Local delicacies… then drama.. then CHINA…. November 9, 2009

Oh well… last couple of weeks has been full of excitement and embarrassment for me. So other than I am doing something that I don’t really like but managing to stay on it which still a wonder for myself, probably I have not really done the tough part yet. Oh well.. Surely that day will come…hmm.. lets shall not go into that, shall we? Just last week our fitness manager, A brought me to eat some local food. We ended early since we went for the Hotel Expo and the Macau Travel Expo. So we decided to take the chance to leave early. However since we took the wrong bus, we ended up at the other side of the Macau.

Here she brought me to a local shop that sells noodles. Hei.. its not just any kind of noodles but its with pig’s brain. (Pics below)  Haha yes.. you heard it right.. Pig’s brain… as you  do realize chinese eats everything.. the entire part of the pig can be eaten! It taste very creamy and it goes with the noodles with chili. Not bad and its something new to try… but if its too exotic like turtle soup or snake soup or even monkey brain, that’s my limit. I will not go for that. Too gross and its too cruel especially when we heard about how they kill or prepare that dish.

The next day somehow, my stumoch is churning very badly, maybe its due to my monthly period that I fainted at work! yes yes.. i know.. what an impression and its so embarrassing. It all started like this. I was the hostess for the breakfast session and starting from the beginning my tummy to ache. But I thought I am able to stand till after the breakfast timing then I will go to the toilet and let the tummy finish processing as well. Little did I realize that it grew worse after 1 hour, that it started churning very badly. Therefore I hid at a corner near to the office and squat for a while for the pain to pass. But my error is when the pain pass, I just stood up and walked back to the hostess stand. That’s when I realize the entire place is turning around me and I held on to the stand. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor and I heard my colleague calling my name and running to get help.

When I started to sit up, the GC assistant manager, executive housekeeper, M and our training and development director arrived and helped me up and brought me to the office to lie down. Oh man..I felt so bad that because of me, they are now short of 1 person and so embarrassing. I was so touched that the concern that they gave me. M was arranging for some blankets for me and kept on checking on me. The GC manager called to my assistant spa manager, Y for some medicines and the assistant manager got me some sugar water. After resting a while and when I thought I am able to manage to, I went out to go to the toilet. When I came out, I saw our GM and he is very concern about me and M helped me to the toilet. My boss, Y and A also came to check on my status. Just because of me, created such a big fuss.. so touch yet so embarrassing. After that Y brought me home, however because of that she left her phone in the cab. I felt so bad for that. After resting that day when I went back to work the next day, everyone kept asking me how am I and if I felt better.. even when GM saw me after a couple of days, he asked me how am I! But don’t worry mum and dad, I will definitely take good care of myself so that this incident will not happen again.. geez.. once is enough!

As the GC is opening to public this week, we took the opportunity of going out for dinner on Sunday when it will be the last time where all the staffs will have the same off day. However, they wanted to go to Zhuhai, China, which I can NOT go!!! I have not receive my blue card as they canceled my previous application for another department and therefore they have to reapply for me. So now that I do not have it, I can’t apply for China Visa. So I thought that I will miss this outing and I kept grumbling and grumbling. Then one of my friends, maybe cannot stand my grumbling anymore just said that I am able to apply for the 1 day visa at the checkpoint itself. But have to pay over there. Hmm.. suddenly the sky gets brighter.. there is hope!!! So eventhough I had made plans with A to go out shopping again, but I hope she will understand.. So I met up with A in the afternoon and I got my new toy – Nokia E71..ok Ok.. yes mum i know .. I change phone again. But my previous phone kept on getting hang and its so slow. So after a few hours of walking around the city and the New Yaohan, I made my way to the checkpoint. Keeping my finger cross. I met up with 2 of the GSos who is going together. So when I got the the China side and I followed the sign and went to the office to apply for the visa. I paid about RMB160 for the 3 days visa and less than 30 minutes I have it! Yippee!! Now I finally able to enter into China! We went down to queue up to enter. Since there are a lot of people, I thought I will be taking a long time. But to my surprise the lane for foreigner is very short, I manage to clear it within 30 – 45 minutes! Cool eh…

After everyone joined our group we proceed to our next destination. We made our way to a chinese restaurant for dinner. Here we have to go and buy the seafood from other place and bring it to the restaurant for them to cook.. what a weird system. So anyhow, 5 of us stayed back and the rest went to buy the seafood. We had prawn, shellfish, fish, oysters, scallops and they are all very fresh and very delicious! They had some Chinese white wine, which I don’t like the taste at all.. We had fun gossiping about another colleague who did not manage to join us and we really had a good laugh as well.

