It was another day to remember. As usual I was up by 7....n the usual coffee and online routine continued untill 10. Then had some work at the uni...so had a trip there as well. In the midst of finishing my work, I almost lost my wallet....but found it only to realise that the person was honest enuf to flick a note of 20, leaving the rest intact! I was a little sad about that, but just let go. Anyway, I was on a bigger balance-reduction mission aka shopping spree...all the way to Brisbane city....
Usually the train takes an hour to get there...but yesterday some minor showers ( which was termed as a storm by these aussies)got the traffic signals disrupted, an so we finally reached there after 2 hours:) Hoping to get some good Indian food at Govinda's, we just made it in the nick of time....else the very thought of grabbing burgers and Baguettes was disheartening. The shopping continued till almost 6pm...we didn't spare the big book store or the small souvenier store. Giordano, Polo, Ralp Lauren, Nike...are just a few of all names we came across. For a brand conscious person like me,all this was heaven. Just praying that I be allowed to carry so much luggage, I sinfully indulged in picking up random stuff. Afterall, I am leaving the country in the next two day's time!!
I knew that my bank balance was almost nil, but had to continue EFTPOSing...as we generally do. But to save any kind of embarrasment, something told me that I must check my balance....and eventually was not surprised to see the no. 13!!...yes all I had was just $13.95...hehe. I was just too keen on sweeping clean my account balance. The lease amount that I am going to recieve today....definitely motivates me to go and shop again....but yeah, I m not giving you the impression that Iam a careless shopaholic!
Shopping , shopping and shopping.....more than actually buying stuff, its the window shoping that makes the difference. Coz now, when Iam looking at the things I have bought, I dont see a great deal of useful things....but as long as I feel happy doing it, its alrite (I guess)!
November 15, 2006
November 11, 2006
Secret santa's already here..
We call ourselves ' Crooked angels'. yes ..our nameplate..( just a post-it) and a picture of an angel beside it describes the tenacity of our crookedness and the capacity of angel-ism we have,crazy!!!!. Yes. crazy roomies in their own world.
One day, as I was just heading out, was almost near the elevator when my neighbor strutting out of it, gives me a wierd look. The next second, she gives me this friendly smile and gets me talking about the ' nameplate'. haha...
I couldn't really make out if she was drunk or something, coz she kept asking me again n again..."oh, did u put this angel here? Its nice....." " But then why did u put it"...." ah, I see...Angels live here".." But why crooked angels".....I tried answering a few, but then realised it was pointless. Maybe she was just on a high, so I excused myself on the pretext of having made my friends wait long enough for me. I registered this scene as a funny one, and always think about it, when I walk toward my door.
Recently, we realised that somebody had tampered with the so called pic of the angel. we didn't bother much.since it was just dangling there, we took it off. And just a couple of days back, we have this cute little scented 'angelic Koala' hung on our door knob!! My first guess was my neigbor. But then, me and my roomie kept thinking for a while and assumed it to be one of our friends. We didn't want to ask anyone, hoping that the benefactor would be humble enough to let us know. No clues yet!
For some reason, the scent reminds of 'Odomas- the mosquito repellant' back home. It gives a funny kinda snoozy tingling feeling to my head and so I decided to just seat it inside my shoe-rack. Noooooooo....I dont mean to be rude!! But cant really help it . So, I just wanna thank whoever it was, for that cute little thing! It was a very sweet gesture. We are happy to know that there are angels around us too:)
One day, as I was just heading out, was almost near the elevator when my neighbor strutting out of it, gives me a wierd look. The next second, she gives me this friendly smile and gets me talking about the ' nameplate'. haha...
I couldn't really make out if she was drunk or something, coz she kept asking me again n again..."oh, did u put this angel here? Its nice....." " But then why did u put it"...." ah, I see...Angels live here".." But why crooked angels".....I tried answering a few, but then realised it was pointless. Maybe she was just on a high, so I excused myself on the pretext of having made my friends wait long enough for me. I registered this scene as a funny one, and always think about it, when I walk toward my door.
Recently, we realised that somebody had tampered with the so called pic of the angel. we didn't bother much.since it was just dangling there, we took it off. And just a couple of days back, we have this cute little scented 'angelic Koala' hung on our door knob!! My first guess was my neigbor. But then, me and my roomie kept thinking for a while and assumed it to be one of our friends. We didn't want to ask anyone, hoping that the benefactor would be humble enough to let us know. No clues yet!
