Think i will take my family out to dinner on my first pay check. I still have to go look into banks and credit cards stuff. Bummer. I really have no time for it!!!!

Note to self = Make a trip to the post office.

My days have been hectic and crazy and it is about to get worse next week. I start a 30 days hands-on induction in almost all areas of the ORSIN (The Oriental, Singapore). From the food outlets to the kitchen, to the HR dept to the Customer Relations Dept. And that is to only name a few....Bye bye sleep, Hello 12 hr shifts!

Speaking of which, i just came home from a church's member's mother's funeral. I went there straight after work. Boy, i am so tired now...i need to go to slp..Will try to find time to update more.

*stay tuned for pictures.......

Jet Lagged!

2006-01-04T16:14:00.000+08:00

It is HOT. No, Humid is more like it. HUMID. H.U.M.I.D yeah, i think you get my point.

Besides being on the verge of being slowly steamed alive by the humidity, i made it to my family's New Year's dinner. Before i go more into that, let's backtrack:-

At the stroke of midnight, i entered Singapore's airspace and saw the fireworks go off over the Marina Bay. It was simply beautiful. While others were watching the fireworks from the ground up, i was watching it from the sky. I was too mesmerized to take pictures.

The whole time when i flew from dallas, the sky was light, up until the last 6 hours of my 30 hr flight. Got some nice pictures of clouds....yes, i was that bored and restless.

In Narita, this is what their MP3 players look like:--------------------------------------->

Got hungry. Northwest have great seats & drink selection, but their food needs a lot of improvements. Ate Ramen at Narita. nice but salty.

Here is my special New Year dish from the chef of Ikoi (BEST jap restaurant in SG), who is real buddies with my parents.. There were snails, anchovies & something else that tasted good but i cannot recognize what it is.

Ok, let's backtrack more...

At the eve of my departure, i had my last dim sum meal and my last fortune cookie as well. It was delicious! Funny thing is, that place opens til 3am for the chinese pple who want to have supper. Glad that i found it though. =)

At the back of my fortune, it was a learn chinese tutorial. It had the wrong pinyin to the wrong characters! Hah! Here's what it said:-

English: TASTE
Chinese : "Wei-Dao"...............but the chinese characters said "Kou Wei"

No wonder it is hard for the americans to learn chinese!

It snowed heavily when i was in Minneapolis. The plane had to be de-iced several times. When the back of the plane was done, the front started to ice up again. But i still made my arrival early in Narita!

Now, to end my blog, it is the perfect timing to go grab some nice fresh fruits to cool down. Mangoes, anyone? (^_^)

The Granny at Chase

2005-12-30T03:40:00.000+08:00

This morning when i went to my bank, there was an old granny ahead of me that was speaking to the teller. From the bits & pieces and the tone of their voices, it sounded like there was something wrong with the granny's account.

A teller opened up & i did my business and was directed to the customer service lady in order to have my other queries answered. That granny was still talking with her teller. Then, she turned and left and walked slowly, with a hobble in her steps towards the door. Her face looked sad and her expression made me want to walk up to her and go:" Can i give you some money?" But of course, i had none to give.

She passed by in front of me. Her head was full of white hair and her skin was wrinkled with age. Her hands quivered as she paused to search for her carkeys. I was quite shocked that she was driving at that age. Tsk,tsk...where are her kids?! (If she has any..)

My eyes were fixated on her as i saw her get into her old & long Cadilac. I felt so so so so so bad for her and wished i could help solve whatever problem that she was in. It almost made me cry and not want tp even become old and wrinkly.

*sigh*

If i had money to burn & power to wield, i know exactly what i would do with them.

What's with the Cops?

2005-12-29T09:14:00.000+08:00

There was probably more than 13 cops that i spotted along the drive down to dallas. Wow. That is a record.

Oh yeah, apparently my license got suspended, no thanks to the Tushka pple.

Am nervous about work...After reading the newspaper online, i realize that i am jumping into the busiest season in the F&B industry....Chinese New Year! Wow. My restaurants will be booked to the max with tables of 10 and private CNY celebration functions. But well, that's how the money rolls in, right?

I am praying that will have the 2 days of CNY itself off, but then again, i doubt it. The hotel guests still need to eat & drink and be merry.

Speaking of food, there is home-made terriyaki chicken & rice for dinner tonight. Maybe i'll throw in a dish of veggies as well.

