Just A Bulletin Board For The World

After a certain celebration, I decided to post something on my blog to show my appreciation and commemorate the event. At the same time, I decided to send the link to the person involved with the intention to show her how I really felt about it all, as I was rather tired during the whole ceremony as I had to work, and might have been a little concerned that it showed unknowingly.

What got my rather irritated was the message sent back, other than saying thanks, the person asked why I didn't put it up on Facebook. At that point, all I could think of was how special it would have been on that networking site. Personally, I don't think that it would be nice to put congratulatory messages for someone to be lost in a sea of other messages. Maybe it would have been in a sea of congratulatory messages, but looking at what transpired for the day, I think it would have been lost in the list of other people's gripes, moans, and also postings through games being played by everyone. Post on this blog are all done only by me, no-one and nothing else, can take up any space on it unless I want it to (save for the blogger logos).

What I am trying to say is that I think writing on my blog is much more personal and sincere compared to a message posted onto Facebook. So maybe Facebook is updated rather quickly, but it is only as fast as the user wants to be. The blog might be updated erratically, but what I write here comes from the heart, or at least a lot more thought goes through a post before it's published.  In comparison, the things I post on my Facebook profile is mainly brain farts, song lyrics, and quotes I like - in one word "RUBBISH". So if you feel that my commemoration of the even was 'rubbish', then do tell, so that I can remove it from my very personal blog.

I guess some people need to learn how to show more appreciation when others make space in their lives for them.

What Is The Bloody Schedule For?

Proving my point right about people not being able to change fast enough, and that bad habits are surfacing, the person once again didn't bother to note the shift changes for the day. The shock when the person found out I was leaving for the day, that I was scheduled to just the middle of lunch, just let me know how much this person bothers about what's happening during work.

How can you wonder when you'll actually be promoted out of your trainee position later than some other outlet's staff when you don't even bother about the most basic thing - to know who you're working with. The thing is, you don't even plan the schedule. Do you trust your superior not to make a mistake and under-staff for the shift? What would happen if, after the emergency reshuffling, the person replacing someone on an earlier shift, was not replaced with another later, and you were left to close by yourself? So maybe there are a lot more eyes looking at the schedule and might point out any problems, but what if a time comes when everyone's attitude changed like yours and no one bothers about the schedule at all? Won't it be a little too late to learn that knowing the staffing for the day is more important that talking with the milkman and negotiating when he will deliver his products?

Maybe it's time you and your slumbering attitude got a wake up call? 

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Zee

To Shirley & Eugene,

May your lives together ahead be just like the ceremony today - as fun-filled and light-hearted, filled with love for each other, as well as from family and friends. 

I Love My Job, Just Hate The Company

After a week since that irritating day, even after sort of talking it out with Yau Ching, as well as explaining the whole thing to Adi, I thought that I'd had gotten over it. Apparently not. Disappointment and anger still bubbled up to the surface when I was mentioning everything to Adi.

It's rather funny that with regards to one person, it's the bad habits that is the cause of my frustration, while for the other person, it's some new (albeit bad) attitude that is pissing me off. It's hard for Y. C. to see the new attitude as he hasn't really worked with the person long enough, but Adi could, and that's one part that is really disappointing.

I guess my problem is that I love the job, and when it comes to the point where the company, or in this case, the colleagues, piss you off, what am I to do? Leave the job or wait till the problem goes away? If it's the latter, I hope it's fast. Then again, I might just have more important things to focus on soon.

To Didi Ruzeana

Mummy Trial?

I wonder if people realise that the murder victim they say is a very motherly person should be called 'mommy' instead of 'mummy'. But then again, articles about the murder victim seem to say that he always wrapped his head with scarves... so maybe 'mummy' might just be the appropriate term.

Good Decision, But Is It Good Enough?

One ruling by the courts I really like, but is it enough? A cat is still another living thing that can only defend itself as much as a baby can.

I Feel Like Quitting.

48 hours since I got pissed off and I'm supposed to head back to the place where it all happened. Don't know why, but I just don't feel like heading to work, especially since I'll be working with one of the people that really pissed me off. I think it's the first time that I actually feel like just giving up, packing my bag and taking a break, not caring about my responsibility at work. Honestly why should I when the people employed there full time don't even bother either?

Maybe You Should Worry About Finding New Part-Timers?

Well the day started fine enough until one family came by, with the mom being a bitch with her 'concerned' questions regarding our menu's items. I understand your kids have allergies, and that you're making sure that we don't kill them by accident, but you seriously didn't have to ask me things as though I was some incompetent person suggesting things off the menu just to make a few extra dollars. First off, I've taken your order before as I recall your two girls having to share one drink and can never seem to agree on how they want it. How about you stop being a cheapskate and just get them a drink each? Or since you were so smart today to take half the drink away, why not just let them have a glass each to go so they can enjoy their own drink. Oh wait... I head back to my first observation, that you're cheap. So cheap you'll charge $6 to the credit card just to get points. So the next time you see me, I probably won't be bothered to take your order, and just send my manager to you since you seem to only want to talk to him.

Then cue the people in the 2nd shift. I honestly don't know if some people are just plain ignorant, or is it about time they changed their shitty working attitudes. After finding out that they didn't receive much of a bonus this year, people at work are not only less motivated to work, some seem to have lost all sense of duty. 

