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pretzel_knot
22 June 2009 @ 05:11 pm
Last week was an overdose of Chinese food. Okay, maybe not the entire week. But 2 days in a row is ENOUGH. I mean, a BUFFET with steamboat on Thursday, plus dim sum on Friday? I will avoid Chinese food this week, thanks.

crystal jade buffet at holland v )

a little rant about their service )

dim(sum) joy )

We went to Dim Joy on a Friday night, and it was surprisingly empty. Guess everyone's at pubs or something since its a Friday. It was nice being one of the few in the restaurant, except that we should have probably sat further away from the wait staff 'cause it was kinda awkward with them standing so close and watching us eat. LOL. That said, I love the service that Dim Joy provides. The waiters and waitresses are really attentive (probably also due to the fact that there were few people, but the last time Nat and I went, they gave good service too), and are all REALLY NICE PEOPLE. :D :D I would go back for their egg tarts (best I've eaten, actually), custard buns, charsiew buns, shrimp dumplings, pan-fried radish and their dessert. Shulian doesn't like durian (OH THE BLASPHEMY) so I couldn't order it, but I really like their durian dessert. :D Go to Dim Joy, people!



 
 
Current Mood: cheerful
 
 
pretzel_knot
01 April 2008 @ 10:09 pm

Not much good news, the only good news I can think of is HL211 Research Essay being postponed to next Friday. BUT I will try to start tomorrow. Hahaha. 'Cause there's the stupid HW111 Quiz next Thursday, which I got to study early for also because I want to start studying for my exams that start next next week! *horrified* I'm going to be so screwed since I'm so behind in all my readings. ):

And today. I swear I am a damn suay person. I was taking a bus home from an interchange today. Halfway through the journey, it started drizzling. Now, there are 2 stops that I can stop at. 1st stop means I got to use the overhead bridge, but there's shelter. 2nd stop means no shelter. So my bus was nearing that 1st stop and I thought, "Hmm. I should be able to make it home without being too wet even if I stop at the next stop (the one with no shelter)." This is because the lazy me doesn't want to use the overhead bridge. And right after my bus zoomed past the 1st stop, it started POURING. And I was like, Shiiit. It was pouring so heavily that it doesn't look like its going to stop any sooner. So I decided to just chiong all the way. In the heavy rain. When I reached the HDB flats, the rain became much smaller. -.- SUAY, I TELL YOU. Then there's this unsheltered path that I have to take before reaching the flat that I was staying at. Just after I walked through all the HDB flats and reached that path, the rain got heavy again. Damn. I was so sian-ed that I didn't bother to run, I walked. LOL.

So, I said that there isn't much good news right? That's because my uncle got hospitalized again. Not sure of what happened..I'll need to ask my sister later when she comes back. And this I need to rant. About my asshole cousin. Hmm let's think of a better name to call him. So that my LJ is not littered with expletives. Before that, I need to apologize for my limited vocabulary. Frankly, I can't really think of how to describe him except for words like, stupid, asshole, moron, bastard, idiot, imbecile, retard. I know! I shall call him FT, short for fucktard. You can decide whether you want that to mean fucking bastard or fucking retard, or both. (: Anyway, the doctor at TTSH suggests that we transfer my uncle to SGH or NUH. He says that SGH or NUH is better equipped to help him. But that FT wants him to stay at TTSH, claiming that TTSH already has all his records from the last time he stayed there. And that if we transfer him to other hospitals now, they will have to rerun all the tests (which means more money on his part). One of the FT's sisters spoke up and said we should really transfer him, and basically FT tells her that she has no right to say anything because the sons are the ones paying for the medical fees. That's damn screwed up lah. Its like, its doctor's suggestion, helloo? 

