Monday, January 26, 2009

makanlah di restoran oriental cravings di one utama! eh lupa.. tak halal.

It's 12.44am, which means one thing: Happy Chinese New Year people! =D

This timing couldn't have been better for me to talk a bit about my current sem break job, especially when the previous Sunday Star's your say section had been touching on the (closely) related issues.

1. Ten of the worst.
2. Respect please.
3. No excuse for bad service.

As some of you might have already known, I've been helping out my aunt at her restaurant in 1utama, Oriental Cravings, since December. If you don't, well i'm helping out at my aunt at her restaurant in 1utama, Oriental Cravings. =P


Front view of OC

Of course, there are those days (almost on a daily basis. ALMOST) where you meet with customers who are erm.. a tad too unnecessarily rude/snotty. but never to the point of ruining my whole day lar *keeps fingers crossed*. when you're in this line, you HAVE to have control of your own personal emotions in check. which is one important thing that i've learned throughout this experience, thus brings me to why i agree on Timothy on how there is no reason for a bad service.

Being in the service line where you meet different people from all walks of life during your working hours is where you should be ready (in my opinion) to make the best out of the situation in keeping the customers happy. No matter how much they are testing your patience. Yes. I do think that that is part of our job. There's no such thing, or place, for us to be all 'take it or leave it'. I think that's just taking things a little too personal. (p/s: Miss Vaneetha, so how bout a slight push for my PR grade? =D)


Back view of OC

How is it that some people could walk to a customer's table like they're all out to get you is beyond my understanding. Isn't that in the job description when you first applied? Rule No.1: Have to smile and be courteous to customers at all times even if all you want to do is stab them with their own fork.
I'm speaking as both a first hand customer and a waitress. Of course I would like to be served by a happy person. No, I don't want to see that look on your face as if your hamster just died. That is just plain unnecessary. As for the customers, it would be nice if they could be polite to their server. Generally speaking, you wouldn't want to talk/be talked to by someone who's face looked as if they're sucking a lemon which never seems to finish its taste do you? I think that's just unnecessary.

Like the other day when there was this slightly wacked out customer who was lashing out on me about how the people who were smoking were getting on her nerves. Erm.. lady, you did requested for a seat outside which i had clearly informed you that it is a smoking area and you declined my offer to seat you inside which is a non-smoking area so erm.. your complain really isn't making much sense to me. So do you want me to stop the others from smoking just so that you could continue with your meal in peace and pollution-free air? because then i would be eaten alive by the others as well for making a ridiculous request. btw, do you mind not yelling on at me because the last thing i need now is to have my hearing impaired just because youre having a bad day. oh and you wanna hear the story bout my housemate's dead hamsters and how they all died? i could even add in every single one of their sexually explicit names foc. =/

Though it has only been two months, but that doesn't mean that i haven't met my fair share of wacko customers now have i?

But i do have to admit that sometimes the customers do get a tad too much as well. Do they not understand that the server's job is to serve and the cook's job to cook? Although we run as a body/organization, but sometimes please be a little more considerate when your meal is running a little slow when the restaurant is obviously running on full steam already. We can't help it that everyone decided to all makan at the same time. Do you think we don't wish that we could take over the kitchen staffs place so that we could serve your meals within 15mins just so that we would not have to get our heads bitten off? Trust me when i say that it's best to leave the cooks to their job so that the hospital doesn't have to bring a stomach pump eventhough i do make a mean dish of mashed potatoes.

The point is that you have been informed before-hand that your orders will run a little late. Because then you can choose if you are willing to wait a little while or decide to try out another eatery. If we didn't, then it is our fault. But it would be nice if you could understand if we are so busy in keeping up with the others as well that it had slipped our mind to do so. Needless to say that it is our fault, but please don't make it harder for us than it already is. It would be nice to not be yelled at, but if you decided that there is a need to do it then, oh well. That's all i'm saying.

There are days when the place is so packed that the only thing you could think about is the hours more to go before the messenger/waitress/supervisor/miss may, notifies the customers that it would be the last order for the day *cue cheesy orchestra music*.

However, there are also days where we (waitresses) are on this psychadelic high in trying to clean out all the day's specials! You should see my friend Jane high 5ing everyone all the way from the customers's tables to the counter when something off the menu is sold. That woman's enthusiasm and commitment to her job is seriously infectious!

