Ranchoweb has started to ask people to pay for its 1MB accounts!! Gone are my pictures. Sigh. Couldn't even show you guys my terrapin. Apelaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......
Now i'm so lazy to go and find for new hosting accounts. Fuck la. Yes.. you heard (read) me. And stop laughing!! PFfffTtttt...
That said… I guess this year won’t be so ‘happy’ for most of the peeps I know since the gist of my friends consists of those who were my schoolmates back in SAB. We’ve all hit the ripe age of 21 in the last 12 months, with a handful already a year older as January rolled along. So there won’t be as much angpows as before. Already my Christmas presents have shrunk in size, sadly this does not mean higher in price hehe.
A few friends have already graduated and are now earning their own income. Complaints are already heard about how their parents expect them to pay stuff for themselves… all in one go… even with their measly salaries. Do y’all know how much an accountancy graduate gets paid on her 1st job? RM900. You’ll have to work your way up the salary ladder, little missy… yeaaaapppp. I dearly hope that minimum start-up wage rises in the next 3 years… until its time for Celeste to hit the employment market! Hihihi…
Speaking of working, this Great Eastern Mall stint of mine is starting to become like a home-base for friends of mine, or rather, people I know. Take for example, the gals at the Customer Service Counter on the ground floor. They were my juniors in school, more importantly, in the Ranger squad, with one of them being the Head of the Ranger Unit whilst I was her Lieutenant-in-Command. And then, at the nearby Delifrance, is where the younger sister of my petsister works. Hehe, got discount la. First floor, at Exoticco, has one of my colleagues from the Royel Department Store in Ampang Point as its sole sales assistant. And then next week onwards, at ToyCity on the second floor, another friend from Royel is gonna start working there. Like… wahey… not bad for a 30 minute walk around the complex during my break huh??
Alexis has opened. Don’t take my word for it, but Starbucks does feel kinda under-staffed at times, so was the theory true? That Alexis contributes to the rise in the amount of Starbucks customers?
Huargh.. I have to continue completing that Core 1 book of mine. And need to go to a cyber café to post this. Say hi to my terrapin below. He’s/ She’s shy. Work's at 6pm. Au revoir.
On Saturday, after my Espresso Bar Station class at the HQ, I decided to hang out abit in Bukit Bintang before I started my shift at 7pm. This was because, as of the end of Bar class, an SB barista is supposed to do all the drinks that are called… no buts, no if, no ‘I’m new’ excuses. No ‘Je ne peux pas, je suis occupe’ excuses too. ARGH. And the thing that got to me was that Saiful, the other newbie in my store, could not go to work that day after class coz he had a dinner to attend. Right. So I’m gonna be the only newbie in the store that night. I asked around the class too. None of them, except for Murain (The Weld) was working because they had a ‘weekdays only’ schedule. So the only problem they had was where to hang out/ what to do after the class that day. Very funny…
Bar class was cool. Far more relaxed than the previous 2 classes… probably becoz we already knew each other. Jokes flew around like nobody’s business. If any of you guys out there saw a whole bunch of people in black clothes walking in BB during lunch the past 2 weekends, then you’ve seen us. Different from Coffee Bean, whose shirts scream COFFEE BEAN to you front and back, the only thing that gives us away when we are not in the store is the Starbucks emblem on the front left of our t-shirts. If you walk into a SB store and ask for anything that needs espresso, don’t mind waiting k? I probably know the person who’s slowly steaming the milk and pulling shots behind the bar, and he/she is probably having a hard time trying to remember the drink recipes and getting the right foam texture from the milk. If they apologize for being slow, tell them its ok, you have a friend named Celeste who’ve just told you all about the Bar class. LOL.
Met up with Payal for lunch. Got all the latest news about the others in coll and how they’re doing. Those guys from summer school are on a break now before they head into the examination hall on the 10th of Feb. GOOD LUCK YOU GUYS!!