The coffee from this morning is making me duretic. *bleh*

Christmas

2005-12-25T23:20:00.000+08:00

"...Christmas comes this time each year..."

I like christmas. Especially when it is cold outside and the snow is falling. The fireplace is burning and the crackle of the logs go pop & snap.

Am having a christmas dinner tonight. My last in USA...at least for a while. No idea when i will be back again. Or if i will be due to work. Digress...I would love to get posted to The Mark or Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan. Sipping martinis 38 floors above ground, yeah, that's the way to go!

My mom sang in church for christmas and she called me before when she got up. Said her vocal chords were a little scratchy and she practiced over the phone with me. And she said:"Hey! Now that i have an audience, i can sing better!" Funny...I remembered the time when she was so excited that she learned a new song that she called me after a day of work & lectures to sing. And i put her on speakerphone and my friends heard her. She was pretty good, my mom. Though my friends thought it was hilarious that a mother would sing over the phone to her overseas offspring. *grins*

"...So this is christmas, and what have you done..."

I have done a lot of thinking and i have some goals that i want to accomplish. Keith Ferrazzi once said that among all his classmates at HBS, 70% of his classmates wrote down their goals & 100% of them accomplished it. I have always belonged to the group of 20% of the classmates who have goals but didn't write them down, AND only 50% of them attained their goals...with much difficulty.

So here is a brief outline of my goal:-
- Get my handicap!
- Make it to one of the top execs in MOGH in SG
- You know, i had them in my mind but now i am blank.....maybe i should do this on the plane...

I will miss having genuine DVDs..so i think i shall buy some good movies that i want. =)

Time to go handle the prawns now...*rubbing hands*

//edit

Here are some pictures from the prepping of dinner to the dinner itself....

And here's my fav dish....Drunken Prawn!!

Oooo...too much steam...lemme blow them away so you can take a better look..

The most impt ingredient in the dish..

And the final look of the table setting..minus the chicken...well,makeshift table...

An all-american favouritefor dessert...

Yeah,the cookies turned out square..cause there weretoo many cookies in the tray. But hey, tastes good too!

And that, people, was a good Christmas Meal.

Taft Hotel

2005-12-23T08:20:00.000+08:00

The book that i have been waiting for is finally here! It is titled :" Hotel Kid" *grins*

Yeah, isn't that a coincidence??

A thought hit me today:-

A blog is a journal, where you write your thoughts, feelings and comments. The chinese have a saying which is similar to "Dont air your dirty laundry". Now, how honest would i be in my journaling if there are certain things that have to be concealed? Hmm..and in that case, what would be the use and purpose of blogging then?

Moving on...

Hmm, my thoughts are jumping all over the place now. Can't get them together..wait a minute...

I think i have done many things that have hurt others and caused both me and them to stumble. There are things that cannot forgive myself for and that i hate myself for doing that. I think about it many times, and what if i had done the opposite of what i did? I might be a happier person than what i am now.

暴晒在一旁的寂寞,笑我给不起承诺.
怎么会怎么会你竟原谅了我?
我只能永远读着对白,读着我给你的伤害.
我原谅不了我,就请你当作我已不在.
我睁开双眼看着空白,忘记你对我的期待.
读完了依赖我很快就离开

"Regret" is one lesson that you want to go through only once.

Alright, to end on a happier note, CHRISTMAS IS IN 3 DAYS!!!!! Woo Hoo!!

The beginnings...

2005-12-20T03:41:00.000+08:00

When you catch the director's attention with a one-liner and you are the first one to wish him "Merry Christmas", things are looking great for you when you join the MOGH family.

But, when Serge dropped the bomb that he was getting promoted and transfered to Shanghai, i felt nervous. Why? I already had a rapport with him and now he is leaving. Although we're still under the same umbrella, but we are not on the same team. I will get a chance to see him thoughm before he takes off in mid-jan.

Then the thought hit me...He is going to be my one personal contact to MOGH in Shanghai from now. Reading "Never Eat Alone" I have sure learned a whole lot about how impt it is to have higher contacts. Besides, Serge is a great guy. He could have rejected my request for a phone interview but instead he passed me on to the HR Director after our interview. Thank you Serge!

Nervous still? You bet!
Excited? Right on!
Ready? More or less..

From the email Serge sent me, It sure sounds like the team is looking forward for me to lighten their work load. And oh boy! What a time to join in...with CNY round the corner, you can be sure that there will be tons to do!