Weiss and I did a part-time job together at RCMS last Sunday. It was to pack 15 different brochures into 300 bags by 3pm. We started off at 10am, and managed to pack only 50 bags by 12 noon. Obviously, we were shorthanded. The event manager then called in another 2 part-timers, and 5 of us packed the items, and completed everything on time. Imagine if there were only 2 of us, we'd have completed it by 10pm.
We went back to the hotel on Tuesday to collect our pay. Weiss then complained he had too much money in his bank account, and decided to splurge it on a Carl Jr lunch, haha. Later on, we went to play pool for about an hour and headed home.

Yesterday Sandy and I went for lunch and movie at Marina. She's my hotel chit-chat buddy. As she worked at the cake kiosk behind the gift shop, we often chat when there were no guests. We went for lunch at NY-NY at Citylink, the food was good and price was reasonable. I'll definitely go back there again. I finally had company to watch the movie 300. I watched Pathfinders last week, and there's no doubt that 300 was much better. After the movie, we happened to walk past the side entrance of RCMS and we saw the security guard Alan. He's a friendly guy and we often chat with him during free time. He was quite surprised to see us, and I could see he was happy to see us a week after we stopped working.

Here's a nice mashup song:
Norwegian Recycling - How Six Songs Collide

Last day at work...almost

Yesterday was 'officially' my last day at work, cause I am still scheduled for work on Apr 2,3,4 as they needed extra manpower. I worked morning shift yesterday, and I was in a great mood. I arranged the item display very neatly, probably the best ever since I started work. I greeted every guest with a bigger smile, and had longer chats with them. This is definitely the work performance that my manager wants out of employees every day, haha.

But as always, there would be something that would try to dampen my mood. As there was very high checkouts yesterday, the bellmen were very busy. I had a guest who needed a can of hairspray to be sent to her room urgently. I was alone at the gift shop, and my colleagues were all busy. I then had no choice but to request help from the Guest Relations Office [GRO] people. These people are the ones who walk around the lobby greeting guests, help to open the main door when people walk in. I called them on the phone and had this conversation:

[me] Good morning, I'm from the gift shop. I need help with sending an item to a guest room, the guest needs it very urgently. The bellmen are very busy at the moment.
[GRO] I'm sorry, but can you look at the lobby right now, there're many guests around and we need to direct them. We have only three around, I cannot help you.
[me] But the guest needs it urgently, can you help me please?
[GRO] No I can't.
[me] OK, thank you. ... and I hung up

I then walked out to look at the situation at the lobby. One GRO personnel was doing the door duty, and the two others were chit-chatting away! They were laughing and talking along. I was really angry at that time, but I had to resolve the problem first. At that moment, very fortunately, a bellmen walked towards me, and I quickly requested for his help to send up the hairspray. Very luckily for me, problem solved. But I still cannot believe a luxury hotel would have staff like this. Later on, I looked out towards the lobby area again, and I saw FOUR GRO people standing at the door talking away. What an efficient use of human resources, people getting paid $1,500 a month to chit-chat half the time. I then asked a security guard who has worked at the hotel for about a year, if their always like that, he responded affirmatively. He also said the security department's manager raised the issue to the GRO, but little has been done. A guest came into the store to browse, thus we stopped conversing.

Four months has flew past me so quickly, and I've definitely learnt a large amount of skills, those I've never been able to learn in school.
1. Talking to guests politely and confidently
2. Taking calls professionally
3. Understand basically how a hotel operates day in day out
4. Doing some basic cashier accounting, stock taking
5. Have an idea of what goes behind the scene at a hotel's retail shop and business centre
6. I've also been immune to looking at high prices, cause all of the hotel's retail items are marked up tremendously, some items as high as 10x!
7. Get exposure to branded stuffs like Bvlgari, Ploh pillows, Davidoff etc.


Now, I've got about a week to settle my University admission applications, and also to relax myself after so long. It's about 3 more weeks till enlistment, and it's really closing down on me.

Unlucky today

I thought that I'd be able to have some fun after getting my A level results yesterday. I went to play basketball at NYJC today with my friends, and fractured my ankle. I ran towards the basket to do a layup, and my foot landed sideways on the way down. I'm sure many bballers have had this injury before, and you'd know how painful it is. Sheessh. My friend bought a pack of ice from the coffeeshop nearby for me to treat the swell. Anyway, I finally met Katrina in person today. We didn't chat, just a quick 'Are you zirong?', 'Yes' conversational exchange. I met her just after I sprained my ankle, so I was limping back to the bench in pain. I went to the Chinese sinseh for treatment, and it cost me $46! He merely place an icepack around my ankle and then wrapped it in some medicated plaster. I think the medicine must contain some herbs found high up in the mountains. Blerh.
Now, I'm limping around the house in pain. Sitting down makes me restless, but I've no choice. Fortunately there's still over a month to go before I enlist, else I'd have no time to train.


I had a talk with my parents. They proposed that I try to apply for an overseas university, and said they'll finance the expenses. Actually, I've thought of going overseas before. However that was before the A levels, when I thought that I'd have ample time to make a decision and to do research. Well, the time has come, so very quickly. I did not take S papers, thus an overseas scholarship is out of my reach. I'm not Wee Shu Min, whose parents have probably a million dollars in the bank, thus I have to consider financial matters before deciding. All of a sudden, I feel that money and perhaps S papers too, are very, very important.

A lvl results

Wooohoo! The 1988 dragon batch created history in several JCs. RJC had 90% of students with 3 distinctions or more, VJC had 50% while NJC ~52%. NYJC did superb as well, 212 students had 3 distinctions or more, the highest ever, I read through several JCs stats and we're on par with ACJC in terms of students with 3As or more. (Woah!)

I went back to college at around 2pm for the results, so glad to meet all my classmates and friends again. The principal started with a short clip of the movie Heroes, the fighting scene was impressive, but I still don't get the reason behind screening it. After that, it was the most nervous moment. The principal was pretty excited when he read out the overall results of the 2006 cohort. When he said over 200 students scored 3 distinctions or more, everyone cheered so loudly! The atmosphere was really great. Of course, I sat on the ground praying that I'd be one of them. The ceremony started off with the student who scored 8 distinctions, then 6, 5, 4, 3 distinctions. 05S6A was only called out in the 4 distinctions category. By then, my hopes were slowly dying off, hands getting cold. When my name was finally called out at the 3 distinctions category, I was really relieved. I scored a B for Chemistry, the first ever B grade for Chemistry in my JC life.

After the ceremony, we chatted with our tutors. I thanked them very gratefully. My Chemistry tutor Mr Wan, came along and congratulated us. His first words to me were:
[Mr Wan] Hey zirong, congrats. But I expected you to get an A
[me] But I had been scoring Ds and Es for Chemistry in the mid-years and prelims
[Mr Wan] But at least you got a B, it shows you put in effort for it. It's very rare that someone who can ace in Physics but not Chemistry. I think it's just the fact that some people ermm..
[me] Can't do Chemistry?
...everyone laughed...
[Mr Wan] But you aced in Economics, that shows you're one who looks at the big picture. Chemistry is alot at the micro level.

Well, that says it all. If I had taken Biology, I'd have definitely flunked it. My friends who aced in Biology all aced in Chemistry as well. That's why it's called Biochemical Engineering in University, not Biophysical Engineering.