So I went to work. Shit man. I just had to finish my Bar class a few hours before eh? It was like as though everybody knew that fact too, and just to exact whatever revenge they had for SB or anyone related to it, practically EVERYBODY who came through the front door wanted a drink with espresso shots. Like say whhaaaaaattt??? There’s frappucino for goodness sake, TAKE FRAPPUCINOOOOO. All were mentally deaf. Heh. These people need to go for some ‘Learn the art of being a psychic’ to focus their mental energy because my head could have popped from all my mental screaming and the sound of the milk steaming. Payal, even if I had remembered all the recipes during lunch, it didn’t help. I was even trying to make 2 lattes, 1 cappucinno and 1 caffe mocha at one time… gosh!
You know somebody who used to work or is currently working in Starbucks? Tell them these 2 words : GREASE TRAP. Hahahaha. That’ll guarantee you a fantastic face expression and a few interesting stories. For sure.
My favourite hot drink from SB is getting to be the Caramel Macchiato.. with extra caramel drizzle. My god its so lovely. You’ll be drinking and licking your lips after every sip, because of the caramel drizzle.
Je ne peux pas, je suis occupe = I can’t, I’m busy
My first off-day from work. Though I must say that compared to my previous working experience in BI, this job with SB ain’t all that tiresome. Ok, so the walking/standing area is much much much smaller than BI, but then we don’t get to sit. Try imagining this – you’re drinking a nice hot cup of French Roast at a table and next to you are a few SB employees chatting away merrily on their bums. Soooo not cool.
I wanted a relaxing part-time job. I get one that needs me to attend a few training classes at the SB HQ, which mostly starts at 9am! Ahh, but a good Human Resource team makes a lot of difference – BI didn’t have a HR team (yes, they’re international) and training only came after a few months of experience. That is why currently, I don’t feel as lost as I did in BI. Management. Makes all the difference, eh?
People, did you get the newest Cleo? Check out the LifeCella Orange Mask diary-of-a-student thingy at the back portion. She’s a high school junior of mine… and man, did she change! I remember the impact she had on our school when she enrolled in Form 1, all shaggily dress with her obvious brown locks everywhere. I remember some of us saying how lovely she’d look if she knew how to dress well e.g. not using an oversized pinafore. I remember the puzzled looks I got from my friends who had left school (and me for I did Form 6) when I told them that she has finally started to bloom. But I don’t remember this (points to the magazine page)!!! Actually, this shock of mine does not come anywhere near to the one that hit me when I attended Liza’s Raya open house bout a month back. There we were, sitting munching cookies watching Kopitiam on the telly when this Pantene advert comes on – quite a long one – and Ain’s younger sis tells us that’s her, with stark black hair and all! Black hair??!! Golly be gosh… every black haired person in town wants to dye theirs blond and she’s the reverse. Oh but she looked lovely on tv. Wonder if a friend of mine who just got back from the States knows about this. He had a big crush on her when she was in Form 1 (yes, shaggy and all). Hehehe.
But seriously, I feel like everybody around me is changing. Even that States guy, he looked dorky in school, but now… he’s a raver who looks cool. My school gang – those who were as big as me are now slim as a … er, whatever… and those who were slim, hehe… well, have ballooned. Passing around the weight, I guess. Me? I’ve maintained myself throughout the post-school years. I guess, that’s why old school mates keep calling out to me on the streets and in malls when they see me. I’ve bumped into a few lately, especially on NY Eve. These are the ones who transferred out of school after Form 3, people I’ve not seen in 6 years. Like… wow
Right. I gotta shampoo my hair, head out to a cyber café to post this (all of which I’ve already done as you read this), get to Great Eastern mall to the store for a staff meeting and then later on to KLCC to get my moisturizer. See ya!
P/S : Watched the Sex & The City trilogy last nite. Aidan is back!! Didn’t like Mr. Big.Hate Mr. Big.