For some reason, the scent reminds of 'Odomas- the mosquito repellant' back home. It gives a funny kinda snoozy tingling feeling to my head and so I decided to just seat it inside my shoe-rack. Noooooooo....I dont mean to be rude!! But cant really help it . So, I just wanna thank whoever it was, for that cute little thing! It was a very sweet gesture. We are happy to know that there are angels around us too:)
November 10, 2006
Mathematics of hospitality
"Hello, Howa ya?" Followed by a sweet smile across her cute dimpled cheeks. In one instance, I knew she recognised me. The level of familiarity made me feel welcomed, as if I had graced their cordial invitation for dinner.It wasn't just becoz I had dined there occasionally. I noticed her serving each and every guest the same way.That's true hospitality in my sense of understanding. How often are people able to do that?Juggling with so many orders and checking on each table is not an easy job, that too without loosing one's cool.
She reminded me of my days at work earlier...where I was doing the same thing, but in a much bigger resort. Hospitality wasn't my industry ; I did the job coz it earned me a living. I was excited getting the job one always dreamt about as a student here, thanks to a friend' referal. I knew nothin about the job, I was trained from scratch. Inhibitons, apprehensions, perceptions and all possible synonyms could well summarise my whole expereince there.
Learning to clean tables and clearing plates was my first lesson! was there a need to learn that anyway? During the first week,I began to think if this is what I had dreamt for....Weeks passed.
Time for Xmas....seasonally considered good for the industry. My best time at work. Name a shift, and one was bound to get work then. It was so busy. Doing 700 covers an evening was normal. Ask me about it! Orders being taken at an amazing pace, an equally quick sprint to the bar...getting the cocktails n mocktails ready. Oh yes....my dear chefs...always waiting to pounce on the one writing unclear or wrong order codes!! Starting at 5....till about 9 pm, the restaurant would be like a house of maniacs running around.
While most orders were getting done, children needed to be treated like angels although some were messy monsters. Putting up a smiling face with some to pick up every piece of junk they spilt, giving them colors and drawings to let them express their creative best and being the most patient when they kept crying ..was only a part of my job. While the kids had their share of fun, the elders were no less. Some were there to relax and make merry. While some didn't let go their usual crib-factor! "oh..the food is bad..call the supervisor", "this isnt' fine...Iam unhappy"....blah blah. At that point, it was all a 'blah-blah' for me...coz how the hell was I supposed to make sure if the rice was cooked well? But I cudn't say...oh..its not my fault, its the chef....:)
Funny things would happen on the bussiest of days...wrong orders to wrong tables, breaking of plates, the drinks spilling on the guests and the list goes on. Despite all this, the perfect smile was to be worn all the time! and how could I forget, the supervisor spying at me from the corner of the big room if I was doing my job right! It was like living under a microscope.I wasnt really great at it...I remember how I would wait for the guests to go, or for the clock to turn 8.30, so that it was a little peaceful. But my supervisors and seniors would compliment me for my hardwork and thank me! I would forget all other bad things, just realising that I was indeed doing a good job.n then it was time for a long nite...before the dawn for the big breakkie again!!
Tonite's dinner and the girl's smile was just a multiplication of my experiences, an addition to her grace, a subtraction of all nuisance and a division of expressions! Although she wasnt in a mess as bad as I was, I appreciate her hardwork....coz it is a difficult job!
She reminded me of my days at work earlier...where I was doing the same thing, but in a much bigger resort. Hospitality wasn't my industry ; I did the job coz it earned me a living. I was excited getting the job one always dreamt about as a student here, thanks to a friend' referal. I knew nothin about the job, I was trained from scratch. Inhibitons, apprehensions, perceptions and all possible synonyms could well summarise my whole expereince there.
Learning to clean tables and clearing plates was my first lesson! was there a need to learn that anyway? During the first week,I began to think if this is what I had dreamt for....Weeks passed.
Time for Xmas....seasonally considered good for the industry. My best time at work. Name a shift, and one was bound to get work then. It was so busy. Doing 700 covers an evening was normal. Ask me about it! Orders being taken at an amazing pace, an equally quick sprint to the bar...getting the cocktails n mocktails ready. Oh yes....my dear chefs...always waiting to pounce on the one writing unclear or wrong order codes!! Starting at 5....till about 9 pm, the restaurant would be like a house of maniacs running around.