I wonder if they realise why there is such a thing as a schedule, and that on the schedule, there are times to indicate the flow of staff for the day. If you're not going to work when you step into the outlet, why bother coming in at all? So if you already stepped into the outlet, why aren't you taking over tasks from the 1st shift? It's rather easy to guess who you should be taking over if there are 3 people in the morning and 3 working in the evening. 

Then they take their own sweet time to get things done, including going for their breaks. Hellloooooooooooooo? Did you not see that I am supposed to be leaving at 4 and you're still at the outlet instead of banking in the previous day's takings, you still haven't gone for your break, and lets not forget that the 1st shift hasn't gone for their break either. Plus we can't forget the one who decided to slowly pack things away after retrieving them from the store, getting in the way half the time. Don't you realise that it was only the two of us and that I was taking, as well as, preparing orders while you took your time to unload the trolley? 

Then came the point where I really started to get pissed off - when some people decide to leave the bar unattended just because I was there. Did you even know the reason I came up was because you were so bloody slow just getting drinks out? Did you even realise that I just went up to prepare the fruit salad? I can't believe you even have the cheek to step down and actually let the next order sit on the spike for me to prepare. Was it even right to have me, the part-timer, to ask one of you full-timers to actually get the thing done because it seems all of you were too blind to see I was busy with another order of fruit salad that had to be prepared from scratch? What is the use in dreaming about big bonuses and bigger paychecks when you don't even pull the weight of your own title? And back to the schedule... you were supposed to take over my shift, therefore take over the bar. The very reason I stepped down from it when you were finally done with shoving everything in their right hiding place was so you could get the bar to the way you wanted. 

So the crowd came streaming in just as I was supposed to leave, but I already knew I had to extend my time, well I thought at least until someone more capable came back from their break. But lo and behold, the person comes back and seems to have decided to play around with the cash register instead, at the same time asking the ignorant one to take their break. Even after the hint that I was supposed to be heading home, no one seems to bother taking over the bar, the only question I get directed to me was if I could stay till 6, and this was the 2nd extension. I really didn't see why I had to stay any further when all I ended up doing was to complete and order, walk around, clean things, stare at the cakes, and head to the kitchen to bitch to Adi. If I could do that, why couldn't someone else just do my job at that point? 

What's the use of complaining that running costs for the outlet is high when you're wasting money keeping me there for another hour? What's the use of having everyone with nice titles above their names when they don't seem to pull their weights. Do these people even deserve the titles, let alone their pay?

The last straw came when I was told to leave. Not that I wasn't happy about finally being let off, but it's the way, or the tone of voice, that sent me over the edge. From the same person who says that some people need to learn about intonation when speaking to customers, this one needs with staff. When you finally want me to go, did you have to say it as though I was breaking things and you had to send me out of the place? Furthermore, did you realise how stupid it was to ask me to take a half hour break at 5.30 when you said you want me to stay till 6? Yes, I was already pissed off and my attitude wasn't the best at the point, so did you really not expect me to talk back when you're asking me to do something ridiculous? 

Somehow I just felt that I was being taken for granted. I'm there to help, but I'm not there to be taken advantage of. Why did it have to take for me to break down that you finally realised that there was something wrong? 

Finally, do you seriously think I will tell you what's wrong with me when you're part of the problem? Since you're all 'worried about me', how about worrying about getting a new part-timer?

Usher In The Tiger With A Little Love

Wishing EVERYONE
a Lovely Valentine's Day,
and a Prosperous Year of the Tiger!

I Need To Travel

I seriously need to travel, but I don't really feel like travelling alone. The few people I'll be comfortable travelling with all can't due to time or financial restrictions. However, there's one person I wouldn't mind travelling with, although I somehow see a lot of issues arising through it - Eddie.

I don't really know how to explain it, but I just have this odd feeling that if I ever travelled with Eddie, we'd have to travel our separate ways and only meet at the end of the trip. Even though we might be alike in some ways (most of which people seem to point out rather than noticing it myself), I still think the minor differences would break the trip. I think it's probably because we like similar things, yet we like the opposite ends of the spectrum of the same subject.

I wonder if the risk-taker feels the same.

Hitch-Hikers

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." - as posted on Adi's profile. Personally I'd want someone who'd walk with me when the limo breaks down, head to the nearest cafe, and have a nice cuppa while we try to get someone to come pick the piece of crap limo and get it fixed.

Joking aside, the quote got me thinking about how people seem to enter your life (the limo) like hitch hikers. There are ones that you trust enough to stop for (friends and acquaintances), some you don't trust at all to even give a 2nd glance (the type of people you really can't gel with). While for the ones you chose to stop for, there are the ones who you end up helping a little bit more than just to give them a lift, some who will just disappear after you drop them off, some who turn around to rob you and your limo, and the ones that end up helping you fix the limo if it breaks down half way.

Thinking through my list of friends, I do have a few people in each category, yes even the ones who robbed me. The ones that end up helping you are really rare, and so are the ones that just disappear after you've dropped them off. The ones that are rather problematic are the type that need your help even after you've reached their destination. I sometimes wonder if these people do realise that you're already veering off course to help them, and yet some just don't know how to say 'thanks' and be on their way. At times, I really feel that some of them are better off being robbers. At least the robbers take a bit off you, but they rarely come back to haunt you as they probably would think that they next time you see them, you'd run over them with your bus instead of stopping to pick them up.

To Marc Sin

To Amy Tan