The night continue with bar hopping. When we were at the first bar, a couple of us left. I stayed behind with the group. We went bar hopping till 5am and went for foot massage that we slept till 9am and only then we decided to leave and return home. It was a very tiring day but its fun! I reached home around 11 am and slept till 530pm. Then I meet up with 2 GSos to go for the food festivals, which is near the Macau Tower. They have a lot of food stalls there. Here we ate all kinds of simple food – Japanese sashimi, thai tomyam soup, fried chicken, Chinese fried buns, Crocodile satay, hot dog bun for main course, bread papa, chinese peanut and sesame paste and banana crepes for dessert and it end with a cotton floss which leave my hands all sticky! It was very nice and very very cold!! We were shivering while eating all the yummy food! But after that, we have to wait to next year to go for the food festival again!

New Hair Do.. October 18, 2009

After being here for about 2 months, which means its bout 3 months since my last haircut, so its no wonder my hair is in total mess.. When I made the decision to cut my hair its to cut away the fuss of tying up my hair, but short hair needs constant trimming.. which means more money I got to spend. I did think that I will let my hair be longer when I come to Macau thinking that it will be cooler here.. but then to my dismay, its not the case. So with this, I think it will be easier for me to keep my hair short!

Since I am at a new place, my housemate told me she saw there is a hair salon nearby our neighbourhood. Eventhough a bit skeptical but figured it will be cheaper than going to professional salons at hotels where you have the confident that the skill is at a level, but since my budget is quite low for this month, I decided to take a risk and give the  neighbourhood salon a try.

So for ladies haircut is from MOP 150 and if you get the master to cutthen it will be from MOP180. Actually for me, there is no preference but they thought i wanted the master to cut, so here comes the wait. Waited for about 30 – 40 minutes and in the mean time one of the staff washed my hair and to cut short of the waiting time. Finally the master came to cut my hair. So with some advise and there he goes.. snip.. snip.. The cut is only lasted bout 30 minutes and I am done!  Photos as below the side view, front view and back view! Nice?

My Life in Macau October 4, 2009

Just imagine how time flies, it seems like I just arrived at Macau but now its been a month and half since I came to this country. The entire time was busy with trainings and trainings.. and dealing with all the attendence issues as well as minutes of meetings. Hmm.. seems like I became like a secretary, am I not? Oh well.. just take it as part of learning process. Better to have things to do than nothing to do.. or I will feel completely useless then.

Now that the hotel just opened about 200 rooms to capture the holiday guests, but the service staff and hotel is not really ready for it as yet. The entire place and the service level is still pretty raw. Even though all staffs are suppose to wear their uniform already but for some of us the uniform is not ready as yet  or the uniform need alterations. Sigh.. and they were saying that the uniform are very expensive but the quality seems not as good as it claims.. But now without the uniform, its hard for me to go around the hotel especially whenever I need to go to the office to do some paper work but the lift will take forever to come up or down and sometimes it will even skip our level. Its so frustrating to wait for the lift then whenever I take the stair case I will get lock outside the staircase and I have to walk one huge round to get back into the building . Just because we are unable to be seen in the front of the house (where guests are) wearing the purple T-shirt for room division and light blue for food and beverage. It was quite funny to see at the earlier time where we see purple and blue staffs..all color cordinated.. These Tshirt was the uniform for all of us during the pre-opening of the hotel and until our uniform is ready.

I have also attached some pics of all our uniforms that we took during our 1st staff party with a fashion show of all our uniforms from all departments. (Pic below)

But then whenever I am off or if my housemate is off we will try to cook at home.. The first meal was by my housemate. She made some Korean Sushi (The only pic I have of our home cook food). Its very nice and some korean soup. Very yummy.. the 2nd and 3rd time was prepared by me.. but just some simple chinese dishes.. and the last one was by my housemate who cook kimchi soup.. yumm… Its quite nice to have own apartment and you have your own kitchen.. It felt like I was back in my uni days where we cook and bring to uni our lunch and then we will rush back to cook for dinner. It was real fun.. But now its so long since I cook, sometimes I tend to forget what are the ingrediant.. haha.. but lucky till now.. no one get diahrrea yet.. haha..But then we will continue this.. at least not everytime eat outside with all artificial flavoring! Taste might not be fantastic but definitely healthier.. hehe.. hope so….

yum yumm.. very after that .. very very full!!