My little thoughts

I still remember during my first training in my diploma days, I had my first hands on training in the hospitality industry. What I remembered the most, is that i had this split personality dilemma, whereby I have to be cheery and smiley in front of the customer and when I turn my back, I am back to my normal state of emotions whether it is sad or happy. Then during my second training, it was worst because it was when I was in the window of breaking up. I broke down in the restaurant, I was stressed by the manager ( which is good for my career growth ) and when its time for the restaurant to open, I have to be smiley.

It has been almost 5 years since I jump into this industry and my my, I still felt like I am just a beginner taking baby steps. Other occupations deal with numbers, sick people, sales, we deal with food, people, complaints, sales, skills, wines, relationships etc etc. We work from morning till night, with just a three hours of break in between ( if we are lucky of course ). Screw that 8 working hours window, our working hours is when the restaurant door opens, till it closes at night. Not forgetting, we are standing through the service ( means from the time we are open for lunch/dinner until lunch of dinner ended ). Are we tired? Hell yeah we are.

But not everyone understands that of course and  sometimes they had forgotten that we are humans too. Not sometimes, most of the time. Damn. From their perspectives, they pay for that price and they expect value for money and of course squeeze the most out of it, then only worth it mah ~~~ Very simple example:

You make reservation for 8 person, we arrange the table nicely for you. Then you call again, saying that down to 6 person. We remove one table for you and open up that table for another customer. Later when you reach the restaurant, you said that ohhh, my children wants to tag along as well, so now its back to 8 person. So tell me, where to get another table for you? Then 2 person wants room temperature water, 4 person ice water, then 2 person sparkling water. @@

Similar situation happens on a daily basis and all that we can do, is to endure it and think of a quick solution. So tell me, how to release the mental stress at work? Puffs and alcohol, what else. ( Not me of course. ) With all this mental and physical stress at work, is our pay high? No. Its one of the lowest paid occupation. So tell me, who would want to work in this industry? Its very straight forward. That is also one of the very same reason I choose to work in SG and not in my hometown. Because at least when I convert back, I will still have some savings.

From what I heard from my experienced colleague, this industry used to be really fun and enjoyable. But now, it is much of difficult to endure. Why? Because of the customers. With all the exposures of food  in the media, celebrity chefs rising everywhere, people are learning more about food which is very positive of course. The down side is when your knowledge of it, is just brushing on the surface but you assume that you know plenty. For us, who are working and learning about what we serve on daily basis, we know what we are selling and it is very annoying that people start questioning us on our understanding of our product. And it is very frustrating when people started to demand on extravaganza things and they think that we MUST compliance with that because they are paying the bill. Quote what my colleague said, 'Pay for peanuts ask for gold'.

Sometimes you come to work motivated and happy, but once service started, everything just starting to go downhill because of these problems and people. When this happens, you have to keep motivating yourself, keep cheering yourself up, ignore it and continue back to work. Sometimes when I work, my colleagues ask me, why you look so happy? I always said, of course you must be happy, if not how to work?

If only people can be more understanding.
If only people can learn how to respect us.
If only people can acknowledge that we are also professionals.
If only the F&B scene in Asia can change.

If.......

In a nutshell, somehow I just wish that someone could have educate everyone about this industry so that we can be treated fairly as well. We should be an educator, a messenger to deliver what is the food that they are  having and the know-hows on how to eat them. A person who can make your meal an enjoyable one. Well, this is just my personal thoughts. Not everyone thinks that way of course. So cheers!

Just some thoughts

Hello people...it has been awhile since I updated, blame the little lazy worms in my tummy. Well, nothing much has changed since my last update. It is still work work work and more work. Less conflicts, thank god for that. But, more irritating guests. Jeeeezzzzz..I will compile all my thoughts on that and write another post on it another day, hopefully during my off day. =)

Now I am conflicting between chopping off my hair or leaving it long long long. I kind of missing this =>

Or this...

But I never did have a really nice and wavy long hair before...I always choose to chop it off before I achieve waist length. I guess I don't have that patience to wait for that don't I? My goal now is to grow my hair until my waist length and have big curls. Can it be achieved? My hands are really itchy now and I am missing my short hair. DAMN. Be patient Lin, just let it grow and grow. haha.

People always say enjoy while you are young. You have to work for the rest of your life!!! The thing is, even though monetary is a really abstract thing and people keep saying money cannot buy you happiness, reality is, money is very important. Tell me, what can you do without money?

I had signed up for saving plans which tied me up to ten years, and now still planning on what to do with the rest of my savings. How to set my priorities straight and get it done beautifully. Even though people find me silly, but my nearest goal is to get married. hahaha. Come on, I am already 23++ and one and a half more years to be in my mid twenties. It is not too far right? After that, get a house and start saving for kids education, retirement bla bla bla. Damn! Everything needs money! So tell me, enjoy life or to save up for the future?

So my temporary solution for this is to work my ass off, get promoted and get a raise. Then, if we are fortunate enough to have a good bonus, then use that bonus for a nice good holiday. Sounds like a good plan? 

Okay, complicated issues aside. I miss college life. Damn. 

I miss wearing Formal...

 

I miss all the fun in the kitchen

And I miss all my crazy friends...

Halloween is coming soon...Any plans to dress up everyone?

2009

2010

How much do I miss those days....It was real fun!! So people, if you don't have plans on Halloween, go get a few buddies, dress up and walk around...

Anyways, enough of nonsense...Till another time! 

Rant and rant

Now, I am really tired, fatigue, and exhausted. Any other words to describe how tired I am? This week is hell for us and it is just the beginning, weekend is not even here yet. People who are rude, doesn't understand the importance of punctuality, people who have mood swings and lashes out on staffs, people who are cheapo etc etc. And the worst of all, we have to endure all of this, and return back to work with a smile on the face, even if it is not sincere. Reviews online are good if it is a positive one, but it only takes one negative comment to kill it all. No matter how unfair it is and how freaking you are feeling on the inside, you cannot lash it out on them. Because, they will be the one pointing out every single flaws, whether it is big or small and post it online.

Heck, it is not fair but this is the sad truth of this industry. Customers can have emotions, stress, anger any other negative emotions, but for us, no matter what shit lands on us, once we return back into the service, we have to smile. We are working from morning as early as 10.30 until 10 pm or maybe midnight if we are doing closing shift, 6 days a week. So that is almost 10 hours a day minus our break time in the afternoon. And customers still don't freaking understand that we need to rest in the afternoon before dinner service commence and take their own sweet time chatting with their friends or eating so slow that everything on the plate turns cold and soggy. Sometimes we have so many things to do, paperworks to clear that we don't even have a break in between. So that makes it 12 hours of work everyday!!!

We have to be fast at work, accurate at our work, keep putting on the smiley faces, PR with the guests, carry heavy stuffs, wipe everything from glasses, cutlery etc etc.For someone who is clumsy in nature, me, it is not easy at all. I have to focus and focus more at work and hell, it is very tiring.

No matter how much extra effort I had to put into my work, how much of time and energy I had spent,  can other people see it? Will they appreciate it?

I also want to dress up nicely and go to work. Work in an working environment whereby others respect you for what you do and appreciate all the efforts that had been pour into the work. Don't have to carry heavy things all the time, or sweat like a pig at the end of the day with hair flying everywhere. How I wish others could understand our job, and respect us like how they respect other professionals like doctor or lawyer. By the way, our pay is not even that high, in fact it is very low.

*Sigh*

How I wish I have the influence to change people's perception towards people who works in this industry. One day, one fine day.......