Starbucks Tip : If Coffee of the Day is Kenya, have a fruitcake on the side. They complement each other.
Just got back from Starbucks. Had to fill up some forms for the HR Dept and a short tour and introduction to all that is Starbucks. On 1st impression, i got a cool Manager - B. Bee. The others looked ok too. Hopefully this impression is permanent. I'm not the only newbie, there's Saiful too. BB got me a free drink - Iced Caramel Macchiatto or something (I'm not a Starbucks person, so give me some time to memorize all of 'em drinks) and Saiful ain't a coffee person! He loves the Hot Chocolate though, lol, weird la. Funny thing is, we gotta go through 3 stages (and pass them) in the next 3 weeks. We got books to read and our own scribble book for us to write in whatever stuff we learn in those 3 stages. Talk about being back in school again hehe. And NO, I can't give out free drinks to friends! Hahahaha... I haven't started work and already 5 peeps have asked me about it. ONLY I get the drinks. And its proportionate to the amount of hours that i work in a day too. The more i work, the more drinks i can get. But seriously, how long can i stand that? Ice Blended everyday....man, I'll turn into Cel Blended soon. LOL. I'm starting this Friday. Can't wait.
The place is quite quiet, but from the road, when i usually pass by in the bus, i noticed that among the few alfresco shops in the front, Starbucks has the most customers. Alexis is gonna open on the other corner end of this month and BB said she's hoping for it coz it seems when Alexis opened its doors in Bangsar, Starbucks' customer rate shot through the roof. Seems that since not many people drink wines and stuff, they prefer to hop by Starbucks for their drinks. Only thing is, Starbucks' area is quite small, less tables than CB in KLCC. The rental rate is very high considering the location which is between KLCC and Ampang Point. Oh well, I guess Great Eastern projects a very high clientele rate in the coming year when the place is fully opened.
I'm talking too much Starbucks right? Hehehehe. But at least you guys are not gonna get brainwashed, I am - during those 3 stages. Blahhh. Oh and i hafto get myself a typhoid injection!! Somewhere in Cheras. Heeeesh.
Someone by the initials H.P.S just signed my guestbook and she/he said i should know her. Sorry, but my brain kinda rotted (is that a word?) the past 2 months, so pleassseeee tell me who you are k? Don't have to write it in my guestbook la, just pop by my flooble on the right there is ok already. Is the S for Sibert? Hah, i'm trying to figure out all my cousins' names. LOL. H.P.S, you're making my brains ache! Hot Pretty & Sexy??? Hihihi.
Does anyone here like cryptic puzzles? I read Nuance - a new addition to the New Sunday Times, and there was an article about it in the front followed by a puzzle at the back. Looks cool. BUT... holy shit it's hard!! The clues are not clues sometimes, you can't trust it, blablablabla. But i'm gonna stick to it and wait for the answers this Sunday. I've got 2 across and many to go. Oh my... well maybe if some of you out there are doing it, we can share answers? Hahahaha... that's like, breaking the No. 1 rule of doing a puzzle - after loads of hours of chewing your pencil and finally all your neutrons firing in the right direction, YOU SHARE YOUR ANSWERS!
I’ve always wondered how much those diamonds and pearls in Tiffany’s cost. Not that I could ever afford them, but just curious, you know. And then recently, there was this one-page advert in the papers showing a range of diamond necklaces, earrings and bracelets and rings with the accompanying prices! Holy shit… 160K for a bracelet? Even though it was the Mondial collection from Singapore, which is gonna have a 5 day sale at a leading hotel in KL, and not Tiffany’s… but still, I think it kinda gave me an inkling as to what the prices are for the latter. Man, I’m just dumbstruck….