This whole whirlwind of an experience had indeed taught me how to be both a better customer and waitress. So people, smile lar everyone once in a while. =D

p/s: im always so tempted to add in a lame pun intended line of the joker asking "why so serious?" everytime i see a customer who looks like shes related to victor's hamsters (dead) but then there is this deafining silence in my head followed by a cyber nerd's annoying voice saying "awkwardddd" and then an image of miu miu pops into my head. *shifty eyes*


"I love my job. I love my job."
- Emily, The Devil wears Prada.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

im karen.

got to know a new friend yesterday. well not exactly new. was in fact my classmate just that we never talked before this. wonder why was that...


so from one missed call it went on to a whole days worth of text messages. funny how things turn out sometimes. learned a couple of stuff as well. surprisingly, it actually went pretty well.

i really do need more people like that in my life. 

funny... =)

Monday, January 05, 2009

trying

every blog ive visited has been swarmed with pages long worth of resolutions and all that new year stuff and i was pretty tempted to do the same and then thought "maybe its best to leave that personal stuff in handwriting". =/


so heres a very mundane post about the days before the new year. recap people!

so erm.. couple of days before the big 09 i received a couple of messages from people ranging from party invites to just plain hanging out with random people. not really my idea of fun to end the year. work has been well.. work. but im not complaining. its a pretty good way to just step out from my comfort zone and earn some cash. even if it means putting up with a couple of wacked out people who decided to turn eating out into a lets annoy the shit out of these chinese waitresses and smack their faces with our fake engrisssssh accent fest. 

im complaining already arent i? 

so erm yeah.. just layan only lar.

and erm.. so i decided that i really wasnt in the mood to make small talks with random people by hanging out with a couple of friends and lisa's message couldnt  have come at a more perfect time. so it was just gonna be both of us being silly at starbucks with her laptop and just chillaxing there. just so you know, thats her in the previous post. 

i had a great time and who knows that it only cost two drinks to have so much fun. we had strange stares from people around seeing two person laughing in front of the comp with their mouths stuffed with serviettes (note: dont butcher me if i happened to spell that wrongly).

so erm what else eh?

we hung out for bout 3-4hours plus and then she dropped me off a lil past midnight since i was working the next day. and then i guessed i kinda pissed someone off for some reason. perhaps? i dont know.

i dont even know if i should be writing bout this. its kinda bugging me as much as i try to ignore it. 

which brings me to the topic bout those who are reading this. i know what they say bout how if youre gonna do this on the internet that you should be prepared that people are gonna read it somehow and lay their criticisms on it. 

i do realize that this IS a mundane blog. but it doesnt reflect my person as a whole. if im happy i just wanna go out there and enjoy it. which is why only the sappy posts are up. i find writing theraupeutic. not because im depressed ALL the time. i mean some people jot down bout their daily lives. some bout those happy moments. and im just doing the same thing, except bout different occasions. so does that makes me a self-centred person? at first i was so sure that i was being misintepreted. but now im really not so sure anymore. 

i guess to most of the people out there has this perception that a blog is supposed to be something which talks bout the excitement of life. bout how theyre living each day. well my apologies that i dont come across as that. not even close. but that doesnt mean that im not living my life. i just dont jot it down. what started out as a medium to rant out turned into something that is talked about for my lack of optimistic views. see how easy it is to be put out and judged just because you dont conform to their perceptions?

theres no need to remind me again about how boring this blog is. i hear it often enough to make me rethink if i should just shut this down once and for all. i mean seriously, if its upsetting then why carry on? then theres also the whole other thought of just doing what i feel comfortable with. just take everything as it is and not too personally.

i guess i just have to try harder at not trying to please everyone. i'll only end up losing more than i can afford. 

not a very optimistic and constructing post isnt it?

oh well...

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Hedo from Springfield

Yo brader and sista! Phew weet~!

This post is dedicated to my loyal readers out there.

I am currently sitting next to a pro-Japanese Malaysian, Karen Kok Hisashi at Setarrbakso, Centrepoint Menara Tokyo di Jepun cerebwating the first day of toow jilo jilo nine.

Wokeh, I'm too nervous to type now since Miss Kok is molesting me. *shy*

あけましておめでとうございます (Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu) Don't get it? Google it!

Before I forget, AISHITERU Karen Kok Hisashi Hsi Hsi!

Been friends since Primary One, and our friendship is still going stronger :)

Oopsie! It's bart's sister here.

xoxo you know you lap me,
Lisa :D