While most orders were getting done, children needed to be treated like angels although some were messy monsters. Putting up a smiling face with some to pick up every piece of junk they spilt, giving them colors and drawings to let them express their creative best and being the most patient when they kept crying ..was only a part of my job. While the kids had their share of fun, the elders were no less. Some were there to relax and make merry. While some didn't let go their usual crib-factor! "oh..the food is bad..call the supervisor", "this isnt' fine...Iam unhappy"....blah blah. At that point, it was all a 'blah-blah' for me...coz how the hell was I supposed to make sure if the rice was cooked well? But I cudn't say...oh..its not my fault, its the chef....:)
Funny things would happen on the bussiest of days...wrong orders to wrong tables, breaking of plates, the drinks spilling on the guests and the list goes on. Despite all this, the perfect smile was to be worn all the time! and how could I forget, the supervisor spying at me from the corner of the big room if I was doing my job right! It was like living under a microscope.I wasnt really great at it...I remember how I would wait for the guests to go, or for the clock to turn 8.30, so that it was a little peaceful. But my supervisors and seniors would compliment me for my hardwork and thank me! I would forget all other bad things, just realising that I was indeed doing a good job.n then it was time for a long nite...before the dawn for the big breakkie again!!
Tonite's dinner and the girl's smile was just a multiplication of my experiences, an addition to her grace, a subtraction of all nuisance and a division of expressions! Although she wasnt in a mess as bad as I was, I appreciate her hardwork....coz it is a difficult job!
Another leaning tower
This is architecture at its best! This is a bldg. in Mumbai where the residents live with the fear of this structure crippling down any minute. They have nowhere to go leaving their possession of a mere 375 sq. ft. The builders are ready to locate them elsewhere, only if they pay the current market price. How ruthless?Mumbai is definitely reaching for the sky , towering structures being one of the signs of aiming high. But, this picture and the story caught my eye forcing me to think...if this kind of fraudulent construction continues, Mumbai will have quite a lot of 'Leaning Towers'.
November 09, 2006
on compliments and workouts!
"omg!! you have put on weight"...this is a straightforward indication for you to work on the flab!
"hmm....you look plump, but not fat"....is a milder way of saying..." Get going before u bloat!"
..."you look like a diamond"....This was the wierdest comment I heard....ofcourse about myself. I didn't know if it was really a compliment....coz I did think my face was glowing n I felt nice abt myself. But that was a cheeky way to actually make me realise that I infact resembled a diamond perched on its edge....a nice squarish one!! I know....the explanation to the comment was as strange as the comment itself.
Ok...I was a diamond. Now what? Was my ego hurt and was I on a mission to mirror a drumstick? Naah..
Or was I really doing that? I remember I joined the gym within a week of that (compliment)comin my way. I gave up eating cheese....my fav. Following the conventional dieter's diet was my unconventional step indeed. I got back into a fit n fine sculpture and was delighted. I felt happy about myself, became active and was a better person. All thanks to the 'Diamond'- A woman's best friend.
But my fetish for chocolates n sweets did gradually take away the shine off me. Blame it on my inconsistent workouts and consistent cravings. This time around, I did not have my 'fitness- watchdog' to get me back on track. Luckily, the feel-good factor of the past motivated me to join the gym again!! Wait a sec....why am I talking about going to the gym, like its been a fad? I think I fancy it more than anything. Thanks to 'diamonds' like me, the gyms' financial condition can never go bad.'Benevolence in abundance' has been my mission inadvertantly. My instructors at gym think, the program given to me is too strenuous or something -the reason I bunk quite often. Little do they know of my persistent laziness to slog it out! But, knowing how much I know of it...its high time, I work towards it!
"hmm....you look plump, but not fat"....is a milder way of saying..." Get going before u bloat!"
..."you look like a diamond"....This was the wierdest comment I heard....ofcourse about myself. I didn't know if it was really a compliment....coz I did think my face was glowing n I felt nice abt myself. But that was a cheeky way to actually make me realise that I infact resembled a diamond perched on its edge....a nice squarish one!! I know....the explanation to the comment was as strange as the comment itself.
Ok...I was a diamond. Now what? Was my ego hurt and was I on a mission to mirror a drumstick? Naah..
Or was I really doing that? I remember I joined the gym within a week of that (compliment)comin my way. I gave up eating cheese....my fav. Following the conventional dieter's diet was my unconventional step indeed. I got back into a fit n fine sculpture and was delighted. I felt happy about myself, became active and was a better person. All thanks to the 'Diamond'- A woman's best friend.
But my fetish for chocolates n sweets did gradually take away the shine off me. Blame it on my inconsistent workouts and consistent cravings. This time around, I did not have my 'fitness- watchdog' to get me back on track. Luckily, the feel-good factor of the past motivated me to join the gym again!! Wait a sec....why am I talking about going to the gym, like its been a fad? I think I fancy it more than anything. Thanks to 'diamonds' like me, the gyms' financial condition can never go bad.'Benevolence in abundance' has been my mission inadvertantly. My instructors at gym think, the program given to me is too strenuous or something -the reason I bunk quite often. Little do they know of my persistent laziness to slog it out! But, knowing how much I know of it...its high time, I work towards it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)