And speaking of being dumbstruck, I watched The Two Towers. Finally. After having waited for Payal to get her ass back to KL from India, I managed to get the 6 of us to watch it last Wednesday. Thanks to my bro’s gf, Jo, who got the tics for us. And I’m glad the peeps who watched it with me thought it was a superb piece of film coz I don’t think I could‘ve kept a lid on my emotions if someone dared to say it was ridiculous at my face just right after the movie. I mean, I didn’t have a sweater throughout the 3 - hour movie, and only when Sam started his talk at the end of it did I realised that I was freezing. That goes to show how much I gawked at the movie. And when Syafik asked me how was it when we all stood up to leave, I just answered “ I feel like crying, the movie was so beautiful… “ Nothing beats the excitement of discussing a movie you’ve just watched with like-minded people over cups of coffee later on like we did at Coffee Bean.
Oh and I went for an interview with a coffeehouse yesterday. More like 2 interviews, one right after the other. Man, one advice – don’t got for this sort of shit after 2 months of rotting at home, seriously, the questions they throw at you… it ain’t funny. I could peek at the interviewer’s paper and saw that there was a grading system for every question with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Surprisingly, whatever I learned in Management class helped me in answering the questions hahahaha. If both my interviewers’ reactions are anything to go by, I think I got the job as a barista. But I’m not too sure until that wonderful call comes through! The second guy told me where I would be based, though…but still, I’m waiting for that call. Parents didn’t want me to go into anything F&B, but hey, I’m sick of asking for jobs… so anything’ll do.
Did anybody read about the new vacuum cleaner from Electrolux – the Trilobite? Kinda cool. Wait let me quote the papers - OH SHIT.. THE CALL CAME THROUGH … I GOT THE JOB!!!!! I got it I got it I got it I got it I got it.
Wait. I can’t think. My whole face is red!! And I can’t jump around here in Payal’s place coz then the people in the downstairs apartment would scream. HAHAHAHA I’m giddy as hell.
Ok so the Trilobite quote is this – This is the automatic vacuum cleaner. The Trilobite. Just leave it on the floor and it will do the job for you. Scans the room and vacuums the floor. Even recharges itself. And turns off when the job is done. Independent if you like.
Ahem. From now on you’ll be reading the blog of a barista. Starbucks. Oh now I have to go and find clothes and shoes!!
Recently I came across a letter in the NST about the current "Too many Datuks" issue. What attracted my interest in this particular letter was the quote the author used - "if last time people would say that if you threw a stone, it would probably hit a Datuk, now it should be noted that if you threw a stone, it would hit a Datuk and probably bounce onto another..." - now isn't that a nice quote? Hahaha. I don't think there are any Datuks amongst my readers, so this shouldn't get anybody worked up... I hope.
I stayed over at a friend's house last nite. Advice - never ever use foul language at dawn or earlier. It just gets everybody's mood all screwed up, even those who happened to overhear the conversation.
Speaking about attitudes, always be friendly to people, no matter how much you hate their guts. Ok, so if you really hate their guts, like really really really hate it, then don't bother la. Be friendly to create contacts. Contacts can get you a job. Seriously. I know some cases where people got their current jobs through contacts. I got one too. Well, not for now. Kinda got a future job in hand, courtesy of my uncle who is my godmother's husband. He was happy to find out that I'm into the Accounting/Banking & Finance thingy, becoz he said he could help me get a job in banks. He didn't mention it to me earlier in fear that it would push me into that field just becoz I had a job guaranteed, instead of liking it. So now that I have gone into that field all by myself, he's happy, godma is happy... I will be happy.. LOL. Let's see la eh? And he's the king of contacts. He got back from London not too long ago with 40 bottles of Black Label, XOs and whatnots. Contacts contacts contacts. BUT... maintain your contacts. Don't just call them up when you need a favour. That's horrible!! I'll personally kill you if you do that to me. :p
Oh and about contacts, a friend's mum saw how people listened to me when I spoke during a recent Hari Raya open house. Now she has encouraged me to work for her in this job which kinda like a marketing thingy. Will speak about it later on when I've settled in. I always knew the way I spoke would get me into trouble hahahahahahaahaha.