And you know what. I have to say this. THE NURSES AT TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL SUCK. BIG TIME. I'm not afraid of saying this because its true. I don't know wtf they're busy with, but the last time my uncle was in the hospital, a nurse only came in to check ONCE in the entire afternoon. And I'm not exaggerating, its really the entire afternoon. What if my uncle had slipped and fell and only got discovered hours later?? Also, they're like so impatient with the patients, and I don't mean that as a pun. They're inefficient, slow, and rather stand around to bitch and gossip than attend to requests. Like, my uncle needed a bedpan, and the nurse, instead of helping him with it, thrusted the bedpan to my sister who was there. What the hell. Isn't it her job?? And after asking for urine sample, nobody came to collect it for a freaking long time. My sister decided to be nice and went outside to pass it to them. Coincidentally, all the nurses started to act busy when they were actually just walking here and there, talking and gossiping with each other, and nobody wanted to catch her eye, even though it was obvious she was there. She stood at the counter for a damn long time, when finally one of the staff (not a nurse but can't rmbr who) told the staff nurse pointedly that the urine sample is ready. And she was all dismissive like, 'Oh you can just leave it there.' She meant on the counter, where everybody goes to make enquiries. What the hell lah. Ugh. I can't even tell if they're taking their work seriously. I mean, a few hours after dinner time/breakfast and nobody comes to clear away the food/tray and everything says something about the service you're giving, IMO. To be honest, I know Singapore has a shortage of nurses and all, but I hope they look for quality instead of quantity. If such people can be nurses, then hell, anybody can be a nurse.
 
So you should know why I'm so concerned about this switching of hospital thing. Sigh.      

 
 
Current Mood: distressed
 
 
pretzel_knot
21 March 2008 @ 01:09 am
Time for an update! (: I was at Changi Village just now for dinner. Why Changi Village, you might ask. Because my friend is ah gua! HAHAHA. I'm just kidding. No offense to all the ah guas out there! And no offense to Juliana, I wasn't refering to you, really I swear! *innocent smile* Anyway, we were at Jacob's Cafe 'cause Juliana wanted to have dinner there as her birthday celebration. I think I quite like that place. Its a cosy small cafe, with a country-ish interior. The food wasn't too bad, quite nice in fact, even though its not fantastic or anything like that. But, if you guys ever go there, please go for al fresco dining. LOL. We were so stupid to sit inside, because later on, we realised that their kitchen is like open concept kind of thing? There's no door separating their small kitchen from the dining area inside. So yes, the smart asses that we were, wondering why nobody wants to sit inside for the air-conditioner, went home smelling like we just went for a barbeque. I bet the people sitting outside were mocking us. HAHAHA. Stupidity aside, I have to say that their service is good. (: All their wait staff looks so happy to be there, LOL. After our dinner, they gave us each a miniature bottle of tabasco sauce as souveneir, can you believe it? The bottle is damn cute. I think its to reward us for being so willing to be near them, sitting inside the cafe. Haha. But we sat there until almost closing time, and we kept laughing like mad somemore. I suppose we made a nuisance out of ourselves. The people probably had enough of us and actually gave us the miniature tabasco sauce as a hint for us to leave.

pictures )

Sho-sho-shokudo! )
On a side note, I hate to generalise, but from what I've observed, Singaporeans are always the ones being damn particular about service standards when they themselves treat the wait staff like inferior beings? Talking to the wait staff curtly or rudely doesn't make them want to serve you on hand and foot, please. I don't like how everytime there's something, be it the food, or the service, that we're not satisfied with, the first thing we think of is to complain? I don't deny that there are moments when I felt like complaining before, but hey, it is not always the service staff's fault okay. Sometimes shit happens, so just be more considerate and deal with it.   
 
 
Current Mood: tired
 
 
pretzel_knot
20 January 2008 @ 01:59 am

Add/Drop period ends tomorrow, and I finally got a time-table that I am really satisfied with. Satisfied in the sense that, I no longer have a compelling urge to check STARS everytime I go online. (: 

I actually had a free day on Monday, but now I don't have it anymore. Its okay, because I got the elective that I wanted in the first place, HS813, which is about tourism! (: Even though I got a B minus for my Sociology elective the last semester, I'm still going to take this Sociology elective because I really want to do tourism. Oh and it fulfils my GER-PE requirements of having to take one subject from Arts and Humanities. *happy*

Now my time table goes like this:

 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
0930 - 1030 HL103, LT7HL103, TR159AHL105, LT28 
1030 - 1130 HL103, LT7 HL105, LT28HL205, TR153
1130 - 1230  HL105, TR112HL205, LT28 
1230 - 1330 HW111, LKC-LT HL205, LT28HL211, LT25
1330 - 1430 HL211, TR93   
1430 - 1530   HW111, CSKL9 
1530 - 1630   HW111, CSKL9 
1630 - 1730     
1730 - 1830HS813, LT24HL211 film screening?   
1830 - 1930HS813, LT24HL211 film screening?   
1930 - 2030HS813, LT24    


Actually I have switched my HL105 tutorial that was under the fun but slack tutor to be under another tutor. But because it would make my time table super sucky (now that I've changed elective again), I had to switch back to his class. -.- The good thing is, I found a Wednesday class so that I can have a lunch break on Tuesday. Haha. 

Now my worst day is Thursday. The 2 lectures back-to-back are killers. Because both lectures are boring. HL105 is Singapore Lit and HL205 is Victorian Lit. I don't know its the content or the way the lecturers talk that put me to sleep. But trust me, for the past 2 weeks, I really tried my hardest to stay awake, and failed. I swear. *in a whiny voice* I really did my best... ): 

I think I kind of like my time table this semester. Yay to me.

**********
I went shopping on my own today! (: I bought a red dress for my cousin's wedding dinner this coming Sunday. And I bought a pair of black pumps. Actually I like the pumps in blue better. Its like a bright blue. But I was thinking it'll be difficult to match stuff. So I bought them in black instead. 

 
 
Current Mood: cheerful
 
 
pretzel_knot
25 July 2007 @ 01:54 pm
So, I went back to work again yesterday, despite constantly telling others that I'm not working anymore. Well, banquet office said they needed people, and since I don't have an excuse of having something on yesterday, I decided to help them. Haha. Not that I was of much help; too long never work and I've never worked at stamford meeting rooms before. Yes, I worked for 2 yrs there yet I was never put at stamford meeting rooms before. Unbelievable right?! But I really prefer working at big functions. More people working together, more fun! (: Somemore if you work at small meeting rooms with people that you are not very comfortable with, even worse. Like yesterday. ugggh. It took me all I had to hold my temper in. And to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Plus to keep my sarcastic/unkind comments to myself. So anyway, I thought I was more of a hindrance yesterday instead.

I don't know why I keep returning there. Its like, all the people that I enjoy working with are gone please. And we're not being paid big bucks, its just $6 an hour. And frankly speaking, I think we deserve more than $6. haha! Hello, the things that we have to put up with?! The service industry is definitley not a beautiful place to work in. Why do I say so? Its unbelievably hypocritical okay. Some guests can be demanding and unreasonable. And yes, good service means we're paid to smile sweetly and say something like, "Certainly, Mdm! I'll get it for you immediately." If that particular waiter/waitress is not very busy, he/she will of course get whatever the guest wants, willingly. After all, its our job. But if the waitress is rushing, yet the guest can't wait, I can gurantee you that right after she turns away from the guest, the first thing would be to roll her eyes and reluctantly take what the guest wants, and then proceed to bitch around with other co-workers about the guest. If you're the guest, and you accidentally hear comments like "wa lao eh, so busy already still need to go and take (insert item that we have to walk very far to take) for the guest. cannot wait somemore. ask 2 times already leh. think i serving her only ah?!", it is probably nothing personal. We have 4 tables to serve after all (in general lah). Tempers can be a bit short at the start when we're rushing to make sure every guest has his/her drink when seated. (: I almost forgot to add that, with all the shit that we put up with, i must say that when we meet guests who appreciate our service, it really makes my day. (: Its like all the shit previously is worth it. LOL.
 
Quite some time ago, there was a discussion on Singapore's service industry. Complaints from the public included how our standard of service is bad, some also said stuff like caucasians were getting better service. All I have to say is, it takes two hands to clap, as cliched as it may sound. Of course, some might have encountered really bad service, that's entirely the problem of the service staff. I have been caught in some situations that I want to complain to the manager  too. Yet there are times when you, as a customer/guest, know its your own fault. You walk into a shop as if your grandfather owns it, and talk to the salesgirls like they're lesser beings than you. Can you blame them for trying, and failing miserably, to give good service to you? And as for the point that our local service staff treat the caucasians better, I think its quite rubbish. As a waitress I will try to provide equally good service to everybody. But if that particular guest was nicer, more polite, and more appreciative of what I'm doing, its just human nature to be even nicer to him/her. And from experience, I dare say that I've met more caucasians who are truly grateful when you get them what they want, and show their appreciation more outwardly. And by that, I mean that they will smile when I smile at them, and thank yous come more easily from them. Some non-caucasians have been really nice guests too, I'm just saying that from my experience, I think I've met more caucasians who treat their wait staff as equals. So people might misunderstand that the reciprocation is due to the fact that they're ang mohs. No, its not like that. -.- For me at least. Unless you're a cute and nice ang moh. hahaha!


okay i'm like trying to pass time here. so now that I've got things to do, I'm off!
 
 
Current Mood: bored